The BNP-led four-party alliance yesterday placed before the government and the Election Commission a five-point demand, including withdrawal of state of emergency and scrapping of the Representation of the People Order (Amendment) 2008, as conditions for participating in the upcoming parliamentary election.

At a meeting of the alliance leaders it also announced programmes for holding countrywide rallies on October 12 to press their five-point demand.

The other demands are holding of upazila elections after a reasonable interval of the national polls, withdrawal of the Gatco, Niko and Barapukuria corruption cases and other false cases against alliance leaders, and release of all political leaders, activists and general people detained without specific charges before the Eid-ul-Fitr and withdrawal of the false cases against them.

"The government and the Election Commission have to do something for making the election free, fair and acceptable to all," BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain told reporters after the hour-long meeting at his Nam flat.

Asked if the BNP and its allies will take part in the upcoming polls once their demands are implemented, he said, "We have placed our demands before the government and the Election Commission. Let us see how they respond.

"We will assess the government's response and fix our next course of action...We hope the government and the Election Commission will respond positively to our demands," he added.

Replying to a question, the BNP leader said the upazila elections should be held after forming of the new parliament.

"How will it be possible for them to hold upazila elections before publishing the national election results and before the elected parliament members take oath?" he said.

Earlier, the four-party alliance set September 20 as the deadline for meeting its demand for withdrawal of the emergency rules clamped on January 11 last year.

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and Assistant Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam, Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman Andalib Rahman Partho and Secretary General Shamim Al Mamun, Islami Oikya Jote Secretary General Abdul Latif Nezami, Khilafat-e-Majlish Secretary General Ahmed Abdul Kader, and BNP Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan and Office Secretary Rizvi Ahmed attended the meeting among others.