Agency Former members of parliament from the Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party said Sunday they would fight a legal battle to ensure they continue residing in the NAM flats allotted to them, until the next parliament is formed.

AL leader Shahjahan Khan pressed the demands at a press conference on behalf of a group of lawmakers from the three parties at the NAM Bhaban on Manik Miah Avenue. Khan also asked the caretaker government not to provide the controversial flats for civil servants.

The demands came in the wake of a notice from the caretaker administration ordering the former lawmakers to pay rent for the NAM flats, or the allotments would be terminated.

"The name of NAM Bhaban was changed in line with a decision of the 19th meeting of a parliament committee," said Khan. "Therefore, the NAM Bhabans do not actually exist on Manik Miah Avenue and Nakhalpara," he said. Khan said the flat allocations were made to lawmakers elected in the eighth parliamentary elections, and was decided by a parliamentary sub-committee.

He added that the decision should remain in place until the publication of the gazette of elected lawmakers to the ninth parliament. "The committee has the authority to fix the rent and other charges because that committee provided the allocation. Only it can scrap the allocation, not the speaker or secretary." "We do not have to pay any rent for the flats.

We only pay service charges of Tk 600 for 1,800square foot flats and Tk 400 for 1,250 square foot flats," he said. "We don't intend to stay in the flats for many years. We want the ninth parliament elections to be held and then new lawmakers can take our place," he said.

Khan said he was unaware of any decision by the speaker to allot 16 NAM flats to the Special Security Forces. Sunday's programme united leaders of diverse political interests to protect their accommodation. On whether they would remain united for the national interest Khan said: "This is not individual interest. We have become united in the interest of protecting the assets of the national parliament."

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