Army Chief Affirms Elections Will Take Place

Bangla Press Desk: Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Tuesday that there is no possibility the upcoming national election would be derailed, declaring the armed forces “capable and keen” to ensure a smooth poll.

He made the remarks while speaking at an exchange-of-views meeting in Gazipur on the prevailing electoral situation and security preparations. “There is no chance of the election not being held,” he said.

The army chief noted that the Election Commission, the government, the civil administration and the police, together with the army, air force and navy, are carrying out their responsibilities in a coordinated manner. “We all share the same objective: to ensure a credible election,” he added.

General Waker-Uz-Zaman also voiced concern that financial transactions through various channels could be used to influence the electoral process. He warned of the risk of illegal money transfers through platforms such as bKash, saying the issue had already been discussed in detail with the Election Commission. Monitoring, he said, is being significantly strengthened to prevent such activities.

Issuing a warning to those who may seek to disrupt voting, he said that in every constituency there may be attempts at ballot snatching, electoral fraud or preventing voters from reaching polling centres. “Such acts will be dealt with strictly. Depending on the nature of the offence, immediate arrests or the filing of cases will be carried out in accordance with the law,” he said.

A coordination meeting was held at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, where discussions centred on maintaining law and order and strengthening inter-agency cooperation to ensure the election is conducted in a peaceful, fair and impartial manner, says an ISPR press release.

Emphasis was placed on comprehensive security planning and close collaboration between the armed forces, police and civil authorities.

The three service chiefs underlined the need for professionalism, neutrality and discipline in the performance of duties, calling on all personnel to exercise patience and maintain a citizen-friendly approach throughout the election period.

During the visit, the chiefs also inspected the activities of armed forces members deployed in support of civil authorities under the “In Aid to the Civil Power” framework and issued operational guidance on the ground.

Senior officials from the armed forces, civil administration and law enforcement agencies, along with representatives from various media organisations, were present during the inspection and meetings.Source: daily Sun

BP/SP