Jatiya Party alleges it was excluded from key talks in meeting with Commonwealth chief

GM Quader says the Consensus Commission and the EC have not given his party the chance to take part in their meetings

Leaders of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party have met with visiting Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey, raising what they described as a series of grievances.

The meeting was held on Sunday evening at the InterContinental Dhaka, the party said in a statement.

It said the discussions centred on the situation on the ground before the next general election, the wider political environment and the need for an election process that is internationally acceptable.

The Election Commission is preparing to hold the parliamentary election in the first half of February next year. The government has also decided to hold a referendum on the same day.

As part of its preparations, the commission held dialogues with political parties, though the Jatiya Party was not invited.

Earlier, the National Consensus Commission conducted talks with parties to reach an agreement on the state reform initiative, but the Jatiya Party was again excluded.

These issues were raised during the meeting with the Commonwealth chief, the statement noted.

GM Quader, the party’s chairman, told the meeting that the interim government was not ensuring equal opportunities for all in what should be a free, fair, neutral and participatory election.

He said the Jatiya Party had been denied participation in both the Consensus Commission discussions and the Election Commission dialogues.

The Jatiya Party delegation also included Secretary-General Shameem Haider Patwary, Presidium members Mir Abdus Sabur Asud and Moinur Rabbi Chowdhury, advisor to the chairman retired major Md Mahfuzur Rahman, and Central Committee Office Secretary Mahmud Alam.

Advisor and Head, Asia at the Commonwealth Dinusha Panditaratne and Assistant Research Officer Sarthak Ray, were also present in the meeting.