Joy also wants reforms, AL’s participation in election

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said he was happy with the army chief's timeline for elections within 18 months, though it was later than expected, but warned that genuine reform and polls were impossible without her party.

Sajeeb Wazed told Reuters late on Tuesday.

“But we have seen this play out before where an unconstitutional, unelected government promises reform and then things only get worse.”

Wazed, who lives in Washington, said neither he nor the interim government had reached out for talks on the way ahead for the country of 170 million.

"It's impossible to have legitimate reforms and elections by excluding the oldest and largest political party," he added.

Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman has told Reuters that democracy should return within a year to a year-and-a-half.

Inputs taken from Reuters