DCs Are Being Transferred with a Specific Purpose: Golam Porwar

Ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, questions have been raised by the Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Mia Golam Porwar, regarding recent administrative transfers. He stated that the transfers in the civil administration and police seem to be driven by a specific design or purpose. In less than a month, suddenly one DC was transferred, and within a week, many others have been reassigned.

He said, “It appears that there is a particular design or purpose behind this. It seems to be orchestrated from somewhere.”
He made these remarks during a meeting with political parties at the Election Commission office in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Wednesday.

He further noted that after the schedule announcement, administrative responsibilities will fall under the Election Commission. To ensure trust, Jamaat had proposed a lottery-based method for transferring DCs and SPs. However, no clear solution was obtained during discussions with the Chief Adviser.

He stated, “The most neutral and trustworthy way is to transfer officials through a lottery. Whoever is destined for a place will go there. This eliminates any question of bias.”

Regarding holding the national election and a referendum on the same day, he said, “Alongside the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the July Charter and referendum are also highly relevant. Conducting both votes on the same day will make it difficult for voters to make informed decisions. We believe the referendum should occur first.”

Golam Porwar also commented on expatriate voting, noting that the Election Commission’s rules do not clearly address how expatriates will vote in the referendum. Due to NID complexities for many expatriates, he reiterated the proposal to allow voter registration through passports.

On election security, he stated that at least five military personnel should be present at each polling station. Assigning only one soldier is insufficient to maintain proper control. Furthermore, he noted that the submission process for party pledges is unclear in the schedule. Candidates will submit nominations locally, but it must be clarified whether party pledges should be submitted to the Election Commission office in Dhaka.

Khaborwala/TSN