At last EC invites reformist faction of BNP for talks

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Ending all speculations, the Election Commission (EC) eventually sent its letter to Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmad inviting the reformist faction of BNP to sit for dialogue on electoral reforms, leaving their rivals on the sidelines, reports UNB.
"The Commission has unanimously decided to send invitation letter to Hafizuddin Ahmad, to join the dialogue scheduled for November 22," Secretary to the EC M Humayun Kabir told journalists at a press conference Monday afternoon.
"The Commission thinks that the decisions taken in the national standing committee of BNP on October 31 is appropriate," he said reading out a statement directed by the EC on a most significant decision on its part.
Excepting two particular letters of the pro-Khaleda faction, the statement briefly narrates all the letters received by the EC from the two squabbling factions of the immediate-past ruling party.
In the light of the provisions of the party constitution, the statement says, the EC 'intensively reviewed' all the letters and the enclosed documents received from the rivals in the party.
Citing the BNP declaration and 5© provision of its constitution (amended till November 30, 1995), the statement also reads: "In case of necessity, if the standing committee meeting can't be called, the party chairperson, if thinks punishable, can take any punitive step immediately against any member and can also withdraw previously taken punitive step under his or her jurisdiction."
"But, the approval of national standing committee would have to be taken in all cases as soon as possible. The chairperson or the standing committee, if thinks fit, can give the alleged person an opportunity of personal hearing prior to taking the punitive step," the provision goes on.
However, the EC secretary pointed out from the statement, it is visible that the party chairperson considered only one side of the provision while taking her decision.
"Under the same provision, the rule of giving the alleged person an opportunity of personal hearing was ignored in this case. In this process, the Commission thinks, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan was being deprived of his deserved 'natural justice'," the EC statement observes to substantiate its decision as an arbiter.
Though the above-mentioned provision was ignored, the EC thinks that following the rule of 'approval of national standing committee would have to be taken in all cases as soon as possible' is inevitable to ensure such kind of punitive step.
The EC also observed that it thought that the aforesaid obligatory provision was apparently followed in the BNP standing committee meeting held on October 31.
It also pointed out that among the living 14 members of the committee, three are currently in confinement and two did not join the meeting. A total of seven members joined the meeting that "fulfilled the quorum".