Politics
AL govt has freed the country from lawlessness of BNP rule: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (June 5, 2023) said the Awami League government has established the rule of law in the country, ending the culture of lawlessness that existed during the rule of BNP.
The premier made these remarks when the newly elected leaders of Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association paid a courtesy call on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.
PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher briefed reporters after the meeting.
She congratulated the newly elected leaders of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
She said BNP introduced the culture of forced disappearance, killings and lawlessness through the indemnity ordinance proclaimed after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members.
Also Read: Plant trees to shield Bangladesh from climate change: PM Hasina
Hasina, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, said did not have right to seek and get justice after the assassination of the Father of the Nation. “It was a gross violation of human rights. Today, we’ve been able to free the country from the phenomenon of not getting justice. The Awami League government always believes in justice,” she said.
She said the AL government has made arrangements for people to get justice. “Our government has digitized the judicial system so that people can get justice in a short time without facing sufferings,” she said.
The PM said her government has made it (trial proceedings) virtual during the Corona pandemic so that people can get justice in a short time, staying at home.
Also Read: Volatile global situation likely to worsen further: PM Hasina tells parliament
Noting that the people are suffering due to electricity amid the ongoing heat wave, she said, “We’ve trying out best and taking necessary measures in this regard.”
Hasina said Bangladesh has witnessed impressive development thanks to the continuation of democracy for the last 14 and half years in the country.
She said Bangladesh has graduated to a developing country due to dedicated efforts of the Awami League government. “We’ve been working to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country,” the PM said.
Also Read: PM Hasina slams critics and vows to implement the budget for FY23-24
Law Minister Anisul Huq and AL advisory council member and senior lawyer Yusuf Hossain Humayun were present at the meeting.
Among the newly elected leaders of Supreme Court Bar Association, its President Advocate Md Momtaz Uddin Fakir, Secretary Abdun Noor Dulal, vice presidents Mohammad Ali Azzam and Jesmin Sultana, Treasurer Masud Alam Chowdhury, Sr. assistant secretaries A.B.M. Noor-A-Alam (Uzzal) and Mohammad Harun-ur-Rashid, members Mohiuddin Ahmed (Rudra), Shafique Raihan Shawon, Safayet Hossain (Sajeeb), Delowar Hossain, Mohammad Najmul Huda and Suvas Chandra Das were present.
In March last, pro-Awami League lawyers panel Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad won all the 14 posts of executive committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in the annual election.
Politics today has become ‘a profession’, it used to be about passion: JP MP Firoz Rashid
Sangsad Bhaban, Apr 9 (UNB) - Jatiya Party MP Kazi Firoz Rashid today said politics has now become “a profession”, which used to be about passion.
“Earlier, politics was about passion, and now it has become a profession,” he said while participating in the discussion on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's proposal raised under Rule 147 on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Jatiya Sangsad.
He said that if anyone learns that a groom belongs to the ruling party, “they say Alhamdulillah.”
Firoz Rashid said that politics is the only way to change the lives of the countrymen. “Now it has become a profession. Earlier, politics was about passion and people put their lives at risk,” he added.
Read More: No one is starving in Bangladesh, people don’t want panta rice any more: AL MP Chumki
During the Pakistan era, he recalled, if a man was involved in politics, he did not get married as he would not get any job.
Firoz Rashid claimed that the parliament has many achievements along with weaknesses.
“Till date, it is not able to form a commission (on Bangabandhu's murder)… Because there was a major conspiracy behind the assassination of Bangabandhu. Dalim, Farooq, Rashid went and did it… it did not happen just like that. There was a conspiracy behind it, you didn't figure it out.”
Pointing to Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon and Jasad President Hasanul Haque Inu, the Jatiya Party lawmaker said that the names of extreme left and extreme right politicians cannot be uttered.
Read More: Inu proposes formation of parliamentary body to review constitution
“Because all have boarded the boat. You (Awami League) will ride the boat. You are the captain of the boat. They are on the boat and asking ‘how far?’,” he said.
Firoz Rashid said that the nation is now divided into two parts.
“There is no neutral person. Teachers, doctors, intellectuals, journalists are all divided. The entire country is now divided into two parts,” he said.
He also claimed that businessmen belonging to BNP got the most business during this period.
Read More: Bringing any party to election is not govt’s responsibility: Info Minister
Besides Trump, these are the current and former world leaders facing criminal charges
Donald Trump may be the first former US president to face criminal charges, but many current and past leaders around the world have been tried or even jailed.
Several of those leaders described the charges leveled against them as “politically motivated”. Yet, the charges have not always been a barrier to holding political office, reports CNN.Here are some notable recent examples:
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu
No one has served as Prime Minister of Israel longer than Benjamin Netanyahu, who was sworn in for his sixth term late last year.
