The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Awami League Presidium member and Coordinator of the 14-party alliance yesterday demanded of the Government to withdraw the state of emergency at a realistic time instead of lifting it two months ahead of each election.

He made the demand while talking to journalists after a bilateral meeting between the Awami League (AL) and Samyabadi Dal.

Tofail, however, did not explain as to what he wanted to mean by the word-a 'realistic time’.

CEC Dr ATM Shamsul Huda on Tuesday said the emergency should be lifted at least two months before election from places where polls would be held.

Reacting to the CEC’s opinion, leaders of the AL and Samyabadi Dal said the emergency should be lifted much earlier so that the political parties could begin their political activities much ahead of the polls.

Demanding simplification of procedures of registration of political parties, Tofail Ahmed said they do not support any atempt by Election Commission (EC) to 'control’ political parties in the name of registration.

The bilateral meeting between AL and Samayabadi Dal was held at the Gulshan residence of AL Acting President Zillur Rahman who presided over the meeting.

The meeting was part to a series of talks among allies of the AL-led 14-party alliance to work out common and identical proposals to be presented at the dialogue with the EC on electoral reforms.

Justifying his demand of the EC, Tofail said many political parties would

not be able to be registered if the rules are not simplified.

He said the meeting decided that they would cooperate with the EC in implementing its announced roadmap but said the caretaker government and the EC should be more atentive to its implementation.

He also asked the EC to involve workers of the political parties in voters’ list preparation.

“We are ready to help the Election Commission to hold a free and fair election. But the Government and the Commission should not take any decision that might create obstacle to implement the EC’s roadmap,” Tofail said.

He said although they support the EC’s roadmap of holding elections by December 2008, it would be more pleasing for them if it is possible to hold the elections ahead of the announced deadline.

The meeting took an unanimous decision to raise a demand for declaring political parties that are accused of war crime, militancy, and fundamentalism and engaged in religion-based politics ineligible to take part in polls and national politics.

“We support the EC’s decision to involve Army personnels with the voter listing work with photographs but we think involvement of poltical activists in preparing voters’ list is also essential,” Tofail said.

He demanded lifting of the ban on indoor politics across the country so that leaders and workers of the 14-party combine could help prepare the voter list

Samyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua said EC should take appropriate steps so that the religion-based political parties cannot participate in the election because religion-based politics divides the nation.

“This Government is the fruit of the 14-party alliance’s movement and people expect that the Government would hand over power as soon as possible,” he said.

AL leaders Matia Chowdhury, Mukul Bose, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Akhtaruzzaman, Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, Adv Rahmat Ali, Adv Abdul Mannan Khan, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Habibur Rahman Siraj, Dr Abdur Razzak, Dr Dipu Moni, and Maj Gen (retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan, and Samyabadi Dal leaders Harun Chowdhury and Abu Hamed Shahabuddin, among others, were present at the meeting.