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Vice-Chairman of National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz today said the commission wants to reach at a logical stage by July 30 in light of our sense of responsibility to the martyrs of the July-August Mass Uprising last year.
He made this remark at the very outset of the discussion with political parties for the 12th day in the second phase of the discussion held at the Foreign Service Academy here.
The discussion aimed at building unity around the recommendations of various reform commissions formed by the interim government, reaching consensus on state reform issues, and formulating the ‘July Charter.’
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 attended the meeting.
According to the commission sources, outline of the caretaker government, appointment of Chief Justice and declaration of state emergency are dominating the agenda of today’s dialogue.
Earlier, three issues were discussed, and further discussions on the unresolved issues are scheduled to be held today.
In his opening remarks, Prof Ali Riaz said, “As you belong to political parties, you will have specific position on all issues; it is normal. However, I request you to stand at a middle position. If you can get representation from the people later, you will be able to change it. This will depend on the mandate of the people, but the commission believes it is better to come to a consensus.”
He said the commission is considering the statements of political leaders seriously and it wants to reach a consensus. “We have to come to a conclusion. If you consider this, it will be possible for us to reach a consensus,” he added.
The commission’s vice-chairman said, “You should be willing to move forward, even if it means adjusting your position. Otherwise, we’ll remain stuck in the same place we’ve always been.”
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 tenure of the prime minister, the presidential election system, the principles of state governance and formation of independent committees to demark the boundaries of parliamentary seats.
