Online Desk //

The upcoming national parliamentary elections in Bangladesh will be held on time and will not be delayed even a day, Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary of the interim government’s chief advisor, Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has given a clear and firm message. He said that the elections will be completed within the time set by the chief advisor.

Recently, participating in a private television talk show, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said, “The elections will not be delayed even a day. The time that Professor Yunus has said, will not be delayed even a day.”

He said, “He has given two dates. One is the cut-off time of April 15. The elections must be held between April 1 and 15. However, if all the reforms are completed before that, then the elections can be held in February, that is, before Ramadan.”

At one point in the talk show, a statement by the acting chairperson of the BNP was made, in which he indicated that an attempt was being made to create an objective situation in the country with the help of a section of the interim government. In response to this comment, Shafiqul Alam said, “I think there is a bit of a gap here. We are talking to the BNP regularly. We are talking to all the big parties.”

He also said, “We can say with a clear voice that the election will not be delayed even a day. We have come here with a real responsibility. We want to return to our old work. Just as I want to return to journalism, Professor Yunus also wants to return to his work.”

Shafiqul Alam said, “During this period, no political party has boycotted the election so far. Meetings are going on, and every day some positive progress is being made. We are hopeful that a good election result will come.”

The press secretary emphasized, “We have no other date after this, meaning the 15th. That is our date and day.”

The presenter wants to know what the Press Secretary’s explanation is for the recent dismissal of two BTV officials and the issuance of show cause notices to some others.

Shafiqul Alam said, “Every office has its own rules. If someone violates the rules, they will be investigated and may be suspended. Is this only ours? There are such precedents in the BBC or other international media as well.”

He gave an example, “When I was at AFP, a reporter made negative comments about the Gaza war and lost his job. So this is not an exception. Every organization has its own policy and discipline.”

Asked about the freedom of expression regarding the head of government, Shafiqul Alam said, “If you are a government employee, you cannot directly criticize the head of government. There are institutional norms in any organization. Whether you talk about BRAC, AFP or any organization, if you publicly criticize the heads of the organization, there will be a reaction.”

Expressed his opinion.