July uprising to get constitutional recognition Home Minister

Families of July uprising martyrs and injured “July warriors” have demanded constitutional recognition of the July mass uprising, with some calling for it to be included in the preamble of the Constitution.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government is committed to implementing the July Charter as it was signed, with notes of dissent.

The demands were made on Tuesday at a meeting with the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment.

The committee said the uprising would be recognised in the Constitution, but proposed placing it in the schedule rather than the preamble.

The committee met representatives of martyrs’ families and injured July warriors in the Cabinet Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday afternoon. A total of 63 people attended.

Sources said 65 people had been invited, though not all attended. However, 14 people took part without having received an invitation.

Most speakers demanded constitutional protection for the uprising, indemnity for those involved, and faster trials over the July killings.

Some also called for higher allowances for July warriors, guaranteed healthcare for the injured, and assurances that July warriors would not face legal harassment.

The meeting was closed to the press. Afterwards, Salahuddin Ahmed, who chairs the special committee, briefed journalists at the Parliament Media Centre.

He said participants had sought constitutional recognition of the uprising, with some specifically asking for it to be placed in the preamble.

Explaining the committee’s position, he said: “We have said that we will take steps in line with the consensus reached by all political parties and forces that took part in drafting the July Charter. We will also record your proposal today.”

Salahuddin said demands for protection of July warriors had also been raised. The committee told participants that the relevant ordinance has already been turned into law, and that constitutional protection would also be brought into the schedule, he said.

Responding to a question, he said the national declaration of the July uprising covers many issues, and giving it constitutional recognition would necessarily involve mention of the uprising.

The declaration, however, does not specify where in the Constitution it should be placed.

He said that while the July declaration was being drafted, the BNP had indicated it would include the recognition in the schedule of the Constitution, so that the uprising is recognised and July warriors receive constitutional protection.

In reply to another question, Salahuddin said the Constitution amendment committee is hearing everyone’s views precisely in order to implement the July National Charter.

The committee, he said, is committed to implementing the Charter in the way it was signed, with notes of dissent.

“If anyone now demands implementation without the notes of dissent, we are not there. Consensus was not reached on that,” he said.

The committee chair said the structure of a caretaker government has not yet been finalised and will emerge through discussion in Parliament.

The special committee is seeking proposals from people of various professions and will seek opinions from lawyers, judges and academics in upcoming consultations.

Responding to another question, he noted that under the earlier caretaker system, the President was provided as the last option for Chief Adviser, which sparked considerable debate in the past.

The BNP therefore said it would be better not to retain the option of the President heading a caretaker government. This is the BNP’s proposal, and the party remains of the same position, he said.