The National Consensus Commission intends to finalize the method for implementing the July Charter before the end of its newly extended tenure, said the commission’s Vice-Chairperson, Professor Ali Riaz, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening session of the commission’s meeting with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka at noon, Riaz said he did not believe the process would take as long as a month. He noted that experts’ recommendations had already been sought and expressed hope for a swift outcome.
Wednesday’s meeting marked the third day of the commission’s third phase of discussions with political parties on how to implement the July Charter. Earlier this week, the government extended the commission’s tenure by one month, until October 15, through a Cabinet Division notification.
Riaz said that the commission chair — who also serves as the Chief Adviser — would be briefed on progress before departing for New York on September 21 to attend the UN General Assembly session.
According to Riaz, a draft of the implementation plan has been sent to political parties, which have offered six alternative approaches. Some proposed special constitutional orders or a referendum, while others suggested leaving the matter to Parliament. Experts recommended using a referendum or special constitutional orders for constitution-related issues, while urging the government to quickly issue ordinances on matters that can be handled that way.
He also said political parties had been asked to nominate two representatives each to sign the charter, and most had already submitted their names. The parties expect the government to take the necessary legal steps to implement the charter.
Wednesday’s meeting was attended by representatives from around 30 political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, Gana Adhikar Parishad, Ganasanghati Andolon, and the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB). The meeting was moderated by the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant on the Consensus Commission, Monir Hayder, and attended by commission members Justice Md Emdadul Haque, Iftekharuzzaman, and Badiul Alam Majumdar.
