Dhaka, Feb. 17 -- Senior BNP leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said there is no scope for lawmakers to take oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council before the Constitution is amended.

The party's Standing Committee member made the remarks on Tuesday after being sworn in as a member of parliament. However, the party's subsequent refusal to take a separate oath linked to the council on July Charter reforms sparked a standoff with Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition in parliament, which threatened to boycott the oath-taking ceremony altogether before eventually relenting.

Speaking about the BNP's decision against being sworn into the reform council, Khosru said the process must follow constitutional provisions.

"It has...