The National Consensus Commission on Tuesday (June 17) launched the second round of discussions with political parties, aiming to finalize the recommendations placed by various reform commissions, and prepare the July charter.
The meeting commenced at 11:40 am at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
At the outset of the session, Vice-Chairman of the Consensus Commission, Professor Dr. Ali Riaz said "Our aim is to make daily progress on key issues and reach decisions that will facilitate the advancement of our work. The National Consensus Commission is committed to formulating a national charter by next July."
Expressing appreciation for the cooperation of political parties, he said, "We believe that if this dialogue continues, achieving our collective goal will become more attainable."
He added, "While consensus on all issues may not be possible, we are striving to reach broad-based agreements."
He continued "I reiterate, full consensus is unlikely-but our objective is to find common ground through mutual concessions for the greater interest of the nation and the state. The commission has observed this spirit of effort among all participating parties."
Professor Riaz further noted, "From a structural standpoint, we are focusing on specific issues. This gathering is driven by the shared intention to reach a meaningful stage through dialogue."
National Consensus Commission members Justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumder, Ayub Mia, Md. Iftekharuzzaman, and Safar Raj Hossain and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Monir Haider were present.
BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed, BNP Chairperson Advisory Council Member Ismail Zabiullah, Khilafat Majlis Secretary General Dr. Ahmed Abdul Quader, National Gano Front Central Committee Coordinator Tipu Biswas, Gono Sanghati Andolon Central Committee Executive Coordinator Abul Hasan Rubel, AB Party General Secretary Asaduzzaman Fuad, National Citizens Party (NCP) Senior Joint Member Secretary Dr. Tasnim Zara, Labor Party Chairman Dr. Mustafizur Rahman Iran, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Dr. Redwan Ahmed, Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP) Chairman Shahadat Hossain Selim, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, and Dr. Mushtaq Hossain from Bangladesh JSD along with other leaders of various political parties joined the meeting.
However, no representative of Jamaat-e-Islami attended the meeting despite being invited.
Earlier, in a press release, the National Consensus Commission said that the agenda of today's discussion meeting includes - Article 70 of the Constitution, nomination of the chairman of the standing committee, women's representation in the legislature, bicameral parliament and the appointment process of the Chief Justice.
Apart from today, the release also said, the commission will hold discussions with the political parties on June 18 and 19.
The discussion program is being broadcast live by Bangladesh Television-News.
