BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas said he has been a target of abductions and attacks for 17 years, yet conspiracies against him continue. He stated, “The attitude is that BNP should not be able to speak. Whenever we speak, it is twisted in various ways. Lobbyists are hired with millions of dollars to target us on social media.”
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus said, “We had heard about vote rigging, and in some cases we knew of it. But to see the entire process shamelessly distorted, the system destroyed, and decisions written according to personal will—these matters need to be presented before the nation. The full record must be maintained. Measures must be taken so that election rigging never happens again.”
Professor Ali Riaz, special assistant to the Chief Adviser (with adviser rank) and chief coordinator of public awareness campaigns on the referendum, said that just as political parties have symbols, the referendum also has a symbol—the tick mark. He urged everyone to vote using this symbol.
In South Banshree, Dhaka, a restaurant owner’s daughter, Fatema Akter Lily, 17, was murdered by employee Milon Mallik after she refused his immoral proposal, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud has said that investments have stalled due to political uncertainty. He made the statement at a press conference on Monday, January 12, after a National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by the Chief Adviser at the NEC conference room in Sher-e-Banglanagar.
Although the electoral process is reportedly on track, concerns over the upcoming election remain, said Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN). He noted that the behaviour of politicians and nominated candidates will largely determine a free and fair election.