Businesses to go to court today over losses for unrest

The beleaguered business community is set to go to court today to seek a solution to the ongoing political violence that has been causing them damages to the tunes of hundreds of crores of taka.

The lawyers will submit a writ petition to the High Court seeking a legal framework through which the businesses can seek compensation for the financial losses suffered as a result of the political parties' demonstration programmes.

“We are not going to court to stop political parties from calling blockades and strikes. We are going to court to stop violence and arson attacks on the goods-laden vehicles,” said Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, a former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Every political party has the right to follow its agenda through blockades and strikes, and, at the same time, every citizen has the freedom to continue their business activities smoothly, he said. “The business community is the worst sufferer of the ongoing political crisis,” Mohiuddin added.

The move comes after the business community's previous attempts to put an end to the destructive politics in the past two months went in vain.

The country has been losing Tk 1,500 crore to Tk 2,000 crore a day due to the blockade or shutdowns, ongoing since January 6.

“Our initiatives for holding dialogues between the government and BNP had failed in 2013. This time, the political leaders did not even give us an appointment to meet them and discuss holding dialogues to resolve the crisis,” said Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“We are losing money every day; we are losing business every day. So, we have no other option but to go to the court for a solution.”

For instance, the garment sector, the country's main export earner, has been losing work orders as retailers are calling off their business trips to Bangladesh for fear of getting caught in the violence.

Instead, they are calling the garment makers to a third country to place their orders, and even then they are not putting in the full volumes as they doubt the country's garment makers' ability to complete them on time amid so much disruption.

“We tried our best to resolve the crisis but failed. We held a hunger strike and a series of meetings. We did not want to go to court but we have been forced,” said Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA.

Imtiaz Moinul Islam, a lawyer of the business community, said everything is in order for the writ petition to be filed today. For some reason, if they are unable to do it today, they will come back the following day.

The legal team will mainly request the court for explanation on two important issues: how the businesses will be compensated for losses during the blockades and shutdowns and who will compensate them, he added.