Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Thursday said the Election Commission will decide on Friday when and where the army will
be deployed for the January 5 general election. But the government can also deploy the armed forces as per various legal provisions, the CEC told reporters replying to a query whether the commission will deploy the army anywhere in the country. “The government even Deputy Commissioners can deploy the army in line with different clauses of
relevant laws, if necessary. But our business is different. We take assistance from the army as we arrange election on a single day. We
only call them (army) out for election purposes…The decision will be taken tomorrow (Friday),” he said while leaving his EC secretariat
office. Replying to a question whether the commission deployed army in Satkhira, Rakibuddin said, “We didn’t field them …the army might be
out there on their winter exercise.” Asked if the commission knows about the army deployment in Satkhira, the CEC said, “We can tell
(you) after checking out the information where and for what they (army) are out there.” Meanwhile, EC secretary Dr Mohammad Sadik on
Thursday told the media that the commission was not informed about the army deployment in Satkhira. “I don’t know if the army was deployed
in Satkhira, but the government can call out the army in ‘aid of the civil power’, if the government and army want.” “However, we must
have been informed had the army been engaged on election duty,” Dr Sadik added. The commission in its meeting with top brasses of the
law enforcing agencies at 3pm on Friday will take the final decision over the army deployment. – UNB
