Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has urged Canada and other friendly countries to provide financial assistance for the upcoming national election.
The party made this request during a courtesy meeting on Monday with Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh at Jamaat’s central office in Dhaka.
Jamaat leaders told the Canadian envoy that arranging a free and peaceful election requires a large budget, including the installation of CCTV cameras and other logistical support, said a press release.
They requested financial help from Canada and other development partners.
In response, the high commissioner assured that he would take initiatives to coordinate this support through the United Nations.
During the meeting, the Canadian high commissioner also inquired about the ongoing dialogue between political parties and the Consensus Commission.
Jamaat leaders informed him that several parties, including Jamaat, had already participated in multiple discussions on major electoral reforms.
These included limiting the prime minister’s term to two, forming a bicameral parliament, updating the voter list to include expatriates, and adopting proportional representation.
While progress has been made on several points, some key issues remain unresolved.
Jamaat said that in such cases, they had recommended a public referendum. The party also stressed the need for a level playing field and warned against the risk of fascist behavior in the electoral process, the press release went on to add.
The Canadian delegation included Senior Political Officer Siobhan Kerr and Political and Economic Adviser Nisar Ahmed.
On Jamaat’s side, the party’s Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman led the meeting.