Cancellation of Zia’s Independence Award

PM nod sought

The Cabinet Division has sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s approval to cancel the Independence Award given to late president Ziaur Rahman and consider keeping it in the national museum. The BNP-led Four-Party Alliance government had posthumously conferred the award on Ziaur Rahman in 2003 for his role in the Liberation War. The Cabinet Division sought the PM’s approval on the matter by sending a summary of the decision of the Cabinet committee on national award affairs to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), sources in the Liberation War ministry said.
A gazette notification would be issued after the PM’s approval, a senior Cabinet Division official told The Independent on condition of anonymity. On August 24, the Cabinet committee on national award affairs decided to cancel the Independence Award of late president Ziaur Rahman and considered keeping it in the national museum.
The committee felt the award sent a wrong message to younger generations because the court has described all activities of and proclamations made during the regime of Ziaur Rahman to have been unconstitutional. According to a High Court judgment, “The handing over the office of Martial Law Administrator to Major General Ziaur Rahman B.U., by Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, by the third proclamation issued on November 29, 1976 enabling the said Major General Ziaur Rahman to exercise all the powers of the Chief Martial Law Administrator was beyond the ambit of the Constitution. All proclamations, martial Law Regulations and Martial Law Orders made during the period from August 15, 1975 to April 9, were illegal, void and non est. From August 15, 1975 to April 1979, Bangladesh was ruled not by the representatives of the people but by the usurpers and dictators, as such, during the said period the people and their country, the republic of Bangladesh, lost its sovereign republic character and was under the subjugation of the dictators. From November 1975 to March 1979 Bangladesh was without any parliament and was ruled by the dictators, and as such, lost its democratic character for the said period.”
The Appellate Division upheld the High Court verdict, saying, “The judgment of the High Court Division is approved subject to the following modifications: While dismissing the leave petitions, we are putting on record our total disapproval of Martial Law and suspension of the Constitution or any part thereof in any form. The perpetrators of such illegalities should also be suitable punished and condemned so that in future no adventurist, no usurper, would dare to defy people, their Constitution, their government, established by them with their consent.” Meanwhile, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said it would prove suicidal for the Awami League government if it stripped the former president of the Independence Award.

 

Cancellation of Zias Independence Award

PM nod sought

The Cabinet Division has sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas approval to cancel the Independence Award given to late president Ziaur Rahman and consider keeping it in the national museum. The BNP-led Four-Party Alliance government had posthumously conferred the award on Ziaur Rahman in 2003 for his role in the Liberation War. The Cabinet Division sought the PMs approval on the matter by sending a summary of the decision of the Cabinet committee on national award affairs to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), sources in the Liberation War ministry said. A gazette notification would be issued after the PMs approval, a senior Cabinet Division official told The Independent on condition of anonymity. On August 24, the Cabinet committee on national award affairs decided to cancel the Independence Award of late president Ziaur Rahman and considered keeping it in the national museum. The committee felt the award sent a wrong message to younger generations because the court has described all activities of and proclamations made during the regime of Ziaur Rahman to have been unconstitutional. According to a High Court judgment, The handing over the office of Martial Law Administrator to Major General Ziaur Rahman B.U., by Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, by the third proclamation issued on November 29, 1976 enabling the said Major General Ziaur Rahman to exercise all the powers of the Chief Martial Law Administrator was beyond the ambit of the Constitution. All proclamations, martial Law Regulations and Martial Law Orders made during the period from August 15, 1975 to April 9, were illegal, void and non est. From August 15, 1975 to April 1979, Bangladesh was ruled not by the representatives of the people but by the usurpers and dictators, as such, during the said period the people and their country, the republic of Bangladesh, lost its sovereign republic character and was under the subjugation of the dictators. From November 1975 to March 1979 Bangladesh was without any parliament and was ruled by the dictators, and as such, lost its democratic character for the said period. The Appellate Division upheld the High Court verdict, saying, The judgment of the High Court Division is approved subject to the following modifications: While dismissing the leave petitions, we are putting on record our total disapproval of Martial Law and suspension of the Constitution or any part thereof in any form. The perpetrators of such illegalities should also be suitable punished and condemned so that in future no adventurist, no usurper, would dare to defy people, their Constitution, their government, established by them with their consent. Meanwhile, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said it would prove suicidal for the Awami League government if it stripped the former president of the Independence Award.