The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who
recommended the committee to the House, hopes to amend the constitution and
debate its basic tenets socialism and secularism that were altered by past
military-led governments.
Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury has been
made the chairperson of the committee while Awami League lawmaker Suranjit
Sengupta is the co-chairperson.
Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary
General Khandaker Delwar Hossain termed the formation of the All Party Parliamentary
Committee (APPC) to decide on restoring of the 1972 Constitution
“anti-constitutional and against the parliamentary rules of procedure.”
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, the leader of the opposition in
parliament, consulted legal and constitutional experts before taking the
decision.
Bangladesh enacted its statute in 1972. Nationalism,
democracy, secularism and socialism were enshrined as the basic tenets.
After the assassination of country's founding father Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman and during the 1975-90 military-led phase of governance,
socialism was dropped and secularism was replaced by a declaring country as an
Islamic republic.
Other members to be included are Foreign Minister Dipu Moni
and those who fought in the 1971 freedom movement including Abdur Razzak and
Tofael Ahmed.
Representatives from other parties include Jatiya Party
lawmaker Anisul Islam Mahmud, Workers Party's Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya
Samajtantrik Dal's Hasanul Haq Inu and National Awami Party's Amina Ahmed.
