Govt to talk with parties to end mix-up over polls

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The government will hold discussions with the political parties to resolve misunderstandings over holding of the elections to local government bodies prior to the parliamentary election.

“There may be some misunderstandings over the local government polls. We will take more steps and hold direct talks with the parties to make everything clear,” Education and Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said when asked if the government would confront the major parties, which had announced to oppose and resist the local bodies polls.

He was talking to the reporters after a meeting with Communications and Public Works Adviser Ghulam Quader at the Secretariat yesterday.

Zillur said the government wants to strengthen the local bodies by holding the elections to them as well as to create an atmosphere of confidence on the eve of the parliamentary election.

“We are moving forward step by step and the election to the local bodies is an important step to pass,” he said, adding that they hope to complete the elections by October and no local government poll would be held after that.

The commerce adviser, however, did not clarify if elections to the upazila and union parishads, which remained due for a long, would be completed by October.

The Election Commission (EC) has announced schedules for four city corporations and nine municipality elections, starting from August 4.

Asked about BNP’s announcement to resist the local elections, Zillur said, “We have to come out of the negative culture of using these words.”

He also observed that although the candidates in the local polls would not contest it under political banners, they would be from the political parties.

Outright rejecting the allegation that the caretaker government would put its chosen persons in the local bodies, Zillur said the whole process is wide open and the citizens are more aware than before.

“It is not possible to win someone a poll forcibly,” the commerce adviser said, urging all to take part in the local elections.

Zillur said the state of emergency had been relaxed at places on the eve of the local government polls and steps regarding it would be taken prior to the national election.

He said the regional dialogue outside Dhaka would begin with the holding of it in Chittagong on June 28 in presence of Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed.

“We will visit Khagrachhari on June 27 to talk with the smaller communities there and gather their perceptions on various issues,” Zillur added.

Communications Adviser Ghulam Quader said the government was moving forward following the ‘roadmap,’ which will be completed through holding of the national election in the third week of December as announced by CA.

RELEASE OF KHALEDA
About the release of detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her two sons, Commerce Adviser Zillur said that they were working on the legal procedures.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Prisons (IG-Prisons) Brig Gen Zakir Hassan yesterday said that they were yet to receive any instruction from the government regarding Khaleda and her two sons.

He was talking to the reporters after a meeting at the home ministry in the morning.

Asked repeatedly, Home Secretary Abdul Karim refused to comment on the matter.

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