DHAKA, Dec 19, 2024 (BSS) - BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said they appreciated the High Court (HC) verdict on the 15th Amendment to the Constitution as the court acknowledged that the next parliament following an election is the only appropriate forum for amending the Constitution.

He expressed the party's reaction on the court verdict at a press conference held at the party chairperson's Gulshan office here this morning.

Earlier, BNP held a standing committee meeting on Wednesday night at the party chairperson's Gulshan office on the court verdict. BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman virtually chaired the meeting from London.
 
Speaking at the press conference, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the BNP Standing Committee believed the 15th Amendment was made bringing massive changes in the constitution to turn it into the main weapon for establishing one-party rule and state system.
 
Democracy was undermined by damaging the basic structure of the Constitution, he mentioned.

BNP secretary general said the court declared some significant parts of the 15th amendment illegal, preserved some parts and left most of them for the consideration of the next parliament, but the writ petitioners, the political parties concerned and other stakeholders and the general public of the country expected more decisive rulings from the court.

He also said the writ petitioners had pleaded for declaring the entire 15th Amendment as illegal.
 
BNP, including other political parties and concerned persons, joined the writ as interveners, he said.

At the press conference, the BNP Secretary General said that the Standing Committee has decided to immediately exchange views with the political parties participating in the anti-fascist movement.

The responsible members of the Liaison Committee have decided to take necessary measures in this regard, he said.

Mirza Fakhrul said the BNP Standing Committee believes that since the Election Commission has been formed, there is no need to delay the election.

It is possible to hold the election quickly by completing the election-centric reforms, he said, adding that the people expect a clear statement from the Chief Advisor on this issue.

BNP thinks that the exact time of the election should be decided through discussions with political parties and other stakeholders, he said.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed was present at the press conference.