Last month, on October 17, around two dozen political parties in Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, signed the ‘July National Charter’ at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament Building). The chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, hailed this day as the “start of a New Bangladesh," while Ali Riaz, Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission (NCC), called the Charter not merely an agreement but a “social contract between citizens, political parties, and the state."

Comprising an 84-point reform agenda, the July Charter is supposed to be Bangladesh’s reform blueprint based on consensus among political parties.

However, since the inception of consensus talks with the National Consensus Commission (established in February to formulate this Charter) till the Charter’s signing, Bangladesh has witnessed more political rifts than ever.

The first round of consensus talks was attended by 33 political parties. By the time it reached the final rounds, the number of parties came down to 30, and ultimately, it was signed by 25 parties. Four left parties and the National Citizen Party (NCP) did not sign this Charter.

In addition to the several controversies that led to the signing of the Charter, more disagreements have followed with respect to the implementation order and referendum. The National Consensus Commission, too, is now under the scanner. This brings the question—whose Charter is it?

The July Charter is an outcome of consensus on only one-third of the reform proposals, with 50 strong notes of dissent. This is hardly a national consensus! The implementation process was also left out of the Charter, leaving it to the decisions of the political parties—another bizarre step. The signing........

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