Staff Correspondent:

Professor Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission, said on Sunday that the commission aims to finalise the national charter by the end of July.

“Undoubtedly, you (the political parties) want this as well. That’s why we are able to move forward. We’ve already reached consensus on many issues. Some matters still need to be resolved through discussion,” he said.

He made the remarks at the beginning of the 15th day of the second phase of dialogues with political parties, being held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

Key issues on the agenda included the caretaker government system and the provision that allows a prime minister to hold multiple positions.

“Our goal is to reach an agreement on a charter by July 31. This is our collective aspiration — yours, ours, and everyone’s. The entire nation expects this,” he added.

He also said political parties had entrusted the commission with deciding on the potential formation of an upper house.

“The commission is reviewing the matter. We had hoped to reach a decision through discussions on Friday and Saturday. However, the commission has decided that more time is needed to carefully consider all aspects and the various positions of the parties,” he said.

Regarding the discussions on the upper house, he added, “We are reviewing your positions and also considering potential reactions and implications related to establishing an upper house. Based on this, we hope to make a decision within the next two or three days.”

On the caretaker government issue, Ali Riaz said the commission had earlier presented several proposals based on ongoing discussions.

In response, political parties such as the Biplobi Workers Party, BNP, NCP, and Jamaat-e-Islami submitted their own proposals.

“After reviewing those, we have prepared a consolidated proposal reflecting both the party submissions and the essence of recent discussions. We hope to move toward a resolution through today’s dialogue,” he said.

“We have all been involved in the movement to restore the caretaker government system over the past 14 years. Now, we’ve reached a consensus on reinstating the system. What remains is to finalise the structure of the chief adviser.”

The meeting was moderated by the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider. Other commission members present included Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Iftekharuzzaman, and Ayub Miah.