Bangladesh News

The caretaker government yesterday invited 13 more political parties including the Awami League (AL) and both the factions of BNP to the electoral reform dialogue, which will begin at the chief adviser’s office from May 22.

The other parties are Jatiya Party (JP), Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Unity for Political Reforms, Islami Shashantantra Andolon, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Khalequzzaman), Khelafat Andolon (Hafezzihujur), Khelafat Majlish of Shaikhul Hadith, Bangladesh Kalyan Party, and Progressive Democratic Party.

The AL said yesterday that it would participate in the dialogue with party chief Sheikh Hasina freed.

It prepared a six-point charter of demands including release of its detained party chief to ensure her participation in the electoral reform dialogue and upcoming parliamentary election as a “free person” and demanded its immediate implementation.

Sources at the chief adviser’s office said separate letters were sent to both Khandaker Delwar Hossain, BNP acting secretary general appointed by Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, acting secretary general appointed by the party’s standing committee.

The pro-Khaleda BNP said it was yet to decide about participating in the dialogue as it is busy with reuniting the party. Leaders of the faction said they will decide about it after receiving formal invitation from the government.

Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Motiur Rahman Nizami meanwhile alleged that the caretaker government is not taking proper initiatives for the electoral reform dialogue.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim confirmed The Daily Star last night that 14 invitation letters were issued yesterday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the chief adviser’s office invited six political parties–Communist Party of Bangladesh, Workers Party, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Gono Forum, Samyabadi Dal, and Krishak Sramik Janata League–to the dialogue.

General secretaries of all the 19 parties invited have been asked to send in five to seven names of party representatives to the chief adviser’s office within seven days.

However, the invitation letters did not mention any specific date for the talks, sources in the CA office said.

Meanwhile, a panel of five advisers held a luncheon meeting at the Secretariat yesterday to discuss the modalities of the much-talked about dialogue between the government and political parties, the outcome of which is crucial for the ninth parliamentary election scheduled for the third week of December.

“The chief adviser’s office has been finalised as the venue of the dialogue,” Commerce and Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters after the meeting.

He said the letters were sent keeping in mind the political parties that participated in the dialogue with the Election Commission and also in the pre-dialogue meetings with the government earlier last month.

About inviting civil society members to the dialogue, Zillur said guidelines regarding this were being prepared.

THE AL DEMANDS
At a meeting of its Central Working Committee at the party president’s Dhanmondi office, the AL decided that they will sit in the dialogue with the government with Hasina present.

The party, however, did not make it clear whether it will participate in the dialogue if Hasina is not released.

“We will take the decision whether to sit in the dialogue after getting formal invitation from the government,” AL acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told journalists after the meeting chaired by AL acting President Zillur Rahman.

Ashraf said they had not yet got the invitation.

Besides demanding Hasina’s immediate release, the AL also demanded that the government send her to the US for better treatment.

The party demanded immediate complete withdrawal of the state of emergency, cancelling all “undemocratic conditions” imposed on indoor politics.

“All democratic rights of the people will have to be restored for holding a free, fair and credible election. All false and harassing cases against political leaders will have to be withdrawn and they will have to be released. Interferences and trepidation on mass media will have to be stopped and true independence of judiciary will have to be ensured,” said the charter of demands.

The AL demanded declaration of the schedule for the parliamentary poll first and halting delimitation of parliamentary constituencies. It asked for effective measurers to curb price hike of essentials and crash programmes to resolve the prevailing water, gas and electricity crises.

“Appropriate legal measures will have to be taken to try the war criminals and bar them from taking part in the elections,” the charter said.

The AL also said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will have to be established officially as the father of the nation.

The AL urged people to get united to establish all democratic rights and implement the six-point demands.

PROGRAMMES ANNOUNCED
The AL meeting decided to organise mass hunger strike in all metropolitan cities, districts, upazilas and unions across the country except Dhaka on May 20 to press home their demands. It will also form a huge human chain in the capital but the date for the programme was not fixed. An extended meeting of the party will be held on May 26.

Meeting sources told The Daily Star that the AL is waiting for a “positive message” from the government regarding its demands so that it can sit in the dialogue.

An AL leader said they want to keep the positive stance that the party wants to take part in the dialogue with Hasina’s presence.

“If Awami League sits with the government, there will be a demand for live telecast of the dialogue,” another AL leader said.

The party will soon sit with its allies in the 14-party combine to take a unified stance regarding the dialogue.

The meeting rejected the chief adviser’s address to the nation. AL Organising Secretary and Hasina’s Political Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury told the meeting that as the chief adviser did not spell out clearly on Hasina’s release, they cannot expect that the government will accept all their demands.

Saber also suggested raising a demand for allowing the AL to have political consultations with Hasina.