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Download PDF Awami League (AL) will begin a series of talks tomorrow with 14-party components and other like-minded political parties for a common stance on crucial issues including release of its President Sheikh Hasina.
On the first day, it will sit with the Workers Party of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, senior AL leaders including presidium members Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta yesterday gathered at the entrance of the special jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises to greet Hasina on her homecoming day.
Talking to the reporters there, Amu said they would decide whether to sit with the government in consultation with members of the 14-party combine and on getting Hasina’s nod.
Except AL, the parties in the alliance however have already decided to participate in the formal dialogue with the government, said sources close to them.
While AL wants to ensure its detained chief’s presence at the dialogue, its allies are not in favour of setting Hasina’s release as a condition for their participation in the talks with the caretaker administration. They believe the issue is an internal matter of the party.
Besides, leaders of the 14-party components are reluctant to go for any movement at this time, whereas AL plans to launch a united movement to force the government to free Hasina before the dialogue.
They however said they look to have a unified stance on issues like announcement of electoral schedule, lifting of the state of emergency and trial of war criminals.
But for this, they believe, they would have to ensure coordination within the combine for lack of which ties between AL and the others have already loosened.
In the last few months, the relations between AL and Gono Forum of Dr Kamal Hossain have reached the lowest level. Hasina has criticised Dr Kamal on a number of occasions for what she said was his pro-government stance.
AL acting president Zillur Rahman has already said they do not consider Gono Forum as their ally anymore. Dr Kamal, on the other hand, has taken a swipe at Hasina and others for what he said were their “misdeeds” in the past.
Insiders said AL still attaches great importance to its relations with the rest of the combine. It seeks to bridge the gap with them. At the same time, it wants to work in unison with the other like-minded parties including Communist Party of Bangladesh and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh.
Tofail Ahmed has been assigned to communicate with the parties and lay the groundwork for the talks beginning tomorrow at Zillur Rahman’s Gulshan residence.
Talking to The Daily Star recently, leaders of the 14-party said AL used to take decisions in consultation with them before the state of emergency was promulgated on January 11 last year. But now it takes decisions unilaterally.
Workers Party General Secretary Bimal Biswas said, “Definitely, Awami League will have to take the initiative in minimising its gap with others in the alliance.”
Ganotantri Party President Nurul Islam observed that AL’s mistakes in giving nomination for the stalled parliamentary election have in fact led to its present distance with others.
“There is still time to be united again on national issues,” he told The Daily Star.
About the demand for Hasina’s release and presence in the dialogue, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal General Secretary Syed Zafar Sazzad said it’s their demand and they would have to press it home. The combine will seek to implement only the decisions taken by it.
“We have already decided to sit for the dialogue with the government where election, withdrawal of the state of emergency and trial of war criminals will top our agenda,” he told The Daily Star.
HASINA’S HOMECOMING DAY
Hundreds of party activists and supporters waited for hours in a queue stretched up to Asad Gate to hand flowers and sweets to the jail authorities for the AL president.
On behalf of the AL central committee, presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury and acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam handed a bouquet shaped like a boat, the party’s election symbol, to the jail authorities for Hasina.
Motia Chowdhury, Mukul Bose, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Akhtaruzzaman, Abdur Rahman, Major Gen (retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan, Sahara Khatun, Abdul Mannan Khan, Nurul Islam Nahid, Habibur Rahman Siraj, Dr Abdur Razzak, Col (retd) Faruk Khan, Capt (retd) ABM Tajul Islam, Yafes Osman, Dipu Moni, Abu Sayeed and Abdul Latif Siddiqui, among others, were present at that time.
A huge number of law enforcers were deployed in and around the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban to ward off anything untoward.
Barricades put up on different roads leading to the sub-jail were removed after 11:00am, allowing the AL leaders to gather at the entrance.
There, talking to reporters, Sajeda Chowdhury said the charges against Hasina are “false and baseless”, and she should be released immediately in the interests of the nation.
Amu said they would participate in the dialogue and the parliamentary elections under Hasina’s leadership.
Razzak said they must launch a movement to continue in parallel with the legal battle to ensure her release.
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