Dhaka, Feb 16 (.) Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) is set to sign the July Charter on Monday evening at Jamuna, the residence of the Chief Advisor. Despite being one of the primary political parties in the country, the NCP was a non-signatory to the document when it was first drafted, back in October last year.
The delegation, led by Convener Nahid Islam, is scheduled to reach the residence of Chief Advisor, Muhammad Yunus in the evening, accompanied by Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar, Monira Sharmin, Jabed Rasin, Akhter Hossen, member secretary and Advocate Zahirul Islam Musa, joint member secretary, to sign the July Charter.
On November 14, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the party would sign the charter once the government clarified its implementation order, referendum framework, and reform process.
The 40-page dossier outlines the political history of Bangladesh, covering the British colonial period, the historic Language Movement of 1952, the education movements of 1962, the autonomy movement of 1966, and the mass uprising of 1969.
It also recalls the 1970 general elections, the Liberation War of 1971, and the establishment of a one-party state through constitutional amendments in 1975.
As per the charter, “following various political developments, the country returned to democracy through the parliamentary elections of 1979, initiated by the reintroduction of a multi-party system in 1978. However, that democratic path was short-lived.”
The document has also denounced most of ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, and her Awami League led governance as autocratic rule, claiming that state institutions were dominated by autocratic practices favouring certain individuals, families, and groups, and democracy was undermined in the elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024.
Additionally, the charter also covers several other movements within the span of 16 years, including the road safety movement in 2018, the anti-quota movement, and the July Uprising, concluding with a seven-point commitment, urging political party representatives to sign it and uphold what it claims to be “the will of the people expressed in the July 2024 uprising, grounded in democratic principles and national consensus.”
With the national elections having concluded on February 12, the document was endorsed with an overwhelming “Yes” majority vote, with a reported 62 per cent voters casting their ballots in the document’s favour, which will now allow for making major changes to Bangladesh’s entire constitutional and political framework. . . KK