‘CA Yunus to announce election timetable in 4-5 days,’ says party leaders after meeting

Political leaders make the remarks after meeting with the chief advisor in the aftermath of recent unrest

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus is set to announce a schedule for the upcoming national parliamentary election within four to five days.

Leaders from different political parties made the remarks after 14 parties and one alliance met with the chief advisor at his official residence, the State Guest House Jamuna, on Saturday.

Alliance Coordinator and Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) Chairman Mostafa Jamal Haidar said, “With delight, I want to announce that the honourable chief advisor said a specific timetable and dates for an election will be announced within four to five days.”

“There can be no happier news than this. It was the main topic today. He (the chief advisor) made clear in his remarks that the only way to solve the unrest in the country now is to hold elections. He has assured us that he will announce a date for the polls in the next four to five days.”

Bobby Hajjaj, founder and chairman of the National Democratic Movement, said after the meeting: “The honourable chief advisor said that in the next few days, alongside the July Charter, he will hold an official briefing clarifying to the nation when the election will be held and what the process for it will be. The chief advisor promised us in the meeting today that he will present the date of the elections and everything else to the nation in a few days.”

“He presented to us the hope of holding an impartial election in the future. For this, all of us gave our thanks to the chief advisor. Now we expect to learn the date for the election. He has asked all our countrymen to prepare for the polls.”

He said, “In today’s discussion, he asked us for our cooperation in identifying those recently spreading propaganda against law-enforcing agencies and our opinions on how to suppress it.”

Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Secretary General Maulana Manjurul Islam Afandi said, “The chief advisor basically highlighted the current crisis to us. He said that we should remain united as we were before Aug 5 so that, in no way, can the defeated forces get the chance to return.”

“He said that we want to move towards elections shortly. We want to move towards a free and fair election that is acceptable to all. He spoke along these lines.”

Other attendees of the meeting included Tipu Biswas of Jatiya Gano Front; Abdul Majed Athari of the Nizam-e-Islam Party; Yusuf Ashraf of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish; National People's Party chief AZM Fariduzzaman Farhad; Bangladesh Jatiya Dal chief Syed Ehsanul Huda; Mushtaq Hossain of JaSaD; Shamim Haider, secretary general of Zaker Party; Sakhawat Hossain Raji of Islami Oikya Jote; Rafiqul Islam Babul of Bhasani Janashakti Party; Mostafizur Rahman Iran of Bangladesh Labour Party; and Masud Rana of BASAD (Marxist).

This is Yunus’s third meeting with political leaders following the Jul 21 crash of a Bangladesh Air Force jet into Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Diabari, which left scores dead and injured, mostly schoolchildren.

In the aftermath of the crash, Yunus first held talks with leaders from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and the National Citizen Party. The next day, he met representatives from 12 more parties, including AB Party and Gano Samhati Andolon, and an alliance.

Law Advisor Asif Nazrul had said the parties had been invited to discuss the current situation.