Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationaist Party (BNP) senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Thursday questioned the neutrality of the search committee formed by the President to constitute the new Election commission, saying it was made with persons loyal to Awami League.

“The chairman of the search committee is a person who had earlier proposed forming a worthless and spineless commission like Rakibuddin-led one. This person has been made the search committee chairman again,” he said.

Speaking at a doa and milad mahfil, he also said, “A person, who was Election Commission secretary during the January-5 controversial and unacceptable election, and later made the PSC chairman as a reward, has been made a member of the search committee. Not only that another person was made its member who is involved with various Awami League-supported organisations.”

Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal arranged the programme at Maulana Bhasani auditorium at Nayapaltan, marking BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s son Arafat Rahman Koko’s 2nd death anniversary. 

On Wednesday, President Abdul Hamid formed a six-member search committee for reconstituting the new EC.

Nazrul said their chairperson placed a proposal for forming the search committee with neutral persons who are above any controversy and who did not hold any profitable posts.

“We wanted persons who don’t expect to get anything from any quarter to be included in the search committee. But, we have seen it has been formed with people who have desire to get something or already benefited (by the government),” he observed.

Mentioning that their party wants a neutral Election Commission to be constituted to hold a fair lection, the BNP leader said partisan people will not be able to propose the names of neutral persons to form an impartial Election Commission.

After the milad mahfil, a munajat was offered seeking salvation of Koko’s departed soul.