Law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister Md Asaduzzaman on Wednesday requested the opposition bench in Jatiya Sangsad to nominate five members for a proposed 17-member special parliamentary committee on constitutional amendment.

Speaking on the floor of the House, the minister said the committee would be formed under Rule 266 of the Rules of Procedure and that the government had already finalised a list of 12 members.

Of the proposed 12, he said that seven lawmakers are from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, while the remaining five represent Ganaodhikar Parishad, Ganasamhati Andolan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party and independent lawmakers.

Referring to the opposition’s roughly 26 per cent representation in JS, he said it was reasonable to expect five members from their side to complete the committee.

Asaduzzaman said that the government was keen to constitute the body swiftly so it can begin work on constitutional amendment initiatives, keeping the July Charter in focus.

‘If the five names are provided promptly, we will be able to place the proposal for the committee as early as tomorrow,’ he told the House.

In response, opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman said there remained a conceptual disagreement regarding the formation of such a committee.

However, he indicated that the opposition would communicate its position following internal consultations.

‘We called for reform of the constitution, but what is now being proposed is amendment. Our position remains unchanged,’ he said, adding that while they had taken note of the minister’s proposal, a formal response would come later.

The law minister said the government was willing to wait if necessary.

‘We have no objection to allowing more time. If advancing constitutional amendments in line with the July Charter requires it, we are prepared to wait until the next JS session,’ he said.