Ziaur Rahman declared independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujib

BD Digest Report

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that there is no room to deny that Ziaur Rahman had declared in favor of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman before declaring independence during the Great Liberation War.

He made the remarks while participating in a discussion on the “July National Charter” and the proposal for amending the constitution in the National Parliament on Sunday.

The Home Minister said that the government wants to consider the intentions of the July student uprising with respect. He said that the main ideas of the 2024 “July National Charter” and the proposed “July Declaration” have been promised to be incorporated into the constitution, which will be added to the Fourth Schedule.

He further said that no other event can be compared to the great independence of 1971. Criticizing the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, he said that many “legislative frauds” have been committed through that amendment.

The minister mentioned that the High Court has already declared some parts of it unconstitutional. The remaining parts will be decided by the sovereign parliament and repealed or amended. He opined that there is a need to abolish the wrong history and the so-called Declaration of Independence in Schedules 5, 6 and 7 of the Constitution.

The Home Minister said that all the powers of the state belong to the people and that power is exercised through Parliament.

He proposed the formation of a special parliamentary committee with the participation of all political parties to advance the process of constitutional reform. He also proposed the introduction of a 100-member upper house, where political parties would be represented proportionally.