He is also being tried for corruption on counts of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. The Israeli PM, however, called the trial a “witch hunt.”
While the case continues, Netanyahu has pushed a contentious plan to weaken Israel's judiciary, the report also said.
One of the measures limits the methods by which a sitting prime minister may be judged unfit for office, prompting many Israeli opposition lawmakers to accuse Netanyahu of manipulating the judicial makeover to protect himself. He denies the charges.
Read More: Trump's day in court as criminal defendant: What to know
Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was imprisoned in April 2018, and was released in November 2019.He was jailed for corruption and money laundering after a construction business reportedly paid him and his wife $1.1 million in renovations and costs for a beachfront condominium.
Prosecutors claimed that in exchange, the business received lucrative contracts from Petrobras, the state-controlled oil giant.
Lula has referred to the allegations as a "farce," stating that they are politically driven. Upon his release from jail in 2019, a Brazilian court overturned his corruption convictions, allowing Lula to run for president in 2022, when he beat Jair Bolsonaro. In January, he was sworn in for the third time as president.
Bolsonaro is now facing potential legal problems, including allegations that he incited violent attacks in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia in January.
Read More: Trump charged with 34 felony counts in hush money scheme
Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina's current vice president, was sentenced to six years in jail last December after being found guilty of corruption during her two stints as president, from 2007 to 2011 and 2011 to 2015, the report also said.
She was accused of conspiring with other government officials to grant contracts worth millions of dollars for road construction that were unfinished, expensive, and useless, according to the complaint.The charges against her were politically-motivated, Kirchner stated.
The Argentine court convicted the 70-year-old former president of the country guilty of "fraudulent administration" and barred her from holding public office again.
She does, however, have temporary immunity because of her present employment, which means she will not be going to jail anytime soon and can appeal.
Read More: Trump indictment ends decades of perceived invincibility
Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim
After two stints in jail prior to his premiership, Anwar Ibrahim became Malaysia's prime minister in November 2022, in an unprecedented turn of events.
Anwar was sentenced to prison in April 1999 after being convicted of sodomy. Sodomy, even if consensual, is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail in Muslim-majority Malaysia. He has always vigorously denied the allegations, claiming they were politically motivated.
In 2004, a court reversed that conviction. Further claims of sodomy were leveled against him after his comeback as an opposition figure, and he was remanded to prison in 2014 after a lengthy legal struggle that lasted years.
Anwar was freed from jail in May 2018 after receiving a royal pardon. He immediately returned to parliament before leading the Pakatan Harapan coalition to a majority of seats in Malaysia's general election in 2022.
Read More: Capitol insurrection: Jan. 6 panel unveils report, describes Trump 'conspiracy'
Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi
Before 2011, the flamboyant Italian billionaire was a serial prime minister.
Berlusconi was the dominating figure in Italian politics for over two decades, during which time he was prosecuted on at least 17 counts of embezzlement, tax fraud, and bribery, said the CNN report.He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and several of his convictions have been overturned on appeal.
His resignation in 2011 was not due to legal concerns, but rather to Italy's debt crisis.The 81-year-old gained a seat in Italy's Senate in September 2022, and his party is a member of the country's ruling coalition.
Read More: Trump probe: Court halts Mar-a-Lago special master review
Pro-liberation Islamist parties should fight conspiracies: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud called on Islamist parties that support the liberation war to fight against anti-national conspiracies.
He made this call during his speech as the chief guest at a Discussion Meeting and Iftar Party organized by Bangladesh Islami Oikya Jote on Tuesday evening.
The event was presided over by Chairman Misbahur Rahman Chowdhury of Islami Oikya jote.
Hasan, also the Joint General Secretary of Awami League said, "Various conspiracies are going on in the country, and the time has come to unite with the Islamic parties that were with us in the 2008 elections. By doing so, it will be easier to deal with conspiracies and elect the government through voting with the participation of all parties in the next election.”
Regarding the upcoming elections, Hasan Mahmud mentioned that the Bangladesh Awami League proposed using the EVM system in the elections, as in developed countries such as India and the USA.
However, several other parties, including BNP, objected to EVMs, he said adding “It appears that the Election Commission has decided to hold elections through ballots in all constituencies, which is more like accepting the opposition's demands.”
“So, I don't see any obstacle to participating in the next election, but actually, BNP is afraid of the election, so they want to stay away from it,” he said.
Referring to the government's special initiative during Ramadan, the Information Minister said, “Consumer rights organizations have been active in dealing with price hikes, and for the convenience of people, the government has taken measures to provide daily commodities at low prices during Ramadan."
