Government proposes 17-member special parliamentary committee for constitutional reform

The government has already prepared a list of 12 members from the treasury bench and independent ranks for the committee

The government has proposed forming a 17-member special parliamentary committee to advance constitutional amendments in line with the July Charter.

Law Minister Asaduzzaman placed the proposal in parliament on Wednesday during a session presided over by Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal.

The law minister emphasised that the committee's primary mandate is to ensure the country’s supreme law is updated to reflect the spirit and objectives of the July Charter.

"We want to carry out these reforms through an inclusive process, bringing the constitutional discourse from the grassroots to the parliament," the law minister said.

The government has already prepared a list of 12 members from the treasury bench and independent ranks, leaving five slots for the opposition to ensure a 26 percent representation.

The proposed 12-member list currently includes representatives from different political groups.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is allocated seven members.

The remaining five members will come from other groups, including the Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, and independent lawmakers.

While the government requested the opposition to submit their five nominees by Thursday to fast-track the process, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman called for a delay.

Citing "conceptual differences" regarding the move, Shafiqur told the House that the opposition needs to discuss the matter internally before providing names or a formal opinion on the committee's formation.