Fundamental state principles to return

Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said fundamental principles of the state as envisaged in the constitution would return with the Supreme Court verdict that scrapped the Fifth Amendment as illegal.
“People were inspired to join the War of Liberation to establish a non-communal society and secularism was the main pillar of the four state principles,” he said at the biennial conference of Mahanagar Sarbojonin Puja Committee on Dhakeswari Jatiya Mandir premises.
Recalling the post-75 episode, he said Khandaker Mushtaque Ahmed who was then commerce minister promulgated martial law on August 20 in 1975 without showing any reason and became the president.
Afterwards the then Chief Justice Sayem breaching his oath became the chief martial law administrator and president. Later on Ziaur Rahman removed him and became the chief martial law administrator and president.
He said these regimes changed the constitution through martial law ordinances and erased the spirit and ideals of the War of Liberation.
The law minister said BNP coming to power in 1979 ratified all actions from August 15, 1975 to April 9, 1979 through the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
He said scrapping of the Fifth Amendment by the Supreme Court means all fundamental state principles before the amendment will be restored as it was.
Barrister Shafique assured that the government would consider formation of the Hindu Foundation for welfare of the Hindus, amendment to Vested Property Act and implementation of the judgment that scrapped Enemy Property Act.
Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta MP inaugurated the conference.
Prof Dr Lalit Mohan Nath, Taposh Kumar Pal, Biresh Chandra Saha and Babul Devnath spoke at the conference with Mahanagar Puja Committee President Kajol Devnath in the chair.