Law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister Md Asaduzzaman on Wednesday proposed the formation of a 17-member special parliamentary committee to amend the constitution in line with the July National Charter.
He requested the opposition in the Jatiya Sangsad to nominate five members for the committee.
He told the parliament that the committee would be formed under Rule 266 of the Rules of Procedure.
The rule says, ‘The parliament may, by motion, appoint a Special Committee which shall have such composition and function as may be specified in the motion.’
The minister said that the government had already finalised a list of 12 members, seven lawmakers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and five from the Ganaodhikar Parishad, Ganasamhati Andolan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party and independent members.
Referring to the opposition’s roughly 26 per cent representation in parliament, he said that it was reasonable to expect five members from the opposition to complete the committee.
Asaduzzaman said that the government was keen to constitute the body swiftly so that it could begin work on constitutional amendments, keeping the July Charter in focus.
‘If the five names are provided promptly, we will be able to place the proposal for the committee as early as tomorrow,’ he said.
In response, opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman said that there remained a conceptual disagreement over the formation of such a committee.
‘We call for reform of the constitution. But what is now being proposed is an amendment. Our position remains unchanged,’ he said, adding that while they had taken note of the minister’s proposal, a formal response would come later.
The law minister replied that the government was willing to wait if necessary.
‘We have no objection to allowing more time,’ he said, adding, ‘If advancing constitutional amendments in line with the July Charter requires it, we are ready to wait until the next session.’
Earlier, treasury and opposition benches in Jatiya Sangsad traded sharp arguments in several sittings over how to implement the July National Charter. During the debates, the government insisted on amending the constitution through parliament, while the opposition called for sweeping reforms.
During a debate on March 31 on an adjournment motion raised by the opposition leader regarding the July National Charter (Reform of Constitution) Implementation Order-2025 and the status of the Constitution Reform Council, the government rejected the order, describing it as unconstitutional, legally void and a ‘fraud on the constitution’.
Home minister Salahuddin Ahmed, responding to the motion, proposed forming a special parliamentary committee to discuss constitutional amendments and the July Charter provisions.
He said that the July Charter Implementation Order-2025, issued by the interim government, was illegal and ‘void ab initio’, describing it as a ‘document of national deception’.
Salahuddin said consensus had been reached on 47 issues within the July National Charter, which would be discussed in detail in parliament in due course, with decisions taken in line with the public mandate.
Law minister Md Asaduzzaman also expressed support for the proposal to form a special parliamentary committee to review the July Charter and related reforms.
Opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman, however, proposed a separate committee to convene the Constitutional Reform Council, with equal representation from treasury and opposition benches.
Criticising the demand for equal representation, the law minister said that such an arrangement would be disproportionate given the difference in parliamentary strength.
The July National Charter, comprising a prologue, 84 reform proposals and a covenant, is a comprehensive framework aimed at political, administrative, judicial and electoral reforms in Bangladesh. It was signed on October 17, 2025.
The interim government engaged in a year-long process between October 2024 and October 2025 to draft the consensus-based charter for state reform.
‘Yes’ won in the referendum held on February 12 alongside the national elections.
In the referendum, voters cast either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on a single package of four questions.
The first question sought public support for forming the caretaker government, the Election Commission and other constitutional bodies during the election period in accordance with procedures set out in the July Charter.
The second proposal concerned restructuring the Jatiya Sangsad into a bicameral legislature, with a 100-member upper house formed through proportional representation of votes received by political parties in the 13th JS elections. The proposal stipulated that any constitutional amendment would require approval from a majority in the upper house.
The third question asked whether winning political parties should be legally bound to implement 30 agreed reform proposals included in the July Charter.
These proposals include increasing women’s representation in parliament, electing the deputy speaker and four parliamentary standing committee chairpersons from the opposition, limiting the prime minister’s tenure, strengthening the president’s powers, expanding fundamental rights, ensuring judicial independence and strengthening local government institutions.
The fourth question sought support for implementing other reform measures outlined in the July Charter in line with commitments made by political parties.
