The former Communications Minister in the BNP-led government came up with this suggestion in view of growing demand for a dialogue between the two major parties to resolve the current political deadlock in the country.
Nearly 80 people, including seven policemen, have died in the latest wave of violence over the last week when Jamaat e Islami leader delwar Hossain Sayadee was handed down a death penalty by the first war crimes tribunal.
The BNP has been campaigning for the last three years for a restoration of the caretaker system to conduct the parliament elections ever since it was scrapped by the 15th amendment.
After countrywide violence unleashed by the Jamaat-e-Islami amid the Shahbagh protests demanding death penalty for all convicted 'war criminals' and a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami, the business chambers and other groups have urged both the Awami League and the BNP to go in for a dialogue.
The Awami League general Secretary and LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam has said his party has no objection to such a dialogue 'at any place and any time" but hinted at keeping the Jamaat out of it by describing it as "no good for the BNP".
In response, the BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said on Friday that they might consider the Awami League’s offer for the dialogue only if it could have a specific agenda of non-party, election-time administration.
“Stop the mass killing immediately. Create a congenial atmosphere for talks and come up with a specific agenda. The opposition will help the government on the issues,” the BNP leader said.
In the backdrop of what these two leaders have said, Nazmul Huda insisted on a 'dialogue without pre-conditions" to resolve the uncertainty over the next parliament election.
“The formal reactions of the both parties indicate they might like to sit for the dialogue. But where is the problem (to sit for talks)? Since the election has to be held, it will not be right to delay the dialogue by setting terms. It’s essential to sit right now,” said Nazmul Huda.
“A party can have its specific stance on any issue. But the party should fix it during talks on how to proceed with the issue. There’s no reason to push back the dialogue by setting terms,” Huda said.
Huda said the nation expected a free, fair and transparent election. “The more quickly you sit for talks, the more quickly the uncertainty over the issue will wither away . The country eagerly awaits the dialogue.”
Former BNP leader Huda says he will contest for the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) slated for March 13-14 despite BNP’s nominee former Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali is vying for it.
Huda has said that if elected as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, he along with the senior lawyers of the apex court would take the initiative to bring the top leaders of the Awami League and the BNP to the table.
