Professor Ali Riaz, special assistant to the Chief Adviser, stated that the essence of the July Charter is to ensure people’s rights—the same rights for which the 1971 Liberation War and the 2024 mass uprising were fought. He made the remarks on Thursday, January 29, during a meeting with Buddhist and Christian communities at the Dharmarajik Buddhist Monastery auditorium in Dhaka, organized by the Buddhist and Christian Religious Welfare Trusts.

Riaz emphasized that voting ‘yes’ in the upcoming referendum would help establish a democratic and humane Bangladesh. He said the July Charter guarantees equal rights for all citizens regardless of religion and aims to build a society based on equality, human dignity, and social justice. He also called for major reforms to rescue the state from fascist oppression and criticized constitutional provisions that restrict lawmakers’ independence.

Special assistant Monir Haidar added that the referendum should uphold the spirit of social justice and human values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, urging citizens not to be misled by misinformation about religious issues in the constitution.