Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday urged the government to be sincere alongside the President to form a fresh neutral, stronger and courageous Election Commission (EC).

“We want the President to take a genuine step towards forming the Election Commission. We’ll provide him all-out cooperation. At the same time, we think the government should also be sincere in this regard,” said BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

Speaking at a discussion, he further said, “If the government doesn’t come up with a sincere attitude, it won’t be possible for the President to act properly, no matter how much neutral role he tries to play. So, we expect both the President and the government will make sincere efforts to form an acceptable Commission by making a neutral search committee.”

President Abdul Hamid will initiate dialogue with political parties on December 18 through holding the first meeting with BNP over constituting a fresh Election Commission as the tenure of the current EC expires in February next.

BNP arranged the discussion at the Jatiya Press Club marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

The nation will observe the day on Wednesday paying tributes to the intellectuals killed systematically by the Pakistan occupation army and their local collaborators at the fag end of the country's Liberation War in 1971.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia together with party leaders and activists will pay homage to martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur on Wednesday morning.

Mosharraf said their party will join the dialogue with the President as he has invited it to discuss with him the formation of a neutral EC.

He, however, said late President Zillur Rahman had also taken the same initiative before formation of the current EC, but his move was a blunt one. “He had not followed our proposals as he made a search committee as per the list of Awami League. The current EC, which was made as per the list of that search committee, obliterated democracy from Bangladesh.”

Mentioning that the Rakibuddin Ahmad-led current Election Commission is the most stigmatised one in the country’s history, the BNP leader said people want to get rid of such a Commission. 

He said their chairperson presented a framework, which has already been submitted to the president, to constitute a neutral and stronger Commission.

Mosharraf also focused on formatting an election-time neutral government, saying facilitative role of an election-time neutral administration is crucial so that the Election Commission can hold a free, fair and acceptable election.