Staff Reporter:.
National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz on Thursday said the opportunity for
reform, earned through immense sacrifices, must not be wasted, urging political parties to engage
constructively to reach decisions on nearly 20 unresolved core issues.
“We have reached here (to reform dialogue) by overcoming immense repression and paying many lives.
We are now at a stage of possibility that we never saw before. This is a chance we should waste,” he said
while inaugurating the ninth day of the second-round reform talks at the Foreign Service Academy in the
capital.
The discussion began around 11:10am at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital with Prof Ali Riaz
in the chair.
Referring to the first phase of the dialogue, he said there are still fundamental issues where there has been
no agreement so far despite consensus on many matters. “Beyond those (points), there are about 20 major
issues that we believe must be discussed and resolved—issues that we consider extremely important, even
fundamental in some cases,” he said.
He said since these 20 matters deserve serious discussion, the consensus commission is trying to present
those in this phase.
Mentioning the day’s agenda, Prof Riaz said three issues are set for discussions —presidential clemency,
judicial decentralisation and emergency powers.
Commenting on the broader reform context, Prof Riaz said the country had seen no room for genuine
reform debate over the last 53 years.
Noting that this chance has come through countless sacrifices, lives and struggles and resistance. “We
must always remember that it is the guiding principle for us and should guide us (in the reform talks). We
all as a person, political party, alliance or citizen will have to play a significant role to seize this chance,”
said Prof Riaz.
Leaders from around 30 political parties participated in the day’s dialogue to present their respective party
positions on the proposed reforms.
The session is being broadcast live by BTV News.
On June 02, Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus opened the second round
of dialogues.
Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Yunus, the Commission was
tasked with forging a unified national stance on crucial state reforms.
The Commission launched its first round of dialogues on March 20 to build national consensus on the
reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government. It held talks with 33 political parties and
alliances, including BNP, Jamaat, and NCP, before concluding the first round on May 19.
Following the dialogues, the National Consensus Commission is supposed to prepare and announce the
July Charter (or reform charter) this month.
