Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain on Friday said they are holding the public hearing on the ‘irregularities in the 11th parliamentary election to show respect to the Constitution.

‘We’re not judges, and we don’t have any judicial authority or responsibility to hold any trial. In the public hearing, the candidates (of December-30 election) will present their statements before people and people will judge it. But, the trial will be held in the election tribunal,’ he said, reports the UNB.

Joining a public hearing as the head of a seven-member jury panel, he also said, ‘The main objective of the public hearing is to show respect to the Constitution as people are the owners of the country as per the Constitution. We had waged the Liberation War to protect our voting rights.’

The public hearing began at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium around 10:00am and it will continue till 4-5pm with a one-hour break from 1:00pm.

Mentioning that their many candidates have already lodged complaints about election ‘frauds’ with the High Country’s election tribunal, Dr Kamal said their alliance is holding the public hearing to let people know what happened in the election.  

‘As the owners of the country, people wanted to elect their representatives through the election. They should be informed what actually happened in the election,’ he observed.

Kamal, also the president of Gono Forum, said the election candidates will give their statements in the hearing. ‘All the statements will be recorded and later published in a book.’

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said a ‘so-called farcical’ election was held on December 30 in the country.  

He alleged that the government is ruling the country as per its whim in absence of a democratic atmosphere. ‘The government has now no accountability to people.’   

Fakhrul also read out a condolence motion in memory of those killed in Chawkbazar fire incident.  

The Oikyafront leaders and activists paid homage to the fire victims by observing a one-minute silence.

A munajat was also offered seeking salvation of the victims’ departed souls and praying for the early recovery of those suffered injuries.

Other members of the jury panel are Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, ex-judge AKM Anisur Rahman Khan, Prof Nurul Amin Bepari, Prof Dilara Chowdhury, Prof Asif Nazrul and Advocate Mohsin Rashid.

Senior leaders of BNP, Gono Forum, JSD, Nagorik Oikya and Krishak Sramik Janata League, Oikyafront’s candidates of 11th parliamentary polls and activists and supporters of the alliance joined the programme.

The public hearing was originally rescheduled to be held on February 24. However, Oikyafront rescheduled it for February 22 as they failed to manage any venue in the capital to hold the programme on February 24.

All the candidates of the Oikyafront and the left democratic alliance were invited to join the public hearing.