Exclusion of Independence Declaration Prompts Four Leftist Parties to Reject July Charter

Four left-leaning political parties have announced that they will not sign the July National Charter unless they receive an amended draft before the signing ceremony. The parties are: the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (BASAD), BASAD (Marxist), and Bangladesh JASAD.

The decision was announced at a press conference held this Thursday afternoon at the CPB office in Paltan, Dhaka. The parties demanded revisions to the Charter before the signing ceremony takes place.

The written statement at the press conference was presented by Bazlur Rashid Firoz, General Secretary of BASAD. He stated, “The Honorable Chief Adviser had said at the inauguration ceremony of the Consensus Commission that only the matters unanimously agreed upon by all parties would be considered as consensus. We also agreed with the Chief Adviser and participated in all the meetings of the Consensus Commission, expressing our opinions. However, the final copy of the July Charter sent to us on October 14 includes not only the unanimously agreed matters but also proposals that had notes of dissent. Moreover, the reasons for our dissent have not been properly documented.”

The parties presented their reasons for refusing to sign the Charter at the press conference. They stated that the historical background of the Liberation War, Independence, and Bangladesh’s political struggles have not been properly represented in the first section of the Charter. Despite repeated amendments suggested by them, these were not incorporated.

It was also stated that recommendations have been made to remove the “Declaration of Independence” in the Sixth Schedule and the “Proclamation of Independence” in the Seventh Schedule under the transitional provisions of Article 150(2) of the Constitution. The removal of these foundational elements of Independence and the Liberation War would question the very existence of Bangladesh. Yet, the July Charter proposes to be annexed to the Constitution. Earlier drafts had mentioned the formation of an interim government through a Supreme Court reference under Article 106 of the post-uprising Constitution, but this mention has been omitted in the final Charter, the speakers said.

Due to these unresolved issues, Bazlur Rashid Firoz said it is not possible for them to sign the July Charter. He added, “No Charter can be signed with a note of dissent that commits to altering the Constitution’s core principles—democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism—or changes the schedules under Article 150(2), with a clause that such matters cannot be challenged in court.”

Additionally, the third clause in the July Charter’s pledge document states that “no one can go to court regarding the Charter,” which the parties consider a direct violation of fundamental and democratic rights.

The press conference emphasized that only issues that were unanimously agreed upon in the discussions of the National Consensus Commission should be included in the Charter for signing by all parties. Dissenting opinions can be added as an annex to the Charter, they suggested.

Bazlur Rashid Firoz questioned how the pledge in the July Charter could be implemented if dissenting opinions remain. He said, “Clause 2 of the Pledge states that the July Charter will be added to the Constitution as a Schedule or in an appropriate place. We are in favor of incorporating a unanimously agreed Charter into the Constitution. But how can it be done with notes of dissent? That is beyond our understanding.”

Other speakers at the press conference included CPB General Secretary Abdullah Kafi Ratan, BASAD (Marxist) Coordinator Masud Rana, and Bangladesh JASAD Standing Committee member Mushtaq Hossain. Also present were CPB President Kazi Sajjad Zahir Chandan and former General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, among others.