British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury yesterday said resignation of the four caretaker government

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advisers, who are very well regarded for their integrity and professionalism, cannot be a good sign for the country.

Describing their resignation as "unexpected", Choudhury said the authorities should consider the reasons behind the departure of the four advisers and the caretaker government should find a way to restore people's confidence as quickly as possible.

He was addressing a discussion with woman journalists organised by Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication in association with the Canadian High Commission at Dhaka Club.

The British envoy was also critical of the president's deploying the army.

"It was unfortunate," he said, noting that while the president is the commander in chief of the army, he should have deployed the army to maintain law and order upon a consensus of all political parties.

He hoped that the deployment of the army would be temporary.

Focusing on the resignation of four advisers, Choudhury said, "It is totally unexpected. We had been hearing about the dissatisfaction of some of the advisers to the caretaker government. It cannot be a good thing for the four out of 10 advisers to resign."

The international community is very much concerned about the election of Bangladesh because the future of Bangladesh depends on this election, he said.

"Holding a free and fair election within the scheduled time will be difficult and tight but it is not impossi-

ble," he said.

Choudhury pointed out that he had urged both the chiefs of BNP and Awami League, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, at separate meetings on Sunday to find a way to resolve their "very small" differences and not to throw out all the ways for a peaceful solution.

Not only the four-party alliance, the 14-party alliance is also very keen to contest the election, he added.

The Election Commission (EC) must be transparent for a free and fair poll and there should not be any bias in the whole election process, he said.

Choudhury said the EC must also be independent and the British High Commission has been lobbying to keep it independent.

The fundamental rights to security must be ensured for the voters, political activists and leaders, and the media, he said, adding that people have the right to "express freely".

He said the UK cares about Bangladesh because there are half a million British Bangladeshis, and Bangladesh is the second largest development partner of the UK.

"We care about real progress in the country and are trying to help in a meaningful and sustainable way," the British high commissioner said.

Bangladesh has many achievements, but the political differences have created a barrier to development. "But this is not the time to look behind, rather it is the time to move forward," he said.