Staff Reporter:
The leaders of different political parties have suggested either scrapping or bringing an amendment to the constitution of 1972.
They came up with the recommendation during a meeting held on Thursday with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to prepare the draft of the July proclamation.
The July proclamation will come into effect from 5 August 2024, the recommendation came from the all-party meeting.
Senior leaders from different political parties including BNP and Jamaat took part in the meeting that began around 4:20 pm at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
Representatives of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Jatiya Nagorik Committee also attended the meeting.
“We are equivocally expressing our opinions to scrapping or amending the 1972’s constitution as it is a document of nurturing fascism and dictatorship,” according to the draft of the July proclamation.
The all-party meeting reached a consensus that the incidents of mass killings, crimes against humanity committed by Awami League government during the July uprising and its involvement in looting state property must be brought to justice, according to the draft of the July proclamation, read the draft proclamation.
“We need a new republic to reform the political settlements of 1972 and 1/11 which will put an end to all forms of oppression, exploitation and discrimination in the state and can contain the aspirations of the youth of the country. We are also expressing our solidarity that the proclamation will be accorded due state and constitutional recognition,” said the draft proclamation.
“We, the students and citizens, organised ourselves as a sovereign people to uphold the ideals of self-respect, equality and social justice that guided the liberation war,” it said.
“We are calling for dissolving the parliament and urging Prof Muhammad Yunus to form an interim government under his leadership to ensure the country’s safety, security and stability,” added the draft proclamation.
“We are vesting our all-out support to the interim government allowing it to conduct necessary reforms to establish good governance, hold a free and fair election and prevent the path of recurring fascism in the country,” stated the draft July proclamation.
