Blaming the home ministry for its inability to recover both looted and licensed firearms across the country, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Oli Ahmed on Tuesday warned that such failures could jeopardise a free, fair and peaceful national election.
Speaking at an emergency press briefing at the party's Dhaka office, Oli termed peace as a prerequisite for credible polls.
"The Home Affairs Ministry has failed to recover firearms that remain in illegal public possession," he said, adding that many such weapons were looted from police stations during last year's July Uprising.
The interim government had suspended firearm licenses issued during the Awami League governments from 2009 to 2024, but many holders have yet to surrender their weapons. "The July uprising showed Awami League supporters possessed a huge cache of firearms," he claimed.
On August 10 this year, Home Affairs Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury revealed that over 700 police firearms that were looted during the uprising remain untraced.
Police figures show that some 5,750 firearms and 651,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from police stations, outposts, and other installations during last year's turmoil.
However, the LDP chief estimated, without citing any sources, that as many as 20,000 to 25,000 firearms are currently "on the market," warning that without proper recovery drives, they could disrupt the upcoming election.
He also warned about licensed firearms, especially after the interim government, on August 24 last year, suspended civilian firearm licences issued over the past 15 years.
Oli also welcomed the Election Commission's (EC's) move to hold corrupt EC officials accountable, but urged that their offences be clearly described.
He criticised the interim government for a lack of strong action to curb corruption and remove public officials with close ties to the Awami League.
He also accused some political groups of seeking to delay the polls.
"Those trying to delay the election should be considered allies of Awami League, because delays only benefit them."
Thanking the Chief Adviser and EC for banning all Awami League political activities and suspending the party's registration, he called for the party's registration to be permanently canceled.
The interim government banned all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act on May 10, 2025, pending the outcome of trials at the International Crimes Tribunal.
The EC suspended its registration on May 12, 2025.
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