Author: Farid Hossain
Publication: The Telegraph
Date: February 3, 2010
URL: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100203/jsp/foreign/story_12060605.jsp
The Bangladesh Supreme Court today upheld
a ruling paving the way for banning parties which base their politics on religion.
The decision of the six-member Supreme Court
panel is bad news for the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest party seeking
to establish Islamic rule, and ally Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of
former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
An alliance of the BNP and the Jamaat was
in power between 2001 and 2008. The panel, headed by Chief Justice Md Tafazzul
Islam, gave its decision after six days of hearing on the subject.
The high court had declared as "illegal
and unconstitutional" a 1979 amendment of the Constitution by then military
ruler Gen. Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP.
That move, known as the 5th Amendment, struck
down secularism as one of the four basic state principles, allowing religion-based
parties to operate.
The change saw dozens of Islamic parties come
up, challenging secular groups like the Awami League led by Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina.
Propagation of anti-India sentiments has also
been a feature of these Islamic parties.
BNP secretary-general Khandaker Delwar Hossain
and three Jamaat lawyers had challenged the high court ruling in the Supreme
Court.
Today's ruling means Bangladesh is now free
to restore the four basic constitutional principles: democracy, socialism,
secularism and nationalism.
Banning religion-based politics is among the
electoral pledges made by Hasina's Awami League. Law minister Shafique Ahmed
had recently said that the government would consider banning religion-based
parties.
