Jamaat-e-Islami will stage demonstration across the country on Wednesday protesting the government decision to drop the names of convicted war criminals from the voter list. “The government has taken a move to arrange a lopsided election as part of its conspiracy to establish one-party Baksal rule. The government has approved the draft of voter list bill to drop top leaders of the party from voter roll so that Jamaat, the country’s largest Islamist party, cannot take part in the next polls,” said Jamaat’s acting secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan in a statement.
In the statement, Rafiq said, “As per section 122 of the constitution, every citizen of 18 years of age has the right to be the voter. The decision to keep any citizen out of voter list is contrary to the constitution and human rights.”
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the ‘Voter List (2nd amendment) Bill, 2013’ with a provision for not including in and dropping from the voter list the names of those convicted under the Bangladesh Collaborators Special Tribunal Order, 1972 and International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973.
Rafiq also alleged that the Election Commission become subservient of the government and it is doing many things to have government desires materialised. “It’s not possible for the Election Commission to arrange free, fair and neutral polls.”
“The people of the country wouldn’t allow the government to implement its conspiracy to hold election without Jamaat,” the statement added.
-With The Independent input
