The government has issued a complete ban on licensed individuals carrying and displaying firearms until January 9 without specifying any arms collection procedures before the 12th National Assembly elections. This ban was announced in a Friday notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to sources within the Home Ministry, the government has retracted its prior announcement regarding depositing arms before the elections to confront opposition parties, particularly the BNP and Jamaat leaders and activists. The opposition has been organising various programmes to resist this election. Awami League leaders and activists possess 70 per cent of the weapons held by politicians. Specifically, approximately 7,215 firearms are in the possession of the Awami League leaders and activists.

As per the notification, the carrying and displaying of firearms by licence holders will be entirely prohibited until January 9, following the announced schedule, to conduct the upcoming 12th National Assembly elections in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. It also warns that legal actions will be taken against those who violate the order.

Vote for the 12th National Assembly elections is scheduled for January 7. Candidates commenced campaigning after receiving their allotted symbols. Some candidates' supporters made headlines by displaying firearms while filing their nomination papers.

Leading up to the 12th National Assembly elections, the Home Ministry and Election Commission have held several meetings concerning the illegal use of approximately 50,000 legal firearms dispersed across the country. However, a decision has yet to be reached. The indecision of this independent institution heightened concerns regarding the use of weapons during elections. The Kazi Habibul Awal Commission follows the path set by the Nurul Huda Commission's decision to not deposit legal arms during the 11th parliamentary elections, 2018, according to civil society representatives. They believe the Commission needed to take stringent action by collecting legal weapons at police stations and recovering illegal firearms. It's understood that there are 50,310 legal firearms in the country, among which 45,126 are personal weapons. Politicians in the country possess 10,115 of these weapons.

According to information from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Special Branch of the Police, the number of legal firearms in the country is 50,310 as of last September, with 45,226 categorised as personal weapons. These weapons include 4,683 pistols, 2,043 revolvers, 20,809 single-barreled guns, 10,719 double-barreled guns, 5,444 shotguns, 1,706 rifles, and 4,006 other firearms. The remaining firearms are reported to be licensed under various financial and other institutional names.

Politicians possess 10,215 legal firearms. Awami League leaders and activists own 7,215 firearms, while BNP leaders and workers have 2,587 guns, with an additional 79 legal firearms under the names of individuals affiliated with other political parties. Many people believe that if political leaders and activists who are taking part in the elections possess such weapons, it could threaten security.

The Superintendent of Police (Media and Public Relations) at Bangladesh Police Headquarters, Inamul Haque Sagar, informed the media that the operation to recover illegal weapons is ongoing. "We are operating professionally per the instructions provided by the Election Commission. I am working in that manner."

He also mentioned “we are sufficiently prepared to handle untoward incidents or sabotage. We are actively engaged in recovering illegal weapons.” Addressing the illicit use of legal weapons, he stated “our team would be deployed in the field to prevent any misuse, and we would monitor the situation with utmost caution.”