[🇧🇩] July Charter

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Adjournment motion on July Charter placed in JS

Kishoreganj-5 lawmaker SK Mozibur Rahman Iqbal on Monday termed the July Charter a historic document and placed an adjournment motion in Jatiya Sangsad seeking a discussion on its implementation.

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Adjournment motion on July Charter placed in JS
Staff Correspondent 30 March, 2026, 21:11

Front view of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. | File photo

Kishoreganj-5 lawmaker SK Mozibur Rahman Iqbal on Monday termed the July Charter a historic document and placed an adjournment motion in Jatiya Sangsad seeking a discussion on its implementation.

Deputy speaker Kayser Kamal initially said that the matter could be discussed on Tuesday, slated for discussing another adjournment motion by the opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman.

However, replying to an argument that the notice was distinct and required a separate discussion, the deputy speaker said that a decision on the adjournment motion would be taken later after further examination.

Patuakhali-2 lawmaker Shafiqul Islam questioned the role of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in streamlining the implementation of the July Charter.Human rights reports

Jaipurhat-1 lawmaker Fazlur Rahman Sayed also demanded immediate execution of the charter.

Taking part in the discussion on the thanksgiving motion on the president’s speech, Khulna-4 lawmaker SK Azizul Baree thanked the president for acknowledging that the Awami League had run a ‘fascist regime’.

He claimed that the BNP remained the most proactive force in implementing the charter.

‘Our party was the first to sign the charter, followed by Jamaat, and then the NCP. Despite BNP’s willingness to implement it, opposition parties continue to blame us,’ he said.​

 

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JULY CHARTER: MPs engage in heated debate over constitution order

The treasury bench on Tuesday proposed a special all-party parliamentary committee for amendment to constitution in line with the July National Charter, while the opposition called for a committee on its proposal for a Constitutional Reform Council session.

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JULY CHARTER: MPs engage in heated debate over constitution order

Debate to resume today

Staff Correspondent 01 April, 2026, 01:02

The treasury bench on Tuesday proposed a special all-party parliamentary committee for amendment to constitution in line with the July National Charter, while the opposition called for a committee on its proposal for a Constitutional Reform Council session.

Speaker M Hafiz Uddin adjourned the discussion on the opposition’s adjournment motion on the July National Charter until today as the debate remained inconclusive.

The heated debate in the JS centred on an adjournment motion raised by the leader of the opposition in the Jatiya Sangsad, regarding the July National Charter (Reform of Constitution) Implementation Order 2025 and the current status of the Constitution Reform Council session, government side rejected the order, describing it as unconstitutional, legally void and a ‘fraud on the Constitution’.

Opposition lawmakers, however, voiced broader concerns about the reform process, the legacy of the July uprising, and the role of the constitution.

Some urged all sides to work within the constitutional framework and avoid politicising the gains of the July movement, while others questioned the government’s position, arguing that the constitution had been effectively non-functional during the uprising.

Home minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Salahuddin Ahmed, responding to the opposition leader’s adjournment motion, proposed a parliamentary special committee to discuss the constitutional amendments and July National Charter provisions.Education resources Bangladesh

Opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman proposed a separate committee to convene the Constitutional Reform Council with equal representation of the treasury and opposition benches in the special committee.

Law minister Md Aasaduzzaman expressed support for the home minister’s proposal to form a special parliamentary committee to review the July Charter and related reforms.

Criticising the opposition’s demand for equal representation in the committee, he said that such an arrangement would be disproportionate given the difference in parliamentary strength.

After the debate, speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed adjourned the session, announcing that further discussion on the issue would take place.

Home minister Salahuddin Ahmed, in his discussion, claimed that the ‘July Charter Implementation Order-2025’, issued by the interim government, was illegal and ‘void ab initio’, a Latin legal term meaning ‘void from the beginning’, describing it as a ‘document of national deception’.

The minister argued that the order lacked any constitutional validity.

‘This is neither an ordinance nor a law. Rather, it is a neutral construct—an endless document of deception,’ he said.

Referring to the public mandate obtained through a referendum, Salauddin said that his side had initially proposed seeking public opinion on whether citizens supported the July National Charter.

