The much-talked about dialogue of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will kick off with the talks with Krishak Sramik Janata League at 3:00pm at the prime minister's office (PMO). Leaders of Bangladesh Medical Association are scheduled to meet the prime minister at 3:30pm, said sources.

HM Ershad's Jatiya Party, the second largest opposition in parliament, ruling alliance partners, some minor political parties, and different pro-government organisations that include associations of lawyers, doctors, engineers, agriculturists, journalists and other professionals will join the dialogue amid boycott of the main opposition Awami League (AL)-led 14 party alliance.

Officials at the PMO are still working on the schedule of the dialogue. "Except the 14-party opposition alliance, almost all the invitees responded positively. We are trying to timetable the dialogue with the prime minister on consultation with the political parties and professional bodies," a senior PMO official yesterday told The Daily Star.

Asked about the mode of the dialogue, he said it has yet to be fixed whether the talks between the invitees and the prime minister will be held separately or jointly.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, meanwhile, has once again expressed his scepticism about the outcomes of the dialogue without the main opposition.

"It will not be fruitful without them," Ershad, also a former president, said at a party meeting yesterday.

He urged the government to ensure the participation of the opposition parties.

Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday told reporters that the government would continue its efforts to deal with the problem of militancy in unison, taking it as a national crisis.

Asked about AL's rejection of the dialogue offer, Saifur, also a standing committee member of the ruling BNP, said, "We will go ahead. We will sit down with the other political parties and professional groups and have their suggestions on how to tackle the ongoing unrest in the country."

Sticking to its guns, the 14-party opposition had declined to join the dialogue in response to the prime minister's letter.

They, however, have decided in principle that they will ask the government that if it is to discuss with the opposition the militancy issue, it would first have to discuss it at the [ruling] party forum and get rid of the ministers and lawmakers having links with the militants.

In a letter to the prime minister, the opposition camp will also explain its decision not to attend the talks.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the left leaning 11-party yesterday decided that none of its components will join the dialogue with the prime minister, rather under the banner of 14-party alliance it would send a letter to her.

Held at Gono Forum office in the city, the meeting also observed that the dialogue would not bring any good as the very patronisers of the militants exist within the government.

Sources said the 14-party leaders will sit in a day or two to finalise the draft of the letter.

President of Krishak Sramik Janata League Abdul Kader Siddiqui yesterday said they would join the dialogue today to place suggestions on ways to combat the militancy.

Senior leaders of the party last night finalised a set of proposals and also the team who will meet the premier.

Asked about the chances of success of the dialogue, Siddiqui, the lone lawmaker of the party, told The Daily Star that it depends on the mood of the discussion table.

On November 30, the prime minister urged all political parties and eminent persons of the country to sit in a national dialogue in the wake of back to back suicide blast incidents.

She started dispatching letters to the political parties and professional bodies on December 6, inviting them to her proposed dialogue.

Officials of the PMO on December 6 and 7 delivered 37 invitation letters to 27 political parties, nine of who seek to establish Islamic rule in the country, and nine are professional bodies.

Besides, they have sent letters to different professional groups this week.

Of the political parties having responded positively to the dialogue, only seven including two factions of ruling alliance partner Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) have representation in parliament. Whereas, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) was not invited despite having representation in parliament.

Two factions of another ruling coalition partner Bangladesher Jatiya Party (BJP) have been invited. Of them, the faction led by Abdul Matin has four lawmakers but the other one led by Naziur Rahman Manzur has none.