Bangladesh News

Awami League (AL) yesterday finalised a nine-member delegation led by its Acting President Zillur Rahman for the on going dialogues between the government and political parties.

The decision was taken at an AL central working committee (ALCWC) meeting held in the party president’s office in Dhanmondi, presided over by Sajeda Chowdhury.

The other delegates are AL presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser, and Acting General Secretary Syed Ahsraful Islam.

The party will send the names to the government soon.

The ALCWC meeting also expressed its satisfaction over the release of party chief Sheikh Hasina.

During the dialogue the party will raise the issues of lifting the emergency, holding the parliamentary election before local government elections, permanent release of Sheikh Hasina, and curbing price hikes of essentials, party sources said.

AL, one of the oldest and largest political parties in the country, had been demanding its chief’s release for better treatment in the US as the precondition for its participation in the dialogues.

Following her temporary release on June 11, Hasina started off the dialogue between AL and the government by having a talk with four government advisers at night, prior to her departure the following morning.

During the dialogue she made a phone call to Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and urged him to prepare for holding the stalled election as quickly as possible.

ALCWC last night also decided on an elaborate programme to observe the party’s 59th founding anniversary on June 23.

A team of party leaders will visit the grave of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Tungipara, marking the day.

The meeting also discussed the proposed national budget for next fiscal.