Holding elections isn't the government's only job, says Advisor Rizwana

Environment Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan has said that conducting elections is not the interim government's sole priority as it also has a duty to institute state reform and uphold justice.

Speaking at an event on Friday, Rizwana said that the government must divide its attention equally among the three responsibilities instead of focusing only on the election.

Her comments came amid murmurs about Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus's possible exit from the interim government, sparked by a statement from National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam. According to a BBC Bangla report, quoting Nahid, Yunus said he was "considering resignation" during a meeting with the advisor-turned-NCP leader on Thursday, sparking a whirlwind of speculation on social media.

In response, Rizwana said: “We have reflected on whether we are truly able to fulfil our duties.”

She added that the advisors were searching for ways to overcome the obstacles they have been facing, along with contingency planning for when they cannot overcome them.

Although the interim government began working on reforms after taking office, it continues to face various barriers, according to Rizwana.

Among the obstacles, she highlighted the recent trend of road blockades as a form of protest or making demands, which leads to severe traffic congestion in the city.

On whether the government will be able to resolve these issues, Rizwana said the responsibility to do so lies with the nation, not just the advisors.

She clarified that there will not be any deviation from the election timeline announced by the chief advisor, which is scheduled to take place between December and June.