United News of Bangladesh

BNP on Thursday told the Consensus Commission that the party is not against reforms but wants to utilise the opportunity that has been created for reforms. “We have another opportunity before us, and we want to seize it. We are cooperating with this commission and this government with that expectation (in mind),” he said BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan. The BNP leader made the remarks at his opening speech at the talks with the National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The Consensus Commission is holding talks as part of the series of dialogues with political parties to reach a national consensus over the state reform initiatives taken by the interim government. A BNP delegation joined the talks that started at 10:35am with Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz in the chair. Pointing at the BNP's 31-point reform agenda Nazrul Islam Khan said even if there would be no reform charter by the National Consensus Commission, BNP has its own charter and that is the charter for reform. BNP delegation joins talks with Consensus Commission “So, we are in favour of it (reform). We would like to say only one thing that the people are at the root of everything. Everything should be done with the consent of the people. And we know through whom the people give their consent,” he said. Focusing on different reform programmes and initiatives taken by BNP and the past BNP governments, Nazrul Islam said they told the Chief Adviser on Wednesday that no political party in Bangladesh has carried out more reforms than BNP. “So, BNP is not against reform — it is a reform-oriented party,” he said. BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed was among the members of the BNP delegation. Earlier in the day, a BNP delegation, led by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and expressed its dissatisfaction about the outcomes of the meeting as the Chief Adviser did not give them any specific deadline for the election. On March 20 last, the National Consensus Commission opened its dialogues with political parties aiming to build a national consensus on the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government. The commission has already held talks with 11 political parties. The National Consensus Commission, formed under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, aims to establish a unified stance on critical reforms. Since its inception on February 15, 2025, the commission has been working to finalise recommendations for the state reform proposals. Jamaat wants Dr Yunus' election promise fulfilled In the initial phase, key recommendations from five reform commissions — covering constitutional, public administration, electoral system, judiciary, and anti-corruption reforms — were compiled and shared with 39 political parties for their feedback. To date, 34 parties have responded. The National Consensus Commission is working to build a national consensus over reform initiatives by mid-July next, by completing the first round of talks with political parties by the first week of May next and entering the second round of talks in the second week of May.  

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) joined the ongoing dialogue with the National Consensus Commission on Thursday morning. The Commission is holding a series of talks with political parties to forge a national consensus on state reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government. A BNP delegation participated in the session that began at 10:35am at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.  The discussion is going on  with National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz in the chair. BNP Standing Committee members Salahuddin Ahmed and Nazrul Islam Khan were among those representing the party. Gonoforum, Jamiat-e-Ulemaey Islam submit reform opinions to Consensus Commission Earlier, on April 16, a BNP delegation led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and voiced dissatisfaction over the meeting's outcome, particularly the absence of a specific election timeline. “We are not happy at all. We clearly stated that if the election is not held by December, the country’s political and social situation will worsen and become increasingly difficult to manage,” Mirza Fakhrul told reporters after the meeting. The National Consensus Commission began its dialogue process with political parties on March 20, aiming to build a shared position on key reform proposals initiated by the interim government.  So far, it has held talks with 11 political parties. Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the Commission is tasked with shaping a unified national stance on critical reforms. In its initial phase, it compiled key recommendations from five reform commissions — addressing constitutional, public administration, electoral, judicial, and anti-corruption reforms — and shared them with 39 political parties for feedback.  Consensus Commission resumes talks with parties on reforms Saturday To date, 34 parties have responded. The Commission aims to complete its first round of talks with political parties by the first week of May, begin a second round in the second week of May, and reach a national consensus by mid-July.

The National Consensus Commission is set to hold talks with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday morning as part of the series of dialogues with political parties to reach a national consensus over the state reform initiatives taken by the interim government. The discussion will start at 10:30am at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the capital. A five member delegation, led by BNP standing committee member and former speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, will attend the talks, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan on Wednesday.  Earlier in the day, a BNP delegation, led by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and expressed its dissatisfaction about the outcomes of the meeting as the Chief Adviser did not give them any specific deadline for the election. “We are not happy at all, we have clearly said if the election is not held by December the country’s political and social situation will deteriorate further and it will be very difficult to bring under control,” Mirza Fakhrul told reporters emerging from the meeting with the Chief Adviser. But Law Adviser Asif Nazrul at a press briefing said the government clarified its stance saying the election would be held in between December 2025 to June 2026. BNP wants India to reconsider Waqf law to uphold communal harmony "December to June does not mean that we will deliberately delay the elections till May. December to June means that we will hold elections as soon as possible after December…the elections will be held as soon as possible between December and June," he said. Noting that BNP is very positive over the reform recommendations of the National Consensus Commission, the party is going to sit with the consensus commission. “We feel that the BNP is very sincere about reforms ... .they (BNP) agreed to most of the reform recommendations and they have a long tradition to support reforms,” said Asif Nazrul. On March 20 last, the National Consensus Commission opened its dialogues with political parties aiming to build a national consensus on the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government. The commission has already held talks with 11 political parties. The National Consensus Commission, formed under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, aims to establish a unified stance on critical reforms. Since its inception on February 15, 2025, the commission has been working to finalise recommendations for the state reform proposals. In the initial phase, key recommendations from five reform commissions — covering constitutional, public administration, electoral system, judiciary, and anti-corruption reforms — were compiled and shared with 39 political parties for their feedback. To date, 34 parties have responded. The National Consensus Commission is working to build national consensus over reform initiatives by mid-July next, by completing the first round of talks with political parties by the first week of May next and entering the second round of talks in the second week of May.

