Momen’s comments: Step down within 48hrs

A Supreme Court lawyer yesterday served a legal notice on Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen asking him to resign from office in 48 hours for his recent comment that foreign relations analysts say is embarrassing and disgraceful for Bangladesh.

While speaking at an event in Chattogram on Thursday, Momen had said he requested the Indian government to do whatever was necessary for the continuity of the Awami League government.

"I went to India and said Sheikh Hasina must stay [in power]. Only then will the country make progress and become a truly non-sectarian country. I asked them to do everything to make that happen," Momen had said.

The minister's comments go against the constitution of Bangladesh, said Md Ershad Hossain Rashed in his legal notice.

As per the constitution, the people of Bangladesh are the source of all powers, Rashed said.

In making the comment, Momen violated his oath as well as the constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Subsequently, he cannot continue to serve as the foreign minister.

"Your activities are viewed as an attack on the sovereignty of the country, which is punishable by the relevant law," the legal notice said.

Rashed said he will take necessary legal action against Momen if he does not resign from office within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcast Minister Hasan Mahmud said while Momen is an AL MP, he is not a central committee member of the party that he can speak on behalf of the AL when outside of Bangladesh.

When a cabinet member goes abroad, he speaks to the foreign dignitaries formally or informally.

"If he [foreign minister] says something to someone personally, the government or the party will not take responsibility for that," Mahmud said at a press conference at the secretariat on contemporary issues.

On enforced disappearances, he said: "BNP is very vocal about human rights now and speaking of disappearances but they themselves enforced the disappearances of their leaders."

Mahmud went on to cite the 2003 abduction of BNP leader Jamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury of Anwara in Chattogram as an example. Two years after he went missing from the port city, Chowdhury's skeleton was found at a remote village in Fatikchhari upazila.

"Like this, they have enforced the disappearances of their leaders. Today, they are trying to confuse people by speaking of the disappearances."

Asked what steps are being taken to bring back Tarique Rahman, who was sentenced to life in the grenade attack on August 21, from the UK, Mahmud said: "Talks are ongoing with the British government. But they have some domestic laws -- there are some complications."