& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Talking polls and beyond

Anti-graft drive slowing down

Dr Kamal sees signs of compromise

Shamim Ashraf and Hasan Jahid Tusher
Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain has said 206 bails in just 100 minutes and the commerce adviser's meeting with corrupt politi-
cians are signs of a weakening in the caretaker government's fight against corruption.
"1 do not want to say yet that the government has failed in its fight against corruption. But certainly we have seen some weakening. And that is because we feel that some views have been taken that you should bring in the parties [to the election) at
any cost," he said during an interview with The Daily Star.
Granting of so many bails in such a short time is not possible through the legal procedure, he said.
Asked if too many
arrests have thinned out the anticorruption drive, he said, "Definitely. It should have been more targeted."
Terming preparation of voter list and declaration of election date "solid achievements" of the Election Commission, Dr Kamal said delay in implementing the remaining reforms can be
SEE PAGE 15 COL 3 FROM PAGE 1
avoided even now by not making the d ialogue process endless.
Political parties' right to being consulted about electoral reforms is vtduable, he said, adding, "It cannot be used as a means of obstructing the holding of elections timely. No one can be allowed to insist on the release of those who are convicted and/or wholesale withdrawal of cases as a condition for participating in elections."
Asked to comment on the appearance of absconding Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojahid at a dialogue with the chief adviser, Dr Kamal said, "When a person wanted by the law appears in public and no action is taken and no explanation is given, questions arise whether the rule of law is not being undermined."
On the so-called "minus-two" formula, he refrained from making any comment, terming it a past issue. "The historians will debate on this."
Asked if the election can be held after withdrawing the state of emergency, he said, “So long as the law can be enforced effectively, yes, we can do it without emergency. If you can ensure that, we may not need to have emergency. The Election Commission should be the judge of this."
Reiterating the idea of a postelection unity, Dr Kamal said elections should strengthen a national consensus and see that the government can find it possible to involve those in the opposition to come into agovernmentofnational unity.
Find details of the interview on page 11