Govt will not make any interference in polls: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday assured the Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF) leaders of holding free, fair and neutral general elections beyond government influence as the talks with the opposition platform ended last evening.

“On behalf of the government, we’re giving assurance of staging of free, fair and impartial elections,” Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader quoted the premier as saying while briefing reporters after the crucial dialogue between the 14-party alliance and the JOF at Ganabhaban.

He added that the premier also told JOF leaders “the Election Commission will play an independent and authoritarian role in this regard”.

Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said the premier told the JOF leaders that the government will not make any interference in the EC rather it will extend cooperation to those issues which the EC will seek.

“After announcement of the polls schedule, many issues including the law enforcement agencies which are related to the polls will be handed over to the commission . . . So there is no reason to be scared by them about this matter,” Sheikh Hasina said.

Quader said the dialogue was held for three and half hours beginning at 7 pm and its environment was very conducive.

He said the prime minister very attentively listened to the JOF leaders as they spoke unobstructed and “on our behalf, the senior leaders spoke as well at the dialogue”.

Asked about the premier’s response to JOF’s demand for constitution of the polls-time government, he said “we clearly told them in the dialogue that discussion on all matters will be held as per the constitution and the trend of democracy will continue”.

“We cannot go beyond our constitution and our this stance was also mentioned in the letter which the prime minister sent to Dr Kamal Hossain in reply to his letter to the premier on October 28 asking for the dialogue,” Quader.

In no parliamentary democracy, he said, general elections are not held dissolving parliament.

The AL general secretary said the two sides agreed on some issues like foreign election observers and holding of meeting and rallies without any obstructions.

“The prime minister told them there will be freedom of expression and the JOF can hold meetings wherever they want,” only requesting them not to hold any meeting by closing roads.

Sheikh Hasina said the foreign polls observers will come and “we will have support to them”.

About the use of Electronic Voting Machine, the prime minister said: “It’s a modern system and “we support it” but the EC would like to use EVM in on a limited scale during the coming polls.

About cases against Khaleda Zia, Quader said it is the matter of law and court and there was no link between the dialogue and the court.

The AL general secretary said the two cases in which Khaleda Zia was convicted was filed by the past caretaker government and “we didn’t lodge these cases”.

Sheikh Hasina, however, requested Dr Kamal Hossain to provide a list of such cases which he thinks politically motivated saying “steps will be taken in this regard after investigation”.

The prime minister also made it clear that the army was not deployed with magistracy power in any election since 1973 except the 2001 polls.

Quader opined that Dr Kamal Hossain has been convinced on many issues following the talks with 14-party alliance.

He said Dr Kamal Hossain expressed satisfaction over the dialogue and thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saying many things were unknown to him.

During the meeting, Sheikh Hasina assured the JOF leaders assurance of keeping her door open for any further discussion.

Earlier, the prime minister in her opening remarks called upon the JOF leaders to take into account the country’s development in the past one decade under the incumbent government.

“Nine years and 10 months have passed after our government assumed power and you will surely consider the extent of development the country saw during the time,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina added: “I will leave it to your judgment.”

The premier greeted the opposition leaders as they arrived saying “Ganabhaban is people’s Bhaban (house) and I am welcoming all of you here”.

“The country is for all of us and … our main motto is to advance the country and make overall uplift of Bangladesh by changing the lot of the people,” she said.

JOF Convenor Dr Kamal Hossain led a 20-member delegation that included BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir while Sheikh Hasina headed a 23-member team of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance in the talks.

Earlier, the premier entered the Banquet Hall of Ganabhaban at 6:57 pm and took seat there along with other leaders of the 14-party alliance while the much-anticipated dialogue began at about 7 pm at the Banquet Hall of Ganabhaban.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammed Nasim, Kazi Zafar Ullah, Anisul Huq, Abdul Matin Khasru, Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, Dr. Dipu Moni, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Dr. Abdus Sobhan Golap, Dr. Hasan Mahmud and S. M. Rezaul Karim represented Awami League in the talks.

Sammayabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASOD) President Hasanul Huq Inu and another faction leader of the party Moinuddin Khan Badol joined the talks as partners of the ruling alliance.

BNP leaders other than the party’s secretary general, who took part in the dialogue were Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar and Mirza Abbas.

The other team members of the opposition alliance included Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President ASM Abdur Rab, Gono Forum Executive President Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, Sultan Mohmmad Mansur, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Gono Forum General Secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury.

Source: bss