DHAKA: A 15-member Constitution Committee was formed in parliament Wednesday for amending the constitution following the judgment of the Supreme Court that rescinded the 5th Amendment founded on a regime change in the 1970s.

Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury was made chairman and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Suranjit Sengupta co-chairman of the committee sans opposition representation.  

Main opposition BNP, long boycotting the parliament session, rejected the committee as “unconstitutional”, saying that the ruling party didn’t go by the parliament’s law book on rules of procedure.

As envisaged, the constitution amendment committee will work for a new beginning based back on the country’s original Constitution of 1972 framed on the spirit of the Liberation War.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the names of the committee members and the House passed her proposal by voice vote.

The other members of the committee are Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdur Razzaque, Syed Ashraful Islam, Abdul Matin Khasru, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Advocate Rahmat Ali, Dr. Hasan Mahamood, Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury and Advocate Fazle Rabbi from Awami League, Anisul Islam Mahamood from Jatiya Party (Ershad), Rashed Khan Menon from Workers Party and Hasanul Haque Inu from JSD.

“It is a must to amend the Constitution so that no other illegal military regime can foist itself on the nation like a dead weight,” Hasina said.

She told the lawmakers that the government is amending the constitution following the judgment of the Supreme Court and also to implement the pledge Awami League gave in their election manifesto.

There is no representative from the opposition BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami on this committee, as lawmakers from the opposition alliance have stayed away from parliament and the opposition leader sent in a negative reply to request from the government side for nominating their member.

BDST: 2017HRS. JULY 21, 2010