Recommendations to Implement July Charter to be Submitted 'Very Soon' : NCC

The National Consensus Commission has said recommendations on the methods and process for implementing the July Charter will be submitted to the government “very soon”.

The announcement came in a media statement on Saturday after the commission held a review meeting with experts.

“A detailed discussion was held following the advice of experts. Continuing from the previous day’s unfinished discussions, [Saturday’s] session was completed,” the statement read.

“The commission is optimistic about submitting a clear and comprehensive execution plan for the Charter shortly.”

The panel did not indicate exactly when the recommendations would be submitted.

The July National Charter, which includes initiatives for state reform and a pledge for governance, was signed on Oct 17.

BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and 22 other parties and alliances signed the Charter in the presence of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, while Gono Forum signed the document later.

The National Citizens Party (NCP) -- formed by the student leaders who spearheaded the July Uprising -- along with four left-leaning parties, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, BaSaD, Bangladesh JaSad, and BaSaD (Marxist), were present in the dialogue but did not join the signing ceremony.

Despite the historic signing, parties have differed on how the Charter should be implemented and on whether it should be put to a referendum.

The Consensus Commission has been tasked with preparing the government’s recommendations for the implementation process.

The commission held a meeting with experts on Wednesday. The following morning, it met internally and later resumed talks with the same group of experts.

Continuing the discussions, the commission met again with experts on Saturday at its office in the LD Hall of the parliament.

During the meeting, detailed recommendations on the execution of the Charter were reviewed. The matter of issuing a constitutional order has also been raised.