Don’t miss the reform opportunity: Ali Riaz to political parties

Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Ali Riaz today (26 April) said the scope for reform that has emerged must not be missed under any circumstances.

“We are at a historic moment. We owe a debt to the brave martyrs who have created this opportunity for us. It must not be allowed to slip away,” he said.

Riaz made the remarks while delivering his introductory speech at the talks with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

He said this opportunity should be utilised to build a Bangladesh where no one will face oppression and no one has to deal with extrajudicial measures.

Riaz said they are keen to reach a national consensus quickly.

“We will hold discussions and through dialogue, our goal is to move forward towards reaching a national charter,” he said.

“We are all together in this process. We are making a collective effort. This is not an issue of any single political party. In fact, it is not just a matter of political parties—it concerns everyone. We are trying to reflect the aspirations of the nation,” he added.

Mentioning that discussions will continue, if necessary, he said they all share the same goal. “We are trying together, and our collective success depends on our sincere joint efforts.”

A 10-member Jamaat delegation, led by its Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, participated in the session.

The discussion began at 10:30am with Ali Riaz in the chair.

Consensus Commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar and Iftekharuzzaman were present at the discussion moderated by Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider.

Jamaat delegation members included its Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan, AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad and Ehsanul Mahbub Jubair, and Jamaat Dhaka South City unit Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul.

On 20 March, the National Consensus Commission opened its dialogue 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 15 political parties, including BNP and National Citizen Party (NCP).

The commission, spearheaded by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, aims to establish a unified stance on critical reforms.