NCP backs constitutional council amid deepening reform divide

Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam has thrown his full support behind the proposed National Constitutional Council (NCC), challenging opposing parties to present alternative solutions amidst growing political divisions over constitutional reform.

Speaking at Wednesday’s dialogue session at the Foreign Service Academy’s Doel Hall, Nahid warned that Bangladesh’s constitutional bodies have been systematically undermined and require urgent overhaul.

The NCP leader delivered a scathing critique of existing institutions, highlighting their failure to serve democratic principles.

“The electoral system has been destroyed and the commissions have defended one-sided elections,” Nahid declared, pointing to the Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission and National Human Rights Commission as examples of politicised bodies.

His particularly harsh assessment targeted the Human Rights Commission’s inability to prevent enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

National Constitutional Council represents a proposed national institution by the Constitutional Reform Commission designed to restore independence to key appointments.

Nahid emphasised the need for complete government non-interference, stating: “To realise people’s aspirations, these institutions must remain transparent and independent.”

NCP has strategically proposed excluding Armed Forces Chiefs and Chief Justice appointments from the council’s jurisdiction.

Amar Bangladesh Party Chairman Mozibur Rahman Manju reinforced the urgency, declaring state reform incomplete without the Constitutional Council.

He noted broad consensus amongst political parties, with notable exception of BNP, expressing optimism for eventual alignment across the political spectrum.