Bangladesh Army to help ensure peaceful elections, hopes senior BNP leader Hafiz Uddin Ahmed

DHAKA (Bangladesh): Senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has expressed hope that the Bangladesh Army will play a crucial role in ensuring that the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for February next year, are held peacefully.

“The interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus is weak. Professor Yunus is a renowned global figure highly respected by the people of Bangladesh. But the people he has chosen as members of the caretaker administration have no experience in running any administration. They were connected with some NGOs. Running the country is too much for them,” Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, a member of BNP’s standing committee, the highest body of the party, told ANI in an interview.

Highlighting the deteriorating law and order situation in the country, the BNP leader stated that the army’s sincerity and involvement would be crucial to achieving free and fair elections.

“The internal law and order situation is very bad. The only hope of having a free and fair election can be achieved if the army fully supports the government in their heart. A lot depends on the performance of the army. If they are serious, they have given magistracy power already, so if they perform their duties, the election should not be a problem; it would be a free and fair election,” said Ahmed, who is also a retired army official.

“Police administration is very weak. The government is also weak. The Election Commission are trying their best and it all depends on the armed forces and other law-enforcing agencies to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner,” he added.

Emphasising the importance of maintaining communal harmony during the elections, Ahmed said that BNP and other political parties will take measures to ensure the safety of minority communities.

“Bangladesh is known for its communal harmony, and during the election time, all political parties, particularly big parties like BNP, will make sure that communal harmony remains intact. I am confident that the army and law enforcement agencies will do their best to protect the minority community. Apart from that, all political parties and BNP workers will leave no stone unturned to maintain communal harmony. Physically, they will stay in the minority community areas as guards and we will make sure that no miscreants can enter the areas during elections and even after and definitely arrange protection for them. We will go in an organised manner so that no untoward incident can take place,” the BNP leader, who is also a freedom fighter of Bangladesh, said.

When asked whether Bangladesh’s internal situation could affect regional stability, Ahmed noted that unrest in one South Asian country often impacts its neighbours.

“Yes, it has. Today, all countries in South Asia are interdependent. If there is turmoil in one country, it definitely affects its neighbours. We hope that the country in question will resolve their own differences so that the whole of South Asia remains trouble-free,” he said.

Commenting on the ongoing debate regarding reforms and the proposed referendum, Ahmed said the major issue remaining is the timing of the vote.

“The discussion phase is over by now, and the people who conducted the reform dialogue they all left for the USA. Now, only one issue remains regarding the referendum: whether it should take place before the elections or on election day. Some of the smaller parties wanted it before election day, but the BNP and all the major parties, except Jamaat-e-Islami, wanted it on election day. There are valid reasons for that. Conducting a referendum is a matter of considerable expense, so it’s always better to hold the referendum on election day. Most of the political parties are in favour of holding it on the election day. This is only a small thing to be resolved by the interim government now,” he said.

The political parties that participated in the uprising against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had prepared the July Charter—a document outlining post-Hasina reform proposals–and agreed to hold a referendum to approve it.

Speaking about BNP’s prospective foreign policy, Ahmed said his party would pursue friendly relations with all countries while maintaining independence in its approach.

“If BNP comes to power, we will follow an independent foreign policy, which means friendship to all and malice to none. We would also like to have friendly relations with India. It is a large country, and we are interdependent in commercial and economic affairs as well. We would like to have good relations with India. However, it will definitely not be like the Hasina regime, where we would bow down to improper requests and provide them with undue facilities; that will not happen. We would like to have good relations on the basis of mutual understanding and respecting each other’s sovereignty, then there will be no problem in South Asia, and we can create a good atmosphere so that all the countries of South Asia remain friendly to one another,” he said.

On the issue of inclusivity in the upcoming elections, Ahmed stated that BNP welcomes the participation of all parties, including the Awami League.

“This policy will be determined by the interim administration. As the largest political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, we definitely want an inclusive election. We don’t mind if the Awami League participates in the coming elections. We would encourage them. We would like to see all political parties participating in the electoral process and campaigning for their own causes. I think so far no direction has been passed. Nobody has banned the Awami League from elections. BNP wants inclusive elections. If the Awami League comes, we will welcome them. But they themselves are in disarray. They have had such a brutal past, and they have committed so many atrocities. They themselves do not like to participate in contests or elections in Bangladesh. Otherwise, we have no problem. They are welcome,” he said. (ANI)