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ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh is intensifying preparations for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad or general election, scheduled for Feb. 12, with the Election Commission (EC), police, and expatriate voting systems taking key measures to ensure a smooth electoral process, according to reports by state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).&nbsp;According to the EC, a total of 13,07,095 voters have registered to cast postal ballots ahead of the national elections and an accompanying referendum.&nbsp;&lsquo;Postal Vote BD&rsquo;Registration is being done via the &ldquo;Postal Vote BD&rdquo; app for expatriates, election officials, polling staff, and government employees residing outside their constituencies.&nbsp;Of the registered voters, 11,22,287 are men, and 1,84,806 are women.&nbsp;Among expatriates, Saudi Arabia has the largest number of registrants at 223,609, followed by Malaysia (76,660), Qatar (73,468), Oman (51,163), and Kuwait (33,607).&nbsp;In-country postal votes account for 5,84,347 registrations, with Cumilla, Dhaka, and Chattogram recording the highest district numbers.&nbsp;At the constituency level, Feni-3 leads with 15,164 registrations, followed by Chattogram-15 (12,740) and Noakhali-1 (12,612).&nbsp;Over 0.5m postal ballots dispatchedOver the past two weeks, 581,689 postal ballots have been dispatched to expatriate voters in 75 countries, including 187,443 ballots to Saudi Arabia, 66,577 to Malaysia, and 64,700 to Qatar.&nbsp;The EC has extended the registration deadline until Jan. 5, allowing expatriates, government employees, election staff, and legally detained voters to participate.&nbsp;Nomination papers for Dhaka constituencies&nbsp;Meanwhile, the EC has initially approved 119 and cancelled 54 nomination papers for candidates contesting 13 Dhaka constituencies.&nbsp;Most disqualifications were due to mismatched signatures, loan defaults, or missing affidavits, while party-backed candidates&rsquo; nominations were rejected for missing signatures from authorized officials.&nbsp;Aggrieved candidates can appeal between Jan. 5 and 9.&nbsp;Security and law-and-order preparations are a major focus ahead of the polls. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali said maintaining peace over the next 40 days is critical for a fair election.&nbsp;Extensive officer reshuffling has been carried out to ensure operational neutrality, while high-threat candidates, including election commissioners, have been provided with security personnel.&nbsp;The commissioner added that ongoing investigations, such as the killing of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, are under review, with video evidence being examined.

Bangladesh

With postal ballots being dispatched to expatriates worldwide, nomination scrutiny ongoing, and security measures being taken, Bangladesh is steadily gearing up for a nationwide vote.

Bangladesh prepares for February 12 elections with postal voting, security measures

DHAKA:&nbsp;Bangladesh police on Sunday said the alleged killers of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had fled to India, in comments likely to further strain relations with its neighbor. Hadi, a vocal India critic who took part in last year&#39;s mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. His death set off violent protests with angry mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favor India, as well as a prominent cultural institution. With protests being held across the country almost daily, pressure has been growing on Bangladesh&#39;s interim government to arrest the killers of Hadi, who was set to contest the general elections in February next year. &lsquo;Killing was premeditated&rsquo;&quot;The killing was premeditated. Those behind it have been identified,&quot; SN Nazrul Islam, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer, said at a news conference. Suspects Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh left Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border with India shortly after attacking Hadi on December 12, Islam said. They were received at the border by two Indian citizens, who escorted them into the northeastern state of Meghalaya before handing them over to two accomplices. Bangladeshi investigators were in contact with their Indian counterparts, who had arrested the two suspected accomplices, Islam said. &ldquo;We are communicating with Meghalaya police, who have confirmed the arrest of two Indian nationals,&rdquo; he added. Two senior Meghalaya police officers, however, did not comment when contacted by AFP. The Indian foreign ministry had earlier said it rejects &ldquo;false narratives&rdquo; about New Delhi&#39;s involvement in Hadi&rsquo;s killing. Hasina&rsquo;s extradition &nbsp;Ties between the neighbors have deteriorated since the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled the pro-democracy uprising and sought refuge in India. India says it is still considering Dhaka&#39;s requests to extradite Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia for orchestrating a deadly crackdown on the uprising.

Hadi, a vocal India critic who took part in last year's mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore.

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Bangladesh prepares for February 12 elections with postal voting, security measures

Bangladesh police say student leader Osman Hadi’s killers fled to India