The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

BNP Secretary General Khondoker Delwar Hossain yesterday alleged that a level playing field for participation of all political parties in forthcoming general elections has yet to be created.

The allegation was made after a meeting with UK Acting High Commissioner Duncan Norm at his NAM flat residence.

Khondoker Delwar told reporters that the amended Representation of the People Order (RPO), deadline for registration of political parties and the state of emergency were hindrances to a fair election.

After the hour-long meeting the BNP leader and UK diplomat said they discussed strengthening of democracy, election related issues and continuing reform programmes.

Duncan said the British government wanted to see a peaceful election in December with the participation of all parties.

He said the UK Government was optimistic that a free, fair and neutral election will be held in the country.

Khondoker Delwar said during the meeting he has projected his party position on the election.

"There are some obstacles to fair elections. Those have to be removed. We think the amended Representation of People Order, party registration rules and the state of emergency are all hindrances to a free and fair election," he said. The BNP leader hoped that the state of emergency must be lifted before the general elections.

"BNP is an election-oriented party. If the environment is right, BNP will participate in the parliamentary election," he said.

Among others, BNP Standing Committee members RA Gani, Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui, and Khandker Mahbubuddin Ahmad, Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan and Office Secretary Rizvi Ahmed were present.

Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee member M Saifur Rahman yesterday expressed his party's readiness to go to the next general polls and asked the caretaker government not to hold the elections under state of emergency.

"Khaleda Zia has said that the BNP will take part in next election. We also favour that notion. But problems will surface if the election is held under the state of emergency," he said while talking to reporters at his Gulshan residence.

Replying to a question, Saifur Rahman said he was ready to contest the polls if Khaleda Zia nominated him, and constituency was not a problem.

"I am ready to contest in any constituency in Sylhet," he said.

Asked whether the expulsion of former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and former whip Ashraf Hossain would be withdrawn, Saifur said there was no scope now for nullifying the expulsion decision.

He said he was confident that his party-led four-party coalition would do better if the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh were glued in the run-up to the polls.