B Chy stands against army pullout ahead of polls
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Former President and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) chief AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury disapproved of the government decision to send troops back to barracks ahead of the polls as he said the country had witnessed unexpected incidents in the past during election campaigns, reports UNB.
"The army should be engaged in aiding civil administration for holding peaceful and successful parliamentary polls," the former President said Tuesday.
He said the government would have to take all types of security measurements for providing security and safety to voters, candidates, campaigners and poll officials so all can be election-oriented.
"The government would have to take the total responsibility of providing security to all the poll-campaign meetings as the country had experienced some unexpected incidents in the past during election campaigns," said the BDB leader at a press conference, a day after the caretaker government relaxed emergency rules and decided on troop pullout from field level.
He also pleaded that top-level government officers, particularly secretaries, additional secretaries and deputy secretaries, promoted by political parties during their regimes must be laid off for holding free and fair polls because they might influence the election directly.
"The army should be engaged in aiding civil administration for holding peaceful and successful parliamentary polls," the former President said Tuesday.
He said the government would have to take all types of security measurements for providing security and safety to voters, candidates, campaigners and poll officials so all can be election-oriented.
"The government would have to take the total responsibility of providing security to all the poll-campaign meetings as the country had experienced some unexpected incidents in the past during election campaigns," said the BDB leader at a press conference, a day after the caretaker government relaxed emergency rules and decided on troop pullout from field level.
He also pleaded that top-level government officers, particularly secretaries, additional secretaries and deputy secretaries, promoted by political parties during their regimes must be laid off for holding free and fair polls because they might influence the election directly.