Talks with political parties aimed at charting reform path, says Ali Riaz

He says reform is urgent and citizen-driven, with talks set to wrap up initial phase in May

National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz has said the dialogue with political parties and citizens from different walks of life is being held to determine the path to state reform.

Speaking at the opening of a dialogue session with Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) at the LD Hall of the National Parliament on Saturday, Riaz said: “We all agree that reforming the state is urgent.

“Although this initiative is coming from the interim government, the demand belongs to the people,” he said.

“It has been a part of the long-standing democratic movement, and JaSaD has played a role in that struggle. You have consistently called for reforms. We have seen this aspiration reflected in the reports of all the reform commissions,” he added.

He noted that the commission has already held discussions with six political parties and plans to continue the dialogue.

“We hope to conclude this preliminary phase by mid-May.

In the next phases, we will engage in more in-depth discussions on specific topics with parties where needed,” he said.

The objective, according to Riaz, is to use these conversations to better understand each other’s perspectives.

“We’ll exchange views and hopefully reach consensus on several issues. On matters where JaSaD or other parties need further clarification, we will engage in discussion to find common ground,” he said.

“The goal of this process is to determine the reform agenda—what areas to prioritise and how to move forward,” he added.

Bangladesh JaSaD was represented by General Secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan, Indu Nandan Dutta, standing committee member Mushtaq Hossain, and six others.

Formed under the leadership of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, the National Consensus Commission began its work on Feb 15.

Riaz, also head of the Constitution Reform Commission, serves as its vice-chair.

The commission members include Public Administration Reform Commission chief Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Police Reform Commission chief Safar Raj Hossain, Electoral Reform Commission chief Badiul Alam Majumdar, Judiciary Reform Commission chief Md Emdadul Haque, and Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission chief Iftekharuzzaman.

With state reform as its goal, the Consensus Commission is tasked with compiling and finalising the combined recommendations of these commissions and building consensus among political parties.

The commission had asked 38 political parties to submit their views on key recommendations by Mar 13.

Nine parties are yet to respond.

After collecting opinions, the Consensus Commission began consultations with political parties, holding its first session with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Mar 18.