DHAKA: Former chief election commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamsul Huda on Saturday (October 15) categorically said BNP made a historic mistake by not participating in the last general elections.

He made the opinion as chief guest while addressing a roundtable on reforming the election commission (EC) and civic society’s thoughts on it at National Press Club in city.

Shamsul Huda further said: “BNP’s decision hampered country’s democratic process. You can participate in the polls and protest against anything at the Jatiya Sangsad.”

“But, whenever you take resort to street movements by setting fire to vehicles, killing people by hurling petrol bombs, creating sabotages, public will conceptualize these as movements for seizing the power, not for the sake of democracy,” he added.

Dhaka University’s former vice-chancellor Dr Emajuddin Ahmed, SUJAN general secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, lawyer Shahdin Malik, media expert Mohammad Jahangir, former election commissioner Brig. (retd) Sakhawat Hossain, DU Professor Asif Nazrul and former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder were, among others, present in the roundtable.

BDST: 1523 HRS, OCT 15, 2016
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