Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission on Sunday sought to reassure the public and political stakeholders that the 13th national parliamentary election will be held on schedule, even as concerns grow over recent violence and attempts to disrupt the electoral process.
Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the commission’s position was unequivocal.
“The message from the Election Commission is absolutely clear. There is no uncertainty over the election.
The election will be held on time,” he told reporters after a high-level meeting with senior law enforcement officials at the Election Commission building in Agargaon.
He said the commission and the government are fully aware of efforts to create obstacles to the election. “We are not unaware of the attempts being made to hinder the election process,” Sanaullah added.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, was held on Sunday afternoon and brought together top officials from various law enforcement agencies to review the overall law and order situation ahead of the polls. The Election Commission announced the election schedule on Thursday.
Less than 24 hours later, Sharif Osman Hadi, a potential independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, was shot in the capital, triggering widespread concern about candidate safety and political violence ahead of the election.
Sanaullah said the meeting discussed the attack on Hadi in detail, describing it as a covert and serious incident.
He also revealed that attempts had been made to set fire to two field-level offices of the Election Commission.
“We are not ruling out the risk of further clandestine attacks,” he said, adding that the core objective of the meeting was to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and ensure that any perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice.
“There was one message that came unanimously from all the forces,” Sanaullah said. “Those who attempt to sabotage, obstruct or damage this election will fail. Wherever firmness is required, the forces will act with that level of firmness.”
CEC AMM Nasir Uddin, addressing the same meeting, expressed deep concern over the shooting of Hadi, calling the timing of the incident particularly alarming. “The incident felt like a bolt from the blue to me.
I announced the election schedule one day, and the very next day such an incident occurred. It is extremely unfortunate,” he said.
According to Election Commission sources, the commission is treating the shooting with utmost seriousness, viewing it as a potential threat to the credibility of the electoral environment at a critical stage of the pre-polls period.
Officials said the commission expects swift and effective action to identify those responsible and to ensure that violence does not discourage candidates or voters.
The meeting, held at 4pm in the Election Commission conference room, focused on security preparedness and coordination among agencies in the run-up to the polls.
Senior officials present included the senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, the inspector general of police, the director general of Border Guard Bangladesh, the director general of Ansar and VDP, and the commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
While law enforcement agencies briefed the commission on steps already taken following the attack on Hadi, the CEC stressed that maintaining a peaceful atmosphere throughout the electoral process would be essential to ensuring a free, fair and credible election.
