Hasnat Abdullah, Southern Chief Coordinator of NCP and Member of Parliament has alleged that BNP is walking in the path of Awami League by trying to re-party the Law and Judiciary Department. He said, ‘BNP has tried to partisanize the law department again. BNP has made the final constitutional decision to institutionalize the judicial department by abolishing the secretariat of the judicial department as part of that partyization. It is a shame for our nation. After August 5, we were rushing towards the independence of the judiciary. As part of that, a separate secretariat of the judiciary was made. But we saw that BNP came and walked in the way of Awami League.
He said these things at a press conference organized by local NCP at Payra Chattar in Jhenaidah city on Monday (May 25) afternoon.
Last Friday (May 22), NCP Central Coordinator Naseeruddin Patwari was attacked and egg pelted. In that incident, NCP and Zilla Chhatra Dal filed a case against each other. In the case filed by the Chhatra Dal, the police arrested three people including the central joint member secretary of NCP Tarek Reza. Hasnat Abdullah participated in the press conference today to protest the incident. After the press conference, the leaders and workers of NCP took out a protest march from Pyara Chatwar in the city. The procession circumambulates the important roads of the city.
Hasnat Abdullah said, ‘By abolishing this secretariat, the judicial department has been brought under the law ministry and the independence of the judicial department has been taken away. The independence of judges has also been undermined on the pretext of posting and promotion. Analyzing these actions, we think that the kind of instructions given by the Law Minister, comes from the court as a verdict. As the law minister writes down the judgement, the judges read it out.’
Hasnat said, ‘The law and order situation in the whole country is deteriorating. We are seeing children dying of pneumonia, child rape happening.’
Addressing the government, Hasnat said, ‘First correct your party. Stop the way the legal department is partisan. Let the Judiciary be independent. Only then will people’s confidence in the judiciary return. We saw that Ramisa’s father said in the press conference that they have no faith in the judiciary. As during the Awami League period, the Judiciary Department was managed from Ganobhaban, it is still being organized in the same way. From university, BCB, Bangladesh Bank, Islami Bank to cow market, partyization is not missing anywhere.
The member of parliament also said, ‘There is a kind of power conflict going on between the finance minister and the home minister. There is a psychological conflict over whether to control the port, Bangladesh Bank, BCB or S Alam. The sacrifice of this conflict is the July coup. Our comrade Ashiq has been remanded for two days. But those against whom we filed a case, they are walking around with puffed chest. Sitting in Jhenaidhe police station, OC is eating milk tea and toast biscuits with Chhatra Dal leaders. On the other hand, the houses of our leaders and workers are being demolished and taken away. If this continues, the government needs to clarify whether this is part of their plan or not.’
Hasnat Abdullah said, “We saw, on December 25, the Prime Minister said-“I have a plan”. Now the question is, is partyization from the judiciary to the cow market part of that plan? Is factionalization from universities to cricket boards also part of that plan? The government should make it clear. In fact, the government has no plan. This government has been hijacked by Awami League, administration, military and S Alam in various ways. As a result, the government is no longer in the hands of the government. If the government wants to be a government of the people, it has to come back to the people. The government cannot survive by relying on S Alam. If the businessmen, bureaucrats and administration could have sustained the government, August 5 would not have come. So if people take a stand against the wishes of the people, people will choose the alternative.’
Hasnat Abdullah also said, ‘You are seeing the way BNP is trying to suppress opposition in Jhenaidah since May 22. NCP chief coordinator Naseeruddin Patwari, joint member secretary Tarek Reza and local leaders and activists were attacked in front of the mosque. On the contrary, a case has been filed against them after the attack. In the Awami League era, BNP leaders and activists were sued by Chhatra League-Youth League, now they are suing NCP leaders and activists in the same manner.’
Hasnat complained that when he went to the police station to file a case on behalf of the NCP, he had to wait for eight hours. The police did not take up the case until the order came from the higher authorities. But Chhatra Dal’s cases were taken up quickly and NCP Chhatra Shakti and Yuva Shakti leaders and activists are being arrested en masse. Houses are being raided, picked up in plain clothes. The scary thing is that DB is not even accepting responsibility for this. As in the period of Awami League, the same incident is still happening.
Hasnat said, ‘Ayan was taken to the court after the court hours and was denied bail. A lawyer who came from Dhaka to handle the case on behalf of Ashiq was also barred from entering the court premises. This is shameful for the Law Minister. After July, we hoped, neutral police system would be established. But still the police are working in the consciousness of certain groups. The job of the police is to serve the people, to resolve legal issues according to the law. However, we are seeing that the police is once again playing the role of a corrupt force from waiting for the ruling party’s instructions.
