Dhaka, Feb. 23 -- A political and constitutional dilemma is unfolding just days after Bangladesh's new parliament took office, and it centres on the very reforms voters endorsed in the July National Charter referendum.

The BNP-led government, commanding a decisive two-thirds majority, has sworn its lawmakers into parliament but refused to take a second oath required to sit on the Constitution Reform Council, the body tasked with rewriting key parts of the Charter.

The move has thrown the entire reform architecture into uncertainty, raising questions about whether the ambitious reform roadmap approved by voters can be implemented under its current framework.

At the centre of the impasse lies a procedural requirement under the July Natio...