The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Kalyan Party Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Syed Mohammad Ibrahim said Saturday that demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner and two commissioners is "nothing but a ploy to defer the date of election."

He said the Election Commission has almost completed the election process amid various limitations.

"When the people of the country have come close to the general election, a major political party demanded the resignations (of the election commissioners). This is nothing but an attempt to defer the date of election," Ibrahim said at a press conference at the party office this (Saturday) noon.

Earlier, on Friday evening, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at a meeting with a party delegation at her Gulshan office demanded resignation of the Election Commissioners, saying that free and fair elections are not possible under them. Replying to a question, Kalyan Party chief urged the Election Commission not to register Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party for their "anti-liberation role during the 1971 independence war."

He said war criminals must seek public apology for their anti-liberati1on role and they can do politics only if people of the country pardon. "A party of war criminals can't apply for registration by just renaming the party."

About the CEC's comment about holding the upcoming parliamentary election similar to that of 1970, Ibrahim said the Chief Election Commissioner, who holds a big institutional post, should have refrained from such comments that might confuse the people.

He urged the Election Commission and the caretaker government to publicly disqualify the convicted corrupt politicians from participating in any election. "Political parties should also boycott their corrupt colleagues for the sake of democracy," he said.

Asked whether they would join any alliance before the general election, the Kalyan Party chairman said they have informally talked about the matter with some major political parties and would decide later.

Party secretary general Abul Kalam Azad, vice-chairman Abdul Gaffar, joint secretary Sadek Ahmed Khan and press secretary Jahangir Alam, among others, were present at the press conference.