Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury yesterday rejected the view of State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Kamal that taking prior permission from the Speaker is needed to arrest the removed minister Abdul Latif Siddique from outside the parliament premises.
“What the state minister for home affairs has said was wrong. The Speaker has nothing to do with this,” she said while talking to reporters at her Parliament Chamber before the sitting of day began.
The Speaker’s comments came hours after State Minister for Home Affairs told reporters that it will require permission of the Speaker to arrest Latif Siddique, who returned home Sunday night through the airport.Speaker’s prior permission is required for arresting a MP from the parliament premises. But there is no need to take permission from the Speaker for arresting a lawmaker outside the parliament premises including its House chamber, lobby, gallery and the parliament boundary,” she added.
The Speaker said the Rules of Procedures clearly mentions about the Speaker’s permission for arresting a lawmaker from parliament premises. Yet, there has been a provision for arresting the lawmaker if the House is in the session, she added.
As per the Rules of the Procedures, no lawmaker can be arrested from parliament premises without the permission from the Speaker
The rule also mentions about the parliament premises saying premises means House, lobby, gallery and the places determined by the Speaker.
The Rules of Procedures also mentioned that if any lawmaker is arrested on charge of criminal offences or any court awarded punishment to a lawmaker, the Speaker should be informed about this officially.
She cited the example of arrest of a MP of previous parliament and said according to the rules of procedure she had informed the House about the arrest of the MP after police informed her to this end.
The Privilege Act 1965 of the East Pakistan Assembly Members however says that there has no mandatory provision for a lawmaker to be present in the court if the session is on, and seven days before and after the session.
Sources in Parliament Secretariat said the law formulated during the Pakistan regime is still active.
Though Siddique has been removed and expelled from the party, he is still a member of the present Parliament.
Latif at a programme in New York on September 28 made derogatory remarks against the prophet Mohammed (SM), hajj and Tabligh Jamaat.
Though Siddique has been removed and expelled from the cabinet and Awami League, he still remains as MP.
Asked whether the government sent her any letter to scrap Latif’s membership in parliament, Speaker replied in the negative.
Meanwhile, taking floor on point of orders lawmakers from opposition Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and two independent MPs yesterday night lambasted the law enforcement agencies for not arresting Latif Siddique despite of having about two dozens of arrest of warrants against him.
The lawmakers demanded that the government to arrest Latif immediately and give him exemplary punishment for hurting the religious sentiment of the people.
JP MP Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu stated the debate first asking the Speaker as to how Latif Siddique returned home through the airport though he was removed from the cabinet and expelled him his primary membership of the party.
He alleged that Latif Siddique is working in favour of fundamentalist and demanded his arrest immiditely.
Independent MP Hazi Selim said he is worried about the Prime Minister as Litif Siddique could enter the country evading the law enforcers deployed at airport.
Independent lawmaker Rustom Ali Farazi sought the Speaker’s ruling as to whether Latif Siddique is still a lawmaker opf the present Palriament.
JSD MP AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen, Bangladesh Nationalist Front chief Abul Kamal Azad also demanded that Speaker scrap Latif’s membership in parliament to fulfill people’s expectation.
In response, AL senior MP Sutranjit Sengupta said law will take its own course in due time and proper manner regarding arrest and taking action against Latif.
On Latif’s return to the country, Suranjit said since Latif has not been announced as persona-non-grata in the country and he had valid documents to return to the country the government cannot obstruct him to enter the country.
On Latif’s arrest, he said police has nothing to do in this regard if arrest warrant does not reach their hands.
“That’s why we are waiting to receive court’s direction on arrest of Latif Siddique. And the government must carry out court orders,” he added.
He warned vested quarters not to do any politics or crate political instability in the country using this issue.
Meanwhile Hefazat-e-Islam and NDF issued ultimatums to the government to arrest Siddique by Wednesday. If the government fails to arrest the stipulated time, they will enforce a countrywide hartal on Thursday, they said. – Staff Reporter
