Election separate issue, trial to continue: Salahuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that reform, trial and election have become a national talking point now.

He said, “Election is completely a different issue and the trials to continue independently. Whoever comes to power after this government will have to carry on the trial.”

He made the remarks while addressing a discussion on “trial of mass killing, reform and election roadmap” organised by Gano Odhikar Parishad (GOP).

Salahuddin Ahmed further said, “Crimes against humanity have been committed. It would take a long time to finish the trial of those crimes. The judiciary will continue with its judicial process independently until then. So it won’t be right to say elections and trials are interlinked. And giving a deadline to finish the trial is equivalent to injustice as we all know the long process of trials and it takes time to ensure justice.”

Salahuddin Ahmed remarked that no one in this country will get away with committing crimes. The BNP leader said that many attempts have been made both from within the country and abroad to create instability in Bangladesh's political landscape.

He stated that the way to end this instability is to establish a democratic political force. “The sooner this is realised through a national parliamentary election, the better it will be for the nation.”

He stressed on considering everything reasonably to proceed towards the democratic process.

GOP president Nurul Haque Nur presided over the discussion, while vice-president Faruk Hasan conducted the event. Among the others who addressed the event are Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya, Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmed, secretary general of Khilafat Majlis and Redwan Ahmed, secretary general of Liberal Democratic Party.