Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday night held separate meetings with leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) to discuss the country’s overall political situation and the upcoming national election, slated for February next year.
The meetings took place amid rumours that the political activities of Jatiya Party might be banned, similar to those of the Awami League, following a recent attack on its party office. However, no concrete decisions were made except that one political party demanded a ban on Jatiya Party’s political activities.
After the meetings, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said: “The chief adviser has confirmed that a free and fair election will be held within the previously announced timeframe, that is, in the first half of February. The chief adviser has also made it clear that there is no alternative to holding the election. The meeting also gave priority to the July Declaration.”
He added: “Durga Puja will be held in the last week of September. The chief adviser has urged political parties to remain alert so that no disorder or instability occurs centering the festival.”
Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said: “Given the time we still have, if the government takes the right decisions and initiatives, the situation can improve. And if the situation improves, an election can be held.”
Taher further said: “The chief adviser has spoken about holding a free and fair election, and we agree with him in principle. But we disagree on the question of effectiveness. People are now questioning whether the country is heading toward a blueprint election. The government previously held a meeting with a party in London before announcing the election date, which was unprecedented. This undermined the government’s neutrality and gave undue advantage to one party.”বিস্তারিত