Present Govt failure to lift illegal weapons: Writ filed in High Court seeking postponement of 13th parliamentary elections in B’Desh

POBNEWS24, Dhaka Jan 14, 2026 : A writ has been filed in the High Court seeking postponement of the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections until the recovery of the huge amount of weapons looted during the 2024 uprising due to extreme insecurity and the recovery of the huge amount of weapons looted during the 2024 uprising.
Supreme Court lawyer Md. Mahmudul Hasan filed the writ in the relevant branch of the High Court on Wednesday in public interest.
The writ petition has named the Cabinet Secretary, Home Ministry Secretary, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Secretary, Election Commission Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP) and RAB Director General as respondents.
The writ petition states that according to various media reports, 5,750 firearms and 6,51,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from various police stations and law enforcement offices in the country during the 2024 uprising. It is of great concern that despite the government announcing a reward for the recovery of these weapons, a significant part of them has not yet been recovered.
It also said that the lives of voters and candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections are under extreme threat due to the large number of illegal weapons in the hands of terrorists. In the meantime, the incident of Dhaka-8 parliamentary candidate Sharif Usman Hadi being shot dead by terrorists proves that this election will be bloody if illegal weapons are not recovered. In addition, Election Commissioner Retired Brigadier Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah has stated that it is very important to recover illegal weapons before the elections.
Lawyer Md. Mahmudul Hasan mentioned in the writ that although the government has arranged gunmen for some parliamentary candidates, it has not taken any effective measures for the security of all voters in the country. In this situation, if the elections are held without recovering the looted weapons, it will be a gross violation of the fundamental rights of voters and candidates, i.e. the ‘right to life’, as per Article 32 of the Bangladesh Constitution.
Therefore, the writ petition has sought an order to postpone the upcoming national elections until all the looted firearms and ammunition are recovered and a safe environment for the elections is ensured.
It is worth noting that the referendum and the national parliamentary elections will be held in Bangladesh on the same day, February 12.
However, the government has said in a directive that gunmen will be provided for the security of candidates due to the fear and panic created by the death of Inquilab Manch’s Osman Hadi. On December 12, a shooting incident occurred in Dhaka at noon on Inquilab Manch convener Sharif Osman Hadi. A week after the news of his death came, the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, two of the leading news media in Bangladesh, were attacked at midnight on December 18. These two major incidents that occurred within a few days have raised questions about the role of law enforcement agencies.
Police have claimed that Osman Hadi’s attackers fled to India immediately after the shooting incident. However, many people, including politicians, have raised complaints about how they escaped from the law enforcement agencies. Many believe that blaming India for their anti-India behavior could also be a tactic to evade the police’s responsibility.
On the night of the attacks on Prothom Alo and Daily Star, attacks, vandalism, and violence took place in various places in the country, including the cultural organization Chhayanot in Dhaka, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s house at Dhanmondi 32, Rajshahi-Chittagong.
Dhaka University teacher and criminologist Dr. Touhidul Haque blames the weakness of the law enforcement agencies for this.
He said, ‘The kind of law and order situation that should exist, that is, the kind of stability that is needed, is not being created. Sometimes it seems that the situation is getting better. Then after a few days, it returns to its previous state. In other words, if any new unrest arises, the law enforcement agencies have not fully developed the capacity to deal with it quickly.’ In addition, the Awami League is a big party, will the election be acceptable without the big party that was in power for three terms? Will it be internationally acceptable? This is a question. Kinney said, “The killings have already increased. The government’s failure to stop illegal weapons has become apparent. Perhaps this fear led to the writ to postpone the election.”