Moudud: BNP must join polls but not under the current government

BNP Standing Committee Member Moudud Ahmed has said their party must participate in the upcoming election, but it has to be held under a neutral government, not under the current government. The former law minister made the remark while addressing a discussion titled “Questionable election of 5th January and its present perspectives” in Dhaka on Friday, organised by Citizen Rights Movement Forum. He said: “We cannot deny the Awami league’s contributions to the Liberation War, but its role after the liberation is really controversial.  We have to expose them and their present dirty activities to the people. “We are talking about cooperation. But they [Awami league] do not believe in cooperation and peace; rather, they want conflicts and violence. This time we will participate in the election and are taking preparations accordingly, to join the polls under a neutral government.” Describing the Law Ministry’s disciplinary rules for lower court judges as unconstitutional, he said the lower court judges went under the absolute control of the government due to such rules. “The disciplinary rules the government has prepared for lower court judges are meaningless and unconstitutional. With this, the lower court judges went under the full control of the government,” he said. Moudud said the judiciary lost its independence through the rules. “It cannot be said anymore that the judiciary is separated from the executive branch of the government.” The forum’s vice president and former Jatiyatabadi Chhtaradal leader Md Ibrahim presided over the programme while General Secretary M Jahangir Alam moderated the discussion.