Chief Adviser of the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus attended the historic “July National Charter 2025” signing ceremony held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building on Friday (October 17) at 4:30 p.m.
Several government advisers, senior officials, and top political leaders were present at the event. Leaders from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Gono Odhikar Parishad, among other parties, also attended the ceremony. The program formally began with the national anthem.
The July National Charter serves as a consensus-based policy framework for democratic and institutional reforms in the country. After assuming power, the interim government formed six reform commissions focusing on the constitution, electoral system, public administration, anti-corruption, police, and judiciary.
Later, the National Consensus Commission held a series of dialogues with political parties to review these reform proposals. Between February and July, the commission achieved consensus on 84 reform proposals. Based on those, the draft of the July Charter was prepared, discussed again with political parties and experts, and finalized. The final version of the charter was distributed to all political parties last Tuesday.
Today (Friday), major political parties are formally signing this historic document, marking a new milestone in Bangladesh’s democratic transformation.
However, tension arose in the Parliament area earlier in the day. Activists from the July Uprising, including injured students and citizens, staged a sit-in near the venue demanding state recognition and national honors as heroes.
Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, urged them to withdraw their protest, assuring that their demands would be addressed. But the demonstrators refused to leave, leading to a brief chase and counter-chase as law enforcement intervened to clear the area.
Later, Professor Ali Riaz announced that Clause 5 of the Charter’s Declaration of Commitment had been amended to acknowledge and recognize the contributions of the July fighters.
Following this amendment, the situation eased, and representatives at the event reaffirmed their pledge to build a unified, reformed, and democratic state.