Anyone joins the dialogue or not, EC formation process to continue: Quader

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the process to form the Election Commission will continue whether anyone joins the dialogue or not.

The process which was followed earlier in reconstituting the Election Commission is being followed now, Quader said, referring to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s statement that the President's dialogue is meaningless and the crisis will not be resolved with it.

Obaidul Quader said this at a briefing at his residence in the morning.

An election commissioner was appointed from the BNP's list last time, he said, adding, "A strong election commission cannot be formed by delivering speech in the media. A process should be followed for the EC formation. This will prove whether BNP wants a strong Election Commission or prefers to create a controversy," he said.

About Mirza Fakhrul’s comment that the country has been identified as an undemocratic one due to the government’s “misdeeds”, Quader said BNP, in fact, is obstructing the democratic progress of the country in every step.

"Bangladesh had been identified as a fanatic, extremist and communal country during BNP’s tenure," he said.

He expressed the hope that the BNP will come forward to help form a strong Election Commission by shunning negative politics.