Senior advocate of Bangladesh Supreme Court and former president of the SC Bar Association Khandakar Mahbub Hossain on Friday called f
or unity of all opposition political parties on only one point, a free and fair election. Otherwise, the independence of the country would be at stake, he said.
Addressing a discussion meeting on the importance of a neutral government in holding a free and fair election organized by the Bangladesh Muslim League at the National Press Club, Dhaka, as the chief guest he said that the nation was now facing a grave situation it had never encountered before.
‘First, establish the people’s right to vote’, he said alleging that the present government has proved that free and fair elections cannot be held under it. He said there was this demand for election under a neutral government also in the nineties. Then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had set an example of making provisions for a caretaker government in the Constitution showing respect to the public opinion, and handing over power to a caretaker government for a free election.
The opposition parties should come under a single platform to restore democracy. he said.
Presided over by Abdul Aziz Hawladar, executive president of BML, the discussion meeting was also addressed by BML general secretary Kazi Abul Khair, Senior member of BML presidium Atiqul Islam, Jatiya Ganatantrik Andolan chief Bobby Hazzaz, Engr Abul Hossain of Bangladesh National Congress and Gazi Mostafizur Rahman of UDP among others.
Kazi Abul Khair said all great political leaders of this soil took their lessons in politics and made an immense contribution to the emergence and development of Bangladesh. Sher-e-Bangla, AK Fazlul Huq, Huseyin Shaheed Suhrawardy, Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman all had fought for independence in 1947 as ML leaders. Bangabandhu led the struggle for Independence of Bangladesh and became the father of the nation, he said.
Kazi Abul Khair said that Bangladesh is now a rapidly developing country. In 1947 it had only four cotton mills. He urged prime minister Sheikh Hasina to save the country promoting unity in the country by ending divisive trends. The nation will accept this as a great contribution because unity will also save Bangladesh from turning into a failed state, he said.
Atiqul Islam said elections under the AL were marred by controversies of rigging. Muslim League alone had set a rare example of a free election under it in 1954 when most of its candidates including then chief minister Nurul Amin were defeated. Thanking the Prime Minister for publishing her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s not-completed biographies, Atiqul Islam urged her to free the country as well as herself from tension by paving the way for a free and fair election. Democracy and freedom of expression were now confined only to the National Press Club premise. Elsewhere people face case, arrest or detention for making free statements, he added.
Bobby Hazzaz said that division of the country on the basis of pro or anti-liberation forces was undesirable because none can assert themselves as against Bangladesh’s war of liberation now. Fingers can be pointed at people for being anti-Bangladesh, anti-democracy or anti-people. He said without free and fair election democracy cannot function.
In his presidential address, Abdul Aziz Hawladar called for political unity for free and fair election and alleged that the people cannot expect free and fair election from the government which was not elected by the people in 2014. – GW News Desk
