Ali Riaz returns home

Ali Riaz, former vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission and special assistant to the chief adviser, returned to Bangladesh on Tuesday night. He arrived in Dhaka on a regular flight from the United States around midnight.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday morning, Riaz said he had travelled to the United States on university-related leave matters and delivered a lecture at the University of Texas on 13 November.

He added that he was appointed special assistant to the chief adviser during the trip.

Riaz travelled to the US on 2 November for professional work. On 13 November, he delivered a lecture at a seminar organised by the University of Texas, where he discussed how the original constitution and its subsequent amendments reshaped the definitions of nation and nationality, creating political and social divisions in Bangladesh.

Riaz served as vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission until his term ended on 31 October. During his tenure, the commission held two rounds of dialogue with political parties and prepared the July National Charter.

On 27 October, it submitted several recommendations to the government on steps needed to implement the charter. Based on those recommendations, the government issued the July National Charter (Constitution Reform) Implementation Order on 13 November.

On the same day, Riaz was appointed special assistant to the chief adviser with the rank of adviser. He is a professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University in the United States.