No uncertainty over upcoming national election: CA press secretary

There is no uncertainty regarding the upcoming national election, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (19 July).

"The election will be held on time as announced by the chief adviser. A peaceful environment will be ensured for the election, alongside creating a level playing field for all, " the press secretary said while speaking to journalists after attending an event titled 'The Next Wave' at the Moinamoti Auditorium of the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) hosted by Cumilla University.

"The forthcoming election will be one of the best in Bangladesh's history," he added.

About the national consensus on reforms, Shafiqul said political parties have been engaging in dialogues with the National Consensus Commission. "No political party had boycotted the talks. In many countries, it takes two to four years to reach such a consensus, but political parties in Bangladesh were working sincerely and had already reached an understanding on several issues."

He further said, "So far, consensus had been reached on eight issues, discussions were ongoing on seven others, and three issues had yet to be discussed."

Shafiqul expressed the hope that the talks would lead to a concrete outcome. "I hope that the parties will sign the July Charter and an election atmosphere will be created after the monsoon. Young people who remained deprived of voting rights for long will be able to exercise it this time."

Speaking about the Gopalganj incident, the press secretary said, "The government is doing everything lawfully in Gopalganj after the recent violence there. Those who took the law into their own hands and were involved in the violence in Gopalganj will be brought to justice."

He also said, "I will urge all journalists to visit Gopalganj and see we are doing everything lawfully."

When asked about the issue of dividing Gopalganj, Shafiqul said, "Gopalganj is a part of Bangladesh. The government has no intention of discriminating against its people."

Responding to another question regarding deterioration in law and order situation, he said the government is trying sincerely to improve the situation. "We are also getting some results. In sensational cases arrests are being made quickly and relevant laws were also amended. Efforts are on to hold trials in rape cases fast."

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Haider Ali, astrophotographer Zubayer Kawlin, Chorki CEO Redoan Rony, writer Del H Khan, singer Asif Akbar were, among others, present.