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Published : 22 Apr 2025, 01:25 PM
Ali Riaz, vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has revealed that alongside discussions on the recommendations of five reform commissions, political parties are also presenting new proposals during the ongoing dialogues.
“New proposals have come up during discussions,” he said.
“We will need to consult with the relevant reform commissions on these, since they are being submitted to us not by the commissions, but by the political parties.”
He made the remarks during his opening statement on Tuesday at the start of the third day of talks with the BNP at the LD Hall of the National Parliament Building.
Following the ousting of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, the interim government formed 11 reform commissions in two phases as part of its broader state reform agenda.
Since then, the consensus panel has been holding dialogues with political parties to discuss key recommendations made by the Constitutional Reform Commission, Public Administration Reform Commission, Electoral Reform Commission, Judicial Reform Commission, and the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission.
“Final decisions regarding these proposals cannot be made at the dialogue table alone,” Riaz said.
“In many cases, the top-level decision-makers of the political parties will need to be consulted. We hope to know more about that very soon.”
He noted that many political parties have shown willingness to build consensus or find common ground, though disagreements remain in some areas, which he said, is normal and expected.
Referring to earlier discussions with the BNP, Riaz said: “We’ve found agreement on several points related to the reform commission proposals. There are also areas of disagreement. The BNP has said that for those matters, they will consult their senior leadership and get back to us.”
So far, the commission has held dialogues with 15 political parties, including the BNP.
“Our first-round discussions with 15 parties are now nearing completion,” Riaz said. “Talks with the remaining parties will continue. We hope to conclude our preliminary discussions with the BNP during this third meeting.”
He added that the outcomes of all dialogues are being shared with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who is overseeing the process and offering guidance.
