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Create congenial atmosphere for Dec 18 polls

14-party asks govt

Staff Correspondent
Awami League (AL)-led 14-party combine yesterday asked the caretaker government to create a congenial atmosphere for the upcoming parliamentary elections by withdrawing the state of emergency and unconditionally releasing AL President Sheikh Hasina.
It also urged the government and the Election Commission (EC) to stick to the announced date for holding the national elections and to hold the upazila polls a reasonable time after the national elections.
The demands came at a meeting of the combine held at AL acting
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President Zillur Rahman's Gulshan home. Key leaders of the combine attended the meeting.
However, Gono Forum, an alliance member, had no represen -tatives there. This is the first time AL kept Gono Forum out of a 14-party meeting by not inviting the Dr Kamal Hossain-led party due to AL's reservations.
Chaired by Zillur, the meeting decided to strengthen activities of the combine ahead of the national elections. The meeting also decided to form an alliance with all "secular and democratic forces" ahead of the elections but the issue of forming a grand alliance with Jatiya Party (JP) did not come up for discussion.
Condemning the government for holding a dialogue with Jamaat-c-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid as he is a "fugitive", the 14-party leaders asked the government to arrest him.
Asked whether JP is a secular and democratic political party, Tofail Ahmed, AL Presidium member in charge of coordinating activities of the combine, asked journalists to get the answer from the party concerned.
Briefing newsmen after the three-hour meeting, Tofail said the 14-party combine thinks that the state of emergency is the main barrier to holding a free, fair and credible polls.
He said the government must hold the elections on December 18 as people have doubts about timelyelections.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu, National Awami Party General Secretary Enamul Haque and Gono Azadi League President Abdus Samad, coordinator of 11-party, also spoke to the press.
Earlier, an AL delegation met British Minister for Asia, Africa and United Nations Lord Mark Malloch Brown at the British High Commission. AL Presidium member Abdur Razzak led the delegation.
Briefing newsmen at Tofail's Banani home, AL Presidium member Matia Chowdhury said the delegation discussed with the minister whether the new elected government would face any economic crisis.