Leaders of the Awami League (AL) led 14-party opposition combine yesterday said the process is underway to grant amnesty to the militants in a bid to use them in favour of the BNP-Jamaat coalition in the next elections.

Militants are kept in comfort in the name of 'long-time remand' and they would be released prior to the next election to be used against the opposition, the 14-party leaders said at a press briefing at AL's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue.

"Militant kingpins will not be arrested as the process of granting general amnesty to militants is underway," AL General Secretary and 14-party co-ordinator Abdul Jalil said at the briefing.

Jalil posed a question why it would take 119 days to grill military wing chief of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Ataur Rahman Sunny and 89 days to grill Mufti Hannan when both of them confessed their guilt.

He described the BNP-Jamaat-led ruling coalition as the main patron of Islamist militants, and said the government is protecting the militants to ruin the country's democratic process.

The AL general secretary called upon the prime minister to stop the farce of so-called 'remand' and 'TV drama' acted by the militants.

"Resignation of the government is the only way to solve the present crisis," Jalil said, urging people to strengthen the ongoing antigovernment movement.

AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed said instead of recording confessional statement of Ataur Rahman Sunny under Section 164, the government is staging drama on the TV by airing statements of militants.

"There will be no legal value of the statement of the arrestee after the four-month remand," said AL

leader and lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta.

He said the present government would not try the militants, as they are the masterminds of militancy in the country.

Defying the reform proposals, the government has completed a blueprint for the next election, Gonotontri Party President Nurul Islam said.

He expressed fear that the militants will be used to harm the ongoing movement and in the upcoming electioneering with a view to conduct the election as per the blueprint.

opposition leaders Abdur Razzak, Mainuddin Khan Badal, Syed Jafar Sajjad, obaidul Quader, Dilip Barua, Mafizul Islam Khan Kamal and Anisur Rahman Mallik were present at the briefing.