Staff Reporter :
Senior leaders of the newly formed Jatiya Oikya Front briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon about the country’s latest political situation and its seven-point demand and 11-point objective.
On behalf of Oikya Front leaders Dr Kamal Hossain started briefing the diplomats around 3:00pm at the closed-door programme at Hotel Lakeshore in the city’s Gulshan area.
Diplomats from different countries, including Switzerland, Pakistan, Australia, USA, UK, Qatar, Vietnam, Canada, Turkey, China, France, and representatives from some other agencies in Dhaka were present at the meeting.
According to meeting sources, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir gave the introductory speech at the meeting. Then, Dr. Kamal Hossain presented the written statement.
In a written speech, Dr Kamal presented the 7-point demand and 11-point objective of the unified front for a free, fair and neutral election. At the time, he answered the questions of the diplomats.
Barrister Mainul Hosein was present at the meeting.
BNP Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Jamir Uddin Sircar, Vice-Chairmen Selima Rahman, Major Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Subrata Chowdhury of Gono Forum, ASM Abdur Rob of JSD, Tania Rob, Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, among others, were present.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Oikya Front leaders at a meeting at JSD President ASM Abdur Rob’s Uttara residence decided to hold a rally in Sylhet on October 23.
On October 13, BNP together with Dr Kamal-led Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, JSD and Nagorik Oikya launched the Jatiya Oikya Front to press home for their seven-point demand, including holding the next polls under a non-party administration. The Front’s seven point demands are:
1.Parliament must be dissolved, form non-partisan neutral government for polls and freed Begum Khaleda Zia withdrawing all false cases against her.
2. The Election Commission must be reconstituted and assurance that Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) shall not be used in the upcoming election.
3. Freedom of speech, personal liberty, freedom of press, television, social media and of holding meeting and assemblies by political parties and ensured level-playing field for all.
4. Malicious cases filed against students, protesters and journalists in connection with quota reform movement must be withdrawn and all oppressive laws, including the Digital Safety Act, must be repealed.
5. Defence forces with the power of magistracy must be deployed for the period beginning 10 days prior to election upto establishment of the post poll-election government.
6. Election monitors from home and abroad must be engaged in order to ensure transparency of the election process and no restriction must be imposed on them in observing entire election process.
7. It must be ensured that the on-going political cases would be kept in abeyance and no new political cases would be filed starting from the date of declaration of election schedule up to publication of final election result.
