United News of Bangladesh

National Consensus Commission Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz on Tuesday called on political parties to show flexibility to resolve the remaining reform issues in a short time in a bid to prepare the National Charter within this July. “We must work together to reach a consensus on a National Charter. As far as possible, we need to do it collectively. For that, we hope each party must continue to change its position to some extent. But please consider the time constraint, so that we can finalise the charter within this month of July,” he said. Prof Ali Riaz made the call while presiding over the 14th day discussion of the second-round reform dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. He said a consensus has already been reached on some issues, a few others were agreed upon at the initial stage of discussion, and now several still remain unresolved. “We will continue our discussions on the remaining issues,” said the Vice Chair of the Consensus Commission. Bangladesh’s Consensus Commission resumes talks with key issues topping agenda He said if there is any failure in consensus-building efforts, its liability will lie not only on the Commission but on all political parties involved. “If we fail anywhere, it will be a collective failure. If the Commission fails, it must be all our collective failure. We must consider it,” said Prof Riaz. Noting that there is no option for failure, he said the responsibility entrusted to the Consensus Commission is also upon the political parties. “We have only become a partner in your efforts,” he said. The Vice Chair said all unsettled issues must be resolved in the next several days of discussion. Several important Constitutional reform issues, including the formation of the Upper House of a prospective bicameral parliament and the woman seats in Parliament are being discussed in Tuesday’s dialogue. Some 30 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and NCP joined the talks to present their respective positions on the proposed reforms. The Consensus Commission aims to finalise a unified stance on key reform proposals by July 31 after completing discussions on nearly 20 major constitutional issues during the ongoing second-round dialogue. Reform talks: no consensus on women’s seat election, upper house formation Based on political consensus, the Commission will unveil the National Charter — a reform roadmap aimed at restructuring the state. The second round of dialogues was launched on June 2 by Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus.

Political parties have failed to reach an agreement over two issues discussed in Monday's reform talks ---the election system for 100 women seats in the parliament and the election system for the upper house of the proposed bicameral parliament. “Since the issues still remain unsettled, the commission thinks it is appropriate to resolve them before proceeding further,” said vice chair of the National Consensus Commission (NCC) Prof Ali Riaz. He made the remarks at a press briefing in the afternoon on the conclusion of the 12th day of the second-round dialogue between the commission and the political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. Prof Ali Riaz said most of the parties agreed earlier on raising the women's seats from 50 to 100 in parliament and the formation of a bicameral parliament –- the lower house and the upper house. But they couldn’t reach an agreement yet over the (election) systems regarding the two issues, he said. Since the two unresolved issues will be discussed on Tuesday, the caretaker government topic has been deferred for another day, he said. BNP has pushed for a seat-based proportional representation (PR) system for electing members to both the 100 women seats and the 100-member Upper House. In contrast, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami demanded a vote-based PR system for both cases. Women seats: The consensus commission on Monday placed a revised proposal regarding the women seat election that the political parties that would contest in at least 25 constituencies must ensure minimum one-third women of their total candidates. In the original proposal, the commission earlier said 100 women shall be elected from 100 constituencies, exclusively reserved by rotation for women candidates. However, many political parties don’t support the revised proposal as well. BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed at a press briefing said his party proposed increasing the number of reserved women seats from 50 to 100. “But we think the existing election system should continue in this regard,” he said. NBR officials' protests turned into anti-govt movement aiming to harm economy: Adviser He said the commission’s revised proposal was “extremely difficult to implement” under the country’s socio-political realities, religious traditions and cultural norms. “Due to religious and cultural reasons, women's direct participation remains difficult. We want gradual progress. A time will come when women can contest directly for these seats, and we should wait for that,” said Salahuddin. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said that Jamaat supports raising the number of women seats to 100. “We’ve asked the election for the seats should be the vote-based PR system,” he said. He said if direct elections are held, a woman would have to contest in an area roughly equal to three normal constituencies. It is almost impossible in the country’s social, religious and cultural reality, said the Jamaat leader The upper house formation: The consensus commission placed two proposals for the formation of the upper house (Senate). According to the first proposal, political parties will nominate 100 (one hundred) candidates for the election to the Upper House based on the Proportional Representation (PR) system. BNP and several other parties don’t support this proposal though most of the political parties including Jamaat and NCP are in favour of this PR system for the upper house. As per the alternative proposal, each district and