Constitution to restore ‘Faith in Allah’
Restoration of the phrase “Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah” to the Constitution’s preamble and Article 8 has emerged as one of the government’s stated priorities in the proposed constitutional reform process, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday.
Salahuddin, who chairs the parliamentary Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment, said the committee would finalise its recommendations by December, paving the way for a constitutional amendment bill to be placed before Parliament’s first session in January.
He said the Law Ministry would draft the bill on the basis of the committee’s recommendations.
Once Parliament passes it, a referendum would be held on those constitutional changes that require direct public approval.
“The bill will be passed first, and then the constitutional referendum will be held,” he told reporters at the Jatiya Sangsad Media Centre after the committee’s third meeting.
The proposed restoration of the religious phrase was cited by Salahuddin as part of the BNP government’s election manifesto commitments.
He said the government’s principal focus was implementing the July National Charter, alongside its own electoral pledges.
The phrase was introduced into the Constitution during the rule of Ziaur Rahman and was subsequently removed through the constitutional reform process that restored secularism as a fundamental state principle.
The committee’s latest meeting followed consultations earlier on Sunday with editors of national newspapers and senior journalists.
Discussions covered the Constitution’s preamble and schedules, as well as the wider framework of the July National Charter.
Salahuddin said several editors and journalists would submit their recommendations in writing, which would be compiled into the committee’s report and a separate booklet.
He said the committee was also considering possible changes to the preamble and Articles 8, 48, 56 and 142.
However, he noted that certain constitutional provisions would require a referendum before presidential assent, meaning not every proposed amendment would necessarily be subject to a public vote.
Article 142
Salahuddin said the Supreme Court’s cancellation of the 15th Amendment had effectively revived Article 142, which sets out the constitutional amendment procedure.
Under Article 142, an amendment bill requires the support of at least two-thirds of the total membership of Parliament before it can be sent to the president for assent.
The committee has been consulting political parties and other stakeholders as it works towards completing the reform process.
Earlier, it invited all 26 political parties that signed the July National Charter; 15 participated directly in the committee’s second meeting, while another submitted proposals in writing.
Opposition invitation
Asked whether opposition parties would be included in the amendment process, Salahuddin said the issue had repeatedly been raised during consultations with editors and journalists.
“We agree with this. We have repeatedly invited them and are still inviting them. If they join the committee, we will welcome them,” he said.
He stressed that the government wanted the constitutional reform process to proceed through broad consensus rather than as a unilateral initiative.
The committee has previously said it would seek views from political parties, constitutional experts, former judges, lawyers, teachers, journalists, July fighters, families of those killed during the uprising and representatives of different sections of society.
The proposed timeline would see the committee complete its consultations and submit its final report by December, followed by preparation of the amendment bill by the Law Ministry and its placement before Parliament in January.
The subsequent referendum would apply to constitutional provisions for which direct public approval is required, according to the home minister.
