BNP on Tuesday said the draft law on the Election Commission (EC) formation will not yield any positive outcome as the party thinks it will only protect the interests of the ruling party. "The government's attempt to legitimise the ongoing process of forming a loyal and incompetent election commission in the interest of the ruling party will produce the same result as in the past. This time it’s possibly going to be even worse than in previous elections,” said BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan. Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, he also said what has been happening in the administrative system for so long will now happen in the legal system after the enactment of the law. “That’s why we think it won’t bring any positive change.” Read: Families of disappearance victims being ‘forced to sign false statements’: BNP Explaining the reasons behind their disappointment over the draft law, the BNP leader said as per the provision of the draft law no one can be an EC member without having a long experience in government service. “This means no one from civil society or any educationist and jurist can be its member. Where are such restrictions there in the world?” He said the EC is going to be formed with only government officials or those who have a habit of obeying government orders all their lives and such an EC will not yield any positive outcome. "People don’t expect anything else from an illegitimate government elected without their votes. We think only an elected government has the ability and moral capacity to form a neutral, independent and competent election commission,” Nazrul Observed. On Monday, the Cabinet approved the draft of the ‘Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioner Appointment Act, 2022’ to have a law in this regard as per the Constitution. As per the proposed law, a search committee will be formed taking approval from the President over the constitution of the Election Commission and the search committee will recommend the names of suitable candidates before the President to appoint the CEC and other election commissioners. The move came just one month before the expiry of the five-year tenure of the incumbent Election Commission, led by CEC KM Nurul Huda, as it is going to complete its five years in office in mid-February. No election under Hasina Nazrul Islam, a BNP standing committee member, said their party is not willing to join the general election under the current government and its administration. “We’ve already said this regime is not elected by people’s votes and they're an anti-mass one. So, we won’t go to any election under their administration.” He said they will also not participate in the polls under the worthless and incompetent EC formed by the current government. “What they're going to do this time as per the law ultimately will be the same thing as in the past. In our constitution, it’s clearly mentioned that all power is in the hands of the Prime Minister. So, nothing will happen without her approval, no matter what the law says. There’s no reason to believe that she will do anything different this time than what she has been doing for so long,” the BNP leader said. Read: AL conspiring to rig votes again, alleges BNP Nothing gained from talks Nazrul Islam said the President who has no power arranged a dialogue on the EC formation. “History proves that this dialogue is meaningless. Nothing has been achieved from the talks. Rather, the situation has gradually deteriorated. He said many parties joined the talks and gave many proposals. “But did we see the reflection of any of these proposals? The cabinet prepared law while the President was holding the talks. That's why this dialogue is pointless.”

BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Monday called upon the government to withdraw its restriction on sending their party’s ailing chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for advanced treatment. “Begum Khaleda Zia has been imprisoned unjustly and she’s now ill. We demand her release from jail as we want her to recover from illness,” he said. Read: Khaleda’s body temperature under control: Fakhrul The BNP leader said Khaleda should be given an opportunity to go abroad for the treatment she needs like any other citizen in Bangladesh and like other political leaders. “The restriction that has been unjustly imposed in this regard should be lifted.” He came up with the call while inaugurating a photo exhibition arranged by Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas) in memory of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, marking his 40th death anniversary. Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, said people have been living in miseries due the coronavirus outbreak for lack of a pro-people government. "We want an end to the miseries of people. Establishing a democratic and responsible government is the only solution to the ongoing crisis in the country,” he said. Read: Khaleda Zia suffering from fever The BNP leader said a pro-people government can only be established through a credible parliamentary election under a neutral and non-partisan administration. Stating that BNP has long been in a struggle to ‘restore’ democracy and overcome the country’s all crises and turn Bangladesh into a humanitarian state. “Our goal will surely be achieved.” BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who tested positive for Covid-19 on April 11, was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health checkup. She was shifted to the CCU of the hospital with shortness of breath on May 3. She is still receiving treatment there. On April 28, a 10-member medical board, headed by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, was formed for the treatment of Khaleda at the Evercare Hospital, a day after her admission there. She tested negative for Covid-19 on May 8, 27 days after she had been infected with the deadly virus, but the BNP chief is still suffering from post-Covid complications. Read:Post-Covid complications affected Khaleda’s heart, kidneys: Fakhrul Her family submitted an application to the government on May 6 seeking permission to send her abroad for advanced treatment, but it was turned down as a convicted person cannot avail of such an opportunity. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order on March 25 last year on conditions that she would take treatment at home and would not go abroad.  

BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Friday alleged that all the constitutional bodies, including the Election Commission (EC), have become dysfunctional due to politicisation and nepotism.

BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Thursday alleged that a handful of people, not the common ones, are getting the benefits of the country’s 'questionable' GDP growth.

Stating that the government has ‘got infected with various viruses’, BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Tuesday suggested the ruling party leaders to ‘hide their faces behind masks to hide the shame for the widespread corruption and violence against women’.

BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Sunday alleged that the misdeeds by the leaders of its associate bodies suggest Awami League has got infected with various viruses.

BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Thursday said Bangladesh will lose its ‘self-esteem’ to the international community if the government pushes their chairperson Khaleda Zia towards death keeping her in jail.