The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Attorney-General Barrister Fida M Kamal yesterday resigned on 'personal grounds', after a prolonged abortive meeting with the Law Adviser of the caretaker government.

Carrying his self-composed resignation letter in his pocket, he went to the office of Law Adviser AF Hassan Ariff in the afternoon and submitted the letter addressed to the President, Law Ministry sources said.

According to the sources, prior to his resignation, Fida had a five-hour-long parley with the Law Adviser about his quitting the office of country's chief law officer.

The Law Adviser persistently persuaded him to change his mind, but the 60-year-old Fida stuck to his guns.

For quite some time, the relationship between Fida and the government had been strained over some important cases for their quick disposal.

The latest dispute cropped up over an ordinance related to recruitment of government law officers and its organogram. "He felt insulted as he was never consulted in this matter," a source in the AG office said.

His resignation comes into immediate effect as there is no provision for accepting or rejecting resignation from any such constitutional post of the republic.

On February 5 last year, Fida was appointed Attorney General, as the post fell vacant with the resignation of his predecessor AJ Mohammad Ali.

Ali had stood down on Jan 24 last year in the wake of persisting demand by political parties and lawyers seeking 'depoliticization' of the AG office.

Prior to his elevation to AG, Fida had served as Additional Attorney General since June 2002. He was also tipped as Additional AG by the 4-party alliance government "on political considerations".