EC fully independent, PM tells ex-CEC of India

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the country’s people now exercise their voting rights with huge enthusiasm in various elections as the Election Commission is now fully independent. The Prime Minister came up with the remarks when former chief election commissioner of India Shahabuddin Yaqub Quraishi made a courtesy call on her at her office in the morning. After the meeting, PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil briefed reporters. Sheikh Hasina said the current Election Commission has been constituted through a search committee formed by late President Zillur Rahman following discussions with all political parties, a practice which was absent in the past as all the governments except that of Awami League had formed the commission on their sweet will. During the meeting, the former Indian Chief Election Commissioner thanked the Prime Minister for holding the January 5 elections in Bangladesh in a free, fair and neutral manner. Quraishi said that there are about one billion voters in the Indian subcontinent which represents the large portion of global democracy. He also mentioned that the countries of this region have achieved tremendous success in the field of women empowerment. “This success is stunning,” he added. Quraishi also highlighted his experiences that he gathered during his tenure. Ambassador at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Abdus Sobhan Sikder, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran and PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil, were, among others, present on the occasion, according to a news agency.