Join reform committee talks instead of long march, home minister urges opposition

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has urged the opposition to join discussions of the Constitution Reform Committee on constitutional reforms, including establishing an upper house of parliament, instead of staging a long march.

He made the call at a seminar at the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum on Saturday (31 October) evening. The first session of the seminar, which focused on Bangladesh’s post-independence constitutional crises and Baksal, discussed constitutional reform and the role of state institutions.

The home minister said the opposition needed to join the reform committee’s discussions to present its views on an upper house and other constitutional reforms.

He said the constitution would be reformed to ensure that the country did not face another situation like July. He also stressed the need to strengthen state institutions through constitutional amendments to prevent authoritarian or fascist rule in future.

Speaking at the seminar, Asif Nazrul, former law adviser to the interim government, said state power should not be concentrated in the hands of any individual or a single institution. A balance of power must be ensured among parliament, the judiciary and constitutional institutions, he said.

Calling on everyone to unite in the national interest, Salahuddin Ahmed said collective efforts were needed to prevent a resurgence of autocratic rule and fascism.