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Major Parties at Odds

Willing to talk, unwilling to take move

SHAKHAWAT LITON and RASHIDUL HASAN
Uncertainty looms large over holding talks between ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP to end the political impasse as both the parties are reluctant to take the dialogue initiative.
The AL wants BNP come up with their proposal on the agenda of the dialogue, while the main opposition thinks the onus lies on the ruling party as it is responsible for the ongoing crisis.
Interestingly enough, both the rival camps have publicly acknowledged that the crisis should be resolved through dialogue. But analysts believe political activities have been contributing to widening the gap between the two parties.
The scrapping of the caretaker government system from the constitution through the 15th amendment in last June triggered concerns over holding the next parliamentary polls with participation of all major political parties.
The BNP-led opposition parties have rejected outright the constitutional amendment and declared they would boycott the next general elections if it is not held under a caretaker government.
Since the abolishment of the caretaker system, no initiative either from the government or from the ruling AL was evident to resolve the political standoff. The opposition parties in the mean time have started to heat up street agitation to realise their demand.
Against this backdrop, ruling AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday said dialogue between political parties was a must and there was no alternative to it.
“You will be able to know when the dialogue process will begin," he said emerging from a parliamentary body meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban yesterday.
Analysts fear politics may take a violent turn if the opposition parties intensify their anti-government movement on expiry of a 90-day ultimatum on June 10 to force the government to restore the caretaker system in the constitution.
"We have been repeatedly urging the political leaders to sit in dialogue to resolve the political crisis. But they didn't pay heed to us. Now, we don't know whether the political parties will reconsider sitting in dialogue after Hillary's call to this effect," Akbar Ali Khan, former adviser to a caretaker government, told The Daily Star on Sunday.
Akbar also feared the political situation may deteriorate if a solution to the ongoing crisis is not reached much before the next parliamentary polls.
During her visit to Dhaka, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday urged all political actors in Bangladesh to settle their differences through dialogue and plan for holding the next general elections in a free, fair and credible manner.
It is the responsibility of political parties to find out how a free, fair and participatory election can be held in Bangladesh, she mentioned.
The following day, visiting Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also stressed the need for holding talks among political parties to overcome the ongoing crisis.
The comments of the foreign delegates have revived the governmentopposition dialogue issue. But both the sides seem to have remained stuck to their stubborn stance.
Talking to newsmen at the parliament, AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday said the dialogue between the government and the opposition is a must.
The two sides have to decide how the talks would proceed on, added Ashraful, also the minister for LGRD and cooperatives.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said his party is ready to join the dialogue on the caretaker government issue if the government announces to accept its demand in principle.
He made the remark to journalists at the residence of detained BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi in the capital.
"We think the problems should be resolved through talks. We have urged them [opposition] repeatedly to sit in dialogue, but they didn't respond," Mahbubul Alam Hanif, spokesman of AL, told this newspaper on Sunday.
Asked how the ruling AL has made the urge, Hanif, also the party's joint general secretary, said several Awami League leaders including the prime minister herself have made the urge through their speeches in and outside of the parliament.
Regarding sending a formal offer to the opposi-tion to sit in dialogue, Hanif said, "This is not the rule. Rather they should inform us about the issues they want to discuss with us."
The caretaker government issue has been settled as parliament has scrapped the provision following a verdict of the Supreme Court that had declared the system unconstitutional, he insisted.
Member of AL advisory council Amir Hossain Amu said it is difficult to say who will take the initiative first for holding the dialogue.
The ongoing political stand-off could be resolved if the opposition responds to the ruling party's urge to sit in dialogue, he observed.
BNP leader Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, however, did not agree with the views of AL leaders.
"We are always ready for talks. But the proposal must come either from the government or from the ruling party," said Mahbubur, a member of BNP standing committee.
During a meeting with Hillary, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had clarified that the opposition wants to resolve the crisis through talks, but the government must take the initiative first, he maintained.
Like many other politicians, Amu and Rashed Khan Menon, chief of Workers Party, believe a solution to the ongoing crisis lies in the dialogue and the politicians cannot deny this truth.