Dhaka: Political parties have reached a consensus on establishing an independent police commission to ensure that the police perform their duties effectively and without external influence. This decision marks a significant step forward in the ongoing discussions aimed at reforming the police force.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the commission will address complaints from police members and citizens against the police force. Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, announced this development during a press briefing following the 19th day of the second phase of political party discussions at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy.
The briefing was attended by Commission Members Justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumder, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr. Md. Ayub Mia, and Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Manir Haidar. Prof. Ali Riaz highlighted that consensus has been achieved on 12 issues during the second phase of discussions, with progress made on seven additional matters.
The commission will be chaired by a retired justice of the Appellate Division, under the age of 75. The member secretary will be a retired police officer below the rank of Additional Inspector General of Police and under the age of 62. Other members will include representatives from the Leader of the House of Representatives, the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, a retired government officer with district magistrate experience, a judicial officer or an experienced lawyer, and a human rights activist with substantial experience.
There will be at least two women members in the commission. Prof. Ali Riaz also announced that political parties have unanimously agreed on the Prime Minister's term, limiting it to a maximum of 10 years in total.
The discussions, expected to conclude by July 31, are progressing with a draft of the national charter set to be sent to political parties tomorrow. Today's discussions involved representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), and several others.