Consensus Commission eyes July Charter signing by 16 Oct: Ali Riaz
The commission will give its final recommendations to the government by 10 October, says National Consensus Commission (NCC) Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz.
National Consensus Commission (NCC) Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz has said that the commission hopes to complete the signing of the July National Charter by 16 October.
"The commission will submit its final recommendations to the government by 10 October. There is a target to complete the formal signing of the July Charter by the political parties on 15 and 16 October," Riaz said in his introductory speech while chairing the fifth meeting of the commission with political parties, held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital today (8 October).
He said the issues raised as "notes of dissent" by political parties must also be taken into account.
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"The issues that have come as 'notes of dissent' in the July Charter need to be considered. We do not think all of them can be treated equally because those who have given such notes did so from their respective positions. We hope these reflect not only partisan interests but also broader considerations," Riaz said, adding that these differing opinions should be clearly presented to the people when seeking public consent through a referendum.
"We have to make sure that when people give their consent, they do so knowing that some political parties have reservations on certain issues," he added.
Ali Riaz said the commission aims to finalise its proposal for the government after reviewing all opinions and objections submitted by the political parties.
He said the commission has already achieved a basic consensus among the political parties on holding a referendum for the implementation of the July National Charter and is now working to finalise the framework.
"We have made significant progress in this effort as we have been able to reach a common ground on the issue of holding a referendum," he said.
Some 30 political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat and NCP, attended the discussion to finalise the implementation procedures of the July National Charter.
During a break in the discussion, Rashed Khan, general secretary of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, said, "From what we understood, a final decision was supposed to come today. But being here, it seems the discussion is starting all over again.
"Today, we see some parties are now demanding a referendum before the national election. From today's discussion, it feels like we are moving backwards," he said.
Regarding the "notes of dissent," he said, "If this continues, the referendum will not be meaningful. Even if this goes on for another four months, no consensus will be reached. To bring differing opinions into agreement, the commission must make a decision."
He added, "If the referendum and the national election are held on the same day, then the first session of parliament must approve the July National Charter."
