Senior Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim on Monday urged opposition chief Khaleda Zia to return to Parliament with a specific proposal for a poll-time government to hold the next general election in a free and fair manner. “Return to the Jatiya Sangsad with a specific proposal, alternative to the caretaker government system. The government wants to resolve the ongoing crisis through talks,” Nasim told a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue. The rally was held in protest against the hurling of bombs at the residence of Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif in Dhaka.
“The AL-led government must consider your (Khaleda) logical proposal to save democracy,” he added.
Referring to the formula on holding the next general elections, given by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the AL leader said there would be no use of such types of formulas.
Describing the TIB formula as one favouring BNP, he said the next election would be held as per the system that is followed in other democratic countries across the world.
On Friday, TIB had proposed formation of a “parliamentary consensus committee” involving MPs from both alliances (AL-led Grand Alliance and BNP-led 18-party alliance) to select the members of the “poll-time government”.
In a separate meeting with the media at the AL’s Dhanmondi office, Nasim alleged that the BNP would be held responsible for unleashing terror across the country during the last few weeks. “We are shocked on hearing the BNP leaders’ speeches to unleash more destructive activities in the near future. But we want to say that if they try to trigger any more violence in the country, it would have to bear the responsibilities of such acts,” Nasim said. Referring to the Hefazat-e-Islam’s 13-point demands, the AL leader said the Sheikh Hasina government will handle the outfit tactically.
Nasim, a former home minister, said the BNP-Jamaat movement can never be described as a political one as the opposition was resorting to vandalism only to save war criminals by foiling their trials.
Nasim announced new programmes in protest against the “terrorism and anarchy” let loose by the BNP-Jamaat combine, following a meeting of the 14-party here. The programmes include holding a meeting between the leaders of different women’s bodies and the central leaders of the alliance at Awami League chief’s political office at Dhanmondi at 4 pm on April 18.
Besides, the alliance will organise public rallies and marches in Dhaka and other places across the country on May 2, 3 and 4 against terrorism and anarchy of the BNP-Jamaat combine.
Those who attended the meeting included AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon MP, politburo member Fazle Hossain Badsha MP, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal general secretary Sharif Nurul Ambia, AL organising secretaries AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury MP, health affairs secretary Badiuzzaman Bhuiyan Dublew, deputy office secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, Communist Kendra convener Dr Wazedul Islam Khan, Samybadi Dal leader Abu Hamed Shahabuddin, Ganatantri Party general secretary Nurur Rahman Selim, Gano Azadi League president Alhaj Abdus Samad and National Awami Party joint secretary Ismail Hossain.
Courtesy of The Independent
