National Consensus Commission (NCC) has sent political parties the final draft of the July National Charter, dropping the earlier proposal for a two-year deadline to complete reforms.
In the initial draft issued on 28 July, parties were asked to commit to implementing all reforms within two years of taking office after the next general election. The final draft, however, only states that recommendations deemed “immediately implementable” should be carried out by the interim government and relevant authorities before the polls, without clarifying which reforms fall under that category.
Commission vice-president Ali Riaz confirmed the draft had been circulated, asking parties to submit feedback on language and wording by 20 August. “The content will remain unchanged,” he said, adding that the two-year deadline in the preliminary draft was only meant to start discussions.
Another commission member, speaking anonymously, said legal experts are now examining the binding nature of the charter, which could determine a timeline later.
The draft covers 84 issues agreed during two rounds of talks between 20 March and 31 July, while also recording dissenting notes—mostly from the BNP and some other parties. It pledges constitutional recognition of the 2024 July–August uprising, justice for killings during the movement, state honours for its martyrs, and rehabilitation of the injured. It declares the provisions constitutionally binding, placing interpretation under the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.
The charter cites historical precedents to justify political settlements outside formal legal frameworks, including the Liberation War period of 1971–72 and the 1990 mass uprising.
But criticism has already emerged. Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said the draft appeared to represent “a particular group” rather than consensus. He said some proposals were introduced without discussion and fundamental principles remained unresolved.
National Citizen Party senior joint convener Raved Rasin said his party was disappointed by the absence of a timeframe, lack of clarity on immediately implementable proposals, and uncertainty over dissenting issues. “We will write to the commission about this,” he said.