The Awami League-led 14-party alliance on Monday called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to form an election-time government based on constitutional provisions, after completing the dialogue process as soon as possible. “We laud Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her initiative and the 14-party alliance believes that the dialogue should be held without much delay so that the next general election can be held in due time,” AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim told a press conference at the PM’s Dhanmondi political office in the city.
Naism, also the former home minister, alleged that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia did not believe in talks. The Opposition leader wanted to fish in troubled waters in the name of holding a dialogue, he added. “We don’t think that the BNP believes in a free, fair and credible election,” he said.
The senior AL leader also alleged that the main Opposition party had deliberately enforced a 60-hour countrywide shutdown to create anarchy and that the people did not support the illogical strike.
Extending thanks to the Prime Minister for speaking to the Opposition leader over the phone, Nasim said people would only prefer a party that believed in democracy.
The 14-party alliance coordinator also called up on pro-Liberation forces to come forward to resist the BNP-Jamaat’s attempt to turn the country into a militant state.
In response to a question, Workers’ Party president Rashed Khan Menon said: “We are always in favour of holding a dialogue to resolve the political impasse.”
For the record, the AL-led alliance will hold rallies across the country on November 1 to protest the BNP-Jamaat’s shutdowns and anarchy in the country.
AL joint general secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, organising secretaries Khaled Mahmud Chowdhury and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, deputy office secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, Sammyabadi Dal president Dilip Barua, AL executive member Sujit Roy Nandi, Jatiyatabadi Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) general secretary Sharif Nurul Ambia, among others, were present at the press briefing.
AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif called upon Begum Zia to withdraw the 60-hour hartal and sit for talks with Sheikh Hasina to resolve the political stalemate. He was addressing a protest rally organised by the Jatiya Sramik League at Motijheel in the city.
Referring to BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s remarks that government agents hurled bombs across the country during the hartal, Hanif alleged that the Opposition was trying to shift responsibility for its own misdeeds to the government. He also alleged that BNP chief Khaleda Zia was responsible for the death of six people killed on Sunday.
-With The Independent input
