BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said the party was holding segmented discussions with the National Consensus Commission and reiterated its strong commitment to comprehensive reforms, emphasizing the seriousness of its engagement.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday at the LD Hall of the National Parliament following a dialogue with the Commission, he remarked: “The spreadsheet with short ‘yes/no’ responses has caused considerable confusion. Through this process, we aim to demonstrate just how serious BNP is about reforms.”
He further noted: “They misled us with that spreadsheet. It should not have been presented in that manner.”
According to Salahuddin, BNP has submitted detailed opinions on the Constitution, the judiciary, administration and the electoral process.
“We have submitted hard copies today” he said.
“Extensive discussions are underway based on these submissions. We began with constitutional reforms and will proceed to matters concerning the judiciary and elections. The discussions are intended to remain ongoing. If not concluded today, they will continue in subsequent sessions. Our goal is to emphasize the seriousness of BNP’s commitment to reform,” he said.
Referring to the inconsistency between the two documents, Salahuddin highlighted that although the Constitutional Reform Commission’s comprehensive report included 131 proposals, only 70 issues were presented in the spreadsheet shared by the National Consensus Commission.
He commented: “We are engaged in segmented discussions covering every aspect from the preamble of the Constitution to the fundamental principles of the Republic. Progress will be communicated in due course. We aim to reach a consensus through deliberation on the core constitutional amendment proposals. BNP agrees with 25 proposals, partially agrees with another 25, and holds reservations on the remaining matters.”
“We have provided detailed opinions, and we intend to logically justify our positions to the Commission. Similarly, we expect rational explanations regarding their proposals. What is logical and serves the welfare of the nation will certainly be taken into consideration,” he further added.
Regarding the judiciary, Salahuddin claimed the report misrepresented BNP’s positions, saying: “Out of 150 viewpoints in the comprehensive report, we have responded to 89. In most of the remaining cases, we either expressed agreement or provided remarks along with our agreement.”
He asserted that there exists a significant discrepancy between the brief yes/no response format and the detailed report.
He highlighted that without amending Article 95 of the Constitution, issuing an ordinance concerning judicial appointments would remain unconstitutional. Likewise, until Article 116 is amended, establishing a Supreme Court Secretariat may not be deemed constitutionally valid.
He firmly said that any breach of the Constitution by the judiciary is unacceptable.
Highlighting the party’s stance on judicial independence, Salahuddin said: “We will provide detailed, written opinions to ensure that all processes align with legal and constitutional frameworks.”
He also noted that many proposals related to electoral reform essentially require constitutional amendments.
“Some of their proposals, if implemented, would compromise the independent identity of the Election Commission,” he cautioned.
Marking the current session as the second round of discussions, he concluded: “Further dialogues may be held if needed. We are approaching this with a positive and constructive outlook.”
The dialogue was moderated by the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant, Monir Haidar.
