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Wednesday, October 10, 2012Front Page
No plan to deploy army in JS polls
CEC tells diplomats
No plan to deploy army in JS polls
Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission has no plan to deploy army to maintain law and order during the next parliamentary polls, said the chief election commissioner at a meeting with leading diplomats in Dhaka yesterday.
"We have no plan to deploy army during the next parliamentary polls to maintain law and order. The regular law enforcement agencies should take the burden to do the job," EC Secretary Muhammed Sadique told reporters quoting CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad as saying at the meeting.
The CEC made the comment in response to a diplomat's query whether the EC would opt for deploying army to ensure security in the next polls scheduled to be held by the end of 2013.
In all the parliamentary polls held since 1991, armed forces -- army, navy and air force -- worked to maintain law and order side by side with the law enforcers.
Even before the 2001 parliamentary polls, the armed forces were given sweeping authority by amending electoral laws to arrest anybody without warrant for violation of electoral laws within a radius of 400 yards of the polling stations on polling day.
After the debacle in the 2001 polls, the Awami League blamed the role of some members of the armed forces and started vehemently opposing the authority. In middle of 2004 the party formally demanded cancellation of the provision.
Interestingly, during the past emergency regime the AL accepted it.
But assuming office through the parliamentary polls held on December 29, 2008, the AL-led government scrapped the provision.
The immediate past EC led by ATM Shamsul Huda proposed for restoration of the provision to provide armed forces with this authority again. But the fate of the proposal remains uncertain.
At yesterday's meeting the diplomats enquired about the EC's preparations and challenges it is taking and facing for holding the next parliamentary polls.
They also assured the EC of providing all-out support including financial and logistics to hold the polls in a free and fair manner.
Talking to reporters after the meeting at the EC Secretariat, Robert W Gibson, UK high commissioner in Dhaka, said the EC informed them about its preparatory works for holding the next parliamentary polls.
In response to a query whether they discussed participation of all political parties in the next polls, Robert said they did not talk about political matters.
The meeting, held for the first time in last four years, triggered speculations whether the diplomats would start working to break the political deadlock over the next parliamentary polls. The BNP-led opposition has announced not to contest the next polls without restoration of the caretaker government system.
A group of diplomats including the envoys of the USA and the UK earlier engaged in hectic moves to resolve the political impasse at the end of 2006 and early 2007.
Asked about the discussion, CEC Rakibuddin said the diplomats enquired about their preparations for holding the next parliamentary polls. "They are ready to provide us with any sort of assistance," he added.
The EC secretary said the diplomats also enquired about the government's steps to make the EC independent.
He said one diplomat also drew the EC's attention to the conflicting situation among the political parties. "In response, the CEC said the political conflict should be settled by the political parties themselves," the secretary added.
Envoys and representatives of UNDP, EU delegation, the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, USAID, among others, were present at the meeting
No plan to deploy army in JS polls
CEC tells diplomats
No plan to deploy army in JS polls
Staff Correspondent
The Election Commission has no plan to deploy army to maintain law and order during the next parliamentary polls, said the chief election commissioner at a meeting with leading diplomats in Dhaka yesterday.
"We have no plan to deploy army during the next parliamentary polls to maintain law and order. The regular law enforcement agencies should take the burden to do the job," EC Secretary Muhammed Sadique told reporters quoting CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad as saying at the meeting.
The CEC made the comment in response to a diplomat's query whether the EC would opt for deploying army to ensure security in the next polls scheduled to be held by the end of 2013.
In all the parliamentary polls held since 1991, armed forces -- army, navy and air force -- worked to maintain law and order side by side with the law enforcers.
Even before the 2001 parliamentary polls, the armed forces were given sweeping authority by amending electoral laws to arrest anybody without warrant for violation of electoral laws within a radius of 400 yards of the polling stations on polling day.
After the debacle in the 2001 polls, the Awami League blamed the role of some members of the armed forces and started vehemently opposing the authority. In middle of 2004 the party formally demanded cancellation of the provision.
Interestingly, during the past emergency regime the AL accepted it.
But assuming office through the parliamentary polls held on December 29, 2008, the AL-led government scrapped the provision.
The immediate past EC led by ATM Shamsul Huda proposed for restoration of the provision to provide armed forces with this authority again. But the fate of the proposal remains uncertain.
At yesterday's meeting the diplomats enquired about the EC's preparations and challenges it is taking and facing for holding the next parliamentary polls.
They also assured the EC of providing all-out support including financial and logistics to hold the polls in a free and fair manner.
Talking to reporters after the meeting at the EC Secretariat, Robert W Gibson, UK high commissioner in Dhaka, said the EC informed them about its preparatory works for holding the next parliamentary polls.
In response to a query whether they discussed participation of all political parties in the next polls, Robert said they did not talk about political matters.
The meeting, held for the first time in last four years, triggered speculations whether the diplomats would start working to break the political deadlock over the next parliamentary polls. The BNP-led opposition has announced not to contest the next polls without restoration of the caretaker government system.
A group of diplomats including the envoys of the USA and the UK earlier engaged in hectic moves to resolve the political impasse at the end of 2006 and early 2007.
Asked about the discussion, CEC Rakibuddin said the diplomats enquired about their preparations for holding the next parliamentary polls. "They are ready to provide us with any sort of assistance," he added.
The EC secretary said the diplomats also enquired about the government's steps to make the EC independent.
He said one diplomat also drew the EC's attention to the conflicting situation among the political parties. "In response, the CEC said the political conflict should be settled by the political parties themselves," the secretary added.
Envoys and representatives of UNDP, EU delegation, the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, USAID, among others, were present at the meeting
.
