Jamaat finds election roadmap ‘conventional, somewhat confusing’

The party says the nation expects a free, fair and acceptable election in February, but the method is still undecided

The Jamaat-e-Islami has described the Election Commission’s roadmap for the general election as “conventional” and “somewhat misleading”.

The reaction came in a statement on Thursday from the party’s Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar.

“The nation expects that the general election scheduled for February next year will be free, fair and acceptable. But the method by which the election will be held has not yet been decided,” he said.

“The legal foundation of the July Charter and its implementation process have not been finalised,” he added. “Under such circumstances, this roadmap appears premature and partial, lacking reflection of public expectations.”

According to him, Jamaat believes the roadmap should have been announced only after finalising the legal foundation of the Charter and its implementation process, which embody the spirit of the July Uprising and aim to re-establish democracy in the country.

The Election Commission unveiled the roadmap on Thursday, with EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed outlining a schedule of more than two dozen preparatory tasks.

The plan had been approved a day earlier by the commission led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.