Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has stressed the urgency of finalizing the July Charter, warning that time is limited and prolonged discussions are no longer feasible.
Speaking at the opening session of the 16th day of the second phase of dialogues with political parties, held on Monday at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Riaz said, “Without consensus on certain key issues, we cannot move forward. We must make quick decisions to finalize the July Charter.”
Monday’s discussion agenda included the constitutional provision regarding the Prime Minister holding multiple offices and the guiding principles of state governance.
Calling on political parties to reach decisions within the next 10 days, Riaz said, “There are only ten days left. We must reach conclusions on the critical points. If any party has dissenting views, those must be clearly stated and will be documented in the final charter.”
Addressing the political parties, he urged them to remember the country’s Liberation War, 53 years of struggle, and the unprecedented mass uprising last year, which saw bloodshed and loss of life. “We cannot ignore or move past those sacrifices. These are our foundations, and we must move forward keeping them in mind,” he added.
Riaz emphasized that the commission is not imposing anything on the political parties. “We never intended to and never will impose anything forcefully. However, we have placed forward issues we believe are essential for reforming the state structure. We hope all parties will consider them and help us reach common ground within the next ten days.”
Representatives from 30 political parties participated in Monday’s discussion, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Citizen Party (NCP), Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), and Ganosamhati Andolan.
