Amid a deepening impasse, major political parties yesterday further hardened their stances on the timing of a referendum on the reforms, the implementation order, and the fate of dissenting notes. After the government's seven-day deadline for the parties to reach a consensus expired on Monday, it said it would announce its decision on the matters on Thursday. As the clock ticks down, the nation watches -- unsure whether resolution or rupture lies ahead.

The BNP has urged the interim government to act carefully amid the ongoing political deadlock, saying the parties that signed the July charter are not obliged to accept any decision made beyond what is stated in the charter.

The party has warned that the "interim government will bear full responsibility" for any decision made outside the Charter and the signatory parties will not be held accountable for it.

"We urge the government to take cautious and responsible steps in this regard," said BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain at a press briefing yesterday at the Chairperson's office in Gulshan.

The press briefing was held to convey the outcomes of the party's Standing Committee meeting chaired by Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday night. The meeting discussed the legal framework for implementing the Charter.

At its Monday night meeting, the party leaders said that if the government takes any decision in favour of Jamaat-e-Islami under pressure, the BNP will not accept it, The Daily Star has learnt from people involved with the proceedings.

On November 3, amid the ongoing dispute over the referendum and the July Charter implementation order, the interim government urged political parties to resolve their differences and reach a unified decision within a week.

After the deadline passed, the BNP held a press conference to formally state its position.

Reading out statements, Mosharraf said some advisers of the government have recently made remarks about announcing certain government decisions outside the framework of the July National Charter.

"Such statements are misleading and amount to ignoring the consensus-based decisions adopted earlier," he said.

The Charter was signed through a historic event and it includes some notes of dissent from different political parties on certain points, said Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed.

"It was stated in the charter that if any party reflects its notes of dissent in its election manifesto and receives the people's mandate, it may implement those points accordingly. We are one hundred percent in agreement here. We still stand by that position and have not deviated from the signed charter."

Now, if any political party goes beyond the signed charter and launches movements over unreasonable or newly created issues in the name of implementing the July Charter, they may make statements on that, he said.

On the President's order regarding the July Charter, he said they had not made any specific proposal on who may issue the order.

He said the country is now being run under the Constitution and the interim government has taken oath under it, so everything is proceeding according to law.

"According to the Constitution, it is the President who has the power to issue any ordinance. But if any order is to be issued, there is currently no constitutional provision in Bangladesh that would give such an order legal validity."

Asked whether there is any scope for talks on the referendum issue, he said if the government invites discussions, then there could be an opportunity for dialogue.

Earlier at a meeting in Thakurgaon, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the government will be entirely responsible if anything beyond the consensus on some reforms is imposed by force.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Jamaat and seven like-minded parties held their rally pressing for their five-point demand, which includes giving a legal basis to the July Charter and holding the next election under a proportional representation (PR) system.

A Standing Committee member, seeking anonymity, said: "Over the July Charter, Jamaat has taken to the streets, which is not the right way. If the BNP wanted to, they could do the same, but we won't. We want a peaceful transition through discussions."

The party will hold talks with several parties and alliances, including Ganatantra Mancha, the 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyabadi Samomona Jote and other like-minded parties, over seat-sharing.