Zainul Abedin Farroque urges CA to announce ‘clear date’ for election

BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Advocate Zainul Abedin Farroque on Friday urged the Chief Adviser to announce a clear date for the national election, along with a roadmap, without delaying the process under the pretext of reforms.

“We will listen to what the Chief Adviser says. Please, specify the roadmap and election date,” he said while addressing a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club.

Bangladesh Chalak Dal arranged the programme, titled “Election Roadmap and Public Expectation”.

Farroque said the people of the country do not want the interim government to delay the transfer of power to the elected representatives or election in the name of reforms. “No matter who says what, the people's representatives will decide what will be fully reformed and what will not,” the BNP leader said.

He said the country’s people are in uncertainty about when exactly the current interim government could hold the elections in Bangladesh. “Of course, the Chief Adviser must listen to the political parties that were repressed in Bangladesh over the last 16 years.”

The BNP leader said that if the government announces the election date, it will bring relief to the people and restore their confidence that democracy and the rule of law will be re-established through a fair election, for which they have long been waiting.

Farroque, also a former opposition chief whip in Parliament, urged Chief Adviser Dr Yunus to fulfill his duties to meet the hopes and aspirations of the people.

He also requested the Chief Adviser to advise members of his advisory council to speak with caution. "They should refrain from making any comments that could harm your reputation. They should exercise restraint and avoid remarks that could hurt public sentiment,”

The BNP leader asked advisers to speak out against the syndicates responsible for hiking the prices of essential items like sugar, onions, and others.

He lamented that the government had failed to arrest the members of the syndicate who made enormous profits and siphoned off money abroad over the past 16 years by manipulating the market.

Farroque also called upon the government to take necessary steps to prevent the manipulation of the market by the Awami League’s ‘ghosts’ during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.

He warned the people of the country that another plot is underway to eliminate the nationalist forces and erase the ideals of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman from the hearts of the people.

The BNP leader alleged that the Awami League is plotting to destabilise the country by carrying out attacks on members of the Hindu community.

He said deposed autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina must face trial in Bangladesh and be held accountable for her misdeeds, including killings and repression.