National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz on Thursday said the opportunity for reform, earned through immense sacrifices, must not be wasted, urging political parties to engage constructively to reach decisions on nearly 20 unresolved core issues.
“We have reached here (to reform dialogue) by overcoming immense repression and paying many lives. We are now at a stage of possibility that we never saw before. This is a chance we should not waste,” he said while inaugurating the ninth day of the second-round reform talks at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
The discussion began around 11:10am with Prof Ali Riaz in the chair, reports UNB.
Referring to the first phase of the dialogue, he said there are still fundamental issues where there has been no agreement so far despite consensus on many matters. “Beyond those (points), there are about 20 major issues that we believe must be discussed and resolved—issues that we consider extremely important, even fundamental in some cases,” he said.
He said since these 20 matters deserve serious discussion, the consensus commission is trying to present those in this phase.
Mentioning the day’s agenda, Prof Riaz said three issues are set for discussions —presidential clemency, judicial decentralisation and emergency powers.
Commenting on the broader reform context, Prof Riaz said the country had seen no room for genuine reform debate over the last 53 years.
Noting that this chance has come through countless sacrifices, lives and struggles and resistance, Prof Riaz said, “We must always remember that it is the guiding principle for us and should guide us (in the reform talks). We all as a person, political party, alliance or citizen will have to play a significant role to seize this chance.”
Leaders from around 30 political parties participated in the day’s dialogue to present their respective party positions on the proposed reforms.
The session is being broadcast live by BTV News.
Earlier on June 2, the chief adviser and the commission chairman, Prof Muhammad Yunus, opened the second round of dialogues.
Formed on February 15, the commission was tasked with forging a unified national stance on crucial state reforms.
The commission launched its first round of dialogues on March 20 to build national consensus on the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government. It held talks with 33 political parties and alliances, including BNP, Jamaat, and NCP, before concluding the first round on May 19.
Following the dialogues, the National Consensus Commission is supposed to prepare and announce the July Charter (or reform charter) this month.
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
