Prime Minister and chief of the ruling BNP Begum Khaleda . Zia is likely to announce today her acceptance of the concept of a non-party caretakersgov-ernment to oversee general elections.

The major Opposition parties have been agitating for this since long.

The PM's address to the naUon. over radio and television at 7 pm today may contain such an announcement, authoritative sources in the rul-ing party said last night

Asked on the issue, two influential ministers told The Daily Star it was pertain that . Begum Zia would make a positive- announcement today as regards the Opposition demand. "Please listen to the PM

(or the announcement in concrete terms." one of them said.

It could not. however, be known what wording the PM would use in her speech as regards the Opposition demand. The Opposition demands a non-party neutral caretaker government while BNP. until recently, preferred to term, it an Interim administration.

Besides the PM's announcement. the’ BNP is also likely to send a written proposal to the mayor Opposition parties in view of its changed stand on the Opposition demand. Joint Secretary General of the party Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan is expected to take a move’ to this effect in a couple of days. •

The decision..to send writ-teri proposal to’the agitating cmpo.sition parties, particularly ' the Awamj League, was taken' to gain their confidence that. the ruling party was sincere to fulfil the caretaker demand, party sources explained.

Meahwhile. hardliners in the ruling BNP made abortive bids till yesterday to prevent Begum Zia from directly accepting the .caretaker idea. The ruling party was opposed to ft until Recently.

A meeting of the top BNP leaders with Begum Zia in the chair yesterday witnessed a debate on the caretaker concept, The idea was-supported by most of the leaders. They suggested that the PM accept it irrthe greater interest of the nation and call upon the agitating Opposition lor an under- • standing on the matter, meeting sources said.

As per the majorit/s will, added the sources, acceptance <>f the- caretaker concept by the PM was finally incorporated in the scheduled address to the nation today.

At the meeting, held at the PM's Tejgaon office in the afternoon, the BNP top leaders also debated on the' wordings in the PM's speech as regards the caretaker issue. The hard lineiis insisted that the PM should not announce her acceptance of the Opposition demand exactly in their (Opposition's) language — neutral non-party caretaker gov ernntent. The agitating parties would claim this as their victory. they noted. ■'

Instead, they suggested, the PM should call it a non-party interim government' and constitutional provisions for this

should be made by the sixth Parliament.

Opposing this, the moderates in the ruling party argued that this would.be of no significance.

The matter is accepting the Opposition demand, no matter how yoti call it they maintained.

Earlier, party sources said, the moderates also threatened to quit the party if it failed to move to a solution to the long-persisting political impasse.