Interim Government seeks opinions on July Uprising Declaration from political parties and stakeholders

The interim government has asked political parties and other relevant groups for their opinions on the July Uprising Declaration. 

This move comes after a meeting between the government and party leaders to discuss a draft of the declaration.

On Thursday, January 18, Chief Advisor of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, met with leaders of various political parties. 

The meeting was part of an ongoing process, following an all-party dialogue, to gather feedback and decide on the next steps, according to Prothom Alo.

The press wing of the Chief Advisor’s office shared this update with reporters on Saturday, January 18. 

It was confirmed that after the all-party meeting, the government is collecting views from political parties involved in the July Uprising and other interested parties. 

These opinions can be submitted by letter until January 23 to Advisor Mahfuz Alam’s office. 

The feedback will then be reviewed and used to create a revised and widely accepted version of the declaration, which will be announced in front of the public as soon as possible.

The meeting on Thursday was attended by leaders from various political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, along with representatives from the student movement against discrimination and the National Citizens Committee.

Before the meeting, a draft of the July Uprising Declaration had been prepared and shared with political parties and stakeholders to make the discussion easier.

The draft suggests the possibility of amending or even abolishing the 1972 Constitution if needed. 

It also states that the declaration would come into effect from August 5 of the previous year. 

However, since it is just a draft, it will be adjusted based on the ongoing discussions and feedback.

Earlier, on December 31, the student movement against discrimination and the National Citizens Committee had planned to announce the July Uprising Declaration at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar. 

This led to widespread political discussions in the country. 

Many were curious about why the declaration was being introduced at that moment and what impact it could have. 

The interim government’s press wing clarified at the time that the government was not involved in this initiative. 

However, later that night, during an emergency press briefing, the press secretary of the Chief Advisor revealed that the government had started working on the declaration, aiming for national consensus.

On the same night, December 30, the student movement and the National Citizens Committee announced the "March for Unity" program and gave the interim government a deadline of January 15 to finalize the declaration. 

After this deadline, the meeting on January 18 took place, with the Chief Advisor leading efforts to finalize the declaration. 

Now, the government is collecting feedback to continue with the process.