Political parties agree not to use state of emergency for political gain: Ali Riaz

Political parties at Monday's meeting with the National Consensus Commission agreed that the state of emergency should not be declared or used for political purposes, said the commission's Vice-Chairman, Prof Ali Riaz.
Speaking to journalists at the conclusion of the tenth day of the second phase of talks held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Monday, Prof Riaz said all parties agreed on the need to amend, add, delete, or revise three clauses of Article 141 of the constitution related to the state of emergency.
A revised proposal on declaring a state of emergency, prepared by the Consensus Commission based on previous discussions, was presented on Monday. However, further debate on the proposal is scheduled for the next meeting, where the commission expects to clarify the extent of agreement on this matter.
Prof Riaz also revealed that the discussions covered two key issues: the declaration of a state of emergency and the phased expansion of subordinate courts at the upazila level. Political parties and alliances participating in the talks agreed on gradually extending the jurisdiction of subordinate courts to better serve local communities.
However, the parties expressed that some concerns must be addressed before finalising the expansion plan.
Representatives of 30 political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP), took part in the discussions. The issue of women's representation was not discussed but is expected to be revisited in the next meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, pointed out that the state of emergency has been declared five times in the past for political reasons, and the parties deliberated on measures to prevent its misuse in the future.
BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed, briefing reporters after the talks, said the discussion focused on various aspects of emergency decrees, including which citizens' rights could be restricted or safeguarded, the tenure of emergencies, basic human rights, and concerns raised by the United Nations.
He emphasised that the issues should be debated thoroughly in the next parliament, where laws can be introduced or amended as necessary to address these complexities. Salahuddin also noted that the political parties agreed on decentralising lower courts to prioritise the welfare of people across the country.

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