He, however, criticised the structure of the ballot, alleging that it had been framed in a misleading manner. ‘A controversial order was inserted alongside three legitimate questions, effectively confusing voters,’ he stated.

Salahuddin also strongly criticised the chief election commissioner for distributing oath forms for lawmakers to serve as members of a proposed Constitutional Reform Council.

Sending such forms to parliament, he said, constituted a violation of the constitution and a breach of oath.

Rejecting claims that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party opposed reforms, Salahuddin Ahmed described such assertions as misleading.

He said that consensus had been reached on 47 issues within the July National Charter, which would be discussed in detail in parliament in due course, with decisions to be taken in line with the public mandate.

Opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman said that, if the speaker considered it appropriate, a committee might be formed to discuss convening the Constitutional Reform Council, urging that it include equal representation from both treasury and opposition benches.

Shafiqur called on the ruling party to respect the broader mandate of the people given through the referendum.

Citing the Yes win in the referendum, he said, ‘If the verdict is reflected, this parliament will be honoured,’ he said

Law minister Asaduzzaman described the July National Charter (Reform of Constitution) Implementation Order 2025 as legally unfounded and a case of ‘colourable legislation’, asserting that it amounted to a ‘fraud on the constitution’.

‘The Constitution of 1972 remains our foundation, and no unlawful order can compel this sovereign parliament,’ he said.

Addressing opposition members, the minister noted what he termed a contradiction in their position. ‘You claim not to accept the 1972 constitution, yet you have taken oath as members of parliament under that very constitution,’ he said.

The minister expressed support for the home minister’s proposal to form a special parliamentary committee to review the July Charter and related reforms.

Expressing concerns over the direction of constitutional reforms in Bangladesh, Bhola-1 lawmaker Andaleeve Rahman Partha described the current Jatiya Sansad as a ‘unique situation,’ urging that the spirit of the July uprising should not confine the younger generation to narrow political arenas.Education resources Bangladesh

Speaking during the discussion on the adjournment motion, Partha cautioned against the monopolisation of the July revolution’s achievements.

Partha said that labelling any political group as ‘anti-July’ and engaging in confrontations or conflicts is not beneficial for the country.

Instead, politicians should understand the aspirations of the people and work together within the constitutional framework to build an equitable and inclusive state.

‘You represent Gen-Z, do not become the Jamaat generation,’ he told National Citizen Party lawmakers.

Addressing lawmakers from Jamaat and the NCP, he questioned their insistence on invoking the constitution.

‘Does the constitution remind you of a moment of defeat in 1971?’ Partha questioned.

Comilla-4 lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah opposed Andaleeve Rahman Partha, arguing that Partha’s claim that those seeking to abolish the constitution were aligned with anti-liberation forces was problematic and raised questions.

He referred to a statement by Khaleda Zia, noting that she had said the day a people’s government is established and the parliament is handed over to the people would be the day the constitution would be discarded.

He argued that treating the constitution as sacred or unchangeable, ‘as a Bible’ would have prevented Khaleda Zia from being released from jail.

Opposition lawmaker Shafiqul Islam said that students sacrificed their lives for state reforms, yet today we fail to give reform the attention it deserves.

He questioned why, today, the importance of reform is being overlooked, saying that necessity has now been trapped within a constitutional provision.

‘I am deeply embarrassed that our children, standing in the streets with placards declaring they were protesting for state reforms, not for family card,’ Shafiqul said.

NCP lawmaker Akter Hosain raised questions regarding constitutional authority during the July uprising.

‘Those serving as ministers now, and we in the opposition, have all stood for the proposal for the Constitution Reform Council. We want to know how much the constitution was effective during that period,’ he said.

Akter said that the current law minister had been appointed as attorney general after the July uprising. ‘Under which constitutional provision was that appointment made?’ he wanted to know.

Dhaka-12 lawmaker Saiful Islam stated that their intention in Jatiya Sangsad was not to create arguments for or against the July Charter, but rather to build a new Bangladesh based on it.Education resources Bangladesh

After the session, opposition leader Shafiqur, at a press conference at the parliament’s media centre, said that if any committee is formed regarding his adjournment notice on the constitution reform council and the convening of its meeting, the opposition would take it positively. ‘But, the representation should be equal,’ he added.​