Free, fair polls held only under AL govt, Hasina tells BBC

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said free and fair elections are held only during the Awami League's regimes as she always struggled to establish democracy and democratic rights in the country, reports UNB.
"Only during the AL government periods, you can see free fair elections," she told BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg in an interview aired on Sunday.
Hasina, who is now in London, said there was no democracy and democratic rights in Bangladesh after assassination of her father along with her 18 family members in 1975.
She said the military rulers ruled the country for a long time directly or indirectly and overtly or covertly after the assassination.
The military rulers formed parties and they never went to the people and asked to vote for them. "They used the Army, administration and everything just to remain in power," said the premier.
Replying to a question about the call of the late queen's high commissioner (Robert Dickson) on her government to conduct a free and fair process in the next year's election in Bangladesh, she said, "Of course, it is my struggle to establish democratic system and free-fair elections."
Asked about the allegations of forced disappearance, Hasina said anyone can bring allegations but it needs to be judged how far it is true.
"Many people can place allegations. But you have to judge how far it is true. Before that no one should make any comment," she said.