The fate of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, whether he will remain in office or step down, will be determined after discussions with various political parties.
The government has decided to handle the matter politically based on demands raised by people and not consider it a legal or constitutional issue.
The Advisory Council meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, discussed the issue in the presence of almost every adviser on Thursday. After the meeting, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy.
"The resignation of the President is a political demand, and people raised this issue. This is why a decision will be made based on the consensus reached during these discussions with the political parties," said Rizwana Hasan.
“It’s a political discussion, so we are not admitting this issue as legal or constitutional because we are not in a normal situation now. We are not in a normal situation now, in an unusual situation. Now we have to think whether everything will be possible to comply with the constitution or not.
“We are admitting this issue as a political discussion, and we want a political consensus. The political parties should make their decisions and positions clear to the masses who have raised this issue,” she continued.
While responding to a query, Rizwana Hasan said: “Our government took charge due to a mass uprising. Therefore, the issue is whether it is possible to follow all the words of the constitution literally, whether if there is a political consensus, the barrier becomes easy for us or not. We have discussed all of these.
“We cannot mention a specific time. It will depend on the political parties and their positions. We are not in a hurry, and at the same time, we don't want to delay it.”
She said the Advisory Council discussed the issue with political parties and received their observations.
Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam, and a group of key student leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement earlier had set on Thursday as the deadline for the President’s resignation. But Adviser Md Nahid Islam urged the students to remain patient and wait for the government’s meeting with the political parties.
