The ruling Awami League and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in
their third round of meeting on Friday placed their respective proposals
for holding the 10th parliamentary election in a free, fair and
credible manner.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir led a four-member delegation at the talks at an office of UNDP
at Gulshan 2 while AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam led a
four-member team. The meeting started at about 4:00pm and continued for
about two hours. Neil Walker, the UN resident representative in Dhaka,
was present in the meeting.
After the talks, Syed Ashraful Islam told
reporters that they had held detailed discussions with the opposition
to reach a consensus for holding a participatory and fair election.
‘In
the meeting they [BNP leaders] have placed some proposals. We have also
raised our proposals. A decision will come after we discuss the
proposals in our respective party forums,’ he said.
Syed Ashraf skipped the question whether the meeting was fruitful and left the venue.
Mirza
Fakhrul told reporters that it was the third round of talks between the
two political parties since last Tuesday in a bid to hold a free, fair
and inclusive election acceptable to all.
He said that the BNP side
had made some ‘specific proposals’ for holding an inclusive election. He
said the AL side had also placed some proposals and the BNP would
discuss the ruling party’s proposals in the party’s policymaking forum.
He did not mention any of the proposals made by either side despite being pressed by reporters.
Meeting
sources said the proposals placed by the BNP included postponement of
the election schedule without delay, release of the leaders and
activists of the opposition, particularly senior leaders, withdrawal of
cases and a halt to arrest and repression by law enforcers, withdrawal
of restrictions on peaceful rallies and processions and lifting of the
police siege of the BNP central office.
The AL proposals included
stopping the killing of people by enforcing strikes and blockades and
offering the BNP vital ministries in the current polls-time cabinet.
The next such meeting would be held on Saturday, the sources said.
Khandaker
Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury were
on the BNP delegation while Amir Hossain Amu, Tafail Ahmed and Gowhar
Rizvi were on the AL team. (source)