Chinese envoy meets BNP chief
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia visited her Gulshan office on Saturday for the first time in at two weeks after a virtual confinement in her residence.
Khaleda came to the office without any protocol, which she had been enjoying as the leader of opposition. In her first engagement at the office she had a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Li Jun, who called on Khaleda at 7:40pm. BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman, advisers to the party chief Sabiuddin Ahmed and Reaz Rahman were present at the meeting.
However, neither BNP leaders nor the Chinese ambassador talked to the media after the meeting that lasted 45 minuets.
BNP sources said discussion on several bilateral issues and the country’s prevailing situation took place during the meeting.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in his regular briefing in Beijing on January 9 said the country had been following the political situation in Bangladesh and hoped that the political parties would give priority to political stability, social harmony and economic growth considering the country’s fundamental interests.
Apart from this, several leaders of the party’s woman front and some prominent persons including Emajuddin Ahamed, former vice chancellor of Dhaka University, met the party chief.
Khaleda last visited her office on December 26 and announced the ‘March for Democracy’ programme towards the capital Dhaka on December 29 in a bid to thwart the January-5 general election.Additional law enforcers were deployed around Khaleda’s Gulshan residence a day after she announced the programme.
Later, five sand laden trucks and water cannon were put on the road in front of her residence so that she cannot attend the March for Democracy programme.
At one stage, police stopped Khaleda Zia when she was trying to come out of her residence to join the programme on December 29, which was extended for another day.
On January 8, all sorts of barricades were removed from in front of the residence.
Courtesy of The Independent
