Staff Correspondent: Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus (Wednesday, 22 Oct) assured the leaders of National Citizen Party (NCP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami that the interim government would take all necessary steps to ensure free, fair and impartial national elections in February next.

“You can remain confident about our neutrality. We have already taken several measures to hold a free, fair and credible election and you will soon see many more initiatives,” he said.

The Chief Adviser came up with the assurance at separate meetings with delegations from the both political parties at the State Guest House, Jamuna, said Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.

During the meeting, Professor Yunus sought cooperation from all active political parties, including Jamaat and the NCP, to make the election peaceful and festive one.

Apart from the government’s overall preparations for the upcoming general elections, the Chief Adviser and the Jamaat-NCP leaders also discussed the implementation process of the July National Charter, the proposed referendum and the roadmap for the trial of the July killings.

A four member NCP delegation, led by its Convener Nahid Islam joined the meeting. Other members of the delegation included Chief Organizer (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin and Joint Convener Khaled Saifullah.

Later, a four-member Jamaat delegation led by Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher met the Chief Adviser.

Other members of the delegation included Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar and assistant secretary generals ATM Masum and Rafiqul Islam Khan.

On behalf of the government, Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul and Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan were present at the meetings.

During the meeting, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said, “We want a clear roadmap for the trial of the July killings and a guarantee for the implementation of the July Charter before the national election. The government must take strong steps in this regard.”

In response, the Chief Adviser urged the NCP to sign the July Charter, saying, “This charter is a valuable asset for the nation and everyone’s participation is important here.”

Professor Yunus further assured the NCP delegation that the National Consensus Commission was actively working on the process to implement the July National Charter.

Nahid Islam informed the Chief Adviser that the NCP had already sent a letter to the Commission seeking a meeting with its legal experts to discuss relevant matters.

Shortly after the NCP meeting, the Jamaat leaders met the Chief Adviser and demanded that a referendum on the July Charter be held before the national election.

“A referendum before the election is essential because the July Charter contains many issues that linked to the national polls,” Dr Abdullah Mohammad Taher said.

“If the referendum is held on the same day as the national election, there is a risk that the voting process will be prolonged,” he added.

The Jamaat leaders expressed full confidence in any decision taken by the Chief Adviser to ensure the neutrality of the administration during the election.

The Chief Adviser told NCP and Jamaat delegations that he would personally oversee any administrative reshuffles before the election.

He further assured them that all necessary measures would be taken in coordination with the Election Commission.

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