July charter to be finalised by July 31: Ali Riaz

The July charter, which incorporates issues where political consensus has already been reached, will be finalised by July 31, said Professor Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission, today.

"We have only three days left including today. The charter must be finalised by July 31, incorporating all the points where consensus has been established," he said at the opening session of the 21st day of the second phase of dialogue with political parties.

Today's discussions focused on several key issues, including the structure of the caretaker government—based on proposals from different parties and a consolidated draft prepared during the previous round of talks—women's representation in Parliament, and the procedures for appointing the comptroller and auditor general and the ombudsman. Several unresolved matters were also addressed.

Ali Riaz said that the commission would present a revised proposal on the caretaker government structure later in the day.

"Since yesterday's renewed discussions on the caretaker issue, several parties have submitted new proposals. We are now working on an integrated draft that reflects the core positions of each party. We're trying to advance with a harmonised version that takes into account their individual perspectives," he added.

He added that a preliminary draft outlining the agreed-upon points had already been shared with the participating political parties.

"We're waiting until tomorrow for feedback on the draft. We hope to integrate those comments and produce a final outline. Based on the areas of agreement and the feedback received, we are optimistic about reaching the final stage of the charter by July 31," he said.

Ali Riaz also confirmed that the preliminary consensus draft would be shared with all parties by today or tomorrow.

A total of 30 political parties participated in today's meeting, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, National Committee of the People (NCP), Islami Andolon, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), and Gonoshonghoti Andolon.

The session was chaired by Ali Riaz, with Monir Hayder, special assistant to the chief adviser, moderating the discussion. Also present were Justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Iftekharuzzaman, Safar Raj Hossain, and Ayub Miah.