Govt retracts from banning religion-based politics
The Awami League-led grand alliance government has apparently retracted from its earlier stand on imposing ban on religion-based politics in the face of strong opposition from the Islamic political parties and organisations.
Amid a wide speculation in the political arena that the government was going to ban religion-based political parties, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly told her Cabinet members that the Government has no plan to ban Islamic political parties. However, no official statement was made in this regard so far.
Asked about the party stand, Awami League Joint General Secretary and Prime Minister's Special Assistant Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif told The New Nation yesterday that the AL neither demanded nor taken any decision on imposing ban on religion-based politics. "We will not take any decision contrary to the sentiments of the majority of people of the country," he said.
The AL leader termed the campaign of certain quarters on banning religion-based politics as ill-motivated. "We want to restore the original and main features of the '72 Constitution in line with the Supreme Court judgment," he said.
Meanwhile, at an opinion-exchange meeting organised by the Islamic Foundation on Wednesday, Islamic scholars (ulema mashayekh) demanded not to impose ban on religion-based politics and keep 'Bismillah and absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah' in the Constitution.
Addressing the function as the chief guest, State Minister for Religious Affairs Advocate Md. Shahjahan Miah assured the ulema-mashayekh that the government would not take any measure, which would harm Islam and Muslims.Director General of Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Shamim Mohammad Afzal alleged that vested quarters, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have been hatching conspiracy to achieve political gain by capitalising the issue.
Islamic Foundation sources said the meeting was arranged aiming at relieving the tense situation and resentment created in the minds of religious leaders and political parties concerned.
After the Supreme Court judgement that scrapped the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, some government Ministers, ruling party leaders and pro-government lawyers claimed and argued that religion-based politics had automatically been banned with the judgement.
Sensing government's apparent move to impose ban on religion-based politics, leaders and activists of Islamic political parties and organisations took to the streets and protested it.They also warned that they would wage a united movement if the government tried to impose ban on their politics that was restored through the Fifth Amendment during Ziaur Rahman's rule.
At a stage, a government minister and the Election Commission (EC) even shifted their responsibility to each other over banning religion-based politics.
The Awami League-led grand alliance government has apparently retracted from its earlier stand on imposing ban on religion-based politics in the face of strong opposition from the Islamic political parties and organisations.
Amid a wide speculation in the political arena that the government was going to ban religion-based political parties, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly told her Cabinet members that the Government has no plan to ban Islamic political parties. However, no official statement was made in this regard so far.
Asked about the party stand, Awami League Joint General Secretary and Prime Minister's Special Assistant Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif told The New Nation yesterday that the AL neither demanded nor taken any decision on imposing ban on religion-based politics. "We will not take any decision contrary to the sentiments of the majority of people of the country," he said.
The AL leader termed the campaign of certain quarters on banning religion-based politics as ill-motivated. "We want to restore the original and main features of the '72 Constitution in line with the Supreme Court judgment," he said.
Meanwhile, at an opinion-exchange meeting organised by the Islamic Foundation on Wednesday, Islamic scholars (ulema mashayekh) demanded not to impose ban on religion-based politics and keep 'Bismillah and absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah' in the Constitution.
Addressing the function as the chief guest, State Minister for Religious Affairs Advocate Md. Shahjahan Miah assured the ulema-mashayekh that the government would not take any measure, which would harm Islam and Muslims.Director General of Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Shamim Mohammad Afzal alleged that vested quarters, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have been hatching conspiracy to achieve political gain by capitalising the issue.
Islamic Foundation sources said the meeting was arranged aiming at relieving the tense situation and resentment created in the minds of religious leaders and political parties concerned.
After the Supreme Court judgement that scrapped the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, some government Ministers, ruling party leaders and pro-government lawyers claimed and argued that religion-based politics had automatically been banned with the judgement.
Sensing government's apparent move to impose ban on religion-based politics, leaders and activists of Islamic political parties and organisations took to the streets and protested it.They also warned that they would wage a united movement if the government tried to impose ban on their politics that was restored through the Fifth Amendment during Ziaur Rahman's rule.
At a stage, a government minister and the Election Commission (EC) even shifted their responsibility to each other over banning religion-based politics.
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