Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain on Thursday said holding a free, fair and neutral election is the responsibility of all.
“The election will be held in early February...the government and the people of this country will try to hold a fair, free, impartial and inclusive election. It is everyone's responsibility to guard the centres and ensure a fair election. For this reason the government will remain beside you,” he said.
The adviser made the remarks while speaking at the Ulema, Educationists and Intellectuals Conference, which was arranged on the second day of a three-day Agrahayan Mahfil at Charmonai Darbar in Barishal on Thursday afternoon.
He said all will be at voting centres, and they will vote for whomever they want to, while the government will remain ready to ensure it with the help of law enforcement agencies, but all should stay beside the government to this end.
Khalid said they will return to their old tasks after the polls and those who will form the next government through fair election will complete the unfinished work of the interim government.
The religious adviser said the hard work of the alems (religious scholars) has not gone in vain, and it will not fail in the future too.
No one has the power to incite the sentiments of the people by insulting, criticising, and misrepresenting religion, he said, asking all not to take the law into their own hands.
Speaking on the occasion, Ameer of Islami Andolan Bangladesh Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, Pir Saheb Charmonai, said he has not contested any election, so he has no chance of becoming a minister.
“Even then, the aim of me and all our efforts is to take the country to a better place. Our efforts are to make the blood of the people who sacrificed their lives worthwhile. An opportunity has come after 54 years. If we do not utilise this opportunity, the next generation will curse us,” he said.
