Home Minister and BNP National Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, MP, has declared that the government remains “100 percent committed” to the July National Charter, describing it as a foundational document of political consensus and reform.
Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organized by the Bangladesh Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum at the Supreme Court Bar Association premises in the capital on Tuesday, the minister emphasized that although the charter is a binding pledge for all signatory parties, its implementation must strictly follow constitutional procedures.
The minister said the July National Charter represents a unified political agreement among different parties. While some parties signed the document with notes of dissent and others joined later, he noted that it remains a collective roadmap for the country’s reform process.
“The July National Charter is a document of political consensus,” he said. “It represents a political settlement, and the parties that signed it are committed to its implementation.”
Addressing recent legal developments, the home minister said two writ petitions have recently been filed with the High Court challenging the charter and certain provisions of the Referendum Ordinance.
While acknowledging that the issue is currently sub judice, he stressed that any constitutional reform must go through the National Parliament.
He argued that decisions, including those adopted through a referendum, must first be debated in parliament and enacted into law before becoming legally binding.
“The process of swearing in members of the Constitutional Reform Council and the procedures they follow must be clearly defined in law. Any action carried out by force or outside the legal framework cannot be considered constitutional,” he said.
The minister also informed the legal community that the interim government has issued around 133 ordinances so far. These ordinances, he said, will be presented in the first session of the National Parliament for review.
“The National Parliament is the supreme law-making body representing the sovereignty of the people,” he said. “Whether these ordinances are accepted, amended, or allowed to lapse is entirely the jurisdiction of parliament.”
The discussion, titled “Expectations of the Legal Community from the Current Government in Establishing Democracy, Rule of Law, Human Rights, and Good Governance,” was presided over by Senior Advocate Zainul Abedin, MP.
Other speakers included Barrister Kaiser Kamal, MP, and Mahbub Uddin Khokon, BNP’s Law Affairs Secretary and State Minister for Land.
The speakers highlighted the importance of ensuring transparency and adherence to constitutional principles in the country’s democratic transition.
The event concluded with a special prayer for the welfare of the nation, followed by an iftar mahfil.
