Free, fair polls not possible in current circumstances: JaPa's Shameem Haider

Jatiyo Party Secretary General Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary today (16 December) said a free and fair election is not possible under the country's current circumstances.

Speaking to journalists after paying tribute to Liberation War martyrs at the National Memorial in Savar on Victory Day, Shameem said mob violence has tightly gripped the country. 

"Mobs have entered the Secretariat and deputy commissioner offices. How will such an administration organise a credible election?" Shameem asked.

However, he said, JaPa is still interested in contesting the polls, noting that in some cases "a bad election is better than no election".

"At the same time, we will continuously and deeply review the situation in the coming days. If we see insecurity, we cannot push our candidates towards death," he said.

Referring to Victory Day, Shameem said the Pakistani occupation forces surrendered to the freedom fighters on this day, calling it the greatest day in the nation's history.

Mentioning that bloodshed has returned to politics, the JaPa leader said the interim government was expected to build a Bangladesh based on equality and unity.

"We have seen with deep sorrow that instead of unity, division has been established. Mob rule has emerged, the politics of killing has begun, and bloodshed has returned," he said.

Shameem mentioned that after the election schedule was announced, a possible key candidate and an important voice, Osman Hadi, was shot in a brutal attempt to kill him.

"We strongly protest this. It exposes cracks in the state system and reveals how fragile it has become. It also raises questions about whether the government is actually prepared for an election," he said.

He said JaPa wants an inclusive election based on equality and a functioning state and government structure.

"But what we are seeing is that the government is becoming weaker while mobs and destructive forces are growing stronger," he said.

Shameem said no political ideology can exist without 1971, also acknowledging the significance of the 2024 July Uprising, in which many students and citizens lost their lives.

He strongly protested what he described as the "distortion of history" and "saffronisation of history", saying no one can erase the legacy of 1971.

Responding to a question, Shameem said the shooting of a likely candidate after the announcement of the election schedule has raised serious concerns over the safety of candidates, polling agents and presiding officers.

"The real perpetrators have not yet been arrested. This government will have to bear the historical responsibility for failing to ensure security over the past one and a half years," he said.

He said his party is preparing for the election but will be forced to reconsider its decision if candidate security cannot be guaranteed.

"The government and the Election Commission must ensure security. That is their responsibility and the very duty for which they took their oath. If they fail or lack sincerity, then that oath has been violated," he added.