Press Secretary to the Chief advisor Shafiqul Alam has said that there have been around two thousand movements and protests in the country over the course of the last 16 months, all of which have been dealt with in a peaceful manner by the current interim government. However, he added, the government has shown enough patience.
He said, “Once the election schedule is announced, strict action will be taken if people take to the streets with their demands.”
He informed this at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy after the Advisory Council meeting on Thursday.
Shafiqul Alam said, “The election will be completed peacefully, and the government will not be working on amending or introducing any new laws surrounding the election,” adding that that the election will be held under supervision of the current Advisory Council.
At 6pm on Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the date for the upcoming national election and referendum, slated to take place on 12 February next year.
The press secretary also provided additional details regarding the Advisory Council’s meeting earlier in the day. He revealed that the government has decided to reduce the 15 percent tax on dates ahead of Ramadan in addition to withdrawing the tax imposed on the metro rail.
Furthermore, a total of three laws including the Commercial Court Ordinance and the Legal Aid Provision Second Amendment Ordinance were approved in the council’s meeting. The meeting also discussed creating new laws to control online and AI-based fraud.
The Advisory Council also decided to grant Tk20 lakh to the families of the 36 people who died in the Milestone tragedy, with Tk5 lakh to be given to those injured as a result of the tragic plane crash earlier this year.
