Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain today urged the diplomatic corps in Dhaka to manage the Awami League government to hold a fresh national election under a nonparty administration immediately.

Kamal Hossain also president of Gonoforum made the call while holding a closed-door meeting with diplomats from different countries at a hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan area this afternoon.

The Oikyafront leader also placed allegations of irregularity and violence, took place in the December 30 national election, before the foreign diplomats during the meeting.

“We held a good discussion. We presented before them (diplomats) what happened in the election. They also witnessed the irregularities by themselves and they did not make any argument over it,” Kamal told reporters after the meeting.

Kamal said, “They asked us what we want and we told them that we can reach a peaceful solution if a fresh election is held and all people can vote freely.”

“We will work together and play a constructive role to build a bright future of the country if a fresh election is held,” Kamal said.

Diplomats from at least 30 countries including USA, UK, Canada, Russia and China were present at the meeting.

During the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also spoke about the “ruling party and police men’s indulgence in the acts of terrorism” ahead of the election.

The “evidence of the election violence” were projected before the diplomats through a power-point presentation during the meeting, meeting sources said.

Later, written copies of the allegations with “facts and evidence” were handed over the foreign diplomats, the said.

Five Awami League men were killed and over 350 AL supporters were injured since the polls campaign began, claimed HT Imam, co-chairman of Awami League Election Steering Committee, yesterday.

“Every moment we are getting information about attacks on our leaders, activists, and supporters by the BNP-Jamaat men. Hundreds of campaign offices have been vandalised,” he said at a press conference at the media centre of the AL central office.    

Imam demanded that the Election Commission withdraw permission given to nine local election observer organisations. He said the organisations were set to send around 6,585 observers in 140 constituencies and most of the observers were activists of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. 

The organisations are: Democracy Watch, Khan Foundation, Light House, Bangladesh Manobadhikar Somonnoy Parishad, Jagoroni Chakra, Nobolok, Coast Trust, Shariatpur Development Society and Noakhali Rural Development Society.

He claimed that Taleya Rehman, wife of journalist Shafik Rehman runs Democracy Watch, wife of BNP leader Moyeen Khan runs Khan Foundation, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is founder of Light House, and pro-BNP Adilur Rahman is involved with Bangladesh Manobadhikar Somonnoy Parishad.

Talking to The Daily Star, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director, Coast Trust, said, “HT Imam is a gentle man. But he misunderstood us.

“As a pro-Liberation War force, we have been cooperating with the pro-Liberation War government, Awami League.”

He also said BNP-Jamaat in 2008 and recently had complained against them “for favouring the AL”.

“As questions have been raised against us, we are considering not getting involved in election observation activities,” he added.

AL REQUESTS TO EC

A delegation of ruling AL yesterday urged the EC to allow journalists to use motorcycles during the election so that they could cover the polls better.

The delegation, led by AL central leader M Akteruzzaman, met EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed at the Nirbachan Bhaban.

After the meeting, they told reporters that they also urged the commission to stay alert about criminals cloning phone numbers of EC and admin officials to misdirect field-level officers.

The BNP and Jamaat men were attacking AL activists and police and were using black money in their campaigns, the delegation claimed. They said

Jatiya Oikyafront and BNP-Jamaat were using black money to buy votes.

“We're demanding immediate arrest of all BNP-Jamaat cadres involved in terror attacks and violence … bring them to book … ,” Akteruzzaman added.

Jatiya Oikyafront’s candidate for Bogura-2 constituency Mahmudur Rahman Manna today alleged that the present atmosphere in the country is not congenial for a free and fair general election.

Manna, also the convener of Nagorik Oikya, a component of Jatiya Oikyafront, came up with the remark this afternoon after handing over a letter to Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda at his commission office, complaining over the ongoing spree of arrest and filing of cases against the opposition leaders and activists in his constituency and across the country.

Many opposition leaders and activists, including some candidates in the upcoming December 30 polls, have been arrested so far by the law enforcers across the country, Manna said.

This is not a congenial atmosphere for holding a free and fair election considering the way the opposition men are being intimidated through arrests and filing of arbitrary cases, he said.

The international community including the United Nations is worried about the ongoing political situation in the country and the credibility of the December 30 election, Manna also said.

“If the election is held amid such scenario, it will be a lopsided one, which is tantamount to snatching the ballots and polls result,” he also said, adding that the countrymen will never accept this and the responsibility will have to be taken by the ruling quarter.

Referring to the Election Commission, Manna said the EC seems to have turned a deaf ear to the voices of the opposition.

“The commission has been informed all about how the opposition leaders and activists are being oppressed and intimidated across the country, but it has so far done nothing to resolve the crisis,” he said.