& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Prime Minister assures Editors

Fresh dialogue after polls
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday held out the assurance that the government would resume dialogue with the boycotting parties for resolving the political problems after February 15 election which is a stopgap measure, reparts
The February 15 parliamentary polls will salvage the country from constitutional crisis, but it will not resolve the prevailing political problems. This is why we will sit around the table to ensure a participatory election in future." she said.
"It s my conviction that if we sit for dialogue, we would be able to reach a consensus. After resolving the political dispute, we will Take step as per decisions which will come out of talks'. the BNP chairperson said exchanging views with the editors of national dailies, news agencies and weeklies at her office.
She said though the election boycotting parties would be out of the House, her party would sit with them. She.
howevet’, ruled out the possibility of going by any precondition to dialogue. "There cannot be any precondition to discussion. 1 will not accept any precondition."
The Prime Minister hoped that the election-boycotting parties would cease violence and maintain peace during the voting
Begum Zia said her party had wanted to go for polls with all the parties and had no dearth of sincerity, but failed as BNP did not get any cooperation from the three opposition parties in this regard.
Referring to the opposition-unleashed anarchy and violence throughout the country in a bid to resist the ensuing polls, Begum Zia said her party had not chosen the path of violence during the 1986 election held under autocrat Ershad. "We held meetings to create public opinion in favour of our stance explaining the situation.'
There Is limit of tolerance. If they (Opposition)
continue their violent activities beyond the limit, we will have no other option but to go tough”, she cautioned.
Replying to a question about mid-term election, the Prime Minister said she would not make such commitment. But she hastened to add that her party would continue discussion for resolving the existing problems and expressed her optimise that it would work.
Responding to a question about caretaker bill, the Prime Minister said she would not make any dramatic announcement before the February 15 elections.
She also said there would not arise any question about the credibility of the election as the Election Commission Is totally free from government interference and discharging its duties indepen-
"My govecnment will never go for stuffing ballot boxes as was done by the past regimes,” Begum Zia added. She observed that the per-
centage of Toter turnout may be less than last election's if the opposition continued their violence during the election. .'If they enforce hartal without violence, the turnout might be normal."
As per the rule of the Election Commission, she said, it Is obligatory for all to halt all kinds of pubUctty and programmes 48 hours prior to the election.
"Let the opposition" be silent for 48 hours. If they cease their violence and bomb blasting at that time, it can be proved which aide the people support."
When asked to comment on the "people's curfew* an nouncea by a major party leader. Begum Zia said there was nothing called people’s curfew. "It is never good to say anything you like. Everybody should think and pon der before uttering anything, otherwise people will not accept it."
Replying to the question of debate between Begum Zia and Sheikh Hasina. Jie BNP leader said that the Awami League did not come up with any proposal on this. She said she had known about it from newspapers, but there never was any formal proposal for such debate.
Without mentioning the name of any party. Begum Zia said: "If the party can sit with the Pakistanis to resolve political problems then why can’t they sjt with me. I am a Bangladeshi. What is the problem to sit with me."
The Prime Minister said that her party along with the opposition parties Tn Parliament had passed the 12th amendment to the Constitution and introduced parliamentary system to stop the illegal taking over of jiower through violating the Constitution. "Now there is no scope to occupy the post of Prime Minister by an un-eiected person."
But the opposition parties deviated from the 12th amendment and wanted appointment of an unelected person as the head of the government.
"We have been strict to our principles and we will remain so in future. We will maintain parliamentary system and no unelected person would be allowed to assume the powers of an elected Prime Minister." she said.
Replying to a question, she said no party ever brought any bill on caretaker issue in the parliament. She clarified that a bill from Ja-maatelslami that came was riot placed as per parliamentary process and was not a complete one. The Jamaat MPs did dot reply on the notice given by the parliament secretariat on their bill.
Editor of Bangladesh Ob
server Prof KM Munim. Editor of Holiday AZM Enayetul-lah Khan. UNB Chief Editor Enayetullah Khan. Chief Editor of financial Express Reazuddin Ahmed and Editor Moazzem Hossain, Morning Sun Editor Atiqul Alam. Dainik Bangla Editor Ahmed Humayun. Bhorer Kagqj Editor Matiur Rahman, Joint Editor of Dlnkal Syed Zafar, New Nation Editor Alamgir Mohiuddin, Dally Star Editor Mahfuz Anam. Media Syndicate Editor Shawkat Mahmud. Khabar Editor Mizanur Rahman Mizan. Meillat Editor Chowdhury Mohammad Faruque. Jai Jai Din Editor Shafiq Rehman and others took part tn the discussion.
Some 28 editors were present at the function. Commerce and Information Minister M Shamsul Islam and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Mohammad Mozammel Haq were present.