Reform Talks: Hasan issue to be settled Oct 23

Trackback URL

Download PDF

Wrapping up the fifth round of ongoing dialogue over electoral reforms yesterday, both BNP and Awami League (AL) expressed hope to reach a decision over Justice KM Hasan on October 23 when the talks resume.

Both BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil hinted that the next meeting will be the last.

After the nearly 40-minute meet in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Bhuiyan and Jalil claimed at a joint news briefing that they forged a consensus, which now needs approval of the prime minister and the opposition leader.

PM and BNP chief Khaleda Zia is now on a weeklong official visit to Saudi Arabia while Leader of the Opposition and AL chief Sheikh Hasina is in the USA. Khaleda and Hasina are scheduled to return on October 21 and October 23.

“We have reached a stage where we now need the approval of our parties and chiefs to take a decision. It is better to take the decision in presence of the two party chiefs,” Jalil said at the crowded briefing. “We will be able to draw an end to the dialogue after the return of the two leaders.”

Echoing the view, Bhuiyan said, “We now need the decisions of our two parties and chiefs to finalise the matter. We will also have to hold meetings with the leaders of our alliances after which we will sit again on October 23. We hope we may reach a decision.”

Sources said the AL general secretary expressed his dissatisfaction at yesterday’s meeting over the ruling BNP’s “indifference” to clarify quickly its stance over the tricky issue of Justice KM Hasan.

Jalil, who repeatedly asked the ruling BNP at the previous meetings to resolve first the issue of Justice Hasan, sought its formal response yesterday.

But Bhuiyan, who has kept assuring Jalil of informing his party’s view after consulting with the party and alliance high command, again told Jalil yesterday that the PM has not yet made any decision.

Bhuiyan told Jalil that the PM said the issue will be settled after her return from Saudi Arabia. Jalil expressed his frustration at this, saying, “What in that case is the outcome of the previous talks?” sources said.

Bhuiyan asked Jalil to take up the other reform issues, including that of the chief election commissioner (CEC), but Jalil declined to discuss anything before settling the issue of Justice Hasan.

Sources said Bhuiyan assured Jalil that he will inform him about BNP’s final view over Justice Hasan on October 23.

However, both the leaders as usual claimed at the joint briefing that their discussion made progress and that they concurred with each other on some issues.

But they declined to tell reporters precisely if they had reached any consensus about either the appointment of the next caretaker chief or the incumbent CEC–the two major issues in the opposition’s reform proposals.

On expiry of the tenure of the present government on October 27, a non-party caretaker government will assume office to extend all-out cooperation to the Election Commission to conduct the next parliamentary elections.

As per the constitution, former Chief Justice KM Hasan is supposed to be the chief adviser to the interim government. But the AL-led 14-party opposition alliance has been opposing Justice Hasan as the caretaker chief as he is a founder-member of the ruling BNP and served as its international affairs secretary in the late 1970s.

The dialogue between the secretaries general of ruling BNP and main opposition AL began on October 5 to break the existing political impasse over the proposals of reforms in the caretaker government, Election Commission and electoral laws.

But the dialogue may well continue even after October 27 as both the parties have remained rigid on their stance over the issue of Justice Hasan.

The BNP-led four-party ruling alliance is trying to stick to the constitutional provision for the appointment of the caretaker government chief. But the opposition alliance has been threatening to paralyse the country if the government hands over power to Justice Hasan.

Meanwhile, apprehension of political confrontations is mounting under the circumstances as both the government and opposition are yet to reach a consensus and rather preparing for street showdown during the interim government’s rule.

Asked if the dialogue is really going to reach a final stage on October 23, Jalil said, “We are hoping so.”

Bhuiyan replied to the same question, saying, “We will try.”

Prior to the beginning of yesterday’s talks, Jalil told reporters that both he and Bhuiyan were trying to find a solution to the problem.

“There is no lack of efforts on our parts,” Jalil said, adding, “The matter is not in the hands of Mannan Bhuiyan and Jalil…It is not even a matter of the two party chiefs. It is a matter of the two parties and two alliances.”

Jalil claimed that he and his BNP counterpart were trying to introduce a “common formula” to get out of the impasse.

Asked about the opposition’s allegation that the government is wasting time, he said, “If the government had come forward earlier, a solution would have been found much earlier.”

Leave a Reply