DHAKA: The special committee on constitutional amendment Sunday resumed its meeting that was adjourned on July 29, discussing the highly important matter of rewriting the country’s constitution for a regime change.

With committee chair and deputy leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair, the meeting is being attended by 14 members out of total 15.  

Committee member Abdur Razzak “could not attend the meeting for illness”, his family sources said.

The first meeting of the committee sat on July 29 and got down to the crucial task of rewriting the country’s Constitution with the apex court’s verdict recommending basic changes on the table.
 
Comprising mostly senior lawmakers—all from the ruling grand alliance, as the main opposition BNP stayed away—the panel had made an initial appraisal of the Supreme Court judgment canceling the 5th amendment.

The meeting had assigned the Law Commission, ministries concerned and the Parliament secretariat to prepare a review report on the court judgment.

The committee was formed on July 21, consisting of only the ruling Awami League-led grand-alliance lawmakers, as BNP declined to nominate their representative following an invitation from the ruling party.

But the government said BNP has still scope for having its nominee inducted in the committee. The Prime Minister will include their nominee’s name if they proposed.

The other members of the committee are Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Syed Ashraful Islam, Abdul Matin Khasru, 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.

The committee is set to recommend going back to the core constitutional principles, stopping usurpation of state power, reestablishing people’s sovereign power and preserving spirit of the liberation war through executing the highest court’s verdict.

The amendments will be approved after the placing of the committee’s recommendations in Parliament, giving the severely scratched basic law book of the nation a new look through omissions and commissions.

BDST: 1700 HRS, AUGUST 8, 2010.