The ministers who expressed their “intent” to resign last Monday received invitation from the cabinet division to join the next cabinet meeting scheduled to be held next Sunday.
Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Amin on Wednesday evening confirmed that he had received the invitation. “All the ministers will join the Sunday’s meeting,” he said.
Earlier on the day, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the Dhaka Tribune that the regular cabinet meeting had been called at 10am on Sunday, a day before the scheduled day of regular cabinet meeting which is usually held on Monday.
When asked if the ministers of present cabinet or interim government will join the meeting, he said: “I am not aware of it yet. Only the prime minister knows about it.” The cabinet meeting has been scheduled to be held a day earlier as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is expected to visit Bangladesh next Monday. The prime minister and the ministers will be busy with him, Musharraf said.
The cabinet secretary also said the cabinet division was yet to get any resignation letters from the prime minister. The division will prepare a summary after getting the resignation papers. They will be sent to the president after the approval of the prime minister.
“The resignation letters will come into effect only after the president accepts those. The cabinet division will issue an order declaring the posts vacant after getting president’s consent,” he said.
The prime minister will send the resignation letters of those to the cabinet division who will not continue with the polls-time government. The rest of the ministers will continue with the interim government which will be smaller in size. New ministers will also be included.
Asked about his statement after the last cabinet meeting that it was the last meeting of the cabinet’s present format Bhuiyan said: “The statement was given taking into consideration the situation. The cabinet meeting will not stop, it will continue as the activities of the government will not be suspended.”
The cabinet secretary admitted that they had received a legal notice from a lawyer challenging the legality of ministers’ continuation with their office after submission of their resignations. “We are examining the notice.”
“Usually there is no compulsion of replying any notice from lawyers. We only reply to the notices of courts. However, we may reply the notice, if it’s necessary,” he added.
Supreme Court lawyer Ruhul Quddus Kajal, a former leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, an associated body of the opposition BNP, on Wednesday served a legal notice on behalf of Tuhin Malik requesting the ministers, who submitted resignation letters, not to function as ministers anymore and for making a public statement in this regard by 10am of today.
In case of not meeting the deadline by the ministers, the matter would be taken to the proper court, said the notice which was sent to the cabinet secretary asking him to serve it to all the ministers.
It was alleged in the notice that the ministers who resigned were still benefitting themselves with all official protocols and financial benefits which was totally unconstitutional and against the rule of law.
Referring to article 7A of the constitution Supreme Court lawyer Tuhin Malik, who met Khaleda Zia on Monday, termed the minister’s activities treason which should be dealt with the law.
He urged the cabinet secretary to strike out the name of the ministers from the website of cabinet.
Two other legal notices were also served on the same issue by two pro-BNP lawyers named Abdullah Al Baki and Zulfikar Ali Zunu.
Regarding the allegation, the cabinet secretary said: “The public servants will consider one as a minister while he takes oath as a minister. They will be treated as minister until the president accepts his resignation. We are yet to get any resignation letter from the prime minister.”
