Dhaka: BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed on Friday said BNP must participate in the upcoming election under but it must be held under a neutral government not under the current government.    

The former law minister came up with the remarks while addressing a discussion titled ‘Questionable election of 5 January and its present perspectives’ in the city organised by Citizen Rights Movement forum.   

‘We cannot deny the contributions of Awami league to the Liberation War but its role after the liberation is really controversial.  We have to expose them and their present dirty activities to people,’ he said.  

‘We are talking about cooperation. But they (Awami league) do not believe in cooperation and peace, they want conflict.

This time we will participate in the election and take all preparation to join the polls under a neutral government,’ he added.     

Terming the disciplinary rules for lower court judges ‘unconstitutional’, he said the lower court judges went under the absolute control of the government due to the rules.

‘The disciplinary rules the government has prepared for the lower court judges is 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 can’t be said anymore that the judiciary is separated from the executive branch of the government,’ he said.

Vice-president of the forum and former Chhtaradal leader Ibrahim presided over the programme while general secretary of the forum M Jahangir Alam coordinated the discussion.