Jatiya Oikya Front in fresh talks with PM Hasina

The Jatiya Oikya Front’s second round of dialogue with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina began at the Ganabhaban on Wednesday.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 7 Nov 2018, 05:39 AM
Updated : 7 Nov 2018, 07:55 AM

Hasina started talks with an 11-member delegation led by Kamal Hossain at 11am.

Kamal started off from his Bailey Road residence at around 10am, accompanied by Gono Forum’s acting President Subrata Chowdhury, General Secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu and Sultan Md Mansur from Jatiya Oikya Prokriya.

BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain and Moudud Ahmed paid homage to the grave of President Ziaur Rahman before joining the talks at the Ganabhaban.

ASM Abdur Rab, Abdul Malek Ratan, Mahmudur Rahman Manna and SM Akram were among the representatives of the Jatiya Oikya Front for the talks.

The prime minister led an 11-mmeber delegation of the ruling Awami League to the dialogue.

The Awami League delegation included Obaidul Quader, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Mohammad Nasim, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Anisul Huq, Dipu Moni and SM Rezaul Karim.

Besides, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon and JSD President Hasanul Haq Inu were also present at the dialogue.

Earlier, Hasina had unexpectedly responded to the Oikya Front’s proposal for talks and invited the opposition alliance to the Ganabhaban amid preparations for the 11th parliamentary election.

On Nov 1, the Oikya Front delegation led by Dr Kamal held a dialogue with the ruling Awami League at the Ganabhaban in response to the proposal.

After the talks, the leaders of the Front said they found no solution in talks with Hasina.

On Nov 4, the Oikya Front wrote to the prime minister for a second round of talks on a limited scale over its demands.

The demands include the release of Khaleda Zia, election under a neutral government dissolving the parliament and reforms to the Election Commission.

At a rally in Dhaka on Tuesday, the Oikya Front threatened that it would start a Rajshahi-bound march on Nov 8 if the government does not accept its seven demands. The protest march will be followed by a rally in Rajshahi on Nov 9.