Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The BNP has rejected any constitutional reforms before Bangladesh’s February 2026 national polls, saying such changes must be made by the next parliament.
In a letter to Professor Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said only proposals not requiring amendments may be carried out by the interim government through ordinances, rules or administrative orders. “All constitutional reform proposals must be implemented within two years of an elected government assuming office,” the letter stated. It cautioned against giving the July Charter a “supra-constitutional status”, calling it “legally and constitutionally impossible and unacceptable”. Any attempt to use state power to replace the system would be “a coup, not a revolution,” it warned.
The party stressed that disrupting constitutional continuity was “not realistic in the current political situation”. Citing Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ June 5 speech calling the charter “a pledge”, the BNP said his “thoughtful and well-planned” position should guide its implementation.
The BNP outlined three proposals: immediate implementation of urgent reforms not requiring amendments; partial implementation of other non-constitutional changes; and full implementation of constitutional and unfinished reforms within two years of the next parliament’s formation. It said political parties winning seats after the election would be bound by their earlier pledge to carry them out.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said: “No arrangement can alter the constitution while it remains in force. Any such move would face a legal challenge in court and would not stand.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s new High Commissioner Imran Haider met BNP’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam at the party’s Gulshan office Saturday, joined by senior leaders Abdul Moyeen Khan and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Separately, BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to return to Bangladesh “within weeks” to lead the party ahead of polls, standing committee member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said. “Those who are conspiring to disrupt the polls will not succeed. The election will be held in February,” he asserted.
Slamming what he called a “fallen autocrat” for trying to usurp people’s rights, Zahid added: “The constitution cannot simply be thrown into the dustbin at will. We must understand and respect the aspirations of the people without being emotional.”