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The Jamaat-e-Islami has criticised the July National Charter draft handed to political parties by the National Consensus Commission, calling it “incomplete” and describing some of its provisions as “dangerous.”
The party has also demanded a legal mechanism to implement agreed reforms before the general election, reports bdnews24.com.
Speaking during a break in the second phase of the 21st day of dialogue with the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy, Jamaat deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said said the draft could not be accepted if it was intended to be final.
“They are saying it’s just a sample and there were mistakes. If that is indeed the case, there’s no need for comment. But if this is the final version, it is unacceptable,” he added.
Taher said Jamaat is drafting its own version of the charter and will submit it to the commission.
The party has proposed two paths to implement the agreed reforms:
1. Creating a legal framework through an ordinance to be later ratified by an elected parliament.
2. Securing final approval through a public referendum.
“We are ready to accept either path to legally validate the framework,” Taher said.
He added, “We are in favour of consensus, but it must be effective and legally structured. Otherwise, the country’s political future may fall into uncertainty.”
The draft also outlines the background to the charter, the formation of the commission, its activities, and proposals raised during discussions with political parties.
Like Jamaat, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has also voiced objections to the draft.
On Tuesday, NCP Joint Convenor Javed Rasin said: “We strongly oppose this. There was no discussion on the process of dialogue, yet they published a draft. We cannot accept it.”
He added that unless consensus points are guaranteed through a legal framework before the election, NCP will not endorse the charter.
Later, while detailing Jamaat’s position further, Taher said there had been extensive discussion on the formation of a caretaker government during the dialogue. “We have agreed that the next general election must be held under a caretaker government.
“Almost everyone agrees on this, except the BNP, which has placed some observations.”
Taher outlined a proposed mechanism under which a five-member selection body -- comprising the prime minister, the opposition leader, the speaker, the deputy speaker (from the opposition), and a representative from the second-largest opposition party -- would choose the chief of the caretaker government from a pool of 12 candidates.
“If no consensus is reached, the decision will be made either unanimously or through ranked-choice voting. In this process, there will be seven voters -- the five political representatives plus one judge each from the Supreme Court and the High Court,” he said.
“The two judges were added to prevent any one party from becoming the deciding factor. We hope the judges will remain neutral, reducing fears of horse-trading.”
Taher noted that the BNP’s objection centred on sending the matter to parliament if no agreement was reached. “But most parties, including the Jamaat, believe that once it’s sent to parliament, no decision will come.
“There are only five or six parties in parliament, while this platform represents over 30. The final decision must come from here,” he said.