Staff Correspondent

Former BNP secretary general and "pro-reform" leader Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said Friday the state of emergency must be withdrawn before parliamentary elections to create a sense of "ease" for voters.

Mannan Bhuiyan told reporters: "As the voter list was prepared with photographs, voters could cast their ballots easily this time."

"But they would have felt more at ease if there were no state of emergency," claimed the BNP leader.

"An environment for spontaneous voting has to be created by withdrawing the state of emergency before parliamentary elections."

Following the city and municipal elections, held amid the state of emergency on August 4, local government adviser Anwarul Iqbal told reporters Thursday that national elections would be held under the state of emergency.

When his attention was drawn to the comment, Mannan Bhuiyan said: "The local government elections have been very fair and transparent. People could cast their own ballots without hindrance."

But, he repeated: "If there were no state of emergency, the election would have been a more joyful and spontaneous affair."

"So, we do not want to see the state of emergency during the next parliamentary election."

Pressing for the quickest possible holding of the election, he said: "There is no alternative to an elected government. So, the quicker the parliamentary election is held, the better for the country."

Asked whether BNP would participate in the upazila elections, the former local government minister said: "This will be decided at the party forum."

Demanding Khaleda Zia's release, he said: "I believe if the leader is released the division in the party will disappear. An election cannot be won by a divided party."

Mannan Bhuiyan advised the government to introduce a monitoring system to keep the prices of essentials within the reach of the common people during the month of Ramadan.

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