BNP will not join polls under current govt, party tells EU envoys

Staff Reporter :
BNP leaders told the envoys of European Union (EU) countries in Bangladesh that their party will not go to the national election under the current government.
 “Like the people of Bangladesh, all democratic countries have been closely observing Bangladesh’s current situation and the atmosphere for the next election. We clearly told the EU envoys that our party would not go to the election under the current government,” BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury told journalists after the meeting.
Amir Khosru Mahmud said that the EU countries were trying to look at Bangladesh’s current democratic and human rights situation, the rule of law, human rights, freedom of speech, and media freedom.
“Especially, as there is uneasiness about the next national polls both in the country and beyond, they naturally have a view on the issue. From that point of view, we had our discussion with them,” he said.
The one and a half–hour meeting was held at ABC House in Gulshan where the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway and the Netherlands, led by the EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, were present.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led a four-member BNP delegation at the meeting. The other delegation members are Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, BNP Organising Secretary Shama Obaed Islam and Human Rights Affairs Secretary Advocate Asaduzzaman Asad.
Replying to a query, Amir Khosru said that they talked about how the electoral system in Bangladesh had collapsed as an illegal government had been in power snatching the right to vote of the country’s people.
The BNP leader said that the foreign countries were also in fear that Bangladesh would fall into a crisis if the people of the country failed to exercise their voting power in the next polls.
“From this anxiety, they (the EU diplomats) want to know how the next election is going to be held and how to make it neutral and inclusive,” Amir Khosru said.
The BNP leader said, “These countries are closely observing Bangladesh, they clearly know that the people of this country would not be able to exercise their right to vote and elect their representatives, government and parliament under the current usurper regime.”
“The EU countries are aware of this fact and they also know the reasons behind it,” the BNP leader said.