The government of Bangladesh on Wednesday proposed forming a special parliamentary committee comprising 17 members to carry out constitutional amendments in line with the July Charter.
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said the initiative aims to move forward with required constitutional changes, adding that he and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had earlier suggested forming such a committee.
He informed Parliament that a preliminary list of 12 members has already been prepared, including representatives from BNP, Gono Adhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) and independent lawmakers. Of them, seven members are from BNP and five from other parties.
The law minister said the opposition side accounts for 26 per cent of parliamentary representation, and they have been requested to nominate five members. If the opposition submits their names, the committee formation process could be presented in Parliament soon.
Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal later urged the opposition to provide their nominations, stating that once the five names are received, the 17-member special committee can be formally constituted.
Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman, however, said his party needed more time to discuss the proposal internally. He noted that there are conceptual differences regarding constitutional reforms and amendments.
He added that while discussions had been held with the Chief Whip, the opposition was not in a position to give an immediate decision and would respond later.
“We want reform, but there are differences over the approach of amendment versus reform. We have listened to the proposal, but we will inform our decision later,” he said.
Law Minister Asaduzzaman said the government had no objection to waiting and would proceed when the opposition is ready, adding that constitutional amendment work under the July Charter would continue.
The issue of constitutional reform remains a key point of disagreement between the ruling side and the opposition.
Earlier, the treasury bench had described the July Charter Implementation Order as controversial and proposed an all-party special parliamentary committee on 31 March to amend the Constitution.
In response, Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman had proposed a separate Constitution Reform Council with equal representation from both sides to ensure balanced discussion.
The lawmakers were speaking during a discussion on an adjournment motion related to the implementation of the July Charter and the formation of a Constitution Reform Council.
Under the July Charter framework, MPs were expected to act both as lawmakers and members of a reform council tasked with addressing 48 constitutional provisions within 180 working days.
However, the proposed council has not yet been convened, despite provisions requiring its formation within 30 days of election results.
While BNP-led alliance MPs did not take oath as council members, 77 MPs from a Jamaat-led alliance took dual oaths.
The July National Charter, drafted by the National Consensus Commission, includes 48 constitutional reform proposals. BNP has expressed differing views on several provisions, while Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP and allied parties support full implementation through a reform council.
A referendum on the charter resulted in approval of the proposals, strengthening the expectation that Parliament will proceed with both legislative and reform responsibilities.
