Jamaat calls countrywide hartal tomorrow

Jamaat-e-Islami has called nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal tomorrow alleging that move is on to abandon Islam as state religion.

The party hoped to observe a peaceful hartal tomorrow in protest of the alleged move, Jamaat-e-Islami’s acting Secretary General Dr Shafiqur Rahman said in a press release today.

Ambulance, hospitals, fire service and vehicles related to the media will remain out of the hartal purview.

Jamaat, the key component in the BNP-led 20-party alliance announced the programme, a day before the High Court today set tomorrow to start hearing a writ petition that had challenged 28 years ago the legality of the constitutional provision giving "Islam" the status of state religion.

A special bench of Justice Naima Haider, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque, and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal is scheduled to start the hearing at 2:00pm tomorrow.

The government led by military ruler HM Ershad had inserted a section in the eighth amendment to the constitution making "Islam" state religion on June 9, 1988.  

Fifteen distinguished citizens had filed the writ petition with the HC in 1988 challenging the amendment that gave "Islam" the status of state religion.