The sources further said the government wants a constitutional recognition of the July declaration. It also wants to include a few other issues into the declaration. That is why it has sought opinion of the political parties.

BNP sources said the reform initiatives and July declaration were discussed at length at the party’s standing committee meeting on two consecutive days, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Speaking about this, a standing committee member told Prothom Alo the declaration mentioned about the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the liberation war of 1971 and the mass uprising on 5 August 2024. But it did not include historic incidents like language movement in 1952, education movement in 1962, mass uprising in 1969. BNP might demand annexation of all the historic incidents in the July declaration.

BNP policemakers also think there is a politics of language in the July declaration prepared by the government. They will propose changing those.

It has been learned that the draft of the July declaration has highlighted the long struggle of the people of this land for independence. Following that, it mentioned the background of how the student-public agitation turned into mass uprising in 2024, and how Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and fled to India. The draft declaration also expressed an intention to trial of mass killing and crimes committed against humanity by the Awami League government during the July uprising and its looting of public properties.