The issue of deploying the Army during the general election would be decided tomorrow (Friday) at an emergency meeting on the law and order situation, chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said here on Thursday. The meeting will be held with members of law enforcement agencies and returning officers. “We need to discuss the issue with the members of the law enforcement agencies and returning officers as they need to assess the situation. It has become a routine matter for the Army to maintain law and order during poll time and the Election Commission is ready to take support from them at any moment,” the CEC told reporters at his office on Thursday evening. The Election Commission (EC) has already decided to deploy the Army across the country between 23 and 25 December, before the next general election, scheduled to be held on January 5. The aim is to ensure a free and fair election, an authoritative source told The Independent.
The source also said the commission has no idea about the deployment of the Army anywhere in the country. He was replying to a question about deployment of the Army at Satkhira.
The CEC held a meeting on Wednesday evening with the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lieutenant General Abu Belal Mohammad Shafiul Haque, at his office to discuss the issue. The meeting lasted half an hour, according to EC sources.
The EC sought the support of the Army, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the police forces for transporting electoral equipment across the country. The EC felt that the regular monitoring carried out by the law enforcement agencies was not enough to ensure the safety of the electoral equipment that would be transported.
“We will start sending electoral equipment, including ballot papers and boxes and other accessories, to 60 districts from 22 and 23 December. However, the blockade programme is going on. It is our duty to send the materials to all districts within a week, which is why we need all-out support from all quarters,” EC secretary Dr Muhammad Sadik told The Independent yesterday.
He pointed out that the commission would have to spend a huge amount of money and engage adequate numbers of security personnel for arranging the transportation. “We are working on that,” he added.
The EC held a meeting with the law enforcement agencies last month, during which the issue of deploying the Army was discussed in detail.
-With The Independent input
