Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and Islami Andolan Bangladesh today welcomed the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin as president, saying it should have come much earlier.
"Although delayed, a dark shadow of autocracy has finally been lifted from the nation's shoulders. We thank Almighty Allah for this," Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said while speaking at a press conference at his official residence on Minto Road in Dhaka this evening.
"We are not interested in why he resigned. We had already concluded that he was no longer qualified to remain president," he said.
Congratulating the speaker on assuming the role of acting president under Article 54 of the constitution, Shafiqur expressed hope that the acting president would discharge his responsibilities with fairness, impartiality and integrity.
"If he performs his duties in that manner, we will extend our full cooperation," he said.
The Jamaat chief said a new president must be elected within 90 days in line with the constitution and expressed hope that no constitutional crisis would arise during the transition.
He also said the people's aspiration for a "new Bangladesh" had yet to be realised and that Jamaat would continue its efforts both in and outside parliament.
Asked whether legal action could be taken against Shahabuddin, Shafiqur said, "If credible evidence emerges, no one is above the law. We will determine our course of action after due consideration."
Referring to the July massacre, he alleged that Shahabuddin had failed in his responsibility as the guardian of the state.
"He did not utter a single word against the massacre. He silently endorsed it," Shafiqur said.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Islami Andolan Bangladesh Secretary General Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman said Shahabuddin's resignation had been expected immediately after the fall of the fascist regime.
He said Shahabuddin had remained in office due to "various political undercurrents", which had become a source of public discomfort.
Ataur said the current constitution had rendered the presidency virtually powerless, upsetting the balance of state power.
He added that proposals to strengthen the president's authority, discussed by the National Consensus Commission following the July mass uprising and reflected in the July National Charter, should be taken into consideration in selecting the next president.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque and Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad said in a joint statement that Shahabuddin should have resigned much earlier.
"His resignation alone does not absolve him of responsibility. He should be arrested immediately, and all allegations against him should be investigated impartially before he is brought to justice," they said.
The two leaders alleged that Shahabuddin had lost the moral legitimacy to remain president after the July mass uprising and had misled the nation by making contradictory statements regarding former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation.
They also called for an impartial investigation into allegations of abuse of state power, constitutional violations and involvement in financial irregularities, saying Shahabuddin should face trial if the allegations are proven.
