Bangladesh News

A section of key leaders from major political parties including Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party and different left leaning parties will hold inter-party discussions before having their political dialogue with the caretaker government.

The leaders already had two meetings amongst themselves and reached a consensus to have a formal inter-party dialogue to talk about different issues and chalk out strategies to run the country after the election.

The first meeting was held at the home of a former BNP lawmaker in Gulshan on February 15 where key leaders of pro-Saifur Rahman faction of BNP, Jatiya Party and other political parties were present. A few Awami League leaders were invited but they failed to appear on personal grounds.

Many of those leaders, a BNP pro-Khaleda Zia faction leader and a few Awami League leaders yesterday held a closed-door meeting at the office of Dainik Amader Shomoy, a Bangla national daily, in the name of a roundtable titled “System and Agendas of Dialogue”.

At the meeting, the leaders reached a consensus on war criminals, anti-liberation war forces and militancy issues.

Awami League leaders Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Abul Hasan Chowdhury, BNP leaders MK Anwar, Gayeswar Roy, Mofazzal Karim, Mohammad Shahjahan, Jatiya Party leaders Anisul Islam Mahmud, GM Quader, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh leader Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan, Workers Party leader Rashed Khan Menon, Communist Party leader Mujahidul Islam Selim, Jatiya Party-Manju leader Sheikh Shahidul Islam, Gono Forum leader Commander Abdur Rauf, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader Mainuddin Khan Badal, Ganotantri Party leader Nurul Islam, Samyabadi Dal leader Dilip Barua were present at the meeting.

A number of senior political leaders like Dr Kamal Hossain, Hasanul Haque Inu and some BNP leaders, however, did not attend the meeting on personal grounds, the organiser of the meeting said.

Journalists were not allowed in the room while the meeting was going on.

Sources said Editor of Amader Shomoy Naimul Islam Khan organised the meeting and placed a 11-point agenda including electoral system and reforms in political parties and key state organisations, balance of power between the president and prime minister, role of the armed forces and formation of national security council, comprehensive national consensus and its long-term regional and international support, unanimous irreversible indemnity for present regimes’ activities, ratification of all ordinance including promulgation of the state of emergency, fate of BNP and Awami League chiefs.

However, sources say the leaders could not discuss these as the agenda was provided to them at the eleventh hour. The leaders unanimously agreed that political parties should formally hold inter-party dialogue ahead of the dialogue with the caretaker government.

Not-so-large political parties including Workers’ Party, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Gono Forum, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Samyabadi Dal, are already having inter-party talks and would continue to do so.

These meetings were held for possible formation of a government of national consensus if for any reason the next parliamentary election is not held in time and meaningful reforms for a “really free, fair and credible election to establish a meaningful democracy” could be carried out.

BRIEFING
Talking to reporters after the meeting, the leaders said the main agenda of the meeting was to reach a consensus in holding a dialogue between political parties to achieve unanimity on important national issues including the holding of a free, fair and credible election and restoring a meaningful democracy.

Awami League presidium member Tofail Ahmed called upon the government to lift ban on political activities so that they could receive opinions from the grass-roots level leaders about dialogue with the government.

BNP pro-Khaleda Zia faction Joint Secretary General Gayeswar Roy said the war criminals and militants should be tried and it has no relationship with politics.

BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Mofazzal Karim said the political parties have to decide on these issues now.

Jatiya Party acting President Anisul Islam Mahmud and presidium member GM Quader said inter-party dialogue is necessary to finalise strategies on how the country would be run after the election. They observed that if they hold dialogue with the government before reaching a consensus with political parties, it would have no meaning.

Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh Secretary General Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan said, “What will we discuss with the government? The issues we will discuss with the government have to be decided in dialogues between political parties.”

Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said it is not expectable that the dialogue with the government would be held under the state of emergency as people will not be able to express their opinion. The dialogue must be held under a free environment, he observed.