July charter signing: Consensus Commission hand-delivers invitation to Khaleda Zia at hospital

The National Consensus Commission has formally extended invitations to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman to attend the July National Charter signing ceremony, which is scheduled for tomorrow (17 October).

Commission members Badiul Alam Majumdar and Monir Haidar visited Khaleda at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka's Bashundhara Residential Area and delivered the invitation to her this evening (16 October).

Khaleda, a former two-time prime minister, has been admitted to the hospital since midnight Wednesday.

BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan said that Khaleda, lying in her hospital bed, read the invitation letter after the commission members handed it over to her.

Khaleda Zia's personal physician and senior BNP leader Dr AZM Zahid Hossain was also present at the time.

At the time, Badiul told the BNP chief, "We came on behalf of the chief adviser to deliver the invitation to the former prime minister. We also conveyed the chief adviser's greetings. She, in turn, conveyed her greetings to the chief adviser and wished tomorrow's event great success."

When asked about Khaleda's reaction to the July charter, he said, "We didn't have a detailed discussion, but we saw that she was very pleased and welcomed the initiative.

"She believes this will play an important role in building a bright future for Bangladesh."

The charter is set to be signed at a ceremony on the South Plaza of the National Parliament tomorrow (17 October).

The July National Charter outlines areas of reform on which the country's political parties are expected to reach a consensus in principle. Drafted by the Consensus Commission, the charter is intended to serve as a framework for state reform following last year's July Uprising.