National Consensus Commission (NCC) Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz on Wednesday said an expert panel has recommended that the Commission issue a "constitutional order" to implement the July Charter, with final approval from the people through a referendum.
"A coordinated opinion has been received from experts on implementing the constitutional recommendations of the July Charter," he said during a discussion with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
The experts combined two previously proposed options - referendum and constitutional order - into a single recommendation.
They suggested that the constitutional recommendations of the July Charter could be implemented through a constitutional order following the 22 points of the July Declaration, with final approval obtained through a referendum.
Prof Riaz explained that the proposed referendum would be mentioned in the constitutional order and held simultaneously with the next National Parliament election. This, he said, could be one of the recommendations submitted by the Commission to the government as a possible implementation method.
The experts' advice was conveyed to political parties, he added. Several parties also suggested seeking guidance from the Supreme Court under Article 106 of the Constitution, though opinions differed among them.
Prof Riaz expressed hope that political parties would reach a minimum consensus through informal discussions on implementing the July Charter. The Commission adjourned the discussion until early October to allow parties to hold internal consultations and reach a concrete decision.
"During this period, the Commission will remain in touch and facilitate dialogue among parties," he said.
Earlier, the government extended the commission's tenure for the second time, until October 15, after parties failed to agree on the implementation method.
Prof Riaz noted that the NCC has sent the final draft of the implementation plan to political parties. The parties proposed six approaches, including implementing the charter through a special constitutional order, referendum, or leaving it to parliament.
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