Gonoforum and Jamiat-e-Ulemaey Islam Bangladesh on Sunday submitted their respective opinions on reform proposals to the National Consensus Commission.A Gonoforum delegation, led by its general secretary Dr Mizanur Rahman, handed over the party’s reform opinion to the Commission's Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.Later, a delegation of Jamiat-e-Ulemaey Islam Bangladesh, led by its secretary general Maulana Manjurul Islam Afendi submitted its opinion to Prof Ali Riaz there. Consensus Commission resumes talks with parties on reforms SaturdayWith the two parties, a total of 34 political parties submitted their respective proposals to the Commission.The Consensus Commission, spearheaded by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, started its work on February 15, 2025.The commission identified the crucial recommendations made in the reports of five reform commissions – the constitution reform commission, the public administration reform commission, the electoral system reform commission, the judiciary reform commission and the ACC reform commission – to seek opinions from the political parties.Later, the commission sent a set of recommendations in a spreadsheet format to 38 political parties asking them to send their specific opinions on the important reform recommendations by March 13.Besides, the Consensus Commission started its dialogue with political parties on March 20 last and has already held talks with eight parties.The Commission has a plan to complete the first round of talks by the first week of May, aiming to build a national consensus on reform initiatives by mid-July.Dialogue with BNPThe Consensus Commission will sit in talks with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on April 17 next.Meanwhile, the commission will hold talks with Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Andolan-NDM and Bangladesher Biplobi Communist League on April 15 next.

As part of its series of talks with political parties, the National Consensus Commission is going to sit in separate discussions with Bangladesh Jasod and Zaker Party on Saturday over the reform recommendations. The talks with Jasod will be held at 10:00am, while that with Zaker Party at 3:00pm at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Complex, said a press release on Friday. The Consensus Commission opened the dialogues on March 20 last and already held talks with six political parties – Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Labour Party, Rastra Sangshaskar Andolan, Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party and Nagorik Oikya. The Commission has a plan to complete the first round of talks by the first week of May. The Consensus Commission, spearheaded by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, started its work on February 15, 2025. NBR mulls developing a central app to boost VAT revenue The commission identified the crucial recommendations made in the reports of five reform commissions – the constitution reform commission, the public administration reform commission, the electoral system reform commission, the judiciary reform commission and the ACC reform commission – to seek opinions from the political parties. Later, the commission sent a set of recommendations in spreadsheet format to 38 political parties asking them to send their specific opinions on the important reform recommendations by March 13. A total of 32 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and NCP submitted their respective proposals to the Consensus Commission.

Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) on Thursday submitted its opinions on reform proposals to the National Consensus Commission. An IAB delegation, led by its secretary general Principal Maulana Yunus Ahmad, handed over the their written opinions to the National Consensus Commission's Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz at the Jatiya Sangsad Complex. With the IAB, a total of 32 political parties submitted their respective proposals to the Consensus Commission. IAB headed by its Ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim (Charmonai Pir) is a registered political party. The Consensus Commission, spearheaded by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, started its work on February 15, 2025. The commission identified the crucial recommendations made in the reports of five reform commissions – the constitution reform commission, the public administration reform commission, the electoral system reform commission, the judiciary reform commission and the ACC reform commission – to seek opinions from the political parties. Later, the commission sent a set of recommendations in a spreadsheet format to 38 political parties asking them to send their specific opinions on the important reform recommendations by March 13. Besides, the Consensus Commission started its dialogues with political parties on March 20 last and has already held talks with six parties. The Commission has a plan to complete the first round of talks by the first week of May.  

