The National Consensus Commission is going to begin discussions with political parties next Thursday to create a national consensus on reforms.
The commission is set to hold discussions with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as the first party at 3pm on Thursday.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the commission announced that the schedule for talks with other parties will be disclosed in phases.
The National Consensus Commission, formed under the leadership of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government, began its work on February 15.
Earlier, the commission had said that after gathering the initial opinions of political parties, separate discussions would be held with them.
The discussions will commence with those that have already submitted their opinions, followed by parties that provide their views at a later stage.
It has been learned that Professor Muhammad Yunus is unlikely to be present at the first round of discussions.
Instead, members of the commission, led by Vice Chairman Professor Ali Riaz, will conduct the discussions with political parties.
After individual meetings with all parties, another round of discussions will be held collectively, during which the chief adviser will be present.
In the first phase of the reform process, the Consensus Commission sent letters and spreadsheets to 37 political parties on March 6, seeking their opinions on 166 key recommendations from the Constitution, Electoral System, Public Administration, Anti-Corruption, and Judiciary Reform Commissions.
The parties were requested to submit their views by Thursday.
As of Tuesday, a total of 15 parties have submitted their responses, while 14 others, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and NCP, have informed the commission that they will provide their full views in the coming days.
The commission has so far received opinions from the following 15 political parties: the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, Zaker Party, Bhasani Followers Council, the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), Aam Jantar Dal, Rashtra Sanskar Andolan, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh JSD, Bangladesh Labor Party, Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), and Nagorik Oikya.
A total of 23 political parties, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, have yet to submit their full opinions and have requested additional time.
Commission Vice Chairman Ali Riaz had previously written to the parties, urging them to submit specific opinions by Thursday. However, only seven parties met the deadline.
Additionally, the letter said that the commission would also welcome parties' opinions on other recommendations from the Reform Commission, if any.
Following the ousting of the Awami League government on August 5 in a student-led public uprising, the interim government that assumed power initiated the formation of 11 reform commissions in two phases to restructure various state sectors as part of the country's democratic transition.
The reports from the first six commissions were published last February.
