Bangladesh fully ready for ‘free, fair, peaceful’ polls: Prof Yunus

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said Bangladesh is fully prepared to hold “free, fair and peaceful” national elections scheduled for February 12 next year, highlighting major reforms undertaken by the interim government to ensure transparency and inclusiveness.

Prof Yunus said the election issue featured prominently in his discussions with South Asian dignitaries who visited Dhaka on Wednesday and Thursday to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and pay their last respects.

He informed the visiting leaders that nearly 700,000 Bangladeshis living and working abroad have already registered for postal ballots, following the introduction of overseas voting for the first time in the country’s history under the interim administration.

High-level delegations from across South Asia attended Khaleda Zia’s funeral, including Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath and Maldives Minister of Higher Education and Labour Ali Haider Ahmed.

Following the funeral, the Pakistani parliamentary speaker and ministers from Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives paid courtesy calls on Prof Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.

During his meeting with Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Chief Adviser said he would return to his previous professional role after the elections.

The introduction of postal voting drew particular interest from the visiting leaders.

The Sri Lankan and Nepalese foreign ministers said they were closely observing Bangladesh’s experience in enabling overseas voters to participate in the electoral process.

“We will learn from your experiences,” Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said.

Prof Yunus also repeatedly underscored the need to revive South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), saying the presence of senior leaders from member states at Khaleda Zia’s funeral demonstrated that the regional bloc’s spirit remains alive.

“We witnessed a true SAARC spirit at the funeral. SAARC is still alive,” he told Maldives Minister Ali Haider Ahmed.

Recalling a past initiative, Prof Yunus said he had once attempted to convene an informal gathering of SAARC leaders on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“I wanted to bring SAARC leaders together, even if only for five minutes,” he said, expressing hope that the platform could be revitalised to serve nearly two billion people in South Asia.

On Thursday, Prof Yunus said he was deeply moved by the respect shown by SAARC member states toward Begum Khaleda Zia, describing her as a three-time Prime Minister and the world’s second female Muslim head of government who commanded regional and international respect.

The visiting dignitaries paid glowing tributes to Khaleda Zia, recalling her lifelong struggle for democracy and her efforts to promote unity and cooperation in South Asia.

They also expressed being overwhelmed by the massive turnout at her funeral. “It shows how deeply people loved her,” Prof Yunus said.