Cast vote without fear: Army chief

Staff Correspondent: Army chief General Aziz Ahmed said the election atmosphere in the country ahead of 11^th parliamentary election slated for December is very “calm and peaceful” encouraging voters to cast their votes without any fear.

The army chief made the call while talking to reporters after paying a visit to a makeshift army camp set up at a community centre in the capital’s Azimpur on Saturday.

“To voters, I would say, go and cast your votes without any fear. We’ll try our best so that no one can create anarchy. That will be our aim,” General Aziz said adding that the Army personnel along with other law enforcers will be nearby in a coordinated way.

Talking to reporters, the army chief said they, in each cantonment, have kept adequate army personnel stand by so that they can go for reinforcement in the shortest possible time if it is required.

Over 50,000 military men have been deployed across the country and are conducting regular patrols to ensure the peaceful atmosphere.

General Aziz said the army was reaching out to minorities and assuring them that they can exercise their franchise without any fear.

“We’ve seen from previous experiences that those who lose the election attack minorities. We’ll be very careful about it,” said the army chief.

He said they -- the Army, Police, BGB, Ansar and civil administration -- will work as a team with a single goal so that nobody can create conflicts and trigger fear among voters. “We’ll remain very careful.”


risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 29, 2018/Asad/AI