Dhaka – As political camps remain divided over the implementation of the July National Charter, the interim administration has called on the parties to reach a unified decision through further discussions “in the shortest possible time.”
“If they fail to forge a consensus within a week, the government will make a decision on its own terms,” Asif Nazrul, adviser for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs to the interim government, told a news briefing after an emergency meeting of the Council of Advisers on Monday.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, expressed concern over the disagreements that emerged in the past week. These followed the charter’s initial signing by a number of political parties on October 17.
The discontent was highlighted by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the country’s largest political parties. It expressed resentment after the National Consensus Commission presented its recommendations for implementing the charter, especially the amendment of the national constitution through referendum, late last month.
The party claimed it felt cheated, citing differences between the document it signed and the proposal the commission later presented.
The Council of Advisers stated that time is running out and called on the parties to help it reach a decision on the charter’s implementation.
Asif Nazrul declined to comment on the specific complaints raised by some parties regarding the charter.
However, he expressed hope that the political parties would discuss the matter among themselves and provide a unified decision.
“If they hold discussions, it makes our task very easy. If they cannot provide a unified directive, the government will certainly make its own decision,” he said.
In response to a question, Nazrul added, “The anti-fascist political parties have waged a movement together for the last 15 years. We want to give them a little time. Let us see if they can discuss these issues among themselves and reach a consensus.”
