The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) briefly walked out of a National Consensus Commission meeting on Monday during discussions on incorporating appointment procedures for four key constitutional bodies into the Constitution. However, the party later returned and rejoined the session.
The meeting, held at the Foreign Service Academy, marked the 20th day of the second phase of dialogue with political parties.
Discussions focused on proposed constitutional provisions for appointments to the Public Service Commission (PSC), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
At the start of the session, Professor Ali Riaz, vice-chair of the commission, introduced the agenda.
In response, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed declared that his party would not participate in the discussion and subsequently left the meeting along with other BNP representatives.
BNP had previously announced its decision to abstain from discussions on appointments to these four institutions, arguing against embedding their recruitment processes in the Constitution.
Following the walkout, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince raised concerns about the effectiveness of the dialogue, questioning how consensus could be achieved if a major party refused to participate.
Professor Ali Riaz responded by reiterating that BNP’s position had been communicated earlier and that the commission could not drop the agenda due to objections from a single party.
However, he acknowledged that the absence of a major party could impact the overall effectiveness of the discussion and said the commission would take the matter into consideration.
Shortly afterward, the BNP delegation returned to the meeting and resumed participation in the dialogue.