each city corporation area shall be considered/demarcated as a single regional constituency of the Upper House and one representative of the Upper House shall be elected from each constituency by direct vote of the people (currently there are 64 districts and 12 city corporations in the country, so the number of seats in the Upper House will be 76). No political party particularly BNP and Jamaat supported the alternative proposal. Salahuddin Ahmed said his party proposed the formation of a bicameral parliament but didn’t propose any direct election for the upper house of the prospective bicameral legislature. When his attention was drawn that NCP alleged several particular parties want a weak and ineffective upper house, he said BNP was the first to propose a bicameral legislature nearly two years ago. “So the question of weakening or strengthening doesn’t arise. The house hasn’t even been formed yet. How can one say whether it will be weak or strong?” he asked. Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said two-thirds of political parties had already expressed support for the PR system, and on Monday, a few more parties backed it. “We have strongly endorsed the voter-based PR system,” he said. If the commission truly reflects the opinions of the parties fairly, their decision must favour the PR system, he added. Jamaat’s Caretaker Proposals On Monday, Jamaat also submitted a new proposal and two alternative proposals to the consensus commission on the caretaker government issue. Raising the proposal, the Jamaat leader said there shall be a search committee composed of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice in a bid to select the chief of the caretaker government. This search committee would invite nominations—five from the ruling party, five from the opposition, and two from each of the other parties represented in parliament. The search committee would select the head of the caretaker government by consensus from the nominees.

National Consensus Commission Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz on Monday stressed the need for arrangements to ensure women's equal status institutionally and constitutionally during the reconstruction of the State. “In the process of rebuilding Bangladesh, we believe that it needs to take measures to establish women at equal dignity institutionally and constitutionally,” he said. Prof Ali Riaz made the remarks while presiding over the 13th day discussion of the second-round reform dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. A number of key issues, particularly the formation of the Upper House and the Women Seats in Parliament are being discussed in Monday’s dialogue. Recalling the role of women in the July 2024 uprising, Prof Riaz said the way the movement gained momentum due to the glorious participation of women can be institutionalised in the context of restructuring the state. Under the leadership of the anti-discrimination student movement, a mass movement against fascism began in July 2024 and July 14 marked a major turning point, he said. Ali Riaz for reaching consensus on basic reform issues by July 31 “In response to disparaging remarks against protesters, female students from Dhaka University and other universities took to the streets overnight. Their protest, their powerful voices, their resistance gave a new strength to the anti-fascist movement and pushed it toward change (in power),” he said. Expressing the hope for reaching a consensus on Monday’s agenda, Prof Riaz said, “We hope to create an institutional pathway for women’s participation with dignity particularly in politics, state-building and lawmaking. We believe we can agree on this.” Around 30 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party-NCP, took part in the talks to present their views on the proposed reforms. The Consensus Commission aims to finalise a unified stance on key reform proposals by July 31 after completing discussions on nearly 20 major constitutional issues during the ongoing second round of dialogue. Based on political consensus, the Commission will unveil the National Charter — a reform roadmap aimed at restructuring the state. Reached a consensus on 2 aspects of Chief Justice appointment: Ali Riaz The second round of dialogues was launched on June 2 by Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus. Earlier, the Commission's first round of talks began on March 20 and concluded on May 19 after engaging with 33 political parties and alliances. 

National Consensus Commission Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz on Sunday said a consensus must be reached on fundamental issues at best by July 31 aiming to formulate a national charter. “We are trying to reach a logical point by the end of July, by any means,” he said while speaking on the 12th day of the second-round reform dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. “A national charter must be formulated through consensus on some fundamental issues. Our target is to finalise this by July 30. At most, we may extend to July 31,” Prof Riaz said. He added that the formation of the national charter will be a step towards fulfilling the responsibility to the martyrs of the July-August movement. A number of important issues, including the declaration of state of emergency and the appointment of Chief Justice are scheduled to be discussed in Sunday's dialogue. National Consensus Commission to resume reform talks Wednesday Some 30 political parties are taking part in the talks to present their respective positions on the proposed reforms. Following the talks, the National Consensus Commission is expected to finalise and announce the National Charter, a reform roadmap. On June 2, Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus inaugurated the second round of dialogues. Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Yunus, the Commission was tasked with forging a unified national stance on crucial state reforms. The Commission launched its first round of talks on March 20, engaging with 33 political parties and alliances before concluding the round on May 19.

