Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday voiced doubt whether the search committee formed by President Abdul Hamid can work fairly to constitute a neutral Election Commission (EC) rising above partisan narrowness.

“We’ve clear idea about what such a search committee will do. So, as a political party we don’t see any new ray of hope,” he said.

“Even though, if they can reflect people’s hopes and aspirations, people will say they’ve worked rising about parochial partisanship. But, we don’t know whether they can do it, and we can’t expect it from them too much,” he said.

The BNP leader came up with the comment while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with newly formed Jubo Dal committee members.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Abdul Hamid formed the six-member search committee headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hassan of Appellate Division for proposing the names for constituting the next EC as the tenure of the current one will expire in February next.

The other members of the search panel include Justice Obaidul Hassan, Public Service Commission Chairman Muhammed Sadique, Dhaka University Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, Chittagong University Pro-Vice-chancellor Shireen Akhter, and Comptroller Auditor General Masud Ahmed.

Justifying their party’s reservation about the search panel, Fakhrul said people had expectation that the President would form the search committee with truly impartial persons to constitute a neutral EC. “Unfortunately, almost all the search committee members have link with Awami League.”

 “People’s hopes and aspirations were not reflected in the formation of the search committee. We’ve also got frustrated and aggrieved over it. We don’t expect such a search panel will constitute an impartial Election Commission,” the BNP secretary general said.

As his attention was drawn to the media reports that the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh and some other foreign envoys are trying to meet the President over the formation of a stronger EC, Fakhrul said it could have been effective before the formation of the search committee. “I can’t say in advance how much it’ll be fruitful now. I can only say the UN’s initiative in the past didn’t succeed.”