Ending Political Deadlock Over Polls
Akbar Ali Khan places four proposals
Former adviser to a caretaker government Dr Akbar Ali Khan yesterday placed four proposals, including formation of an interim government comprising AL and BNP lawmakers, to end the political deadlock over holding free and fair polls.
Awami League (AL) will select five from BNP's existing 36 lawmakers while BNP will select five, including the prime minister, from AL's 274. “And the new cabinet will conduct the next parliamentary polls,†said Khan.
He was addressing a seminar “Peaceful transition of power: Options for Bangladeshâ€, organised by Centre for Sustainable Development, a pro-BNP non-government organisation, in the capital's Cirdap Auditorium.
Akbar's proposals come against the backdrop of concerns raised by different quarters that a chaotic situation may arise in the country if the two archrival political parties fail to reach consensus over the burning issue.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance has been waging movement to press home its demand for restoration of the caretaker government system and hold the next general polls under it for free and fair polls.
The AL-led ruling alliance abolished the caretaker government system on June 30, allowing general elections under elected partisan governments. BNP termed the act as “throwing the country into a political confrontationâ€.
Addressing the seminar, Maj Gen (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbor, defence and strategic affairs adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, said military intervention was inevitable if the present unrest situation was not resolved in an amicable way.
“This time they (the army) might stay for five to ten years,†he said.
Akbar, in another proposal, said the president could seek advice from the Supreme Court, in line with the constitution, on holding the next parliamentary polls under a caretaker government, like the one in 1996.
The third proposal states that the BNP and AL each will name 10 neutral persons and the parliament will elect five each from the two panels. These 10 persons will elect the chief adviser. If they fail, the chief adviser will be selected through lottery.
The fourth proposal states that the BNP will place its plan on holding the next national election and then a referendum will be held on this proposal.
Akbar said the main two archrivals -- BNP and AL -- could bring any changes to the four proposals once they agree to any one of them.
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