Dhaka //

BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said that the country will be on the right track if elections are held in December. He said, everyone has assumed that there is no chance of holding elections after December. Many are already saying that December is too late. But even then, everyone has assumed December as the ‘cut-off time’. Everyone believes that if elections are held by December, we will be on the right track. Bringing back democracy is very important. We have struggled for 17 years to restore people’s ownership. Elections are the only way to restore that.

He said these things after a meeting with European Union (EU) Ambassador Michael Miller at Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s political office in Gulshan, the capital, on Thursday. The meeting began at 11 am. The meeting was attended by the BNP Secretary General, member of the party’s Standing Committee and Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Organizing Secretary and Chairperson of the Special Assistant Advisory Committee on Foreign Policy, Shama Obaid.

At the press conference at the end of the meeting, Amir Khasru said, there was a long discussion on the current political, social, and foreign relations status of Bangladesh. In the field of politics, it was discussed that the election and reform commissions are naturally trying to establish a consensus. We will take forward the issues of reform on which there is consensus. On the issues on which there is no consensus, whether it is constitutional, electoral, or any other issue, every political party has the right to take it to the people in the next election. They will present it to the people, bring the people’s opinions and it will be discussed in parliament, there will be arguments, debates, and then it will be passed in parliament. This is how the discussion at the meeting took place.

He said, everyone in the country and outside the country is wondering when the elections will be held, when the democratic order will return to the country. There is a government in the country but democratic order has not yet returned. If that does not come, no administration, except a government supported by the people, will be able to stand with police support. We are noticing that. If a government supported by the people, a parliament – which will be accountable to the people – can be established as soon as possible, many problems will be solved. Many problems are being faced, which are difficult to solve without a political wing. That is why this issue has been given importance in the discussion.

Stating that the EU exports the most, the BNP leader said, what our future course of action will be with the EU has been discussed. Currently, the EU is willing to cooperate around the election, around the reform. Especially, starting from the electro process, they are willing to come forward to reform, change, and bring back the institutions that have collapsed to their rightful place.

In response to a question, he said, the issue of before and after the election is not important. The important thing is that we must implement the issues on which we will agree. Different parties have different thoughts, different philosophies. If everyone thinks that everyone will agree on everything, then there is no need for so many political parties.

They can bring Baksal. But we don’t want to go back to Baksal. Where there is consensus, we can solve those issues immediately. And where there is no consensus, in the coming elections, each party will go to the people with their mandate, manifesto, and ideas and implement them in the parliament that will be formed with the mandate of the people.

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