Awami League not rushing to react to 16th amendment verdict: Quader

Five days into the release of the full appeals verdict scrapping the 16th constitutional amendment, the ruling Awami League, which had passed the amendment, is not ready yet to officially react.

"We are thinking through the issue. There is no need to rush into things. We will give our reaction at the right time," the party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Sunday.

He spoke to reporters after a programme at a Dhaka hotel, who wanted to know whether Finance Minister AMA Muhith's comments on the verdict were the party's reaction.

"Ask the finance minister about his matter. It's his personal issue," Quader said.

"We haven't given any official reaction. And we don't want to comment impetuously," he added.

Speaking to the media in Sylhet on Friday, 83-year-old Muhith said parliament will pass the amendment 'again and again'. “We will see how far the judiciary can go.”

The BNP on Saturday reacted sharply to Muhith's comments, saying it is clear from the 'horrifying' remarks that the government 'does not believe' in the independence of the judiciary.

Manzill Murshid, the lawyer who argued in court for the writ petitioners against the amendment, said Muhith's remarks will not land him in the dock for contempt due to his age.