Form polls-time govt

Khelafat Majlish yesterday demanded that the president take initiative to form an election-time government to hold national polls in a free, fair and acceptable manner.

A seven-member delegation of the party said this while holding a dialogue, over formation of the next Election Commission (EC), with President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban.

The president also held talks with Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, which is a part of the ruling Awami League-led alliance, at his official residence yesterday.

At the dialogue, Hamid regretted that all successive governments since independence failed to enact a law, in line with the constitution, on formation of the EC, according to party leaders.

Hamid yesterday held the two separate meetings with the parties as part of his ongoing dialogue process with registered political parties on formation of the next EC.

'TRANSITIONAL GOVT AHEAD OF POLLS'

Emerging from the hour-long meeting around 6:00pm, Ahmad Abdul Kader, secretary general of Khelafat Majlish, told reporters that the political and administrative culture of Bangladesh has reached such a stage that it is almost impossible to hold a fair, free and neutral election under a partisan government.

"The experience of the past tells us so. Only a handful of national elections held under a caretaker government have been widely recognised as neutral. No election before or since has been recognised as free and fair. Therefore, in the current reality, it is necessary to form an election-time government," he said.

In a written proposal submitted to the president, Khelafat Majlish, which quit the BNP-led 20-party alliance on October 1, called upon Hamid to take measures to dissolve the parliament before holding national elections.

"If necessary, amendments should be made to the constitution," the party said.

"By amending the constitution, a non-partisan, neutral election-time interim government must be formed, which will merely act as a 'supervisor', meaning that it will only carry out day-to-day work of the government and provide overall assistance to the Election Commission in the conduct of elections."

In its five-point proposal, Khelafat Majlish also proposed to enact a law, in line with the constitution, to strengthen the EC, and bring ministries of public administration, home affairs, and law under the EC, after announcing the election schedule.

'GOVTS FAILED TO ENACT EC'

Meanwhile, after the dialogue with the president around 5:00pm, Tariqat Federation Chairman Syed Nazibul Bashara Maizvandari, who led a seven-member delegation, told reporters that the president regretted when they raised the issue of successive governments failing to enact a law on EC formation.

"The president expressed the same opinion as us and supported our proposal, that a law should be enacted as soon as possible."

Quoting Hamid, Nazibul said the president told them that questions will not arise if the law is enacted.

"The president also told us that everything regarding formation of the Election Commission will go smoothly if there is a law," the Tariqat chief said.

"The president said he will talk [about enacting the law] with the government," Nazibul said.

The Tariqat delegation also called upon Hamid to sit with the civil society members during his ongoing efforts to hold dialogue with different registered political parties.

Tariqat said they proposed Hamid to form a search committee comprising a judge of the Appellate Division, a former secretary, an educationalist, a civil society member and senior journalist.

Tenure of the KM Nurul Huda-led Election Commission is scheduled to expire on February 14, next year.

A new EC will have to be formed before the expiry of the present EC, as per the constitution.