Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, 12-Party Alliance and Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote on Wednesday voiced concerns over the proposals that place the July National Charter 2025 above the constitution and any court challenge.
The BNP on Wednesday held a meeting with leaders of the alliances to discuss the draft July Charter, emphasising the need for clarity, inclusivity and adherence to constitutional provisions.
The meeting, held at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 office at Gulshan in the capital Dhaka, came ahead of the submission of feedback on the draft.
Political leaders stressed the need to ensure that all submitted opinions are fully incorporated into the final document and that dissenting parties are clearly identified on specific points rather than merely noting general agreement or disagreement.
They also recommended revisions to sentence structures, word choices and certain clauses to improve the draft.
The July National Charter 2025, shared with relevant political parties by the National Consensus Commission on Saturday, includes a set of 84 reform issues accepted by the majority of parties, along with a covenant.
The NCC had initially set a deadline of August 20 for parties to convey their feedback, which was later extended to August 22.
Following the meeting with allies, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told 抖阴精品 that they had submitted their party opinion regarding the charter to the NCC on Wednesday evening.
He said that the BNP held discussions with like-minded political parties, including the Ganatantra Mancha and others, to understand their views on the matter.
Salahuddin said that through dialogues and discussions, they were hopeful that it would be possible to implement the charter through any legitimate, legal and constitutional process.
鈥楬owever, the proposals in the document that suggest placing a political compromise above the constitution and stating that it cannot be challenged in any court are unreasonable and unacceptable,鈥� he said.
After the meeting, 12-Party Alliance coordinator Syed Ehsanul Huda said that the alliance鈥檚 concerns focused on sentence structures and word choices.
He said that they also raised objections over the lack of clarity regarding which parties registered dissent, arguing that simply stating that 鈥�23 parties agreed while others did not鈥� was insufficient.
While their objections largely mirrored those of the BNP, Ehsanul said the alliance鈥檚 submission would be shorter, highlighting only key issues, and would be submitted today.
National People鈥檚 Party chairman AZM Fariduzzaman Farhad said that the meeting stressed that the July charter would adhere to constitutional provisions and highlighted discussions on the role of the Appellate Division, the authority of the Anti-Corruption Commission and the protection of income tax confidentiality.
He also raised concerns over the framing of the 1971 historical context, calling for accurate recognition of the 1970 elections and Liberation War casualties, and urged acknowledgment of those who have opposed the government over the past 17 years, many of whom faced imprisonment or death.
Farhad described the BNP鈥檚 approach to the charter as positive and expressed confidence that the party would be open to concessions to move the electoral process forward.