The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Sector Commanders' Forum (SCF) yesterday put up five-point demand to the Election Commission (EC) including debarring war criminals from politics and participating in the elections.

The demands were made while a six-member SCF delegation, led by Air Vice-Marshal (Retd) AK Khandakar, chairman of the organisation, met with the EC at the Commission secretariat.

During the hour-long meeting, the SCF delegation also demanded announcing all the individuals or organisations or parties who, directly or indirectly, opposed the war of liberation and committed killings, rapes, plunders, arsons and other war crimes during the period disqualified from the elections.

The other demands include not allowing the political parties that opposed the independence of Bangladesh and the parties whose constitutions are against the main spirit of country's Constitution to be registered with the EC and making it mandatory that each intending candidate should state their very individual positions during the war of liberation.

Agreeing with the demands placed by the SCF in principle, the EC assured the delegation that it would consider the demands properly and also discuss the matters with the Government.

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda told reporters that work should have to be done on the matter and information has to be collected in this regard.

Referring to the time limit for scrutiny of the information given by the candidates in the nomination papers he said the EC officials get only three days from the filing of nomination papers.

The CEC said the concerned registration officers should have the information of the convicted ones in advance otherwise, the process of disqualifying a certain candidate will get delayed, as the process of appeal against the candidature is very lengthy.

He said the Commission could ask the Government to take necessary initiative regarding the war criminal and anti-liberation element issue.

"We will try our best. We are taking it. We will consider it properly and also discuss it with the Government," he added.

SCF leader AK Khandakar told reporters that each and every one convicted under the Collaboratorss' Act, and were under the process of trial after the liberation should be declared disqualified from the election.

"The list of the war criminals convicted under the Collaborators' Act

will be available to the Government. There were 752 convicted war criminals who got freed as the act was scrapped on December 30, 1975," he said.

Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain told the delegation that the Commission agreed cent percent with the logic, statement and sentiment of SCF's position, but the EC's hands are tied in the legal process.