The much-awaited telephone conversation between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia took place on Saturday evening. Hasina requested her arch rival to withdraw 60-hour countrywide shutdown beginning today, and invited her to a dialogue at Ganabhaban at 6pm on Monday. Responding to the premier’s call, the opposition leader said she is ready to sit with her any time only after the 60-hour strike.
Khaleda also said she could not withdraw the strike in a short notice, according to Khaleda’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel.
Briefing the media about the telephonic conversation, Sohel said Khaleda also told the prime minister that she is ready to cancel all the opposition agitation programmes if Hasina in principle agrees to the caretaker government.
“BNP chairperson also mentioned that if the phone call was made at the latest on Friday night, she could withdraw the strike after speaking to her allies. She also mentioned many leaders of her alliance are in hiding fearing police torture. So, they could not be mobilised in such a short notice,” Sohel added.
In response to Khaleda’s proposal on poll-time government, the prime minister said she would convey her decision after discussing with her alliance leaders, Sohel said.
The prime minister made the call to the opposition leader over the cellphone of a personal staff of Khaleda Zia as her red phone at her Gulshan residence was out of order.
About the ‘dead’ red phone of the opposition leader, the prime minister said she would enquire about the matter tomorrow. “I myself made the phone call to you. I repeatedly called you. But you somehow couldn’t attend the call. I’m sorry. I’ll look into it tomorrow.”
The prime minister went on: “I don’t know whether the phone was dead or it was made dead. I’ll enquire about it tomorrow.”
Turning to her invitation to Khaleda, Hasina said. “I want you to have dinner with me on Monday and you can bring as many guests as you wish.”
Prime minister’s advisers HT Imam, Dr Syed Modasser Ali and Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Awami League Advisory Council members Tofail Ahmed, Amir Hossain Amu and party General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam were present during the phone call.
At the time of call, acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was with Khaleda Zia.
While briefing reporters, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina talked to the opposition leader on her own initiative. The Awami League general secretary said, “As the prime minister has invited the opposition leader to a dialogue, the hartal programme now stands pointless.”
Asked whether the BNP or the 18-party alliance was invited to the dialogue, the AL secretary general said the prime minister invited the opposition leader only.
Asked whether Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of BNP, was invited to the dinner, Syed Ashraf said: “Jamaat has not been invited.”
Meanwhile, PM’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury said the prime minister is shocked and expressed concern as BNP rejected her dialogue offer.
Chowdhury said the premier expects the opposition to come up with a positive response and call off the three-day shutdown in the interest of the nation. “The prime minister believes there’s no need for any hartal programme now,” the PM’s media adviser added.
The 37-minute telephonic conversation took place after a day-long drama.
PM’s Special Assistant (Media) Mahbubul Haque Shakil told the media that the prime minister tried to reach Khaleda over the red phone from 1:15 pm to 1:45 pm. “But nobody received the call,” Shakil said mentioning that only the designated person is supposed to take the red phone call.
But Khaleda’s Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas said the opposition leader’s red phone in her Gulshan residence has long been out of order.
Describing the reason why the premier failed to contact the opposition leader, Biswas also said when an official at the PMO phoned him, he requested the official to call Khaleda over the red phone. “The official phoned over the red phone but it didn’t ring.”
Biswas said repeated complaints were lodged to fix Khaleda’s red phone but in vain.
-With The Independent input
