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Law Minister accuses Ziaur Rahman of opening up religion based politics
Secularism, one of the four state principles, was deleted along with Article 38 that prohibited religion based politics by the martial law proclamation.
“As a result, outlawed Jamaat-e-Islami that had opposed Bangladesh’s international recognition, returned to politics,” he said while addressing a seminar titled “Freedom of expression: Conflicting rights in Bangladesh and in some other countries”, held in the Dhaka University Senate conference hall today. Centre for Practical Multimedia Studies (CPMS) organized the seminar.
The Law Minister said Gen Ziaur Rahman had given scope to rise of militancy as well by changing the Constitution.
Presided over by Associate Professor Dr Fahmidul Huq of Mass Communication and Journalism department, the seminar was addressed by former Information Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda, DU Pro-VC Prof Harun-or-Rashid, Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) president Prof Anwar Hossain, Economist Prof Bazlul Huq, general secretary of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Prof Mahfuza Khanam, Prof Sheikh Abdus Salam and Dr AJM Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan.
Associate Prof Ms Kristin Skre Orgeret of Oslo University in Norway presented the keynote paper.
Barrister Shafique said those enjoyed state power after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family in August ‘75 had changed the Constitution through unconstitutional way by martial law proclamations.
He said there is no provision of martial law in the Constitution. Since the lawmakers do not have power to promulgate martial law then how an individual makes changes in the Constitution through martial law orders and proclamations, he raised the question.
The Law Minister said the Supreme Court as a guardian of the Constitution has declared illegal the 5th amendment that had ratified all martial law actions done during the rule of Gen Zia.