National Consensus Commission Enters Ninth Day of Talks on Judiciary, Clemency, and Emergency Powers

The National Consensus Commission continued its second phase of dialogue with political parties for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday, aiming to finalise key reforms for the upcoming July Charter. The meeting, chaired by Vice-Chairman Professor Dr Ali Riaz at Dhaka’s Foreign Service Academy, included representatives from 30 parties such as BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and CPB. Discussions focused on decentralising the judiciary, defining presidential clemency powers, and procedures for declaring a state of emergency. Professor Riaz urged participants to remain mindful of the historical sacrifices enabling this reform process, cautioning against carelessness. He remains optimistic that the July Charter, outlining these consensus reforms for Bangladesh’s future governance, could be announced by mid to late July.