The National Consensus Commission aims to finalize the July Charter within this month, said Professor Ali Riaz, the commission’s vice-chairperson.
Speaking at the opening of the 15th day of the second phase of talks with political parties, held Sunday at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, he emphasized the progress made so far and the shared intent of all involved.
“We believe this is something you (political parties) undoubtedly want as well. That’s why we’re able to move forward,” said Riaz. “We’ve already reached consensus on many issues. A few matters still need to be resolved through further discussion.”
Today’s agenda included two key topics: the caretaker government system and the provision allowing the Prime Minister to hold multiple offices.
“Our goal is to reach a final draft of the Charter by July 31,” Riaz stated. “It’s a shared goal—yours, ours, and one that the people of this country are expecting.”
On the issue of forming an Upper House in the legislature, Prof Riaz said that the commission is reviewing the political parties’ proposals and positions. “We had hoped to present a decision following discussions on Friday and Saturday. However, the commission decided that further time is needed for evaluation. We are closely examining the different perspectives presented by the parties.”
He added that the commission will consider possible political and structural implications of establishing an Upper House. “We expect to reach a decision within two to three days.”
Regarding the caretaker government system, Riaz said that after several rounds of dialogue, the commission had shared multiple proposals for consideration. In response, proposals were submitted by several parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Revolutionary Workers Party, and NCP. Based on those submissions and prior discussions, a unified proposal was presented for deliberation.
“We’ve all been involved in the struggle to reinstate the caretaker government over the past 14 years,” Riaz remarked. “We have now reached a consensus on its reinstatement. The next step is to agree on the structure of the Chief Advisor’s role. The commission not only hopes for this, but firmly believes in it.”