Ali Riaz stresses swift political consensus for national election efforts

Efforts will be made to establish a consensus among political parties as swiftly as possible, aiming to move towards the national election, National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz said today (15 February).

"Today, on behalf of the National Consensus Commission, we sat with all political parties. Our objective was to formally initiate the commission's work," he said following a meeting of the National Consensus Commission, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, with all political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

"We had requested political parties to send their representatives so that they could not only familiarise themselves with one another but also express their respective views."

He clarified that the meeting was not intended to serve as a dialogue but rather to discuss the framework of the commission's process. 

"In essence, we consider this meeting as an official inauguration. A total of 27 political parties were present today, with more than a hundred representatives from different parties and coalitions participating. Among them, 32 people spoke at the meeting," he added.

As the head of the Constitutional Reform Commission, Riaz said political parties have strongly emphasised that there is no alternative to national unity.

"They have demonstrated their commitment to the reform process and have expressed their willingness to support, assist, and participate in the initiatives of the National Consensus Commission and the interim government," he said.

He went on to say, "This strong stance taken by political parties substantiates the remarks of Chief Adviser and Commission Head Muhammad Yunus, who has said every political party, citizen, and section of society has a responsibility to ensure the smooth progress of the reform process."

"With that objective in mind, today's meeting was convened. We are hopeful that the National Consensus Commission's work will now commence. We will engage in separate discussions with political parties, as well as hold talks with alliances collectively. "Eventually, we will reconvene everyone. We do not wish to prolong this process unnecessarily and expect to complete it within a short period. Political parties have been requested to submit hard copies of their reform reports, and we will take prompt action in this regard," he added.

Regarding concerns over delays, Riaz asserted that there was no hesitation among political parties in achieving consensus. "We are optimistic that we will be able to advance this process effectively."

When asked about the estimated duration for concluding these discussions, he said, "The commission's tenure is six months. Our objective is to reach a consensus as soon as possible. However, since political parties will require time to review the reports of the six commissions, we aim to expedite the process while ensuring that reforms move forward and consensus is reached in preparation for the elections."

In response to whether this will be accomplished within six months, he said, "We are hopeful that it can be completed in less than the stipulated time. Political parties have expressed interest, but this will not happen abruptly. We have received the reports, and the political parties will review them thoroughly. They must be given ample time. While this will require some time, we are committed to beginning the discussions and negotiations as soon as possible."