Dr. Tofail Ahmed , Local Government Expert : All political parties will receive equal opportunities in the Gazipur City Corporation election, as per the High Court directive. No activist should be harassed or detained. Though the court’s order is accepted, it is not applied. The election is going through an upheaval. A schedule is fixed but was later postponed. This is not a good sign.
This is something to be discussed by the Election Commission, not the general people. Detaining rival party member secretary and election management committee members is not ethical. Detainment and harassment barely three or four days before the election is not a good sign at all.
BNP has alleged that the police detained nine members of their election management committee from Wednesday night to Thursday. On Thursday morning, a written application was submitted to the Returning Officer by the party, seeking an end to the harassment. BNP has done its part and now the rest is up to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) –what the course of action will be, it is to be seen. A statement by the CEC regarding halting the harassment and detainment of rival party activists is very important. A promise was made for the equal opportunity for all parties. The administration’s on-duty officers have also stated that activists will not be harassed.
Based on an interview by Muhammad Naeem, translated by Abrar