Dhaka, Oct. 17 -- The National Citizen Party (NCP) has announced that it will not participate in the July Charter signing ceremony scheduled for Friday, saying the process lacks a legal foundation and would therefore be "a mere formality."

NCP convener Nahid Islam made the announcement at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Dhaka's Banglamotor on Thursday. "Without a legal basis and assurance of an official order, signing the July Charter will be meaningless," he told reporters. He explained that while political parties have reached consensus on the main framework of the Charter, the absence of any binding legal mechanism undermines its credibility. "It is not enough for a few political parties to sit together, hold lengthy...