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Published : 20 Jan 2026, 03:52 PM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has directed authorities to quickly recover illegal firearms and weapons looted from police stations ahead of the 13th general election.
He issued the directive at a meeting of the National Implementation Committee on Administrative Reorganisation (NICAR) at the State Guest House Jamuna on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam briefed journalists on the discussions at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
The press secretary said the chief advisor again raised the issue of the upcoming national election at the meeting, stressing the need to recover illegal and looted weapons before the polls.
Quoting the chief advisor, Shafiqul said: “The looted weapons must be recovered before the election by any means, as quickly as possible.”
The national election and referendum will be held simultaneously on Feb 12. The list of contenders will be finalised on Tuesday, the last day for withdrawal of nominations. Election symbols will be allotted on Wednesday, and candidates will take to the ground with their campaigns the following day.
Political parties have been trading allegations and counter-allegations in recent days over the election code of conduct and the issue of a “level playing field”. Questions have also been raised about the neutrality of the Election Commission.
These issues have been raised during meetings with the chief advisor as well. Reports say some parties are considering boycotting the election.
Under the circumstances, the NICAR meeting also discussed in detail the installation of CCTV cameras at polling centres.
Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar said initiatives have been taken to install CCTV cameras at around 42,000 polling centres nationwide for the upcoming national election and referendum. Of these, the government has found that 6,552 centres already have CCTV cameras installed.
He said special allocations have been made to install CCTV cameras at 21,946 polling centres identified as highly important and risky. The finance ministry has allocated Tk 719.828 million for this purpose. At least six CCTV cameras will be installed at each of these centres. Cameras at the remaining centres will be installed by the local administration using their own funds. The process has already begun in all districts and is progressing at full speed, with some districts nearing 100 percent coverage.
Highlighting the progress in Gazipur, the deputy press secretary said 447 of the district’s 935 polling centres have been identified as risky. Most of these centres have already got CCTV cameras installed in them under the special allocation, and the rest will be covered by Jan 31.
He said 299 polling centres across the country do not have power connections. Initiatives have been taken to provide solar power at these centres, and local administrations have been instructed to ensure electricity supply on polling day through generators if necessary.
Responding to questions about allegations from various political parties over the Election Commission’s neutrality, the press secretary said the EC was being provided with all necessary support to conduct the election. Ensuring a “free, fair, peaceful and festive” election was the government’s responsibility, he said.
In response to another question, Shafiqul said there was no uncertainty about the election and voting would be held as scheduled.
“The election will be held on Feb 12 — not a day earlier, not a day later — and it will be conducted very smoothly.”
The briefing also said post facto approval has been given to the directorate formed in connection with the July Uprising. In addition, post facto approval has been granted to the reorganisation of the home ministry by merging the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division.
The press secretary said the Dhaka Metropolitan Police currently has 50 police stations under its jurisdiction, which he described as a “huge workload”. Discussions were held on whether the DMP could be divided into multiple zones, including north and south, to make the structure more effective. However, no final decision was taken at the meeting.
