All political parties of Bangladesh except the Awami League and its allies on Thursday sat with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and reached a national consensus to finalize the July Proclamation to uphold the spirit of the July-August mass uprising.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Secretary General of Jamaat e Islam Mia Golam Parwar and representatives from various political factions participated in the meeting, which took place at the Foreign Service Academy at 4:20pm.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus stated in the meeting that the interim government results from the solidarity the people showed during the student-led mass uprising in July and August.
He urged the political parties to lend their support to the government.
"When we operate in isolation and suddenly notice your absence, we feel powerless. We emerged from unity, and it is our source of strength," said the chief adviser.
Dr Yunus indicated that the interim government initiated the dialogue after students who spearheaded the protests approached him, requesting that he be involved in a proclamation.
Highlighting the proclamation's significance, the chief adviser remarked that if it can be established unanimously, it would benefit the country and improve Bangladesh’s global reputation.
He concluded that its success would give people worldwide a clearer understanding of Bangladesh's strength as a nation.
After the meeting, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul said that all political parties have agreed on an inclusive “July Proclamation” that acknowledges the contributions of every party involved in the recent movement.
"An inclusive July Proclamation will be developed to recognize everyone's contributions. It may require additional time, but we must ensure that we do not waste any time," he said at the foreign service academy.
The adviser indicated that a plan of action regarding the July Declaration will be established based on a mutual agreement.
In a media briefing on Tuesday evening, Adviser Mahfuj Alam said that a document encapsulating the context and essence of the July uprising will be developed through consensus during Thursday’s meeting, and it will be made clear that same day when the declaration will be issued and what role the government will play in its release.
Earlier, the student leaders who made the July uprising successful tried to announce a “July declaration’ at the Shaheed Minar, but they held themselves back after a request from the government.
Then the interim government took the initiative to hold an all-party meeting to reach a national consensus before announcing the declaration.
