The BNP-led 20-party alliance has alleged that the government is putting the last nail in the coffin of the judiciary. It (government) is trying to empower Parliament to impeach judges in a bid to infringe the independence of judiciary and establish full control over it, said leaders of the alliance.
They were addressing a rally on the premises of the National Press Club in the city on Wednesday. The alliance arranged the rally against the government’s move to amend the Constitution re-empowering the Parliament to impeach Supreme Court’s judges.
Addressing the rally, BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the government is hatching the conspiracy to restore Parliament’s power to impeach judges with an evil move to snatch the independence of the judiciary. The people will put up a strong resistance if the government does not shelve its plan, he said.
“Awami League-led government took initiative to empower parliament to impeach the judges to put the last nail in the coffin of the judiciary” he said. Expressing concern over the move, he also said that the people would not get the justice if it is done.
Criticising the remarks of the Awami Legume leaders that ‘BNP doesn’t have the capability of launching a movement,’ he issued a challenge to the government urging it to come to the streets without the law enforcers leaving power.
The BNP leader also criticised the ruling party leaders for their comments against Ziaur Rahman and other members of the family. The people will never accept if Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia are called ‘killers’ and Tarique Rahman ‘a black sheep’, he said.
Mirza Fakhrul said that the government is hanging onto power by force snatching people’s voting and democratic rights. The Awami League also wants to snatch the people’s right of expression so that no one can say about their wrongdoings, he added.
Referring to the newly formulated broadcast policy, he said that the government is now trying to shut newspapers and TV channels in the name of broadcast policy as part of their move to re-establish one-party rule.
Dhaka city BNP convener Mirza Abbas chaired the rally while BNP leader Begum Selima Rahman, Jamaat leader Prof Tasneem Alam and Jatiya Party (Zafar) leader Mostafa Jamal Haidar addressed it, among others.
