Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Ousted former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and several of her family members will be unable to vote in the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, as their National Identity Cards (NIDs) have been blocked, the Election Commission (EC) confirmed on Wednesday.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters at his Agargaon office that NIDs of Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and Rehana’s children Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq and Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby were also “locked.” Rehana’s brother-in-law and Hasina’s former security adviser, retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, along with his wife Shahin Siddique and daughter Bushra Siddique, are among those barred.
Asked specifically about Hasina, Ahmed said: “To my knowledge, she cannot vote because her NID is blocked.”
The EC clarified that Bangladeshis abroad will be allowed to vote if they register online using their active NID number. “Those whose NID is blocked will not be able to complete registration,” Ahmed added.
In April, under orders from EC’s NID division chief ASM Humayun Kabir, the NIDs of Hasina and 10 family members were blocked.
Hasina’s Awami League was ousted on August 5 last year, after a violent student-led uprising forced her to flee to India. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus then took charge as Chief Adviser, banning Awami League activities and initiating war crimes trials against Hasina and senior party leaders. She is currently being tried in absentia at the International Crimes Tribunal, where prosecutors have sought capital punishment.
Meanwhile, the National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) on Wednesday seized two more of Hasina’s bank lockers at Agrani Bank’s Dilkusha branch. “We will proceed in line with the law to open the lockers,” said CIC DG Ahsan Habib.
Earlier on September 10, CIC seized another locker at Pubali Bank’s Sena Kalyan Bhaban branch. Officials said the latest action follows a tip-off and is linked to probes into alleged tax evasion and financial irregularities. So far, three lockers and two bank accounts in Hasina’s name have been seized as part of the wider investigation.