A Supreme Court lawyer on Thursday appealed with the High Court seeking its directives on the authorities concerned to hold the 10th parliamentary elections under a caretaker government (CG).
The petitioner, advocate Eunus Ali Akond, also urged the HC to issue a rule asking the government, Election Commission, Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to explain why they should not be directed to hold the next two parliamentary elections under the CG system.
Akond submitted the petition pointing out that the Supreme Court in a judgement on the 13th amendment to the constitution declared the CG system illegal and unconstitutional but observed that next two parliamentary elections might be held under the caretaker government.
The High Court may hear the petition on Sunday, Akond told The Daily Star after submitting the petition.
The country’s political arena has witnessed a volatile situation following the abolition of the caretaker government system.
The circumstances deteriorated as the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance declared that it would not participate in the 10th general election without restoration of the caretaker government system.
The opposition combined also staged different types of demonstration including rallies, processions and hartals to press home its demand.
But, the ruling Awami League also made its stance clear saying it will not restore the CG provision, leading to a political standoff.
The two major political camps of the country came to a confrontation when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina rejected BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s call for countrymen to resist the polls without CG and declared that the next general election would be held at any cost.
In the backdrop of the situation, both the national and international communities stressed the need for holding dialogue between the two political parties to set a poll-time government, but in vain.
Even UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon phoned both the chiefs of the Awami League and BNP for resolving the on-going political crisis holding talks.
After the UN chief, the US Secretary of State John Kerry also sent separate letters to Hasina and Khaleda requesting them to hold a constructive dialogue without wasting any more time to decide on an election-time government.
The BNP chief also threatened to paralyse the country by enforcing non-stop hartals and road and railway blockade if the government does not restore caretaker government system.
Now the country people are waiting for the October 25 deadline that Khaleda gave the government to restore the CG system or face dire consequence.
Source: The Daily Star
