Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Dr Col (retd) Oli Ahmad said that no election should occur without reforms, presenting 83-point demands to the interim government.
He made these remarks to journalists after meeting with Dr Mohammad Yunus on Saturday afternoon.
Emphasizing the urgency of holding elections as soon as possible, he mentioned: "This is good for the interim government, political parties, and the country. However, no elections should be held under any circumstances without reforms. Reforms must be completed. Humanity must be restored among the people."
Oli Ahmed said: “Those loyalists of Sheikh Hasina have not yet been dismissed. No investigations have started against the corruption charges.”
He argued that merely transferring an individual from one place to another does not solve the problem. “Those who are truly guilty, the enemies of the country and people, must be imprisoned, and strict measures must be taken. Otherwise, the people of this country will not be able to sleep peacefully.’
He added: "Even yesterday (Friday), looters' vehicles were facilitated to move from one place to another. Simply dismissing them is not enough, they must be handed over to the police."
The LDP president said: "As citizens, we have responsibilities too. We should not only make beautiful political speeches and become ministers or MPs. We have lost our humanity, which needs to be restored. Until humanity is restored, peace will not return to Bangladesh. Our only goal is to build a beautiful Bangladesh."
Referring to their history, the veteran politician said: "We are freedom fighters, not because we went to Indian refugee camps, but because we fought. Therefore, no one can love this country’s people more than us. Strict measures must definitely be taken. We have said we will fully cooperate."
He mentioned: "Announcing a possible date for union parishad, municipality, upazila, district, city corporation, and national election sequentially would allow every political party to prepare for the elections with their teams. An abrupt announcement will not work. The only strategy to keep the political parties engaged is to provide a forecast of the elections. It could be in six months or even nine months."
