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AL MPs including Sheikh Hasina at risk of losing Membership
10/16/2005
The lawmakers of the main opposition Awami League (AL) might join the next session of the Jatiya Sangsad to avert the risk of losing their membership.
They also have a plan to leave the parliament permanently resigning their posts in the beginning of the next year as a strategy of their final movement against the government, reports BDNEWS.
Party sources said the lawmakers of the AL including party chief and Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina are facing the risk of losing their membership.
Their posts will be declared vacant if they remain absent at the Jatiya Sangsad for the next 22 working days while Sheikh Hasina has only 18 working days in her hand.
The Parliament Secretariat sources said Sheikh Hasina was present at the parliament for 23 days in total in 18 sessions of the current Eighth Jatiya Sangsad in four years.
However, the Leader of the Opposition remained absent for 72 working days of the Jatiya Sangsad at a stretch.
On the other hand, Leader of the House and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was present at the parliament for 156 working days of the current Jatiya Sangsad.
But BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia as the Leader of the Opposition was present at the parliament for only 29 days out of 382 working days in 23 sessions during the five-year AL rule.
At that time the percentage of attendance of the then parliament leader and AL President Sheikh Hasina at the Jatiya Sangsad was about 95 per cent.
Sources said as per Constitution, the seat of a lawmaker falls vacant if he or she remains absent for 90 consecutive working days in the sessions of the Jatiya Sangsad.
The lawmakers of AL have remained absent at the Jatiya Sangsad for 72 working days at a stretch.
The term of the current Jatiya Sangsad will expire after one year.
Several lawmakers will lose their membership if another 22 working days of Jatiya Sangsad pass by.
Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina will lose her membership after 18 working days.
Awami League already faced such situation in the past.
Meanwhile, the seats of Awami League lawmakers were declared vacant for being absent at the Jatiya Sangsad for 90 consecutive working days in the Fifth Jatiya Sangsad.
The AL lawmakers boycotted the parliament on the 16th day of the 13th session of the Fifth Jatiya Sangsad on March 2 in 1994.
They lost their membership at the second sitting of the 20th session on June 19 in 1995 for being absent for 90 working days at a stretch in the Jatiya Sangsad.
The first session of the Eighth Jatiya Sangsad was held on October 28 following the Eighth Jatiya Sangsad elections on October 1, 2001.
Since then a total of 297 working days of the 18 sessions have passed so far in which AL lawmakers have been present on only 87 days while they have been absent from the remaining 210 working days.
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