The debate over whether or not to call out the army during national polls has intensified as the next general election gets closer. Former caretaker government advisor Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said: “Violence or fear of violence always troubles voters, electoral officials, contestants and their supporters during an election. Disagreeing with the ruling party leaders, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said: “We have no faith in any authority except the armed forces. Holding a credible, fair election without deploying them is next to impossible.”The armed forces have to be deployed to ensure “neutrality and impartiality,” he added. What the experts sayFormer election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said deployment of the armed forces had been a practice in parliamentary elections since 1973.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 25, 2017 09:22 UTC