The relevance of a December election
This year the election is scheduled to be held towards the end of December. Since it was in December that we managed to secure victory against the oppressive Pakistani regime in 1971, it is usually a month of celebration for us. However, this year, December may turn out to be a difficult and frightening month, especially given what happened during the last general elections.
As the major political parties are yet to reach any consensus as to the holding of the elections, there is every possibility of violence breaking out before and during the elections. Already there have been reports of various violent incidents. The fact that we are living in such conditions is extremely disappointing.
We should all remember that many valiant sons and daughters of this country had sacrificed their lives in 1971 to liberate us from oppression, and to give us the opportunity to choose our own destiny. At the core of our independence struggle were the ideas of freedom and democracy. And I hope that our next election will reflect these ideas, instead of making a mockery of them.
Nur Jahan, Chattogram
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