The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expressed its readiness to sign the July Charter.
Salahuddin Ahmed, head of the party’s delegation to the Consensus Commission, confirmed that BNP is prepared to sign the document at any time.
He emphasized the party’s position that all processes should be carried out through elected public representatives.
He made the comments during an informal briefing with journalists at his residence in Gulshan on Monday.
Addressing recent criticism and confusion stemming from some of his earlier comments regarding the July Charter, the BNP standing committee member sought to clarify the party’s stance.
According to senior BNP sources, three party leaders are expected to attend a government-hosted event on Manik Mia Avenue on Tuesday, led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Two other Standing Committee members may also join the event, where Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to speak.
During his exchange with journalists, Salahuddin noted that the Consensus Commission discussed 19 core issues across six reform commissions.
Of these, BNP dissented on seven and agreed on 12.
He added that a draft of the July Charter was sent to all political parties.
BNP responded on Wednesday with suggested amendments.
Addressing criticism that BNP was not cooperating with the charter process, Salahuddin said such claims were unfounded and that the party had offered its full cooperation.
He called on all parties to uphold the anti-fascist unity.
“Some of the criticism may stem from political inexperience,” he said.
“BNP is open to dialogue on these matters. However, we question whether these issues are being used as tactics to delay the election. Except for the matter of constitutional amendment, all other aspects are already being implemented through various processes. But without a legitimate legal framework or parliamentary approval, it is not desirable to amend the constitution.”
Regarding the July Declaration, he said it holds both historical and political significance.
“We received a proposal on this matter earlier and responded in February. But there was no further discussion until July 7, when a new draft was shared. In it, they omitted mention of March 26, which BNP opposed. We proposed giving state and constitutional recognition to the date through the fourth schedule. If BNP’s amendments to the July Declaration are not accepted, the party will issue its response following the reading of the document,” he said.
However, Salahuddin told journalists that as of Monday afternoon, BNP had not received any official invitation to the July Declaration event scheduled on Manik Mia Avenue.
On the issue of elections, he said: “We have heard that the chief adviser will announce the election schedule on August 5.”
