Govt cautions all to prevent illegal gatherings following the voting date

The interim government urged everyone on Tuesday not to hold any illegal or unauthorised gatherings, rallies, or movements following the announcement of the upcoming national election schedules.

"The schedule for the upcoming parliamentary elections will be released within the next few days. The interim government is urging everyone to refrain from all types of illegal and unauthorised public gatherings and movements following the announcement of the election schedule," the Chief Adviser's Press Wing stated on Tuesday evening.

It stated that the call stemmed from a meeting of the Home Affairs Ministry held on Tuesday afternoon at the request of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

"The primary goal of the interim government is to ensure that the 13th national election is held in a free, fair, impartial, acceptable, and festive manner in the first half of February next year," the press wing stated.

Noting that the government is focused on doing whatever is necessary to organise a fair election, it stated that following the announcement of the election schedule, all forces involved in maintaining law and order in the country, including the armed forces, will work to ensure a smooth election environment.

Nearly 9 lakh members of various forces, including the armed forces, will be deployed to maintain law and order in the country, the highest number ever, according to the press wing, while a record number of 150,000 police officers have already received electoral training to ensure fair elections.

Any illegal and unauthorised public gatherings and movements that cause public suffering will be strictly controlled from the announcement of the poll schedule until the elections, it stated, adding that those who participate in illegal meetings and gatherings will face legal consequences.

Following the meeting, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stated, "We understand that many people have legitimate demands. More than 2,000 protests have taken place over the last year and a half, with demands made to the interim government."

He went on to say that the government has always responded to legitimate demands and attempted to reach a resolution through discussions with protesters.

"However, we are currently in an election period. As a result, the interim government has asked everyone to present any demands they may have to the post-election government," Jahangir stated.

"We hope that no one will cause tension or disrupt the normal atmosphere with their demands," he said.