Those who thought those events to be merely the election stratagems of the latter are now convinced of a deep-seated conspiracy to rig the election for the ninth Jatiya Sangsad due early next year in their favour. Apart from how the election mechanism was manipulated during the last five years -- the way things have unraveled since Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister, demitted her office in the last week of October, confirm the validity of the erstwhile opposition's oft-repeated allegation of engineering the next election.

The doubts to this effect were reinforced when the partisan President Dr Iajuddin Ahmed set aside all precedents and swiftly swore himself in late last month as the head of a neutral caretaker government -- thus becoming both ceremonial and executive head of the country.

The view taken of it by an AL-led 14-party alliance was rather lenient. When it was time to resist such an adventure in violation of the constitutional provisions, surprisingly the alliance accepted the arrangement only on a vague condition of its neutral conduct.

It appears, in hindsight, that the alliance led by Sheikh Hasina, much maligned for her combative politics, perhaps wanted to be seen as giving President Iajuddin a chance to keep his promise of conducting a free and fair election -- participation in which has been always been the stated objective of the alliance.

The AL's main electoral reforms proposals focused on reconstituting the Election Commission headed by Justice MA Aziz, conducting fresh electoral census to update the electoral rolls, and issuing tamper-proof identity card, that would thwart the alleged plan by BNP-Jamaat to stuff the ballot boxes with several million dummy voters. Hasina's gestures were not reciprocated by President Iajuddin; neither were her demands for free and fair election fulfilled since his assumption of office as the head of the interim government.

With regard to reconstituting the Election Commission -- the president, both in disposing of Justice MA Aziz, the chief election commissioner, and appointment two additional election commissioners, took position hostile to all political forces of the country except BNP-Jamaat combine -- with whom his sympathy evidently lies.

His motives were suspect in sending Aziz only on three months' leave with an attractive package instead of permanently getting rid of him as demanded by the people. His self-appointed successor, Justice Mahfuz, is in collusion with his cohorts in the commission, dutifully promoting the election agenda of BNP-Jamaat.

Without creating an environment for free and fair election, they have already declared the election schedule as wanted by the BNP chairperson. The whole nation looks askance at this -- is it for this that people agitated for last two years and made so many sacrifices? It is again the president -- already in the thrall of BNP-Jamaat -- who has made EC affairs more messy than before. The two newly-inducted commissioners in the EC -- it is learnt -- are birds of same feather.

Obviously, emboldened by the AL's relative passivity, the president has been running roughshod in upholding his party's interests while bulldozing genuine demands of the 14-party alliance so that it does not participate in the election or get into the trap of a doctored election to be held according to the script already prepared. In the meantime, the Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group, has warned that any tinkering with the system that negates Bangladesh's democracy could spiral out of control.

The senior members of the BNP, already reeling from a body blow as it lost several high-ranking party leaders who had earlier co-founded the party along with late Ziaur Rahman, candidly admit that their own internal assessment has found if an election were held now 14-party alliance could sweep to victory. Yet doubts abound if the AL would participate in the election unless right conditions are created to hold free and fair election. But if the president, who is simultaneously also the head of the interim government, has himself been considered a hurdle for holding a free and fair election -- as indicated by growing public demand for his resignation -- a deadlock is looming.

With a bitter legacy of BNP-Jamaat's rule and after having bluffed the people in the last election for eradicating corruption and terrorism, lashed them with worst ever price hike, and plundered public money and property, the alliance does not have a clean face to go before the people for begging vote. So it keeps parroting the mantra of development (unnayan) and its continuity. But the people exactly know that it is the continuity of plunder.

However, the BNP-Jamaat's dwindling electoral fortunes will catalyse more and more intrigues and plots, because that is the only recourse that it will be left with. The Uttara episode is a pointer. In a democracy, election is usually accompanied by festivity. We are unfortunately witnessing the gloom of a midnight horror show with election only a month away, thanks to BNP-Jamaat's endless string of machinations. But if we can rise to the occasion with courage and fortitude a bright, redolent dawn may not be far away.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.