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AL favours EVM use in next national polls: Quader

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Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said the ruling party is in favour of the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming general elections.

“The EVM use should be increased significantly in the forthcoming 12th national elections… This is loud and clear,” he told reporters after attending a meeting, organised by the Election Commission (EC), at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the AL thinks that the EC’s acceptability, neutrality and capacity are important in holding a free and fair polls.

“In addition, the EC needs to ensure its responsible and neutral attitude, ensure overall security and increase the EVM use in the elections,” he said.

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The AL general secretary said the AL also thinks that transparency and accountability have increased in holding polls due to the increase in the use of technology, including EVMs, in the EC’s activities.

The use of EVMs will stop vote rigging, the seizing of polling centres, election engineering and vote stealing.

Noting that the next general elections will be held under the EC, not under the government, Quader said it is the jurisdiction of the commission only to hold elections.

During the election period, he said, all agencies, including administration and law enforcing agencies, to be involved in election conducting activities, will remain under the EC’s jurisdiction.

The election-time government will only conduct the routine work, he said, assuring that the present government will not interfere in the EC’s activities.
 
Quader said many politicians are stating that they will not take part in the elections under the present government but it should be made clear that the polls is going to be under the EC, not the government.

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He said the government will cooperate with the EC in performing its responsibilities.

The road transport and bridges minister said the commission is holding consultations with political parties over the use of technology in polls.

“On behalf of the Awami League and AL President Sheikh Hasina, we thank the EC as it invited us,” he said.

Besides, he demanded not allowing controversial people to be election observers.

AL presidium members Kazi Zafarullah and Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan, advisory council member Sahabuddin Chuppu, information and research secretary Dr Selim Mahmud, office secretary Biplob Barua and deputy office secretary Sayem Khan, among others, joined the meeting.

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Representatives of 10 political parties took part in today’s meeting. The parties are: Bangladesh Awami League, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, Bangladesher Sammobadi Dal, Ganatantri Party, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP), Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party and Bangladesh Sangskritik Mukti Jote.

Politics

Foreign powers like US behind my ouster: Indian media quotes Hasina

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In what is being called in Indian media to be her first statement since resigning and fleeing the country on August 5, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has accused foreign powers like the US of playing a hand in her ouster.

Indian news outlet The Print in an article today said it had seen the message conveyed to Hasina’s Awami League supporters. India’s Economic Times also carried an article about the message, which The Daily Frontline has not been able to independently verify.

“I could have remained in power if I had left St Martin and the Bay of Bengal to America,” she said in the message.

According to The Print, the Hasina government saw strained relations with the US for many years. Ahead of January’s elections this year, she said “a white man” had offered her a smooth return to power in exchange for an airbase.

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Hasina also warned the new interim government not to be “used” by such foreign powers.

Led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, the new interim government was sworn in on Thursday night, three days after Hasina’s ouster.

“I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over your [students’] bodies, I did not allow it. I came with power,” read Hasina’s statement.

“Maybe if I was in the country today, more lives would have been lost, more wealth would have been destroyed,” she added.

She is also expected to address the media while in India next week, The Print article said.

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Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled Bangladesh on August 5, when a student-led protest culminated in a mass uprising against her Awami League government.

More than 400 people were killed in the preceding three weeks, a majority of them in police firing and firing by Awami League activists.

The US is Bangladesh’s largest foreign direct investor.

In her message to supporters and party cadres, she vowed to return to the country, though accepting her defeat.

“I will return soon inshAllah. The defeat is mine but the victory is [that of] the people of Bangladesh,” she stated.

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“I removed myself, I came with your victory, you were my strength, you did not want me, I myself then left, resigned. My workers who are there, no one will lose morale. Awami League has stood up again and again,” she added, according to The Print.

The former prime minister also accused people of distorting her words.

“I want to repeat to my young students, I never called you Razakars … My words have been distorted. A group has taken advantage of your danger,” she said in the message.

The term “Razakar” is considered to be derogatory in Bangladesh as it refers to ‘volunteers’ who collaborated with the Pakistan Army during Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence.

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Regulator orders freeze on bank accounts of Hasan Mahmud, family members

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The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has ordered banks to freeze all accounts of former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud and his family members.

A senior official of the anti-money laundering agency confirmed it.

The BFIU asked the banks to block all types of withdrawals through the individual or business accounts of Hasan Mahmud, his wife Nuran Fatema, and their daughter Nafisa Jumyina Mahmud.

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Police can’t be used as killers, henchmen anymore: Sakhawat

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Home Affairs Adviser Brigadier General (Retired) M Sakhawat Hussain today said members of the police force cannot be used as killers or henchmen anymore.

“Police has been given lethal weapons. I was surprised to see 7.62 (firearms) at police’s hand. They were given those weapons 15 to 20 years back … Police should not be given these weapons,” the adviser said.

He was talking to media at the Central Police Hospital in Dhaka after visiting police members who suffered injuries in clashes during the recent mass protests.

The adviser condemned both the killings of general public by shooting and murders of police during the protests.

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“I am telling politicians that it will be difficult to do politics now. You can’t use police like killers and henchmen anymore,” he added.

“I will insist that police will run under the police commission. Orders from anyone will be given to the police commission, and they [the commission] will decide what to do,” he said.

“Every day, incidents of robbery are going on as there are no police on the streets. Police are demoralised,” he added.

“Unjust things have happened … I will try to severely punish those who ordered [killing of people by shooting] either at home or abroad,” he said.

“The politics of Bangladesh is the politics of sycophants. Such flattery is created that people are dying and they say nothing happened,” he added

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He asked police members not to apply excessive force.

“Our society can’t run without police,” he said.

The adviser said what the army is currently doing was not their job. But they are still doing it. They were even attacked in Gopalganj.

“A state cannot run like this. Politics of a state cannot go on like this. Bangabandhu has of course contributed, but thousands of people fought and 30 lakh people were killed to liberate the country. The state is not anyone’s personal property,” he said.

“I saw what happened in the country through BBC. But our media said nothing had happened. If media had played an objective role, police would not face this situation. Shame on you.

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“A country is submerged when the media does not speak the truth,” he said.

He threatened to shut down media outlets if they are biased towards any one entity.

Regarding the 11-point demand of police members, the adviser said, “They did not want the sky and the moon. Their demands will be met, [but] it may take time to meet some of the demands.”

He urged people to cooperate with police to bring the situation to normal.

Over 400 people including some policemen were killed and several thousand others were injured after in the monthlong protests that eventually forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country on August 5.

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