No national holiday on Aug 15

The advisory council of the interim government yesterday took the decision that there would be no national holiday on August 15.

"The decision to cancel the national holiday on August 15 was taken unanimously after a discussion with the council of advisers and political parties," said a press release sent from the Chief Adviser's Office.

The development comes after seven political parties in separate meetings with Prof Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government, on Monday conveyed that August 15 should not be observed as a day of mourning and the public holiday is not needed.

The seven parties include BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Amar Bangladesh Party, two factions of Gono Adhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Partha) and the National Democratic Movement.

However, it is still not clear whether August 15 would be observed as the National Mourning Day, which was introduced by the government of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 8, 1996.

On August 15, 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members in a military coup led by a group of disgruntled army officers.

Following the Awami League government's decision, August 15 was used to be observed with due respect at the state level with the national flag flying at half-mast all over the country and at Bangladesh missions abroad.

But on August 8, 2002, then BNP-led four-party alliance government issued an order cancelling the observance of National Mourning Day and a public holiday on August 15.

However, a High Court order in July 2008 revoked the order of the immediate past government and the day has been observed as National Mourning Day since.

At the meeting held at the State Guesthouse Jamuna yesterday, the advisory council also decided to abolish the provision of Bangladesh Bank Order 1972 that set the highest age limit for the appointment of the central bank governor at 67 years.

The age limit creates obstacles in appointing a person with expertise and experience for the post. In many Asian countries, including neighbouring India and Sri Lanka, there is no mention of the maximum age limit for the post of central bank governor, the press statement said.

The decision was made to pave the way for Ahsan H Mansur to become the next BB governor. Mansur, the executive director of the Policy Research Institute, is 72 years and eight months old.

The advisory council of the interim government adopted a condolence motion in honour of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the mass uprising of students and the public.

A committee will be formed under the initiative of the Health Services Division, comprising representatives from the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, the Finance Division and the relevant ministries and departments, to provide medical treatment to the injured and support to the families of the martyrs.

The committee will draft a policy for providing medical treatment to the injured and support to the families of the martyrs.

Additionally, it will prepare a comprehensive list identifying the martyrs and the injured individuals.

More than 400 people, including students and police personnel, were killed in the violence centring the students' quota reform protests that later took the form of a mass uprising. Several thousands of protestors were injured, too.