Nahid Islam, Opposition chief whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) convener, said the government has broken its promise to implement state reforms approved by the referendum.
He also said that the old patterns of power centralisation, institutional control, and political authoritarianism are returning.
He said this while speaking at a dialogue on Saturday morning in the capital titled “Reform Deadlock: Path to Resolution”. Diplomats, high commissioners, international organisations, human rights activists, and civil society representatives were present at the event.
Nahid said, “Today’s discussion is not only about political disagreements. It is about the future character of the Bangladeshi state. The sacrifice of the July Revolution must lead to democratic transformation, or else risk being lost again in the cycle of old authoritarian politics.”
He described the July uprising as a “historic national awakening,” where students, workers, professionals, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens united against a “deeply entrenched authoritarian system.”
That system concentrated power, weakened state institutions, manipulated elections, and undermined judicial independence and freedom of expression, he added.
The NCP convener said that after the fall of the autocratic government, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus carried the responsibility of state reform, justice for victims of repression, and democratic transition.
He claimed that the 1972 Constitution has, over time, evolved into a structure that encouraged excessive executive power and one‑party dominance.
Nahid Islam said they believed that without structural constitutional reform, democratic regression would inevitably return.
However, he claimed that the proposal for a new constitution was dropped due to opposition from powerful political forces.
Later, he said, all political parties agreed on the “July Charter,” which included provisions such as judicial independence, protection of constitutional institutions from executive interference, and the establishment of an upper house based on proportional representation.
He added that in the subsequent national referendum, the July Charter and 48 reform proposals were approved by the people. Among them, eight core reforms relating to constitutional institutions, the caretaker government system, the constitutional amendment process, and the upper house received direct public endorsement.
Nahid Islam alleged that although the BNP accepted the reform framework before the election, it changed its position after coming to power.
He said, “The government has refused to form a Constitutional Reform Council and rejected the implementation process approved by the people.”
The NCP convener accused the government of scrapping several key reform ordinances issued during the interim administration. These included initiatives to strengthen the Human Rights Commission, ensure transparency in Anti‑Corruption Commission appointments, prevent enforced disappearances, increase police accountability, guarantee judicial independence, and establish a Supreme Court Secretariat.
According to him, many of these measures had previously aligned with BNP’s own commitments.
Nahid said, “On the one hand, reform initiatives are being cancelled, while on the other, laws that expand executive power are being retained. This signals a return to a centralised system of governance.”
On constitutional amendments, he warned that attempts to bring fundamental structural changes through ordinary parliamentary processes could create new constitutional crises in the future. He noted that the Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Thirteenth, and Sixteenth Amendments were later struck down by the courts.
He said, “True constitutional reform must be participatory, transparent, and based on the sovereign authority of the people.”
Raising concerns over shrinking freedom of expression, he said citizens are being arrested and prosecuted under the Cyber Security Ordinance for publishing satirical political content on social media. He cited the case of content creator AM Hasan Nasim.
On regional issues, Nahid expressed alarm over “intimidation, deprivation, and communal targeting” of minorities and vulnerable groups in West Bengal, warning that any attempt to forcibly push these communities toward Bangladesh could trigger a new humanitarian crisis.
He simultaneously urged stronger international engagement on the Rohingya crisis, noting that Bangladesh continues to shelter more than one million Rohingya refugees while ongoing conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has further complicated the situation.
He said that the people of Bangladesh gave their verdict for change through a mass uprising. If that commitment is not implemented, public trust in democratic institutions may collapse once again, he added.
He also called on the international community to continue supporting Bangladesh’s democratic reforms, human rights, and institutional accountability.
