Welcome alternative to hartal

Opposition BNP leader's success with road marches has sort of peaked through the long and eventful march to Chittagong followed by a mammoth public rally at the port city on Monday.
We point out two factors that we consider positive. First, the road marches have established themselves as peaceful options to expression of dissent as distinguished from violence-ridden hartal calls that also severely hurt economy and the people. Secondly, the opposition has agreed to have talks with the President and also dropped hints at joining the parliament. That is all very hope-giving and the way to go about heading off a political showdown from which no political party can hope to emerge a winner.
Just as we appreciate the opposition's peaceful expression of dissent so also we praise the government for its good sense manifest in its discarding obstructionist or preemptive approach to the road marches.
We take note of the fact that no hartal call has been made or is likely to be made any time soon. This, together with the government's maturity in handling opposition's demonstrations, makes democracy a gainer.
That said, what we find clearly incongruous and unacceptable, is the opposition's still unrelenting call to topple the government and seek public support in doing so. This is thoroughly dangerous, disruptive and destabilising. We would have understood a call for a snap poll but to incite people with a call to bring down the government is not just blatantly undemocratic and unconstitutional but also self-destructive.
Now, we turn to the opposition's latest reiteration of its demand that it would only have elections under the caretaker system. When the AL government struck caretaker provision out of the constitution, we had promptly and unequivocally termed it as a mistake because public opinion was totally ignored. We feel, therefore, the opposition has a right to take the issue to the public. In the ultimate analysis, however, for something positive to happen on the caretaker issue, there is no alternative to a dialogue and recourse to parliament.