Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
The National Consensus Commission (NCC) gets another extension of tenure as the interim government is all set to hold the July Charter-signing ceremony today (Friday) amid political differences, including demand for an official order executing the firman.
The Cabinet Division in a circular extended the time a third time until October 31 as the tenure of the NCC expired early Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Chief Adviser's Office in another statement said that the signing ceremony would be held, as scheduled, at the South Plaza of the National Parliament in the city.
The Bangladesh Citizens Party (NCP) at a news conference on Thursday said it would not sign the charter until there was a certain legal announcement or official order on implementation of the July Charter.
Commission Vice-chair Prof Ali Riaz told the press his commission was observing the NCP's statement on their position of not signing the charter without its legal basis. "During the tenure of the commission, it would work to give a legal basis for the charter through a process," he said.
He was briefing the reporters on the update of preparation for holding the signing event.
Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki also briefed the media on the preparation, saying that his ministry would facilitate it even after the signing.
The commission would soon give a set of recommendations, he said, adding that he hopes NCP would join the signing event as they are one of the major stakeholders of the July Charter.
"If any party did not sign the charter on Friday, they could sign it later on," he said.
However, "It will be a festival, but, apart from being a festival, it is a valuable event for which we had to sacrifice a lot.
"So, I want to believe every one of the parties will come and sign the charter. But we cannot close the door for signing. Anyone who wants can sign it later as a stakeholder of the process."
"We are in a state of exception. Therefore, we have to decide everything based on the situation. The government was formed through an uprising."
Meanwhile, Islamic political parties, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, held a meeting Thursday over the charter signing.
Earlier, Jamaat said they would go to the signing event.
However, it couldn't confirm the signing as they were pressing the government to arrange a referendum before the national elections in February next year as they said that the election must be held under the July Charter.
Five left political parties also said they would not sign the charter as there were some constitutional changes made which they did not support.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said earlier that the party would sign the charter.
nsrafsanju@gmail.com