Row over scrapping of 16th amendment: Fakhrul smells constitutional crisis

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said a “constitutional crisis” might arise due to a "parliament-judiciary row" over the 16th constitutional amendment concerning impeachment of Supreme Court judges.

“The country is facing a serious political and financial crisis. There’s a chance that there will be a constitutional crisis now,” he told a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

National People’s Party, a component in the BNP-led 20-party alliance, organised it, protesting the recent charging of BNP chief Khaleda Zia in two cases.

On May 5, the High Court scrapped the 16th amendment that had re-empowered parliament to remove SC judges. The very day, at least three ministers and several MPs said in parliament that the verdict was unconstitutional and beyond the jurisdiction of the HC.

Fakhrul said a “suffocating situation” was created in the country as the government had "re-established one party Baksal rule" in the country in a different style.

He alleged that the ruling party men in the name of development had looted hundreds of crore of taka and siphoned off the money abroad. “The evidence of their involvement in plundering public money has started surfacing from different places.”

The BNP leader said the government was implicating Khaleda Zia in "false" cases one after another as part of its conspiracy to annihilate the nationalist forces by removing her from politics.

Criticising Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Fakhrul said Inu wanted to establish democracy by removing Khaleda from politics.

He also asked Inu to clarify the principles of his party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.

“It is mentioned in the charter of your party that you want scientific socialism. What do you mean by it? You have to make it clear before the nation whether you support one-party democracy or multiparty democracy. It’s a fundamental question.”