Consensus Commission Talks With Political Parties | Consensus Commission holds meeting with parties under CA’s leadership

A meeting of National Consensus Commission and political leaders began at 6:25pm today at the Foreign Service Academy, with Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus in attendance.

The meeting was joined by National Consensus Commission Vice-chairman Prof Ali Riaz, others members of the commission, and leaders from several political parties.

Those present included BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Ismail Jabiullah, a member of the BNP chairperson’s advisery council; National Citizen Party member secretary Akhter Hossen, Motiur Rahman Akanda, spokesperson of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami; Mostafizur Rahman Iran, chairman of Bangladesh Labour Party; Redwan Ahmed, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Biplobi Workers Party; and Rashed Khan, general secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, among others.

The meeting aimed to discuss overall preparations for the upcoming July National Charter signing ceremony and other related matters, CA’s Press Wing said in a statement earlier.

The signing ceremony of the July National Charter 2025 will be held on October 17 at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

The National Consensus Commission called the emergency meeting amid disagreements over how to implement the July Charter.

The commission sent the final copy of the July National Charter to the political parties yesterday evening, ahead of its scheduled signing on Friday. But a consensus is yet to be reached on how the charter will be implemented.

While all sides have agreed on holding a referendum to enforce the charter, divisions remain over the timing and process of the vote. Some parties are insisting on clarity regarding implementation before signing.

According to sources, the National Citizen Party (NCP) informed the commission during a meeting on Tuesday night that it would not sign the charter unless the reform process proceeds through a “constitutional order”. The party, which claims to have made concessions during the drafting process, is pushing for renewed talks on constitutional reforms.

Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over whether Jamaat-e-Islami will sign the finalised charter, as it does not specify an implementation mechanism. The party has yet to announce a final decision, though sources say it is scheduled to hold an internal meeting on the matter tonight.

Several left-leaning parties are also reportedly hesitant to sign, while BNP’s proposal to include a new clause in the July Charter’s commitment section was not accepted by the commission.