Bangladesh: Consensus Commission ready to submit final recommendations on July charter

Dhaka, October 8 (IANS). Bangladesh National Consensus Commission (NCC) announced on Wednesday that the commission will submit its final recommendations to the interim government by October 10. According to local media reports, these recommendations are aimed at enabling political parties to sign the “Julie National Charter 2025” by October 16. This process is given as an important step in giving guidance to political stability and democratic reform in the country. Ali Riaz, Vice President of the NCC, provided this information while on Wednesday afternoon chairman of the fifth meeting of the Commission on the July charter implementation at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka. Representatives from various political parties attended the meeting. “The commission will submit its final recommendations to the Government by October 10. He further said that the “notes of disagreement” must also be considered by political parties. “The points of disagreement raised in the July charter will be carefully considered. We do not think that all the points of disagreement can be looked at in a uniform way as each party has offered such notes from its own point of view. It represents not only political interests, but also broader public sentiments,” Riaz said. The Vice President of the NCC further said that when this charter is agreed by the referendum in the country, it will be necessary to ensure that the public is clearly aware of all the differences. “If people give permission, they need to know what issues different political parties have,” he said. About 30 political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), James-E-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), participated in the meeting. These parties held detailed discussions to finalize the procedures for the implementation of the July National Charter. Earlier in July, the second phase of discussions between 30 political parties and NCC began amid the ongoing political uncertainty and instability in the country. During that time, many parties, especially Jamaat, NCP and Islamic movement, raised objections to the concept of the July National Charter. These parties were particularly opposed to the provision under which the government, which was established after national election, would have to implement reform proposals within two years. He also demanded that the July charter be included in the legal framework and not just a political treaty so that its implementation can be assured. -—Is Ash/ABM