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PRO-BNP LAWYERS' CONFLICT

PM weighs in, gives nod to Aminul-backed rally

Huda faction takes back horns but decides to boycott

JuLFiKAR ALi MANiK
Following Wednesday's flare-up of conflict between two factions of proBNP lawyers, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday instructed the ruling party's lawyer ministers to let Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum (JAF) hold its grand rally on the Supreme Court premises today.
Indications, however, show that the prime minister's intervention to bring peace among the feuding ministers is unlikely to succeed. Instead of resolving the dispute, it might aggravate the situation.
The two factions, one headed by Communications Minister Nazmul Huda and the other by Telecoms Minister Aminul Haq, got in dispute Wednesday over holding the rally. JAF Senior Vice-Chairman Huda was bitterly opposed to the rally while JAF Secretary General Aminul
Haq was determined to go ahead with the plan for rally.
The conflict escalated when Huda at a press conference announced the JAF Supreme Court unit dissolved. In reply, Haq at another press conference described Huda's decision as illegal and announced suspension of JAF membership of the communication minister and BNP Law Secretary Joynul Abedin for 'anti-organisational activities'.
The conflict among the lawyerscum-ministers plus ruling party lawmakers dates back to the time when the four-party alliance came to power. Over the years, it has dragged on as there has been anything but understanding between Huda, Haq, Law Minister Moudud Ahmed, Khandker Mahbubuddin Ahmed MP, former speaker Sheikh Razzak Ali, former
BNP law minister TH Khan. The conflict originated mainly from trying to hold sway over various appointments in the judicial system.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia after a meeting on upcoming Faridpur-1 by-election, held a discussion with Moudud, Aminul Haq, Khandker Mahbubuddin Ahmed and others at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday afternoon, sources said. She queried about the crisis and heard their versions.
The ministers apprised her about Huda's opposition to the grand rally. Khaleda asked them not to get locked in dispute in public. Besides, she extended her support to the rally.
Khandker Mahbubuddin Ahmed told The Daily Star that their meeting with the prime minister was no formal discussion about
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Wednesday's incident. He said, "The prime minister was aware of the incident. But she was not at all worried. She just enquired a bit about the issue."
Following the meeting, Prime Minister's Political Secretary Haris Chowdhury made a phone call to Huda at about 4:30pm, and told him on behalf of the prime minister not to do anything that would hinder the staging of the grand rally.
"I was contacted and given a message," Huda later admitted to The Daily Star.
Yet after such intervention, the crisis is heading for a deeper path.
Huda was in a meeting last night with his followers in the JAF and members of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Parishad (JAP). JAP, another proBNP lawyers' forum, was established in 1998 and is headed by Huda.
Huda and his followers were discussing plan to dissolve the JAF central committee and how to hold an election to have a new body.
"The existing JAF committee was formed in 1996 for a two-year term. Though its term has ended long ago, it is still operating," Huda told The Daily Star last night. "This committee did not take any initiative to make the organisation more dynamic. Which is why, 164 lawyers have opted to make the organisation dynamic through a fresh election."
"On this basis, we want to formally announce the dissolution of this JAF central committee very soon. And within six months, we want to present the prime minister a strong new body that will have country-wide branches," Huda noted.
The anti-Huda group said that the JAF is all set to issue a showcause notice to Huda, asking him to explain why he had committed antiorganisation activities. "If his answer is not satisfactory, he will be expelled," said a source.
Khandker Mahbubuddin, who heads the parliamentary standing committee on law ministry and backs Aminul Haq, declined to comment when asked whether the JAF is considering expelling Huda from the organisation. "We shall serve him with a notice. And then on judging his response, we will decide on our next course of action."
Mahbubuddin said, "Whatever he did was out of his jurisdiction. He is just a vice-chairman of the organi-
sation and he has no authority to dissolve the central committee. If anyone had such power, it would be the organisation's president."
On expiry of the tenure of the central committee, Mahbubuddin quips, "If it has expired, it can be reconstituted through a council. On July 26, a JAF meeting decided to hold the next council by October 31. Since this decision is there, he should not have said or done anything further in this regard."
"Huda's action has offended everyone in the organisation. Besides, the general people got to see that a division runs among ourselves and it may have affected our image," he observed.
Meanwhile, preparation for today's grand rally was going on in full swing yesterday. Huda says he will not attend rally, but he will not try to foil it.
He pointed out that if the rally is held within the Supreme Court premises, it will violate the court's order prohibiting rally or demonstration on the court premises. "After the High Court passed this order, the opposition lawyers held demonstration, which is tantamount to contempt of court. Now when progovernment lawyers would do the same thing, it will only legalise the unruly activities of the opposition lawyers. And that is why, I wanted this rally to be held outside the court premises at a different schedule."
"Now when the law minister himself is inviting the progovernment lawyers from across the country, it will have enough attendance to be successful," he said in a sarcastic manner.