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Bangladesh Attorney General Mohammad Asad-ul-Zaman also requested a change in the title of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is known as the ‘Father of the Nation’.
A mural depicting the founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was vandalized in Dhaka days after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of his daughter Sheikh Hasina. (AFP file)
Bangladesh’s Attorney General Muhammad Asad-ul-Zaman has called for the word secular to be removed from the country’s constitution, saying “90 percent of the population was Muslim.” Asad-ul-Zaman has also demanded a change in the post of Bangla Bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. Called the ‘Father of the Nation’, India described both these actions as the rise of Bangladeshi fundamentalists.
Presenting his arguments during a court hearing on the legality of the 15th Amendment before Justices Farah Mehboob and Debashesh Roy Choudhary, the Attorney General said the changes would “bring the Constitution into harmony with the country’s democratic and historical values”.
“Earlier there was constant trust and faith in Allah. I want it as before. Article 2A states that the state shall ensure equal rights and equality in the practice of all religions. Article 9 talks about Bengali nationalism. It’s contradictory,” he said.
He added that many of the amendments, including labeling Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the “Father of the Nation”, divide the nation and limit freedom of expression. “It is very important to honor the services of Sheikh Mujib,” he said, “but to implement this law creates division.”
Top sources in the Indian government told CNN-News18 that more such changes would follow, adding that the Attorney General’s move was in line with the Younis government. He further said that Jamaat-e-Islami is running its own agenda in the country.
What is happening in Bangladesh?
A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Tuesday asked international police agency Interpol to issue an arrest warrant for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in connection with the killing of hundreds of protesters during a popular uprising against her.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 this year along with her close aides and former ministers, ending her 15-year rule. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Younis took over as the South Asian nation’s interim leader on August 8, and later reconstituted the tribunal that handled allegations of crimes against humanity against Pakistan during the 1971 war of independence. The Younis-led government has promised to prosecute Hasina and said it will seek her extradition from India.
- Location:
Dhaka, Bangladesh
