BNP asks EC to invite its allies to dialogue

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia addresses a meeting of the four-party alliance at the residence of former Jai Jai Din editor Shafik Rehman at Eskaton Garden in the city yesterday. Photo: STAR

Demanding lifting of the state of emergency and holding of the parliamentary election ahead of any other poll, BNP-led four-party alliance yesterday urged the caretaker government and the Election Commission (EC) to invite all of its components to the anticipated dialogue.
"Four-party alliance is always interested in dialogues to ensure free, fair and participatory elections, but inviting only BNP keeping our partners outside the process will not be acceptable," BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain said during a media briefing after a meeting of alliance leaders in the residence of Shafik Rehman, editor of the vernacular weekly Mouchake Dhil, also former editor of the daily Jai Jai Din.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who was released from detention on September 11 more than a year into her arrest, presided over the meeting.
The BNP secretary general hoped that the EC will send them a letter regarding the anticipated dialogue. "The Election Commission has to inform us about the date of the dialogue and four-party alliance thinks that none of its components should be excluded from it."
The almost two-hour long meeting began around 3.30pm which was also attended by Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and Joint Secretary General Muhammad Qamaruzzaman, BNP Secretary General Khandakar Delwar Hossain, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho and Secretary General Shamim Al Mamun, Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ--Aminee) Vice-chairman Muhiuddin Khan and Secretary General Abdul Latif Nezami, and Khilafat-e-Majlish Ameer Maulana Mohammad Ishaque and Secretary General Ahmad Abdul Quader.
The meeting had originally been scheduled to be held in BNP's central office in Naya Paltan of the capital but later was shifted in an overnight decision to the Eskaton Garden Road residence of Shafik Rehman.
BNP sources said the meeting venue was shifted to avoid onrush of party leaders and activists in he party office and since on last Saturday the party chairperson had trouble climbing stairs there.
The BNP chairperson arrived in Shafik Rehman's house around 3:10pm and left at 6:45pm.
The latest political situation in the country, prices of essentials, and preparations for upcoming elections came into discussion in the meeting, sources said.
When asked what will be the alliance's response if the government and EC do not invite BNP's alliance partners for talks, Delwar said the EC has to send a letter to BNP regarding the matter and the party will take a decision evaluating the merit of it.
He also demanded withdrawal of cases against alliance leaders and release of the detained ones.
The meeting also asked alliance leaders and activist to make its scheduled countrywide rallies a success on September 20 for realising its demands.
The EC earlier invited BNP and its alliance partners Jamaat and IOJ to separate talks but they declined to accept the invitation without the release of Khaleda.
The last time four-party alliance leaders met was on January 9, 2007 just before the state of emergency was imposed on Jan 11.
Since then a number of secretary-general level meetings of the alliance were held in the last two years in Delwar's Nam flat in the capital, while one was held in BJP chairman's home in Baridhara.
Shafik Rehman, reportedly tried to leave the country on October 28, 2006 midnight, after the immediate past BNP-led alliance government's tenure had ended, but failed due to demonstrations by the employees of Jai Jai Din at the airport. He used to be the editor of the daily back then.
The Jai Jai Din employees later filed a general diary saying Rehman had attempted to leave the country without paying their wages and other dues.