Dhaka: BNP on Wednesday briefed some foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka about the ‘vote fraud and various irregularities’ allegedly by the ruling Awami League in the December-30 municipal polls.

Diplomats from the UN and 20 countries, including Sweden, Spain, the USA, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Japan, attended the meeting held at party Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office at about 4:00pm.

A BNP delegation, led by party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, also provided the foreign envoys with some documents, including paper cuttings and photos, videos and a CD in support of their allegations.

The BNP leaders told the diplomas that the municipal polls have once again proved that no fair election is possible under Awami League and the current Election Commission, a leader present at the meeting told UNB wishing anonymity.

He said the party had made a 72-minute documentary on the municipal polls irregularities to show the diplomats and the summary of documentary was projected at the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, Fakhrul read out a written speech before the diplomats about the party’s observations and position about the municipal polls.

BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan, chairperson’s advisers Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Inam Ahmed Chowdhury, Reaz Rahman, Sabihuddin, party international affairs secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon, journalist Shafiq Rehman and BNP chief’s Saudi Arabia affairs envoy Enamul Haq Chowdhury were present at the meeting.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Asaduzzaman Ripon said, ‘It was a routine exchange of views with the diplomats as we hold such meetings with them from time to time.’

At the meeting, he said they briefed the country’s development partners about various irregularities, vote rigging and snatching of people’s voting right in the last municipal polls. ‘They (diplomats) were eager to know our observations and position about the polls and we informed them about it.’

Ripon said they provided the diplomats with some documents against their allegations. ‘We’ve have showed them a documentary on how the votes were rigged, voters deprived of exercising their right to franchise, and harassed and how the candidates and agents forced out of polling stations.’

The BNP leader said they also told the envoys that the government could not hold any election fairly after it assumed office through a lopsided voter-less national election on January 5.