Consensus Commission Resumes Final Talks on July Charter
The National Consensus Commission today resumed its talks with political parties for the eighth day in the second phase aiming to build unity on the recommendations of various reform commissions, formed by the interim government, and formulating the 'July Charter' as soon as possible. The meeting officially began at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital at 11 am. At the beginning of the meeting, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the martyrs of the July Uprising. National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Prof Dr Ali Riaz said, standing on the second day of July, he feels that if they try, they will be able to reach a place for the charter by mid-July. About the July 2024 Uprising, he said, "On the one hand, we gather here with great pain because we lost our friends, colleagues, and many brothers and sisters in the July movement. Many are still bearing that wound, or are fighting with death. On the other hand, we are here out of a sense of responsibility towards them."
By being here and through discussion, Prof Ali Riaz said, they are understanding each other. "We are considering the structures, striving for success and that is why I am hopeful that we will be able to quickly reach a consensus. Because, you all feel that responsibility and accountability with all your heart," he said. Prof Ali Riaz hoped that they would definitely be able to reach a consensus within this month - by mid-July or the third week of July. Presided over by Commission Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz, the meeting was attended by Commission members Justice Emdadul Haque, Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, Dr Md Ayub Mia, Dr Iftekharuzzaman and Safar Raj Hossain and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Monir Haider.
Representatives of 30 political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gana Sanghati, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers Party, Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, are participating in today's discussion. Earlier, in its meetings, the commission discussed various issues with the political parties, including the term of the Prime Minister, the presidential election system, the principles of state governance and the formation of independent committees to fix the boundaries of parliamentary seats. According to the commission sources, representatives of the political parties will brief after the day-long discussion today. The discussion is being broadcast live by Bangladesh Television.
