BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said the phrase "complete faith and trust in Almighty Allah," which was included in the Constitution's preamble and fundamental principles during President Ziaur Rahman's tenure, was later removed.
He said the BNP would bring it back into the Constitution if the party forms the next government.
He made the comment while speaking as the chief guest at the International Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Grand Conference held at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city on Saturday.
The event was organised by the Shommilito Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Parishad, while the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Protection Committee Bangladesh made the overall arrangements.
Salahuddin said Muslims across the world - including the people of Gaza in Palestine and the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine State - were suffering because of rifts and weaknesses among Muslims. "If Allah grants us the responsibility of state power in Bangladesh, and if the people of this country show us their love and entrust us with this duty, and if all of you cooperate - including the political leaders on this stage, the Pir-e-Kamil, the ?azrat, the 'alim-ul-ulama', and the buzurgan-e-din (religious mentors) - if everyone stands united, then all the demands you have placed here, Insha'Allah, we will adopt all necessary legal measures in the parliament through discussion and due process, Insha'Allah."
He said if Allah grants the BNP the responsibility to run the country, and if the people support them, the party will take legal steps in parliament to fulfil the demands raised at the conference.
He urged religious scholars, spiritual leaders, political figures and the public to stay united.
However, the organisers of the programme - the Shommilito Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Parishad - also called for officially declaring the Ahmadiyya (Kadiani) community as non-Muslim.
Responding to this, Salahuddin said the whole nation must remain united. "The language you want me to speak is not the language of law," he said. "To take action on these proposals, everyone must remain united. Muslims across the country have to stay united. Inshallah, we will accept your proposals."
Worshippers from different districts participated in the conference. Security was tightened in and around the venue, and volunteers from the protection committee were deployed to maintain traffic discipline.
Leaders from major political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, and several Islamist organisations were invited.
Although similar events were held on a smaller scale before, this was the first-ever international-level Khatm-e-Nubuwwat grand conference.
Participants included Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Member of Pakistan's National Assembly and chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan; Maulana Ilyas Ghuman, Pakistani Islamic scholar; Maulana Hanif Jalandhari, secretary general of Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia, Pakistan; Mufti Abu al-Qasim Nomani, head of Darul Uloom Deoband, India; Maulana Mahmood Madani, president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind; Sheikh Abdur Rauf Makki, deputy chief of the International Khatm-e-Nubuwwat movement, Saudi Arabia; and Sheikh Musab Nabil Ibrahim, professor at Al-Azhar University, Egypt.
Bangladesh's leading Islamic scholars attending included Maulana Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari of Hefazat-e-Islam; Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim of Islami Andolan Bangladesh; Maulana Mamunul Haque of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis; Maulana Khalil Ahmad Quraishi of Darul Uloom Hathazari; Maulana Mahmudul Hasan of Al-Haiatul Ulya; and Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek, Khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.
The conference was chaired by Maulana Abdul Hamid (Pir Saheb, Madhupur), convener of the Shommilito Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Parishad and Ameer of the Khatm-e-Nubuwwat Protection Committee Bangladesh.
The committee, however, announced a year-long programme along with their six-point demand.
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