Creating a roadmap for the future of Bangladesh is one of the key objectives of the National Consensus Commission, said its Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz on Tuesday. “This is the first time during the post-independence period that we’ve got an opportunity to create a way for state reforms. This has been possible due to the struggle of the mass people of this country,” he said while addressing a dialogue held between the Consensus Commission and Nagorik Oikya at the Jatiya Sangsad Complex. He said the tenure of the National Consensus Commission will expire on July 15 this year. “We aim to complete our work within this period. With continued discussions with all stakeholders, we hope to formulate a national charter.” Noting that an election will be held as part of this process, Prof Riaz said, “The Consensus Commission will play a role in ensuring that the next election is conducted smoothly.” South Korean investors plan big to invest in Bangladesh Commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque and Dr Iftekharuzzaman and Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider were present. A Nagorik Oikya delegation, led by its presidium member Zillur Chowdhury Dipu, joined the talks. The commission has so far received reform opinions from 29 political parties and held talks with six political parties. Bikalpa Dhara and Gono Odhikar Parishad are expected to submit their respective opinions before the commission on Wednesday. The Consensus Commission, spearheaded by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, started its work on February 15, 2025. The commission identified the crucial recommendations made in the reports of five reform commissions – the constitution reform commission, the public administration reform commission, the electoral system reform commission, the judiciary reform commission and the ACC reform commission – to seek opinions from the political parties. Hasina’s extradition issue raised but nothing finalised: Foreign Adviser Later, the commission sent a set of recommendations in a spreadsheet format to 38 political parties asking them to send their specific opinions on the important reform recommendations by March 13. The Consensus Commission started its dialogues with political parties on March 20 last and it has a plan to complete the first round of talks by the first week of May.

Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz said on Monday that the commission aims to build national consensus on reform initiatives by mid-July. “The Commission’s target is to complete our responsibility within the stipulated timeframe of mid-July next,” he said. Prof Riaz made the comments during his introductory speech at a meeting between the Commission and the AB Party, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Complex. The AB Party delegation, led by its Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju, participated in the dialogue. Prof Riaz highlighted the National Consensus Commission has already received feedback from 29 political parties regarding reform recommendations. The Commission began dialogues with political parties before Independence Day and held talks with four parties prior to Eid-ul-Fitr. “We expect that we will be able to complete the first round talks with political parties and political alliances by first week of May,” Prof Riaz said. 21 political parties submit reform opinions to Consensus Commission He said the Commission plans to enter the second round of discussions in the second week of May, though there might be varying views and clarifications regarding the reform recommendations. Prof Riaz mentioned that the Commission will also seek input from the general public in addition to political parties. AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju stated that his party agrees with 108 out of 166 recommendations put forward by the National Consensus Commission. Additionally, the party partially agrees with 26 recommendations and disagrees with 32. The commission has focused on key recommendations from the reports of five reform commissions – the Constitution Reform Commission, the Public Administration Reform Commission, the Electoral System Reform Commission, the Judiciary Reform Commission, and the ACC Reform Commission – to gather opinions from political parties. BNP submits proposals on reforms to Consensus Commission The commission had earlier sent a set of reform recommendations in a spreadsheet format to 38 political parties, requesting their specific opinions by March 13.

The BNP on Sunday submitted its proposals to the National Consensus Commission on key recommendations from five reform commissions.   The party submitted its written proposals on reforms related to the constitution, public administration, judiciary, electoral process and the Anti-Corruption Commission.  A three-member BNP delegation, led by its Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, handed over the party’s proposals to commission's vice-chairman Prof Dr Ali Riaz.  Stay united against autocracy to restore democracy: Tarique Earlier on Saturday, the party expressed doubt that implementing some of the reform commission's recommendations might weaken future governments and empower unelected individuals to control state affairs. Speaking at a press conference at the party Chairperson’s Gulshan office, its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also questioned whether the commission had made the recommendations as part of a planned initiative.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed said on Thursday that his party agreed with 120 out of 166 proposals sent by the National Consensus Commission, which was formed for state reform. Speaking at a dialogue with the commission on Thursday at the LD Hall in the National Parliament Building area, Oli detailed the party’s stance on the proposals. He said out of the 166 proposals, LDP agreed with 120, disagreed with 42, partially agreed with two, and found two unclear. Consensus Commission starts dialogue with political parties On constitutional reforms, LDP agreed with 51 out of 61 proposals, disagreed with 16, partially agreed with one, and found two unclear. Regarding the judiciary, the party supported 22 out of 23 proposals and partially agreed with one. For anti-corruption measures, LDP backed all 20 proposals. However, in public administration, the party agreed with 11 out of 26 proposals and disagreed with 15. On electoral reforms, LDP supported 16 out of 27 proposals while opposing 11. Oli Ahmed criticised the Election Commission's recommendations, calling them weak. He pointed out that past recommendations from dialogues with political parties should have been compiled. "No matter what steps are taken, a fair election is impossible unless two key officials cooperate – the Officer-in-Charge (OC) and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO)," he said. The meeting was led by National Consensus Commission Vice President Professor Ali Riaz, along with members Safar Raj Hossain, Emdadul Haque, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, and Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider. Consensus Commission to hold meetings with 4 political parties before Eid: Ali Riaz LDP Secretary General Redwan Ahmed and eight other party members were also present at the time.