3rd secretary-level meeting held
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said postponement of the election schedule is a must to prove the government’s sincerity towards fruitful talks.
Khaleda said this at a meeting with party top leaders on Friday night right after the 3rd Awami League (AL) – BNP talks. During the party meeting, the BNP fixed its agendas for a fruitful dialogue that include postponement of the poll schedule and partial reformation of the Election Commission, ensuring neutrality of the poll-time government.
The government must vacate BNP offices, including the Naya Paltan headquarters, illegally occupied by law enforcers, release all detained party men and withdraw restrictions imposed on political programmes, party sources said quoting Khaleda Zia.
The BNP wants the poll-time administration without Sheikh Hasina as its head in the interest of an inclusive and acceptable general election, the sources said.
Meanwhile, after the Ashraf-Fakhrul meet, AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also held a meeting with party senior leaders. Awami League sources said the meeting was
held to fix strategies and issues of bargaining to proceed with the ongoing secretary-level talks towards resolving the ongoing deadlock.
Party sources said the Awami League is still rigid on its stance that it would not allow anybody as the head of the poll-time administration except for party chief Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier in the day, Senior leaders of the Awami League and the BNP held a meeting for the third time to break the current political deadlock and reach a consensus on holding an inclusive and acceptable parliamentary election.
After the meeting, the senior leaders told the media that they discussed on several issues relating to the upcoming general election and placed their proposals on the poll-time government to oversee the 10th parliamentary election.
AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said, “We discussed several issues relating to the upcoming election. We put forward some proposals to hold a free, fair and credible general election,” he added.
The party leaders also exchanged its proposal during the meeting with the opposition leaders, for creating a congenial atmosphere for a fruitful dialogue. The AL delegation proposed that if the opposition refrains from announcing programme like sabotage in the name of political one, the atmosphere would be created, party sources said.
The two leaders will convey the proposals to their respective parties, and then, both the parties will sit for further talks.
When asked whether the dialogue was fruitful, Ashraf left without making any comment.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they held a meeting with the government to reach an understanding in the interest of an acceptable general poll. “We have been holding talks with the government for the last couple of days, so that the next general election could be held in a free, fair and neutral manner with the participation of all political parties,” he added.
“We put forward some specific proposals to the AL leaders over the poll-time administration. The AL has done the same. Now, we will take a decision in one of our party meetings,” he said, adding that another round of talks with the government will take place soon.
When asked if any discussion was held over the postponement of the poll schedule, Alamgir refused to make any comment.
Earlier, the AL and BNP leaders held a meeting, with the mediation of United Nations residential coordinator Neal Walker, at the city’s Gulshan area on Friday afternoon. The talks started around4.10pm and continued for two hours at the UNDP Project office.
The second round of meeting was held at the same venue on Wednesday.
Land minister Amir Hossain, industries minister Tofail Ahmed, AL secretary general Syed Ashraful Islam and Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi represented the ruling Awami League.
The BNP was represented by its acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moeen Khan and vice-chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury.
-With The Independent input
