Bangladesh: Massive protest on July Charter brings Dhaka to standstill

Dhaka: Several protesters in Bangladesh staged a sit-in demonstration at Shahbagh in the capital on Thursday, creating severe traffic congestion and bringing vehicular movement in the area and surrounding parts to a standstill.

The protestors raised slogans “July niye talbahana, cholbe na, cholbe na” (No more delay on July) and “July sanad dite hobe, dite hobe” (The July Charter must be declared), demanding an immediate implementation of the July charter.

“Traffic movement in and around Shahbagh came to a halt, resulting in severe congestion across surrounding roads,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, ‘The Daily Star’ quoted Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station as saying.

Meanwhile, the National Consensus Commission (NCC) of Bangladesh is seeking to finalise the second phase of the dialogue on the July Charter with the political parties on Thursday.

Vice President of the NCC Ali Riaz on Thursday stated that the political leaders bear the primary responsibility for implementing the July National Charter.

“The prime and fundamental responsibility of implementing the Charter lies with political leaders. We believe that you, who have reached consensus on various issues, are capable of creating the path for implementation. The NCC will play the role of a catalyst, both formally and informally, in this process,” he said.

“If needed, the commission will sit again with all stakeholders to specifically discuss the implementation process,” Riaz added

He made the remarks at the opening of the 23rd day of the second-round dialogue between the NCC and political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

Highlighting that the second-round dialogue would conclude on Thursday, Riaz said, “We will inform you of the areas where decisions have been reached, and for unresolved topics, we hope to reach decisions through open-floor discussions.”

Recently, several political parties of Bangladesh, including Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), and Islami Andolon raised objections to the draft of the July Charter.

The parties, particularly opposed to the provision to implement reform proposals within two years of forming the government after the national elections, demanded that the July Charter be incorporated into a legal framework to ensure its implementation.

During the second phase, the commission held discussions on 20 issues, and there is reportedly no agreement on 8 reform proposals amid disputes among major political parties.

Last month, the second phase of discussions involving 30 political parties and the NCC was launched as political uncertainty and instability continued to grip the country.

The latest round of talks were aimed at completing the recommendations of various reform commissions set by the interim government under Muhammad Yunus and drafting the July Charter.

The parties that collaborated with the student leaders and Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are now at loggerheads over major reform proposals.

IANS