Fakhrul has no freedom of expression inside BNP: Quader
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has no freedom of expression in his party’s internal politics as the party is run on the prescription of a convicted fugitive.
“We understand the pain of Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir. In fact, Mirza Fakhrul has no freedom of expression in the internal politics of BNP. Fakhrul Saheb is forced to accept the decision, which is descended from far London, staying mum,” the AL leader said in a statement.
Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, alleged that the committees are formed and dissolved, expulsion and reward are fixed, and business centering committees and nomination is done, in undemocratic ways going against the charter.
Also Read: No scope for reinstating caretaker government in the country: Quader to US Ambassador Haas
Protesting Fakhrul’s recent remarks regarding the people’s freedom of speech and freedom of expression, he said Fakhrul has captured the people’s freedom of speech and his freedom of expression in his party’s internal politics in a single frame.
“So, Mirza Fakhrul is indulging in a grudge against the government like a parrot,” said the AL general secretary.
He said Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina has been running the government, keeping public aspirations and expectations in mind in a bid to ensure the welfare of the people.
Also Read: US HR report depicts Bangladesh’s terrible situation: Fakhrul
All the endeavors of the government are being conducted, not to keep the people silent rather to fulfill the public aspirations and expectation, he said, criticizing the BNP’s past regime for its misrules.
Also Read: BNP won't go to election under AL, Fakhrul reiterates
“We are united under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina to establish a developed-prosperous, human-welfare and smart Bangladesh for the next generation. Victory will be ours, Inshallah,” said Obaidul Quader.
BNP worried over India’s plan to dig two more canals to withdraw water from Teesta
BNP standing committee, the highest policymaking body of the party, has voiced deep concern over the reported move by the West Bengal government of India to dig two more canals under the Teesta Barrage Project to unilaterally withdraw more water from the common river.
“The (standing committee) meeting felt that the plan to dig two more canals without signing an agreement on the distribution of Teesta River water with Bangladesh is an attempt to deprive Bangladesh (of its fair share of water from the common river),” said a BNP press release on Tuesday.
BNP issued the press release, signed by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on the outcome of a meeting of the party’s standing committee’s virtual meeting held on Monday.
The BNP policymakers bemoaned that the people of Bangladesh are being deprived of their fair share of water from the Teesta River because of the current Awami League government’s ‘knee-jerk’ foreign policy and its failure to take any effective initiative for signing water sharing agreement.
They urged the government to take immediate steps to resolve the Teesta River water-sharing problem with India.
According to a report by Indian news outlet The Telegraph, the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Friday took possession of about 1,000 acres of land to dig two more canals under the Teesta Barrage Project to channelise water for irrigation.
As per the plan of the West Bengal government, a 32km-long canal to draw water from the Teesta and the Jaldhaka will be dug till Changrabandha of Cooch Behar district while another 15-km long canal will be built on the left bank of the Teesta to benefit around one lakh farmers.
The Teesta Barrage project was launched by India in 1975 with a plan to irrigate 9.22 lakh hectares of agricultural land in north Bengal by channelising water from the Teesta River through canals on either bank of the river.
Environment and water experts in Bangladesh say this project has been badly affecting agriculture, ecosystem, and the life of the people of the country’s northern region as the part of the Teesta River that flows through Bangladesh dries up during the dry season due to India’s withdrawal of water from the river.
Bangladesh has long been waiting for signing the Teesta water-sharing deal with India to resolve the water crisis during the dry season scarcity in the northern parts of the country, but West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been opposing it.
Govt ‘looted’ country’s election system: Nazrul
BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Tuesday alleged that the Awami League government has ‘looted’ the electoral system of the country.
"We have got the right to elect our government through the great Liberation War. May Allah give us back that right and achievement as those have been looted by the current government,” he said.
Nazrul made the remarks while speaking at a milad mahfil arranged by BNP at its Nayapaltan central office on the occasion of the holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune that is being observed tonight (Tuesday night) across the country.
He bemoaned that the country's resources are being looted almost openly and a huge amount of money is being siphoned off abroad from Bangladesh.
“We’ll pray tonight to Allah to free us from misrule, bad governance, repressions, and suppressions,” he said.
Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, urged the country’s people to pray for their party’s leaders and activists who have been subjected to enforced disappearance, killing, and repressive acts.
He said the country’s people are going through serious ordeals due to misrule, corruption, and repression of the government.
The BNP leader expressed hope that the country’s people will get rid of the shackles of current despotic rule under the leadership of their party.
Nazrul claimed that the party's chairperson Khaleda Zia has been "unjustly imprisoned" by the government and prayed to Allah for her unconditional release so that she can again serve the country and its people.
