Dhaka: Chairman of the parliamentary special committee on constitutional amendment and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced on Tuesday that the committee will recommend an “acceptable” constitutional amendment by gathering opinions from political parties and individuals from all walks of life. The announcement came after the committee’s first meeting, which took place at the Cabinet Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Salahuddin emphasized the committee’s commitment to an open and inclusive approach in formulating its recommendations. He stated, “We want to prepare an acceptable amendment proposal with the opinions of people from all classes and professions, including political parties.” Salahuddin also mentioned that the committee’s recommendations would eventually lead to a constitutional amendment bill to be discussed and adopted in Parliament.

The committee’s first meeting focused on preparing a list of individuals and organizations to consult and setting a schedule for these consultations. Salahuddin assured that the committee would seek opinions from constitutional experts, lawyers, political parties, professional bodies, and other stakeholders. He also encouraged any interested person or organization to offer suggestions.

Although the opposition has not yet nominated representatives for the committee, Salahuddin expressed hope that they would reconsider and participate. He assured that the committee would still seek opinions from all opposition lawmakers. Furthermore, the committee will review 48 constitutional reform proposals from the July National Charter, incorporating those on which political parties reached consensus and considering dissent from the BNP as notes of dissent.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman highlighted the importance of following the July National Charter and the spirit of the July uprising in the constitutional amendment process. He assured that the proposal for amendment would be in line with these guiding documents. The law minister also mentioned the committee’s efforts to incorporate the opposition’s recommendations reflected in the July National Charter, signed by 33 political parties.

The committee plans to engage various stakeholders, including families of those killed in the July uprising, leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, journalists, and retired judges, among others. Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni expressed optimism about the opposition joining the amendment process, reiterating that the door remains open for their participation.

Committee members present at the meeting included several state ministers and chairpersons of parliamentary standing committees. However, Islami Andolan Bangladesh lawmaker Md. Oli Ullah was absent from the meeting.