Dhaka, Oct. 17 -- Friday will witness the signing of the July National Charter, a landmark declaration of state reform -- even as sharp divisions among political parties threaten to overshadow the historic event.

Calls for unity compete with public dissent, legal uncertainties, and unresolved debates over the referendum.

The Charter -- containing a detailed set of state reform recommendations and pledges -- will be signed in the afternoon under the open sky on the South Plaza of parliament, where over 30 political parties have been invited.

On Thursday, the National Citizen Party and six other parties declared they would not attend the signing ceremony. The announcement came a day after the chief advisor, who heads the National Consens...