EC fully independent : PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the people of the country are exercising their voting rights with huge enthusiasm in different elections as the Election Commission is now fully independent.
The Prime Minister expressed this view when former chief election commissioner (CEC) of India Shahabuddin Yaqub Quraishi made a courtesy call on her at her office this morning.
After the meeting, PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil briefed reporters.
Sheikh Hasina said the current EC has been constituted through a search committee formed by late President Zillur Rahman following discussions with all political parties.
“There was no such practice in the past as all the governments except Awami League had formed the commission in their own choice,” she added.
At the meeting, the former CEC of India thanked the Prime Minister for holding the January 5 elections in Bangladesh in a free, fair and neutral manner.
“There are one billion voters in the Indian sub-continent which represents the large part of the global democracy,” he said.
Quraishi mentioned that the countries of this region have achieved tremendous success in the field of women empowerment.”This success is astonishing,” he added.
The ex-CEC of India also highlighted his experiences he gathered during his tenure.
Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran were present.