The leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were reassured today by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus that the interim government would take all necessary measures to guarantee free, fair, and impartial national elections in February of next year.
“You can remain confident about our neutrality. We have already taken several measures to hold a free, fair and credible election and you will soon see many more initiatives,” he said.
According to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing, the assurance was made during separate talks with representatives from the two major parties at the State Guest House in Jamuna.
In order to ensure a peaceful and joyous election, Professor Yunus asked all participating political parties, including Jamaat and the NCP, to cooperate during the conference.
The Chief Adviser and the leaders of Jamaat-NCP talked about the July National Charter’s implementation process, the proposed referendum, and the timeline for the July killings trial in addition to the government’s general election preparations.
A four member NCP delegation, led by its Convener Nahid Islam joined the meeting. Other members of the delegation included Chief Organizer (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin and Joint Convener Khaled Saifullah.
Later, a four-member Jamaat delegation led by Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher met the Chief Adviser.
Other members of the delegation included Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar and assistant secretary generals ATM Masum and Rafiqul Islam Khan.
On behalf of the government, Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul and Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan were present at the meetings.
During the meeting, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said, “We want a clear roadmap for the trial of the July killings and a guarantee for the implementation of the July Charter before the national election. The government must take strong steps in this regard.”
In response, the Chief Adviser urged the NCP to sign the July Charter, saying, “This charter is a valuable asset for the nation and everyone’s participation is important here.”
Professor Yunus further assured the NCP delegation that the National Consensus Commission was actively working on the process to implement the July National Charter.
Nahid Islam informed the Chief Adviser that the NCP had already sent a letter to the Commission seeking a meeting with its legal experts to discuss relevant matters.
Shortly after the NCP meeting, the Jamaat leaders met the Chief Adviser and demanded that a referendum on the July Charter be held before the national election.
“A referendum before the election is essential because the July Charter contains many issues that linked to the national polls,” Dr Abdullah Mohammad Taher said.
“If the referendum is held on the same day as the national election, there is a risk that the voting process will be prolonged,” he added.
The Jamaat leaders expressed full confidence in any decision taken by the Chief Adviser to ensure the neutrality of the administration during the election.
The Chief Adviser told NCP and Jamaat delegations that he would personally oversee any administrative reshuffles before the election.
He further assured them that all necessary measures would be taken in coordination with the Election Commission.
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