BNP questions impartiality of EC search committee members

BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan has questioned the impartiality of the members of the search committee formed to recommend names for the next Election Commission.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 Jan 2017, 08:54 PM
Updated : 26 Jan 2017, 08:54 PM

He says former EC secretary Muhammed Sadique, who has been included in the search committee, had earlier been 'rewarded for his loyalty during the 2014 elections'.

President Md Abdul Hamid constituted the committee of six on Wednesday.

Appellate Division judge Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain is heading the committee. He had also helmed the committee that recommended names for the current EC.

The other members are High Court judge Justice Obaidul Hassan, Public Service Commission Chairman Muhammed Sadique, Comptroller and Auditor General Masud Ahmed Dhaka University English Department Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, and Chittagong University Pro-VC Shireen Akhter.

BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam slammed the search committee appointments during a prayer programme to mark the second death anniversary of Chairperson Khaleda Zia's son Arafat Rahman Coco.

Referring to Sadique, he said, "A person has been made member of the committee. He had been the EC secretary during the controversial and unacceptable elections of Jan 5, 2014. For his activities during that time, he was awarded the post of Public Service Commission chairman."

About committee chief Justice Syed Mahmud, the BNP leader said, "He, who had proposed to appoint an incompetent, worthless, spineless commission of Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, has been made the chairman of the committee again."

"Not only these, a member of the committee is from an Awami League family and more than one are involved in several Awami League-backed organisations," he said.

He reacted sharply to the denial of the BNP proposal of not appointing any person holding a profitable post in the search committee.

"We wanted such persons in the search committee who have nothing more to gain. But those who have been made members of the committee have many things to achieve or have already achieved," Nazrul Islam said.

He said he thought the search committee will not be able to make recommendations for an impartial EC.