BNP warns 'unacceptable' July Charter implementation proposals will bring ‘misfortune’

These recommendations will only divide the nation, Fakhrul says

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has rejected as “unacceptable” the set of recommendations submitted by the National Consensus Commission to the government on implementing the July National Charter.

At a press conference held at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Thursday, the party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir formally announced the stance on behalf of the party’s Standing Committee.

He said, “The Consensus Commission presented its proposals to the government to provide a legal basis for implementing the July Charter.

“However, the commission omitted the points of dissent expressed during deliberations and instead included issues that were never discussed in the long meetings. Therefore, we cannot agree to the rest of the recommendations, which are unacceptable.

“These recommendations will only divide the nation and create disunity instead of unity. Accepting any self-serving reform proposal may bring long-term misfortune to national life.”

The recommendations of the Consensus Commission on how the July Charter will be implemented were handed over to the chief advisor on Tuesday. It suggests implementing the Charter through a constitutional order and a referendum.

The recommendations said that after the order is issued, the referendum will be held at an appropriate time before the parliamentary election or on the day of the election.

However, disagreement persists between the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party regarding when that vote should take place.

Describing the demand for a referendum before the national election “illogical”, the senior BNP leader said: "The chief advisor announced that the election would be held in the first half of February 2026. In that case, it is not possible to hold the proposed referendum before the (parliamentary) election.

"Considering the limited time, the huge expenditure required to hold it, the deployment of extensive manpower including law-enforcing agencies and the massive undertaking of arranging a parliamentary election, holding a referendum before the election is unnecessary, illogical and imprudent.

“It is desirable that the referendum be held on the day of the national election, using the same setup and incurring the same expense."