NCC to consult experts, parties on implementing July charter reforms

National Consensus Commission (NCC) will soon begin a fresh round of consultations with political parties after holding discussions with policy experts, in order to finalise how the reform proposals outlined in the upcoming July National Charter will be implemented, Vice President of the Commission, Professor Ali Riaz, said on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference at LD Hall of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Riaz emphasized the need to ensure the Charter’s enforceability.

“We need to ensure that the agreed-upon Charter becomes binding, and determine how its implementation will be carried out—through discussions with political parties,” he said.

Riaz also noted that consultations with experts are scheduled for next week, and expressed optimism that a clear path forward will emerge soon.

“It is hoped that we can arrive at an appropriate decision within a short time through this process,” he said.

Reflecting on the progress made so far, Riaz said the two previous rounds of talks with political parties had resulted in significant consensus. In the first phase, consensus was reached on 62 out of 165 reform proposals. Some of these, he noted, have already been implemented by the government via ordinances, policy changes and executive decisions.

The second phase of talks focused on 20 key constitutional issues. Of these, 11 gained unanimous support from all participating parties. For the remaining nine, decisions were made based on the majority view, with dissenting opinions formally recorded.

Riaz stressed that the Commission is committed to a participatory and transparent process to ensure broad-based ownership of the Charter and its reforms.