& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

PM terms Sayedee verdict unexpected

Defends impeachment bill

Staff Correspondent
Expressing her disappointment over the Supreme Court verdict against Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said none had expected such a judgment.
"People might have been happy if Sayedee's death sentence was upheld. The judgment was not expected as this person had committed so many crimes," she said, adding that as the judiciary was independent, she had nothing more to say about the judgment.
Hasina, also the Leader of the House, said this while giving her concluding speech for the prorogation of the parliamentsession.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury yesterday read out the prorogation order of the president.
The apex court on Wednesday commuted Sayedee's death sentence handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 last year to jail until death. He was convicted of killing abduction, torture, rape and forced religious conversion during the Liberation War in 1971.
Hasina said, 'Sayedee was known as a propagator of religion among people, but after the verdict people will treat him as a rapist, killer, robber and criminal as well as a war criminal."
He is a horrible person even though he is a sweet talker, she said.
She questioned the logic behind the hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami. 'Did Jamaat want Sayedee's death sentence? Is that why they called the hartal?'
About the 16th amendment bill, which empowers parliament to remove Supreme Court judges for misbehaviour and incapacity, the premier said the bill protects the independence of the judiciary.
"Earlier, the fate of a judge was decided by only three people and now two-third majority will be required to impeach a judge in parliament and after the lawmakers' decision, the president's approval is needed as well," she said.
Hinting at former caretaker government adviser Moinul Husein, she criticised him for forming a political party with the killers of Bangabandhu.
She, however, did not mention his name.
"This person once had come to me to become an adviser. These people are isolated and they have failed and they have no popularity. They want to mislead people. Instead of a democratic government, they always want unconstitutional regimes since only then they get honoured and are given a flag," she said.
In her speech, Opposition Leader Raushan Ershad lambasted Hasina for her failure to stop food adulteration.
Raushan, a Jatiya Party presidium member, also criticised Hasina for frequent power cuts, appalling roads and garbage disposal situation of the capital.
"Your [Hasina's| government has failed to ensure safe food for the people. Formalin is being used in almost all food items. How can you [Hasina] claim yourself to be the daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman?"
“You can stop the misuse of formalin within a day if you wish," she said.
Pointing to a law enacted by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's government to stop food adulteration, Raushan questioned Hasina why the latter had failed to implement that law.
“Being the daughter of the Father of the Nation, you are not thinking about people," Raushan asserted.
Lawmakers from the treasury and the opposition benches were seen smiling repeatedly when Raushan was criticising Hasina.
Describing the sorry state of the capital's amenities, Raushan called upon the premier to have a first-hand experience. "You should see how people are living in the city. No one will give you real information about this...."