Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, has instructed the formation of a formal investigative committee to examine the involvement of key officials in organizing three controversial national elections.
The directive came during a high-level meeting of the National Unity Commission on Monday evening at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka.
According to those present, the committee plans to take a closer look at the actions of former Chief Election Commissioners, other ex-election officials, and senior secretaries from the Election Commission Secretariat. The goal is to understand whether any of them had a hand in influencing or supporting elections that many have criticized for being neither fair nor transparent.
Dr. Yunus made clear that the public is closely watching.
“Everyone is eagerly waiting for the July charter,” he said during the closed-door discussion. “We will present it by next month.”
The charter will likely propose electoral reforms, though details remain undisclosed.
The Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus also shared insights from his recent trip to London.
Present at the session were several notable members of the National Unity Commission, including Vice President Professor Ali Riaz, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Safar Raj Hossain, and Dr. Mohammad Aiyub Mia.
Also in attendance were Chief Secretary to the Adviser, Sirajuddin Mia, and Special Assistant Monir Haidar.
No official timeline has been set for the committee’s report, but with the reform charter due in July, pressure is mounting to show progress.
For many, the formation of this committee feels overdue.
Questions about the integrity of past elections have lingered for years. Each time a disputed poll passed, accountability seemed to fade. This time, there’s a promise of review.
Whether that leads to formal consequences, or just more political gestures, is still unclear.
But the directive signals a shift — at least for now — toward confronting the record of those who managed the ballot box.