The 12th day of second-round reform talks between the National Consensus Commission and the political parties began on Sunday morning to discuss several constitutional issues. The discussion, presided over by Consensus Commission's vice chair Prof Ali Riaz, began at 11am at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. A number of important issues, including the declaration of state of emergency and the appointment of Chief Justice are scheduled to be discussed in Sunday's dialogue. Some 30 political parties are taking part in the talks to present their respective positions on the proposed reforms. Following the talks, the National Consensus Commission is expected to finalise and announce the National Charter, a reform roadmap. Reached a consensus on 2 aspects of Chief Justice appointment: Ali Riaz On June 2, Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus inaugurated the second round of dialogues. Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Yunus, the Commission was tasked with forging a unified national stance on crucial state reforms. The Commission launched its first round of talks on March 20, engaging with 33 political parties and alliances before concluding the round on May 19.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday said there has been a consensus on decentralisation of subordinate courts, with all parties agreeing on specific directives for establishing courts at the upazila level. Talking to journalists at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital following the National Consensus Commission's dialogue with political parties, Salahuddin highlighted the unified stance on this judicial reform. “Certain issues regarding subordinate courts have been clearly defined,” said Salahuddin Ahmed, adding, “For instance, there is no need to establish courts in upazilas that are part of district headquarters. Since those specific sadar upazilas can be integrated with the district judge courts located in the district headquarters that effectively establishes the upazila courts there.” He said that some upazilas in Bangladesh, which were once called 'chowkis' during the British period, as well as island and other selected areas, already had courts established. “For upazilas located very close to district headquarters—say within 15 to 20 kilometres—given the improved state of communication, it becomes administratively burdensome to build new structures, provide housing for officers and staff, and maintain them. Therefore, based on a detailed survey, it has been recommended that no new courts be established in such upazilas,” Salahuddin pointed out. Fakhrul urges BNP leaders, activists to begin election preparations The BNP leader stated, “Factors such as the distance between upazilas, population density, economic conditions, communication facilities, and the number of pending cases in specific upazilas should be considered. Following a survey, a phased approach to establishing courts in all upazilas has been agreed upon.” On the issue of establishing permanent High Court benches in divisional cities, Salahuddin advised involving the judiciary. The previous discussions on setting up permanent High Court benches in divisional cities were included in the Judicial Reform Commission’s report, he said, suggesting that this matter should be discussed with and involve the judiciary. “In 1988, a Supreme Court judgement declared the relevant constitutional amendment for such benches unconstitutional, and as a result, those benches were never established. To avoid repeating such complications in the future, we have recommended a solution be found in consultation with the judiciary, with both the National Consensus Commission and the government bearing responsibility,” Salahuddin reminded. Emergency Provisions Salahuddin also addressed the issue of emergency powers in the Constitution, stating that Articles 141A, 141B, and 141C clearly define the President’s authority to declare a state of emergency, the process for doing so, which fundamental rights may be suspended, how long it can last, and what must happen if Parliament is not in session. Work together, shun negativity for democratic progress: Fakhrul urges political parties  He said, “The Consensus Commission has proposed adding two or three more clauses related to this. There have been detailed discussions on maintaining fundamental human rights during emergencies, especially in relation to international treaties and agreements with the United Nations.” “Our proposal is that the matter should be determined through a detailed debate in the National Parliament. This is a complex issue. Laws may be enacted under these constitutional provisions, and Parliament would be the appropriate forum for such considerations,” Salahuddin explained.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday expressed support for the proposal made by the National Consensus Commission to decentralise the lower judiciary and extend its reach to the upazila level, aiming to bring justice closer to people. Talking to reporters during a break on the tenth day of the Commission's second round of meetings with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad said their party agreed with the proposal. “Jamaat has agreed with the Commission’s proposal on decentralisation of the lower judiciary, bringing it from district to upazila level. We have supported their proposal because today’s National Consensus Commission, today’s interim government, and the overall situation in Bangladesh—all centre around the public aspiration for change on 5 August. In the interest of the people, we want to bring the courts to their doorsteps,” said Azad. Explaining the reasoning behind this support, Azad highlighted the hardships faced by rural citizens in accessing justice. Rizvi accuses Jamaat of displaying double standards  “If someone living in an upazila seeks justice, they