Staff Correspondent:

Co-chair of the national consensus commission Professor Ali Riaz has said that the progress of discussions with political parties has not been encouraging. He said, “We have imagined that we would all sign the July Charter together on the anniversary that Abu Sayeed was martyred. But how far that will be possible, depends on the political parties. We are somewhat apprehensive about reaching that point.”

Ali Riaz was speaking at the start of the seventh day of the second phase of talks between the national consensus commission and the political parties at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Sunday.

There was no new agenda fixed for on Sunday discussions. Talks have commenced on previous issues on which no consensus has been reached. The agenda includes the appointment committee for constitutional and statutory bodies, a bicameral parliament, the election process of the Upper House, and the responsibilities and role of the Upper House.

Reminding the political parties of last July, Ali Riaz said, “We all remember the oppression we endured, the fascism we lived under. Another July is upon us. Last July we didn’t raise the flags of our respective parties, we raised the national flag. We all plunged into a bloody movement to be freed from fascism.”

Noting that the progress of discussions with political parties has not been encouraging, Ali Riaz said that the process must move toward a resolution within July.

Ali Riaz emphasised the need to ensure that no one can undertake constitutional reforms in the future that go against the will of the people. He said this must be guaranteed through the constitution itself. There is now a need to curtail individual power, as concerns have arisen about the emergence of authoritarianism in governance. These concerns cannot be dismissed. Safeguards must be built into the Constitution. Ensuring an independent judiciary is integral to this.

Ali Riaz also stated that progress in reform discussions is essential in the interest of the country. He said, “None of us want to return to the previous state of affairs. So, for the sake of the nation, please take this matter into serious consideration. How much of what we committed to last July has been achieved? Are we only to serve party and personal interests, or will we also consider the interests of the country?

Ali Riaz noted that the consensus commission has shown flexibility regarding the reform proposals. He said, “The commission has changed its stance because this is the collective aspiration of you all. In fact, political parties represent a large segment of the population. It is through the proposals of the political parties that the commission has become flexible on several issues, including Article 70, the NCC, and the process of forming an Upper House. The commission is certainly not an adversary of the political parties. The commission is committed. We want to remain sincere.”

Today’s discussion was moderated by the chief adviser’s special assistant, Monir Hayder and also attended by members of the national consensus commission, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Iftekharuzzaman and Md. Ayub Miah.