Staff Correspondent:

Professor Dr Ali Riaz, vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has said that if the commission fails, the responsibility will fall on all.

“If the commission fails, everyone fails; there is no room for failure. With everyone’s cooperation, we must succeed. The measure of our success depends on how much we can agree on structural reforms,” he said.

Dr Riaz made these comments on Tuesday at 11:15am in his opening speech on the 14th day of the second phase of dialogue between the National Consensus Commission and political parties. The event took place at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

He noted that in the preliminary discussions with political parties, some consensus had already been reached. “In the second phase of discussions, too, there has been agreement on some matters. On the issues where differences still exist, decisions must be made quickly. In this regard, political parties should feel their responsibilities,” he added.

Dr Riaz also emphasised that the commission is not a separate entity but a partner in the efforts of the political parties. “So, if we fail, this failure is not the commission’s alone, it is all of ours. Therefore, there is no scope for failure. With everyone’s cooperation, we must succeed,” he said.

Leaders of various political parties, including BNP, Jamaat, LDP, and NCP, took part in the discussion.

Present at the event as members of the commission were Justice Md Emdadul Haque, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr Md Ayub Mia, and Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant, Monir Haider.