Dhaka – The ruling Awami League leaves the jurisdiction to constitute the search committee to form the new Election Commission to the President saying that it did not propose any name for it.
The BNP, on the other hand, expressed its frustration over formation of the search committee terming it as an AL liked committee.
The AL and its arch rival BNP gave these reactions immediately after the announcement of the search committee by the President’s House on Wednesday.
“It is the jurisdiction of the President to provide names for the search committee to reform the EC. The AL did not propose any name for the committee,” said Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader.
The AL leader was talking to reporters on formation of the search committee by the President after signing an agreement at a city hotel.
“It is the total jurisdiction of the honourable President as to who he would nominate. We are not giving any name and do not expect either any person of our party to be included in the search committee,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking at a discussion meeting at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed his frustration with the search committee saying that his party is not only angry but also aggrieved with it.
“The Awami League wants to hold another January 5 like election through this committee… They want to catch fish in the muddy water,” he alleged.
Mirza Alamgir said there was ray of hope when the President began the talks with the political parties on formation of the EC but this hope turned into disappointment leaving a serious uncertainty.
He termed the search committee AL liked one justifying that the chairman of the public service commission, comptroller and auditor general and pro-vice chancellor of Chittagong University, who have been accommodated in he search committee have been appointment by the present government.
Referring to the reaction of pro-vice chancellor of Chittagong University in a private TV channel it helped to understand what kind of search committee was formed.
The BNP leader said the President is an institution and his party expected a neutral decision from him as an opportunity was created to resolve the current political impasse. “But he (President) did not accept it. Now we can understand what type of EC would be formed by this search committee. With this, the country is being pushed to an abyss,” he observed.
Standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said he has nothing to make comments over the search committee but he hoped that the party would certainly discuss the matter at party forum immediately.
President Abdul Hamid earlier on Thursday formed the six-member search committee after a month long talks with 31-registered political parties to form the new EC and its tenure will expire early next month.
The new EC is expected the next election scheduled to be held in 2019. – Staff Reporter
