Chief Adviser Accused of Breaching July National Accord

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the interim government, has been accused of violating the July National Accord he himself signed, according to Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the BNP Standing Committee. This comment came in response to the Chief Adviser’s address to the nation yesterday.

Salahuddin Ahmed claimed that the accord, signed on 17 October at the South Plaza of the National Parliament, has been breached by Dr. Yunus through his recent statements. He emphasised that issues had already been settled in the parliamentary chamber through the “Note of Dissent” mechanism of the National Consensus Commission, and therefore could not be reopened arbitrarily. He also criticised the creation of a so-called “Constitutional Reform Council”, noting that the idea had never been discussed or agreed upon by the National Consensus Commission, making it entirely unprecedented.

Speaking to journalists at his Gulshan residence, Salahuddin reaffirmed that any proposals beyond the July National Accord would not be accepted by his party, nor would they legally bind any of the signatory parties. He expressed concern that several elements in the Chief Adviser’s recent directives were new and imposed without consensus, questioning whether they would sow division rather than foster unity within the state.

He further explained that the signed July Accord, witnessed nationally, clearly documented proposals, party consents, and official Notes of Dissent. Any departure from these agreements, he argued, constitutes a violation. Salahuddin also criticised the legal basis for compelling members of a proposed Constitutional Reform Council to swear oaths, emphasising that such powers belong solely to the constitutionally sovereign National Parliament.

He concluded that the Chief Adviser’s proposals undermine established constitutional processes and impose unprecedented obligations on elected representatives. “The crisis,” he said, “originated with the recommendations of the National Consensus Commission, which the Chief Adviser himself signed, only to impose new conditions afterwards. We insist that the July Accord be fully implemented, as intended by all signatories.”