Staff Reporter :
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, stated that their responsibilities are not limited to conducting elections.
“We have three major responsibilities reform, justice, and election. All three are challenging
. We didn’t take on this responsibility just to hold elections,” she told reporters on Friday afternoon after the 24th National Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Zoological Society of Bangladesh, held at Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building of Dhaka University.
When asked by journalists whether they were able to perform their duties, Rizwana replied, “We’ve come a long way through many adversities. The reform commissions have submitted their reports. The process of building political consensus based on those reports has begun.All political parties are participating in that. We have announced a timeline for the election.
Judicial proceedings have also commenced. Previously there was only one tribunal; now there are two. The formal proceedings of the trials will begin tomorrow. We want to complete these tasks through the proper process, and we seek everyone’s cooperation to do so.”
Syeda Rizwana Hasan further said, “The next national parliamentary election will be held between December 2025 and June 2026. There is no possibility of going beyond that timeframe not even by a single day. The election will be held within that window.
The Chief Adviser and the Advisory Council are working with that goal in mind. Necessary preparations and planning have been undertaken to hold the election within the stipulated period. So, there was really no need to keep discussing the election over and over again because the timeline has already been given.”
In response to a question about whether they are under any pressure, she said, “The only pressure we feel is whether we are able to perform this is a matter of our judgment and conscience.
You can’t just walk into the Secretariat whenever you wish. Yet there are many such demands out there that could be resolved through discussion without blocking the roads.”
She added, “Since we assumed responsibility, people have been blocking roads with their various demands. Dhaka city is becoming paralyzed.
We’re thinking about whether we are able to resolve this paralysis. We didn’t assume power; we took on a national responsibility. We can fulfill this responsibility only if we get everyone’s cooperation. We’re reflecting deeply on whether we’re truly fulfilling our duty.”
“Obstacles have arisen in carrying out the three major responsibilities. We’re thinking: how can we overcome these obstacles? Can we overcome them at all? If we can, how will we do it? If we cannot, then what should we do? We are discussing all of this collectively,” she said.
“If we are able to fulfill our duties, then it is relevant for us to stay in this position. But if we cannot, we all have our own professions to return to. If we can’t perform, remaining in office is no longer relevant,” Rizwana concluded.
