Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday reaffirmed that the country will hold its general election on February 12, saying people are keen to exercise their voting rights after years of denial. He made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Sergio Gor, the United States Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, around 7.30 pm local time.
During the call, Yunus said citizens were waiting for an opportunity to vote freely after what he described as the suppression of democratic rights under the previous regime. The discussion lasted about half an hour and covered a range of issues, including trade and tariff negotiations between Bangladesh and the United States, the forthcoming election, the country’s democratic transition and the killing of young political activist Sharif Osman Hadi.
In a post on X, Yunus said Gor, who is also the US ambassador-designate to India, congratulated him for his role in recent tariff talks. According to the post, Bangladesh was able to bring down US reciprocal tariffs on its goods to 20 per cent. The two leaders also discussed the large turnout at Osman Hadi’s funeral.
Interim govt prepared to handle challenges: Yunus
Yunus noted that supporters of the ousted regime were allegedly spending large sums of money to disrupt the electoral process and that their absconding leader was encouraging violence. He said the interim government was fully prepared to handle any challenges and remained focused on conducting a free, fair and peaceful election, which he hoped would set a benchmark for the country.
The post added that Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin, National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman and SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed were present during the conversation.
Earlier in the day, Inqilab Moncho demanded that those responsible for the killing of its convenor Osman Hadi be brought to justice before the 13th national election and the planned referendum, according to BDNews24. The group also called for the creation of a judicial tribunal with the involvement of international agencies such as the FBI and Scotland Yard.
The report said the platform placed three key demands, including a fast track tribunal to try the murder with international investigative support, identification and prosecution of alleged Awami collaborators within civil and military intelligence structures, and explanations followed by resignations from the home adviser and the Chief Adviser’s special assistant Khoda Baksh, as well as the law adviser.
Inqilab Moncho had earlier ended its protest at the Central Shaheed Minar after issuing a 24 hour ultimatum to the government seeking justice for Hadi. It also announced plans to hold a Shaheedi oath ceremony at Shahbagh at 3 pm on Tuesday, according to member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber.
BDNews24 cited a Facebook post by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, who said the case would be tried at a Speedy Trial Tribunal, with proceedings expected to conclude within 90 days.
Meanwhile, the Daily Star reported that Inqilab Moncho warned of launching a mass movement to remove the interim government if justice was not delivered. The warning was issued by Abdullah Al Jaber during an emergency press conference at Shaheed Hadi Chattar, after the group claimed that its earlier ultimatum had passed without any concrete action by the home ministry or other authorities.
