Ali Riaz expects national charter to be finalised by Thursday

The National Consensus Commission is aiming to finalize the second phase of its political dialogue by Thursday, with hopes of completing a draft of the National Charter by the end of the week, according to Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz.

Speaking at the opening of Tuesday’s dialogue session, held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, Riaz stated, “We hope to reach the stage of finalizing the charter by the day after tomorrow (Thursday).”

Today marked the 21st day of the commission’s second phase of dialogue. Discussions focused on key constitutional and governance issues, including the caretaker government system, women’s representation in Parliament, and the appointments of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the Ombudsman.

Riaz noted that the draft of the "July Charter" has already been shared with political parties. “We are waiting for feedback until Wednesday,” he said. “Incorporating their comments, we expect to send the agreed-upon issues—especially those where consensus has been achieved—to the political parties by today or tomorrow.”

The Commission intends to consolidate the outcomes of both dialogue phases into a final version of the charter. “By July 31, we must, in any way possible, finalize the charter. At the very least, the issues where consensus has been reached must be clearly outlined and included,” Riaz added.

Addressing new proposals from several political parties on the caretaker government issue, Riaz said the Commission is working to present a unified proposal. “Each party has its own viewpoint. We are trying to move forward by considering all proposals and combining them into a single comprehensive recommendation.”