Govt to bear responsibility for any decision beyond July Charter, parties not bound to accept it: BNP
'We call upon the government to take cautious steps in this regard,' says BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
The BNP has said that if the government announces any decision beyond the issues stated in the July National Charter, none of the signatory parties will be obliged to accept it.
BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain today (11 November) said the full responsibility for any such move will rest solely with the government.
Mosharraf added that the interim government must not take any decision beyond the provisions outlined in the July National Charter.
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Notably, the interim government is preparing to make a unilateral decision on the implementation of the July charter and the timing of the proposed referendum, after political parties failed to reach a consensus within a seven-day deadline set earlier.
"We want to state clearly that if the government announces any decision outside the matters stipulated in the July National Charter, the signatory parties to the Charter will not be obliged to accept it," he said at a press conference held at BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia's political office in Gulshan around noon.
"We call upon the government to take cautious steps in this regard," he added.
The BNP organised the briefing to announce the outcomes of its Standing Committee meeting held on 10 November, chaired by the party's acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, who joined virtually from the United Kingdom.
Participants in the meeting included senior BNP leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (who joined virtually), Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Selina Rahman, Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, and AZM Zahid Hossain.
Mosharraf said the July Charter, based on nearly a year-long dialogue between political parties under the National Consensus Commission, was signed on 17 October with some notes of dissent from certain parties.
All parties pledged to implement the Charter in line with the Constitution and the law, he added.
"Recently, some advisers of the interim government have spoken about taking policy decisions outside the July Charter. Such remarks are misleading and disregard the consensus-based framework that the Charter represents," he said.
Speaking to journalists at the same event, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said the July National Charter 2025 was signed at a historic event where different political parties recorded their respective notes of dissent.
"The Charter states clearly that if any party mentions its dissenting points in its election manifesto and later secures the people's mandate, it may implement those dissenting clauses accordingly. We are in full agreement on this, and we have not moved away from that position," he added.
He said the recommendations submitted by the National Consensus Commission to the government for the implementation of the charter did not include the dissenting clauses.
Salahuddin criticised certain political parties for "creating new and unjustified issues" in the name of implementing the July Charter. "If the government makes any decision beyond what is written in the signed Charter, political parties will not be bound to accept it," he said.
He further noted that the interim government is functioning within a constitutional framework.
"The government has taken oath constitutionally, and all activities are being carried out under legal provisions," he said.
"According to the Constitution, only the president has the authority to issue ordinances. If any directive is to be issued, it must have legal standing - but there is currently no constitutional mechanism in Bangladesh that allows any form of legislation except through a presidential ordinance," Salahuddin added.
When asked about the possibility of discussions on a national referendum, he said, "If the government calls for dialogue on the matter, then there may be room for discussion."
The government's decision on the implementation of the charter and the proposed referendum will be announced soon, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said yesterday.
According to a senior government adviser who spoke to TBS on condition of anonymity, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will chair a meeting of the advisory council on Thursday to discuss the matter.
The final decision is expected to be made at that meeting, with an official announcement likely to follow next week after a review of the political situation.
