July Charter implementation failure to push Bangladesh backward: Attorney general
If we fail to implement the July Charter, future generations will remember us as cowards, said Asaduzzaman
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman today (18 October) said failure to implement the July Charter would set the country backward, describing it as a landmark political agreement that ensures transparency, structure, and clarity unlike any previous accord.
"The July Charter is a political settlement — one that will remain in history as a remarkable legal milestone," he said at a mock parliament titled "Implementation of the July Charter Will Safeguard Democracy," organised by Debate for Democracy on the FDC premises in Dhaka.
"If we fail to implement the July Charter, future generations will remember us as cowards. Though challenges exist, they are not insurmountable. Debating the charter unnecessarily will only invite futile controversy. It's not the Quran or the Bible that cannot be amended," said Asaduzzaman.
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He also said successive authoritarian governments had distorted the 1972 Constitution, undermining the rule of law and depriving citizens of their voting rights.
Highlighting the importance of implementing the July uprising's vision, the Attorney General said that once realised, people would regain their voting rights, and trials related to the July killings would proceed through due process.
"The trials of enforced disappearances and killings committed by past fascist regimes are already underway — arguments have been presented, and verdicts are now pending," he added.
Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, presiding over the event, called the July Charter a "historic document for the nation," stressing that Bangladesh's future depends on its implementation.
"The July Charter must not fail. If it does, fascist forces will rise again, leading to instability, political unrest, and deterioration of law and order," he added.
In the shadow parliament competition, debaters from Presidency University emerged champions, defeating Bangladesh Maritime University.
The judges panel included Prof Abu Muhammad Rais, Tajul Islam Chowdhury Tuhin among others.
Trophies, crests, and certificates were presented to the participating teams at the conclusion of the event.
