Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Thursday said there was no possibility of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina returning to Bangladesh within the next 10 years, citing his political experience.
“My political experience says there is no possibility of Sheikh Hasina returning even in the next 10 years,” he told journalists at the district circuit house in Bhola.
The Speaker also called for sweeping reforms to the electoral system, saying the Awami League had created an environment during its rule that prevented honest, capable and politically neutral people from contesting elections.
He said people with public support and social acceptance should have the opportunity to contest elections, even if they lacked wealth or financial influence.
The Election Commission must introduce a system that allows ordinary citizens to participate in elections, he added.
Turning to the upcoming local government elections, the Speaker stressed that they must be free, fair and impartial.
“Elections were not held fairly over the last 17 years. So the upcoming local government elections will be held freely, fairly and impartially,” he said.
The Speaker also highlighted Bhola’s natural gas potential, saying the district had substantial reserves that could be comparable to the country’s existing gas reserves.
He expressed hope that further gas reserves would be discovered in the district.
“The people of Bhola have been suffering for a long time. Gas is the rightful entitlement of the people of Bhola,” he said.
The Speaker later left Bhola for Dhaka after concluding a three-day visit to his Lalmohan-Tazumuddin constituency.
