The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, if voted to power, will restore the phrase ‘Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah’ in the constitution.
BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said this while addressing the International Khatme Nabuwat Conference organised by the Khatme Nabuwat Parishad at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka city to demand declaring the Qadianis as non-Muslims.
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin said that the constitution under former president Ziaur Rahman included the phrase ‘Absolute Trust and Faith in Almighty Allah’ in its preamble and fundamental principles of the state policy, but it was later removed.
He said, ‘If the people...give us the responsibility of running the state and if all of you, including political leaders, peer-e-kamil, ulama-e-kiram, cooperate and remain united, then all the demands raised today will be discussed in the Jatiya Sangsad and we will take all necessary measures in favour of the proposal.’
The phrase ‘Absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah’ was inserted into the constitution as a fundamental principle in 1977 through a martial law proclamation and formalised by the 5th Amendment in 1979 after removing ‘secularism’.
The phrase was later struck down following a 2010 court verdict and the 15th Amendment in 2011 restored the original four state principles, including ‘secularism’.
In response to calls at the rally to declare the Qadianis non-Muslims, he said, ‘The language you are asking me to speak is not the language of the law. …To implement these matters and adopt this proposal, everyone must remain united.’
‘All in the Jatiya Sangsad must be united and the Muslims of Bangladesh must be united. We will, Insha’Allah, accept your proposal,’ he said.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan said that should the Jamaat come to power, the Qadianis will be declared non-Muslims.
He also said that there is no disagreement on this issue anywhere in the country or in the Muslim world.
Earlier in the day, a huge crowd of devotees thronged the Suhrawardy Udyan to join the grand rally amid tight security and extensive participation from home and abroad.
From early morning, thousands of scholars, students of madrassahs, and devout Muslims from various districts of the country were seen take part in the event.
Organisers said that the conference had drawn prominent Islamic scholars from five countries, including Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
Among them were Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari, amir of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, chief of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Mamunul Haque, amir of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khalil Ahmad Quraishi, principal of Darul Ulum Hathazari, Mahmudul Hasan, chair of Al-Haiyatul Ulia and Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, and Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek, khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.
The conference was presided over by Abdul Hamid (Pir Saheb, Madhupur), convener of the Combined Khatme Nabuwat Council and amir of the Khatme Nabuwat Protection Committee Bangladesh.