have to overcome significant communication barriers to reach the district level. There is an economic aspect to this. Distance and time are also factors. Once at the district level, arranging a lawyer and undergoing the judicial process brings about psychological suffering, as well as costs for accommodation and food,” he said. He went on to say, “The situation becomes even more unbearable if the litigant is financially constrained. Therefore, to reduce public suffering and ensure justice, and to ease the legal burden on courts, we supported the idea of bringing courts to the upazila level.” Azad said Bangladesh has 495 upazilas and that some judicial benches are already in place under constitutional provisions. “We proposed that all upazilas gradually be brought under the court system and that existing benches be transformed into permanent courts,” he said. He also acknowledged concerns that decentralisation of the judiciary might lead to increased corruption, given the presence of broker syndicates that often collude with judiciary officials or deceive litigants with false promises. “This issue came up in discussions. But as the saying goes, we don’t cut off the head to cure a headache. If people develop moral values, awareness increases, and if we can educate them, such problems can be eliminated. And is corruption absent in district-level courts? Didn’t you yourselves report how a verdict was issued using a forged signature of a High Court judge?” Azad mentioned. Election without cleansing ‘stinking past’ amounts to killing democracy: Jamaat Ameer The Jamaat leader said the discussion also touched on village courts. “There are some limitations within the village court system. We proposed making it more effective. For instance, it currently allows a maximum fine of Tk 75,000. That jurisdiction could be increased.” There is also a lack of qualified individuals to mediate disputes. If they are given proper training and empowered with more authority and skills, many issues can be resolved at the union level itself through village courts, Azad said, adding that could be a useful mechanism for quick dispute resolution.

Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Professor Ali Riaz on Monday said all are unlikely to reach a consensus on every aspect of state reforms and mentioned that the commission is making sincere efforts to avoid any misunderstandings or confusion. “We are striving to ensure that the proposals align with your (politicians’) views and aspirations,” said Dr Riaz while addressing the second round of discussion on its 10th day between the National Consensus Commission and political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. Representatives from various political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, took part in the session with Prof Ali Riaz in the chair. Among the commission members present were Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, head of the Public Administration Reform Commission; Safar Raj Hossain, head of the Police Reform Commission; Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Electoral System Reform Commission; Justice Emdadul Hoque, head of the Judicial Reform Commission; and Dr Iftekharuzzaman, head of the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission. Dr Ali Riaz clarified that the commission’s proposals do not require unanimous agreement. “I have repeatedly said, we will not agree on everything. When engaging separately with parties, I have made this clear from the commission’s side,” he said. Citing examples, he mentioned that the proposal on forming a National Constitutional Commission (NCC) had faced objections from the majority of parties. In response, a revised proposal—not an entirely new one—was presented. “As everyone is stressing structural reforms, we are aligning with you on those fronts,” he added. On the matter of core principles, he said, “There was initial objection to the inclusion of pluralism, so it was not included in the second revised version. Similarly, the proposal from the Public Administration Reform Commission to form four provinces did not achieve consensus at this stage, so it was left out of discussion.” Hard-earned opportunity for reform shouldn’t be wasted: Ali Riaz Ali Riaz acknowledged that compromises had to be made. “We are proceeding by leaving out several issues because consensus cannot be reached on all of them. Still, we must focus on areas where agreement is possible,” he said. He added that progress had been made on some topics, while others remained under discussion or yet to be addressed. “Matters where preliminary consensus has already been reached have not been brought up today. While political positions may differ, there is a collective effort to find common ground. We are focusing on crucial issues and attempting to reach agreement,” he stated. Highlighting time constraints, Ali Riaz urged political parties to consider the importance of these discussions alongside their organisational commitments. “We had initially thought this would be the last meeting this week, allowing you to attend other engagements or informal consultations. But based on feedback from most parties, we will likely meet again once more this week,” he said. “Next week marks the death anniversaries of Shaheed Abu Sayed and Mugdha. Despite those programmes, we must find time to continue our discussions,” he added. Pointing at politicians, Dr Ali Riaz appealed for continued participation. “If you prioritise the commission’s meetings alongside your organisational activities, it will help us move forward.” He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment, saying, “After our talks with you, the commission will sit to review how to revise proposals in line with your positions. We will keep up this effort wholeheartedly to avoid misunderstandings and ensure the proposals reflect your inputs and expectations.”

