Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Professor Ali Riaz spoke on Tuesday about the purpose of the second phase of the dialogue, saying that they want to identify and preserve certain areas where all political parties can at least reach a minimum level of consensus.
“We want to identify certain areas where all political parties can at least reach a minimum level of consensus and preserve that consensus. That is the main objective of this dialogue,” Riaz said during the opening speech of the dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, reports Bangla Tribune.
He said: “On some issues, we may be able to reach an agreement. However, each party will maintain its own position, party manifesto, and political intent. Still, if any party wants to add something extra, they will have the opportunity to express their opinion.”
He added: “We only want to include those proposals in the national charter that have your consent. Instead of holding separate discussions with each party, we have chosen a collective dialogue format so that changes in positions may emerge through mutual reasoning and analysis. With that in mind, we aim to establish a framework.”
“Even if we cannot agree on every issue, we must draw some conclusions, especially considering time constraints. Our goal is to finalize the national charter by July. We will decide which proposals to include and which to exclude. The ones not included will be noted as discussed but no consensus reached,” he said.
Riaz further said that Tuesday’s discussion agenda includes Article 70 of the constitution, reserved seats for women in parliament, permanent parliamentary committees, the tenure of the government, and how to implement these measures effectively.
The dialogue was moderated by Monir Haider, special assistant to the chief adviser.
Other participants included commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, and Dr Mohammad Aiyub Miah.
Representatives from 30 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat, NCP, AB Party, and Ganosamhati Andolon, were also present.
