EC formation talks: BJP, Kalyan Party demand Khaleda’s treatment abroad

Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) and Kalyan Party have demanded allowing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment on humanitarian grounds.

Taking part in the dialogue with President Abdul Hamid over formation of the next Election Commission, the BJP demanded raising the issue at the cabinet meeting for discussion, considering the overall situation in the country.

Khaleda Zia's treatment abroad has now become a matter of public concern. In the absence of proper treatment, any untoward incident can lead to a volatile situation in the country, BJP Chairman Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho told reporters after the dialogue with the president at Bangabhaban in the capital on Thursday night.

He said, "I have asked the president to take necessary steps as the issue of Khaleda Zia's treatment abroad has become a matter of public concern now."

Partho said they have made four demands to the president to make the next general election free, fair and acceptable.

Referring to the last 10th and 11th national elections, he said that the amount of vote rigging, fraud and serious misconduct and irregularities in these elections has seriously tarnished the image of democracy, election process and election commission of Bangladesh in the domestic and international arena. 

"It is clear that fair elections are not possible under any party government. In this situation, we have proposed a non-partisan/interim government for holding the next parliamentary elections," he added.

Taking part in the dialogue, Bangladesh Kalyan Party sought the president's permission to allow BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment.

A six-member delegation led by the party's Chairman Major General Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Bir Pratik, participated in the dialogue with the president.

At the dialogue, they demanded legislation over forming the election commission. The party thinks there is still time to enact a new law.

Representatives of the party also proposed to introduce a caretaker government during the next general election.

The party believes that an independent and strong election commission is needed to conduct free, fair and impartial elections. They have proposed four names for the search committee and the election commission.

Earlier, at the dialogue with the president on the same day, the Zaker Party placed four proposals including the addition of a state-of-the-art block-chain and e-voting systems.

The party's Chairman Mostafa Amir Faisal said after participating in the dialogue at Bangabhaban in the capital on Thursday evening. Earlier, a six-member delegation led by him took part in the dialogue.

The party chairman said, "We have proposed to add a modern technology block-chain system and e-voting for holding free, fair and neutral elections."

He said an e-voting system should be introduced, so that voters can cast their votes from home. If money can be transacted through mobile banking, why voting cannot be done digitally in digital Bangladesh.

The Zaker Party chairman said, "We have proposed to enact a law over EC formation. Repeated changes to the constitution for the interest of particular parties tarnish the image of Bangladesh in the outside world."

Faisal said, "We have also proposed to create a database of self-declared voters of the registered parties and submit it to the Election Commission for publication."

In reply to a query over search committee, he said, "We have proposed to form the search committee with representatives of all registered political parties."