How many of us really believe that the current laws and institutions in Bangladesh lend the capacity to hold free and fair elections?

Is there a connection between India’s clarification of its policy and Lu’s letter?

Ongoing hostilities to BNP make any success a distant possibility

Lack of transparency creates perfect breeding ground for its spread

A huge drain on state exchequer

Arresting people on false charges is gross human rights violation

It does not bode well for the future of democracy

The current political uncertainties work out, the road to a fair election appears neither certain nor easy.

Politicians owe it to the people to give dialogue a chance

Let good sense—and constitutional obligations—prevail

And if they are online so much, do they find political engagement on social media to be safe and useful?

Without compromise, there is no democratic way to resolve current stalemate

The ruling party must adopt a more mature and restrained strategy

It appears that the ruling party is courting all the powers that matter in Bangladeshi politics.

Unfortunately, our history so far shows that major political shifts have only occurred as a result of violent uprisings on the streets.

Our failure to defend Hero Alom points only to our intellectual bankruptcy

The two instances provide somewhat of an indication as to how the Election Commission will be handling voting in the 300 constituencies.

Hero Alom may have been ostracised by our political and cultural elites, but he has a huge fan base among the poor and working class.

BNP to some extent and AL to a far greater extent have changed Bangladesh. Can’t we expect them to change themselves, even a bit?

The rigid positions of AL-BNP will only lengthen the political deadlock