BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed said the party will restore “absolute faith and trust in Almighty Allah” in the Constitution’s preamble and in the fundamental principles of state policy if it returns to power.
Speaking at the International Khatme Nubuwwat Grand Council at Suhrawardy Udyan, he said, “Our leader and martyred president Ziaur Rahman was the first to add ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’ to the Constitution of Bangladesh. It is still there. Many tried to remove it, but they could not.”
Salahuddin, a BNP Standing Committee member, said Ziaur Rahman also inserted “full trust and faith in Almighty Allah” into the Constitution’s preamble and Article 8 of the fundamental state principles.
The phrase was introduced through the Fifth Amendment during Ziaur Rahman’s rule, replacing secularism as a fundamental principle.
Calling for Muslims to remain united, Salahuddin said, “Genocide is taking place in Palestine solely because of their Muslim identity. The Rohingya are also facing persecution around the world for the same reason.”
In his concluding remarks, he said BNP will attempt to address the demands raised at the council through legal avenues, and if the party wins the national election and forms the government, it will take the matter to parliament.
The International Khatme Nubuwwat Grand Conference began on Saturday morning at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, with scholars from Bangladesh and five other countries participating.
