The High Court (HC) today rejected a writ petition that challenged the legality of oath taking by lawmakers elected in the December 30 general election.

The court came up with the order saying that there is nothing illegal in taking oath taken by the lawmakers as they took charges of their offices on January 30.

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order.

Earlier on February 6, the court concluded hearing on the petition and fixed today (February 18) for passing an order.

On that day, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon argued that oath taking by the lawmakers on January 3 was unconstitutional as the tenure of the 10th parliament expired on January 28.

“Therefore, there were two parliaments from January 3 to January 28 -- which is unconstitutional,” he told the court on February 6.

Attorney General MahbubeyAlamhad argued that as new lawmakers took charge on January 30, oath taking was not illegal.

Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh René Holenstein today said Switzerland commended all parties for their participation in 11th Parliamentary Elections in Bangladesh.

“Switzerland took note of the results of the 11th Parliamentary Elections and commended all parties for their participation in the process,” said Holenstein during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque today.

The Swiss ambassador deplored the violence that occurred before and during the elections causing unnecessary suffering and pain, according to a statement.

Referring to reported accounts of intimidation, irregularities and further obstacles to a level playing field throughout the process, which have tainted the electoral campaign and the vote, Ambassador Holenstein underlined the need to address these reports in full transparency and according to the rule of law.

“Switzerland trusts that the new Government of Bangladesh will uphold the democratic values it was elected upon and that it will support the people’s will to move towards democracy in full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he said.

He assured the foreign secretary that Switzerland looked forward to its continued partnership with Bangladesh.

Expressing grave concern over health condition of Khaleda Zia, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today urged the authorities to take an immediate step for her proper treatment either at home or abroad as per her desire.

“She (Khaleda) has been suffering from ulcer in her tongue. She has lost around four kg weight in the last one week. It's very alarming. She is now unable to eat anything,” Fakhrul said while addressing a press conference at Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka this afternoon.

The BNP leader also urged the government to free the BNP chairperson from jail immediately to facilitate her better treatment according to her own choice.

On February 8, 2018, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was sent to jail as she was convicted in Zia Orphanage trust graft case. Later, she was convicted in Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

She has been undergoing treatment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) since April 1 this year.

“She is now in a serious condition there. Two people help her to leave her bed and go to dining table and washroom in a wheelchair. It's inhuman keeping her in jail in such a condition,” the BNP leader said.

Claiming that Khaleda Zia fought for democracy for a long time and was held captive in the hands of Pakistani army along with her two sons during the country’s Liberation War, Fakhrul said, “The government is showing an inhuman attitude towards her. We can’t accept it anyhow.”

Apart from tongue ulcer, Khaleda is suffering from acute pain in her tongue due to sharpness in her teeth that harmed the tongue.

“Khaleda Zia cannot eat anything properly. Earlier, doctors have treated her to reduce the sharpness of her teeth, but it has increased further. And thus, she needs dental treatment,” he said.

Khaleda’s sugar level is not coming under control even after taking insulin and other medicines, Fakhrul said adding that they are seriously worried whether the government is trying to push Khaleda towards the verge of death keeping her in jail.

He also called upon the media men to play a role for placing the issue before the countrymen as well as the government so that Khaleda Zia can get proper treatment, Fakhrul said.

“I am clearly telling that, we want her immediate release that she deserves,” he said blaming the government for creating hindrance at every stage on the way of her release from jail.

BNP Standing Committee Members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Selima Rahman, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and other rank and file of the party were present at the press conference.

Almost 82 percent of the lawmakers for the 11th parliament have assets worth more than Tk 1 crore, civil society platform Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) said in a report yesterday.

Of those MPs, 32 percent have assets worth more than Tk 5 crore, according to the report unveiled at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital.

According to finance ministry sources, only 0.06 percent of the total population of Bangladesh was valued at more than Tk 1 crore in 2016.     

“The wealthier candidates were elected,” Dilip Kumar Sarkar, Shujan's central coordinator, said while presenting the report.

In terms of income, 27 percent of the MPs have an income of over Tk 1 crore, 18 percent between Tk 50 lakh and 1 crore, 29 percent between Tk 25 lakh and 50 lakh and 17 percent between Tk 5 lakh and Tk 25 lakh.

Only five percent of the lawmakers had an income between Tk 2 and Tk 5 lakh while 1.34 percent of them had an income of less than Tk 2 lakh.

The report also mentioned that 1.34 percent of the MPs had not submitted their wealth statements in their affidavits.

It further showed that 61 percent of the next parliament is made up of businessmen and their number in the Jatiya Sangsad was increasing.

Additionally, 13 percent are lawyers, five percent servicemen, four percent farmers and the rest belonged to different professions.

It is a dangerous sign that the county's politics is going into the hands of businessmen and wealthy people, Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said at the programme.

Political analysts have said the major political parties' dependency on businessmen had effectively turned the politics into a business.

Lawyers, businessmen and farmers were the three most common occupations of the lawmakers elected to the country's first parliament in 1973.

Of the MPs in that parliament, 31 percent were lawyers and only 18 percent were businessmen.

However, in the fifth parliament, constituted through the election of 1991, businessmen outnumbered lawyers, with 38 percent being businessmen and 15 percent lawyers.

After the 2008 polls, 57 percent of the lawmakers elected were businessmen, which rose to 59 percent by 2014.

On a more positive note, Badiul Alam said it was a good sign that educated and taxpaying citizens were being elected as MPs.

The Shujan report shows that 43 percent of the new MPs hold post graduate degrees, 38 percent hold graduate degrees, 12 percent have passed the HSC exams and three percent were SSC graduates.

Only four percent did not pass the SSC exam.

It also said that seven percent of the lawmakers were now facing at least one case, while 45 percent had cases filed against them in the past.