‘Interim govt will stay as long as we’re supposed to, balancing between desires for reform and new election’: Asif Nazrul

Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul on Saturday said that the interim government will remain as long as there is coordination between the people’s desire for reform and the desire of the political parties for election.

He came up with the remark while taking charge of the office at the Secretariat.

Asked about the tenure of the interim government, the law adviser said, “There has been no decision about the tenure yet. Please keep two things in mind-the election to be held as soon as possible as per the expectation from this government, and the reform aspirations of the people of this country.”

“We’ve seen in the past that attempts were made to use different state institutions, including police, judiciary, Anti-Corruption Commission, public universities, as weapons of repression on the people. Some good services were found from these organisations. There are some good people in these organisations. But the system was set up in such a way that institutions became a terror for dissenting voices and for those who were exercising their basic rights.”

“People have the desire to reform them. We will stay as long as we are supposed to, balancing the desire for reform and the desire for new elections. Not more, not less,” he said.

The new advisor to the law ministry went to the Secretariat around 9:35am. Golam Sarwar, secretary to the ministry, and other officials, welcomed him.

Asif Nazrul, was sworn in as adviser of the interim government on Thursday after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the 17-member interim government.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division has announced the portfolios of the interim government, with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to oversee 27 ministries and divisions.