Search committee starts talks with civil society

The search committee has begun their activities to hold talks with the people of civil society to form a fair Election Commission.

In the first phase, they held a meeting with dozen noted citizens at the Supreme Court judges lounge around 4pm on Monday.

This is the first time a search committee on EC formation has called the civil society members, as the previous committee formed in 2012 did not do so.

The noted citizens who were present in the meeting are- former High Court judge Md Abdur Rashid, former vice chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr AK Azad Chowdhury, Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury, former vice chancellor of Dhaka University SM Fayez, Sultana Kamal, former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former election commissioner Sohul Hussain, former Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hussain, local government expert Tofail Ahmed, Secretary of Shushasoner Jonno Nagorik Badiul Alam Majumdar, eminent educationist and Dhaka University professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq and former inspector general of police Nurul Huda.

The search committee led by Appellate Division judge Syed Mahmud Hassan, also invited five more eminent citizens for consultation on Wednesday.

They are journalists Golam Sarwar and Mahfuz Anam, former chief election commissioner Abu Hena, former military officer Abdur Rashid, and lawyer Rokanuddin Mahmood.

It is mentionable that, the president, Abdul Hamid, on Wednesday formed a six-member search committee headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain of the Appellate Division for the reconstitution of the Election Commission as the tenure of incumbent commission would expire on February 8.