Political parties have reached a consensus on two key issues — setting up permanent High Court benches in every division and amending the presidential clemency provision, said Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz on Thursday. “Today’s dialogue saw significant progress. We achieved consensus on two issues,” he said while briefing reporters in the afternoon after the ninth day of the second round reform dialogue at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. Profi Riaz said all political parties agreed that the judiciary should be decentralised and permanent benches of the High Court should be established in each of the eight divisions. “It was agreed that one or more than one permanent benches of the High Court Division will be set up in the divisional level outside Dhaka,” he said. To this end, Ali Riaz said, the consensus came on amending Article 100 of the Constitution to facilitate this proposed judicial decentralisation. About the presidential clemency provision under the Article 49 of the Constitution, Prof Riaz said the parties acknowledged the provision has long been misused for political purposes. “All political parties recognised the need to revise the constitutional article and include a provision in the article that the presidential clemency power shall be applied in line with a new law.” The President shall apply the clemency power in the line with a law that will be enacted in the Parliament, Ali Riza said. Action if army members found guilty of disappearances: Army headquarters Under the proposed new framework, he said, the President’s power to pardon would require consultation with the victims’ families to ensure justice is not undermined. Noting that the presidential clemency power was massively misused in the past, he said if this (proposal) is implemented, it will stop the misuse of the presidential authority. Prof Riaz said another issue – the imposition of emergency – was on the agenda but was deferred as the National Coordination Council (NCC) is no longer at the discussion table. “We will place the issue afresh before the political parties in the coming days,” he said. Citing that a significant progress was attained in Thursday's discussion, he said, “We’re optimistic that we’ll reach consensus on several more issues by next week.”  

The seventh day of the second phase of talks between the National Consensus Commission and political parties began on Wednesday morning. The meeting began at 11:08 am at the Foreign Service Academy, with representatives from various political parties, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, in attendance. Commissions’ Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz is presiding over the meeting, joined by commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar and Dr Ayub Miah. Today’s discussions will focus on three key issues, including demarcation of electoral constituencies, the framework of a caretaker government and the scope of the president’s clemency powers. The Commission is holding issue-based discussions in this second phase to build consensus on reform proposals. Around 20 major reform proposals are on the table, with nine discussed so far. Only two issues have seen full consensus, while some others have partial agreement. None of the proposals have been dismissed from the discussions. Key topics already discussed include changes to Article 70 of the Constitution, appointing opposition party members as heads of parliamentary committees, direct elections for 100 women’s seats, introducing a bicameral parliament, the appointment process for the Chief Justice, forming a National Constitutional Council (NCC), presidential elections, the term limit for the Prime Minister, and the state’s fundamental principles. National Consensus Commission to resume reform talks Wednesday A new proposal has been introduced to replace the NCC with an ‘Appointments Committee for Constitutional and Statutory Bodies.’ So far, consensus has been reached on reforming Article 70 and appointing parliamentary committee chairs based on opposition party seat share. Most parties also tentatively support limiting any individual to a maximum of 10 years as Prime Minister, but final agreement is pending. BNP has opposed forming the NCC or similar bodies, linking this to their support for the proposed prime ministerial term limit. Discussions on delimitations of constituencies, caretaker government model, constitutional amendment procedures, emergency declaration processes, women’s representation in local government and other issues are yet to begin. Consensus Commission’s Sunday's dialogue with political parties begins Earlier, on June 29, Ali Riaz expressed concerns over signing the ‘July Charter’ on July 16, saying its success depends on political parties’ willingness to cooperate.