Joint forces operation begins across the country to recover illegal weapons and arrest terrorists: EC

Ahead of the upcoming national elections, a special joint force operation is going to start across the country, Election Commissioner (EC) Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah said. He made this statement at a meeting organized by the district administration in Cox's Bazar on Sunday (January 4).

He said that the necessary circular in this regard is expected to be issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs within today. Highlighting the important points of the circular in the meeting, he said that this joint force operation will be conducted simultaneously across the country.

EC Sanaullah said, "From now on, the joint force operation will start across the country. A meeting has already been held with all the service chiefs at the Election Commission. All headquarters are aware of the matter."

He said that the main goals of the joint force operation are three. First, to recover the illegal weapons that are in supply ahead of the elections. There will also be strict monitoring to ensure that those that cannot be recovered are not used for any criminal activity.

The second goal, he said, is to arrest identified terrorists and bring them to justice. Third, to ensure compliance with the code of conduct of election-oriented political parties and candidates. In case of major violations of the code of conduct, the joint forces will take action, and minor violations will be looked into by the routine committees.

The Election Commissioner also specifically warned the law enforcement agencies about the security of the Rohingya camps. He said, “The camps must be sealed. Surveillance must be increased on the land borders and sea routes so that criminals cannot use these routes to commit crimes.”

EC Sanaullah also said that the upcoming national elections are very important. If this election fails to be conducted in a fair and peaceful manner, everyone will have to suffer the consequences.