Sheikh Hasina and family’s voter cards blocked ahead of next elections
Dhaka (The Uttam Hindu): Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several members of her family will not be able to vote in next year's elections. Their National Identity Card (NID) cards have been blocked, local media reported. Senior Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Akhtar Ahmed told reporters on Wednesday that people whose National Identity Card (NID) is blocked will not be able to vote from abroad. He said that people who have left the country due to legal proceedings or other reasons can vote provided their NID is not blocked.
He said that to vote from abroad, one must register online with their NID number. Passport will not be sufficient. If someone's NID is blocked, they will not be able to register and vote. Only those who register with their NID will be eligible for this opportunity.
When asked if Sheikh Hasina would be able to vote, he said, "She will not be able to vote as her NID has been blocked." The National Identity Registration Wing had 'locked' the NIDs of Hasina and nine of her family members following a verbal directive from its Director General, ASM Humayun Kabir.
The family members include Sheikh Rehana Siddiqui, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Saima Wazed, Shahnaz Siddiqui, Bushra Siddiqui, Tulip Rizwana Siddiqui, Ajmeera Siddiqui, Radwan Mujeeb Siddiqui and Tariq Ahmed Siddiqui. In early July, the Election Commission removed Hasina's Awami League party's election symbol from its website in an attempt to end the party's decades-long political existence in the country, according to local media reports.
On May 12, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus issued a gazette notification banning all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated organizations under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the party and its leaders at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is complete.
Analysts believe that this latest development is an extension of the political vendetta being carried out by the Yunus-led interim government against former Prime Minister Hasina and her family members, with a larger plan to keep the Awami League away from participating in the national elections.