No bar for Khaleda to participate in next election

There is no legal bar for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to participate in the next general election, said Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman yesterday.

"The false cases filed against Khaleda Zia have already been settled," he said.

The attorney general was speaking at a shadow parliament organised by Debate for Democracy at the FDC in the capital.

"If convicted of killing in July, many Awami League leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, would be ineligible to participate in the election," he said.

AL's participation is not crucial to make elections inclusive, he added.

"Those who destroyed the election process, tore the constitution apart, and violated people's rights have been identified as the villains of history."

The attorney general also said the martyrs of the July uprising will forever be remembered as great heroes.

This revolution was driven by the spirit of the Liberation War and the determination to build a Bangladesh free from discrimination.

"Efforts are being made to undermine the achievements of this revolution, but no conspirator will succeed."

Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron said former chief justice Khairul Haque had annulled the caretaker government process with the malicious intention of keeping the previous fascist Awami League government in power indefinitely.

"The fallen Awami League government deprived the people of their right to vote. The Awami League has completely destroyed the electoral process through fraudulent, one-sided, and midnight elections," he said.

In the last three elections, the Election Commission, administration, police, returning officers, and polling officers and others were guilty of fraud, he added.

"All those who committed these electoral crimes must be brought to justice."

Kiron made 10 recommendations to ensure future elections are fair and acceptable.

These include taking initiatives to bring to justice all those involved in electoral crimes, including members of the Election Commission; implementing strict legal provisions to prevent corrupt individuals from participating in elections; repealing all laws that may hinder the media from freely reporting on elections; and ensuring that the EC is independent.