Home adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday said that the government was planning to lower the maximum number of mobile SIM cards an individual can register under his or her name from 10 to seven to strengthen monitoring and prevent misuse ahead of the next national election, expected to be held in February next year.
He made the remarks while talking to journalists after a meeting of the advisory council on law and order at the secretariat in Dhaka.
鈥楾he issue of SIM cards was discussed in the meeting. Currently, a person can use up to 10 SIMs. We may bring this number down to a maximum of seven before the election,鈥� he said.
The limit would gradually be reduced further from five to two SIMs per person in the future, he said, and added that the number would be decreased step by step.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Jahangir said, 鈥楽ometimes a person legitimately registered one SIM card, but more SIMs can be later issued in that person鈥檚 name through fraudulent means. These SIMs are then used for criminal activities without the knowledge of the person, against whom the SIMs were registered.鈥�
Noting that many false and misleading pieces of information are being circulated on social media, he urged journalists to play an active role in dispelling such untrue and misleading information.
When asked about recent remarks from another adviser who said that political parties were 鈥榚ager for confrontation鈥�, the home adviser said, 鈥楧uring elections, certain incidents do occur. Sometimes even husbands and wives contest against each other鈥攈ouseholds get divided. Such minor incidents happen and cannot be eliminated.鈥�
He expressed hope that political parties would discuss and resolve these issues.
Jahangir further said that a fair and peaceful election was possible if the public remained aware and vigilant.
Regarding a recent clash in Brahmanbaria where two groups were seen wearing life jackets, the adviser said, 鈥楽uch incidents cannot be prevented by law enforcement agencies alone, public awareness and cooperation are also essential.鈥�
He also assured of ensuring a level playing field ahead of the upcoming national election to hold 鈥榚xcellent polls鈥�.
Regarding allegations of some political parties about biased postings of the government officials, he refuted the allegations, saying, 鈥楾hey have yet to receive any such allegation to this end鈥�.
He said that no one can raise any question about the postings as they have given every posting through proper verifications, ignoring requests of various quarters.
The meeting also discussed preparations for the polls and the overall law and order situation.
