The National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged in the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, today urged the interim government to prioritize justice for the July 2024 uprising and implement key reforms before holding the national election.
While reiterating their stance against prolonged election delays, the NCP emphasized that the polls should come only after addressing unresolved issues.
“The interim government came to power with the people’s mandate. Justice for the July killings and state reforms must come first,” said NCP member secretary Akhter Hossen, speaking to journalists during a break in the party’s meeting with the National Consensus Commission (NCC) at the LD Hall in the national parliament.
He noted that the party was willing to give the interim government the time needed to carry out the necessary reforms.
During the meeting, the NCP discussed proposals for constitutional changes, with plans to address reforms in the judiciary, public administration, and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in future discussions.
“We spoke about the need for a balanced constitution. The current one gives absolute power to the prime minister, enabling authoritarianism. This must change,” Akhter said, calling for a complete rewrite of the constitution.
The NCP delegation included convener Nahid Islam, member secretary Akhter Hossen, joint convener Sarwar Tushar, senior joint convener Samantha Sharmin, chief organizer (southern region) Hasnat Abdullah, and chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari.
Hasnat Abdullah said the party had agreed with 129 of the 166 reform proposals presented by the commission, adding, “We shared some observations on the remaining points. Our focus is on protecting citizens, ensuring peaceful transitions of power, and amending Article 17, which currently stifles public voices in the name of parliamentary stability.”
From the commission’s side, vice chairman Prof Ali Riaz, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumder, and special assistant to the chief adviser Monir Haider attended the meeting.