BNP vice chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, chairperson’s adviser Amanullah Aman, joint secretary general Khairul Kabir Khokon, and assistant office secretaries Taiful Islam Tipu and Abdussattar Patwari, among others, joined the mild mahfil.
Jamaat demands the govt declare Ahmadiyyas 'non-Muslim'
Demanding that the government officially declare the Ahmadiyya community “non-Muslim”, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum issued a statement on March 5.
The statement released on Jamaat’s website says: “Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country where 90 percent people are Muslims. In this country, Qadiani (Ahmadiyya) community is committing reckless activities against Islam. The Islam-loving people will never accept it. The government’s role in this regard is questionable.”
“The government should resolve the Qadiani crisis permanently paying full heed to the public views and also to declare Qadiani Non-Muslim officially,” the statement added.
On Friday, a protest march against an Ahmadiyya religious event moved towards the Ahmednagar area in Panchagarh. As police stopped the procession at Chowrangi intersection, the men started throwing brickbats at the law enforcers, according to reports.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse them, witnesses said.
Two men died and scores, including policemen, sustained injuries in the clash. Some journalists covering the violence were also among the injured. Shops in Panchagarh town were closed down as violence induced panic among people.
The angry mob also looted around 20 houses belonging to the Ahmadiyya community located in Ahmednagar.
According to a report published in The Daily Star today, the Ahmadiyya community in Panchagarh district are living in fear of further attacks from hardliners.
Many members of the community, particularly the elderly, women and children, have left their houses and are taking shelter in educational institutions or relatives’ homes, adds the report.
Meanwhile, since Friday’s violence, a series of tweets were posted from the verified account of Basherkella – known as a “Jamaat mouthpiece” – with “police brutality” and “boycott Qadiani (Ahmadiyya)” in hashtags.
Members of the community are calling this a “hate campaign” against Ahmadiyyas.
Perform professional duties above politics, President asks lawyers
President Abdul Hamid on Thursday called on lawyers to fulfill their professional duties above politics.
The President made this call while exchanging greetings with members of the District Bar Association at Kishoreganj.
He said that lawyers should take care of the issues that common people do not suffer from the behaviour of lawyers when they come to seek legal services.
The President also said that there may be political differences among themselves, but lawyers must fulfill their professional duties above politics while performing their duties.
He hoped that everyone will work together regardless of party affiliation to brighten the image of Kishoreganj District Lawyers Association.
Earlier, President Hamid visited the Bangabandhu Corner established at the newly constructed Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kishoreganj. The President planted a sapling on the court premises. Later, he exchanged views with the judges.
Read more: Don’t abuse power while discharging duties, President Hamid asks DCs
Senior District and Sessions Judge Saidur Rahman Khan informed the President about the overall activities of the Judiciary Department of Kishoreganj.
The President urged the judges to perform their duty more sincerely to ensure that people get speedy justice.
Politics can be done even from jail: Agriculture Minister
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque on Thursday said imprisonment can’t bar idealistic politicians or patriots from doing politics if they want.
“A person can keep in touch even from jail. How can one's politics ever be stopped through imprisonment if the person is an idealistic politician, a patriot?,” he said when reporters drew his attention to the contradictory remarks made by some cabinet members over BNP leader Khaleda Zia’s participation in politics.
Razzaque was talking to reporters following a meeting with a delegation led by Pim Van Stryen, vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands.
"We have to understand politics no matter what the law is. Had Iran's Khomeini's politics been stopped? Bangabandhu did do politics from jail. Would Bangabandhu have stop doing politics if there was a conviction against him?”
“I said it from that perspective. Politics can be done even in jail. That's what I told you. I say it again,” he added.
"This is how rebels and revolutionists do politics all over the world. Khaleda Zia will not be able contest the election because of the law. But will that stop her political thinking,” said the minister.
When asked why all the cabinet members cannot agree on the matter, the minister remained quiet for a while. He then said, "What are the cabinet colleagues saying? I didn't talk to them about this.”
Read more: AL staging drama over issue of Khaleda's politics with evil motive
“Is Lalu Prasad stopping politics? (Late) Jayalalithaa was also responsible for corruption,” said the minister referring to the Indian politicians convicted and jailed for corruption.
About Awami League MP Sheikh Selim's statement in parliament that Khaleda Zia signed a bond on staying away from politics, Razzaque said, "I do not know whether Khaleda Zia gave such a bond. I know that Tarique Zia (Khaleda’s son) gave it. He gave it to the caretaker government before going abroad.”
When asked why the Awami League brought this issue to the fore 10 months before the election, the AL leader said, "It is not a very important issue. We think the amount of discussion about it is enough. I gave two examples of India.”