BNP, arguably the largest political party in the country, has urged the interim government to play the caretaker government like role and make a neutral administration to hold the 13th parliamentary election in a free, fair and credible manner.
A three-member BNP delegation led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the demand during an hour-long meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at his Jamuna residence in the capital on Tuesday.
In response, the chief adviser assured the BNP delegation of taking appropriate measures in holding a free, fair and credible election.
Emerging from the meeting, Fakhrul told reporters that they met the chief adviser to discuss several political concerns, especially with the national elections scheduled for February next year.
“The interim government has to take the shape of the caretaker government in order to make the upcoming elections meaningful, neutral, and acceptable to all,” he said.
“By caretaker government, we mean that they must take on the role traditionally played by such government. For that, the first necessity is to make the administration fully neutral and accountable to the people,” he added.
Fakhrul said that they also emphasised the need for neutrality within the interim government itself.
“If any partisan individuals remain within the government, we have demanded their removal. That was our main point,” he said.
The delegation included BNP standing committee members Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed.
Three advisers — Wahiduddin Mahmud, Asif Nazrul and Adilur Rahman Khan — were also present at the meeting.
BNP also urged the interim government to remove a section of officials who are known as the collaborators of the fascist government and fill those positions with neutral officials.
“We express concerns as some individuals are still serving the interest of that fascist government and we have demanded their removal,” he said.
The party spoke about the need for neutrality in police recruitment, particularly for new appointments or promotions.
“Additionally, we mentioned the need for neutrality in the judiciary, especially in the higher judiciary, where those identified as collaborators of fascists still remain. We demanded their removal and the appointment of impartial judges. Although the judiciary is independent, since the chief adviser is overseeing everything, we presented these concerns to him,” he said.
Asked whether they specifically named any adviser, the BNP secretary general replied in the negative.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the CA press wing on the meeting said that the chief adviser assured the BNP leaders of taking appropriate measures.
“The chief adviser informed the BNP leaders that as the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Public Administration, all administrative reshuffles prior to the election would take place under his direct supervision,” said
Yunus said that appointments of deputy commissioners (DC) would be made based strictly on merit and qualified officials would be placed in appropriate positions before the elections.
“It is our responsibility to remain neutral. Holding the election is a massive task. We will select individuals who are capable of maintaining peace and order. This will remain under my supervision. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the election is peaceful and impartial,” he told the delegation.
Congratulating the government for the successful implementation of the July Charter 2025, the BNP also expressed deep concern over recent spate of fire incidents at various facilities across the country.
As part of the ongoing political dialogue, a meeting between the chief adviser and a delegation from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is scheduled for Wednesday.
