Army Chief stresses neutrality in polls
Staff Reporter :
The Chief of Army Staff has emphasised the importance of professionalism, neutrality, discipline and patience among army personnel to ensure that the forthcoming national parliamentary election is held in a peaceful, fair and impartial manner.
He also urged soldiers to perform their duties while maintaining a “citizen-friendly” approach towards the public.
Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman made the remarks while inspecting the activities of troops deployed in Chattogram and Cumilla. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) disclosed the information in a press release on Thursday.
According to ISPR, the army chief visited the Chattogram and Cumilla areas on Thursday to assess the overall law and order situation ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum.
The visit was carried out as part of the army’s deployment “in aid of the civil power”. During the inspection, General Waker-uz-Zaman observed the on-ground activities of the deployed troops, provided necessary guidance and exchanged views with the civil administration.
During the visit, the army chief held meetings at the Chattogram Circuit House with senior military officers, the divisional commissioner, representatives of law enforcement agencies from various districts and civil administration officials. A similar coordination meeting was later held at the conference room of the Cumilla District Administration.
At the meetings, discussions focused on inter-institutional coordination and overall security management aimed at ensuring a peaceful, neutral and credible election.
The army chief reiterated the need for army personnel to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism, impartiality, discipline, patience and a citizen-friendly attitude.
Meanwhile, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed in the capital’s Mirpur area to maintain law and order amid election campaign activities by political parties.
BGB Public Relations Officer Shariful Islam confirmed the matter on Thursday, stating that the deployment was made to prevent any untoward incidents during electioneering.
He added that two platoons of BGB members are currently on duty in Mirpur and will work in coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
The deployment follows an incident on Tuesday in the Mirpur 60 Feet area, where supporters of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami became involved in verbal altercations, scuffles and chases after alleged violations of electoral rules during campaigning.