July Charter signing today amid discord among political parties

The much-awaited July Charter signing ceremony is set to be held today. On this occasion, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus will be present at the ceremony organised at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Representatives of various political parties will participate in it.

However, even at the last moment, various political parties have become hesitant about participating in the ceremony due to various conditions and 'notes of dissent', UNB reported.

Various media outlets including Bangladesh Television will broadcast this historic moment. The Chief Adviser has urged everyone to participate in the ceremony.

BNP will sign the July Charter, said the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. However, he has added a condition in this regard.

At a ceremony, he said: "We (BNP) will definitely sign the July Charter; but only if the words we are saying are recorded. If they have given a note of dissent, they will be recorded."

Jamaat-e-Islami said that they will be present at the charter signing ceremony in honor of the government, but will announce the decision to sign later.

However, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has announced that it will not participate in the July charter signing ceremony. This announcement was made on the NCP’s media group on Facebook late Thursday night.

The message said: "The National Citizen Party (NCP) will not participate in the July charter signing ceremony. The NCP believes that no legal basis will be achieved through this signing ceremony. It will be limited to formalities only. The NCP has clearly stated the need for a legal basis many times."

"Of course, the NCP will present its position by participating in the next process of the National Consensus Commission." The message said that the party will participate in the signing process later if the demands are met.

Four left-wing parties—the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), the Bangladesh Socialist Party (BSD), the BSD (Marxist) and the Bangladesh JSD—have already said that they will not sign the charter unless they receive a revised draft before the signing ceremony of the July National Charter.

Explaining the reasons why the parties will not sign the July Charter, they said at a press conference yesterday (Thursday) that the first part of the July Charter did not properly present the history of the liberation war and independence and the history of the political movement in Bangladesh, and despite repeated amendments, they were not included.

On the other hand, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis have announced in the media that they will sign the July Charter.

In this regard, the Secretary General of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Maulana Yunus Ahmed, said: "We are going to the charter signing ceremony. I also want the signing issue to be over. However, our movement will continue to provide a legal basis for the July Charter, ensure the protection of the July fighters, and hold a referendum before the national elections."

However, although the July National Charter was officially signed under the open sky at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building today (Friday), there will still be an opportunity for political parties to sign the charter, said Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference held at the LD Hall of the National Parliament Building on Thursday (October 16) night, he said: "It would be good if all parties could sign tomorrow. However, if any party talks about signing later, they can do so as partners in the charter process."

He expressed the commission’s expectation that everyone would sign the July Charter together in a festive atmosphere.

When attention was drawn to the fact that the National Citizens Party (NCP) would not sign the charter 'without a legal basis and without assurance of implementation', Professor Ali Riaz said: "The commission has deeply reviewed the NCP's statement. They were the leading force in the July mass uprising and have also actively participated in the charter process. The commission also feels that it is important to give the July Charter a legal basis, and we will give full recommendations in this regard while the term is still open."

Although the left parties have announced not to sign the charter, he expressed hope that they will also be present at the event as part of the discussion.

At the press conference, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said that a video on the background and future effectiveness of the July Charter will be shown at today's (Friday) event, and more work will continue on this issue in the next two months.