The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman yesterday said there should not be any doubt regarding parliamentary polls in December, as all local-body elections would be completed by October.

"Elections to city corporations, pourasavas and upazilas will be completed by October. So, there is nothing to be worried. We'll have enough time to arrange a free and fair national election slated for December," he said.

Dr Zillur was talking to journalists after a meeting with Communications Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Ghulam Quader at Public Works Ministry at noon.

Following the arrangement of the local elections, he said, there have been two types of apprehension-whether the government will have enough time to complete the parliamentary polls as per the roadmap, and is the government conspiring to bring any particular quarter to power?

About the question of time for the national election, Dr Zillur said time would not be a problem for the government to hold the parliamentary polls within the roadmap.

Regarding the second apprehension, he said now it has become too difficult in Bangladesh to bluff people, as they are now very much aware about the state machinery and all the socioeconomic and political processes.

Asked whether the caretaker government has constitutional mandate to arrange local elections, Communications Adviser Ghulam Quader said all elections are being arranged as per the Election Commission's roadmap.

About their their meeting, the adviser said they discussed all the recent political issues, as the government wants to remove all the doubts and apprehensions prevailing among the political parties about the long-awaited national election.