Amidst worries of delay in elections in Bangladesh, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, has reiterated that "No matter who says what, elections will be held on February 12 – not a day before, not a day after."
The statement was posted on the X handle of the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government. The statement was made to US diplomats who met the Chief Adviser on Tuesday.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday reaffirmed his government's commitment to hold the general elections and the referendum as scheduled on February 12. The Chief Adviser made the remarks when two former senior United States diplomats – Albert Gombis and Morse Tan, both of whom served during the Donald Trump administration – called on him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Professor Yunus said there had been a flood of fake news and deliberately spread confusion surrounding the elections but stressed that the interim government remained firm in its commitment to hold the polls on February 12 and to hand over power to a democratically elected government once the results are announced.
"No matter who says what, elections will be held on February 12 – not a day before, not a day after," the Chief Adviser said, adding that the vote would be free, fair and peaceful, and held in a festive atmosphere.
The statement comes as minorities come under attack ahead of elections in the country, leading to concerns over whether free and fair elections can be held.
A Hindu auto driver, Samir Das, was beaten to death in Bangladesh, the latest in the series of attacks on Hindu minorities in the country, say local media reports. He was 28. The brutal attack on the auto driver took place in Daganbhuiyan in Chittagong on Sunday night.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a human rights organisation against religious discrimination, has expressed grave concern over the escalating attacks on minority communities across the country.
The rights body stated that communal violence has been increasing at an alarming rate as the February national election in Bangladesh approaches.
Bangladesh's interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
"Samir Das, an auto driver in Bangladesh, was beaten to death in what appears to be a pre-planned murder (to be read as a Hindu minority targeted), making him the 8th Hindu casualty since Dec 18. Not a word from the GoI, not even to raise a voice of concern. So much for their religion-focused politics ... all hollow claims to cling to power," Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, highlighting the continuing attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.
Last week, India said that it continues to monitor the situation in the neighbouring country and hopes that acts of communal violence are addressed decisively. "We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities, as well as their homes and business establishments, by extremists in Bangladesh. Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
