Prof Riaz urges political parties to unite in reform talks

National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz on Sunday urged political parties to encourage their like-minded allies to work towards a consensus over reforms by bridging differences at least on fundamental issues.

“As political forces, we have the hope, belief and trust in you that you will talk to others, inspire your friendly political forces to narrow down the differences, and come to a common ground through which we can reach an agreement,” he said.

Prof Riaz made the remarks in his introductory speech at the dialogue between the 12-party alliance and the National Consensus Commission.

The talks, chaired by Prof Riaz, began at 10:05am at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Complex.

An 11-member delegation from the alliance took part in the dialogue, led by Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) Chairman Mostafa Jamal Haider and Bangladesh LDP leader Shahadat Hossain Salim.

“We don’t believe that sitting at this table alone will lead us to the final destination of national consensus. Our role is that of a catalyst, and we are making that effort,” said Prof Riaz.

He said each political party has placed its opinion over reform proposals but all must compromise to some extent to reach consensus.

“We all have to come together. We may not agree on everything, but we must reach common ground on fundamental state-building issues to move Bangladesh forward,” he added.

Citing that building national consensus is not solely the commission’s responsibility, Prof Riaz said, “You who are engaged in the struggle and are in dialogues with us today should talk to your allies and other political forces to explore how we can come together.”

Consensus Commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar and Dr Mohammad Ayub Miah were present at the discussion, moderated by Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider.

On March 20 last, the Consensus Commission opened a series of talks with political parties to forge a national consensus on state reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government, reports UNB.

The commission has already held talks with 23 political parties, including BNP and Jamaat-e Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP).