‘Oikyafront to join talks if election-centric agenda fixed’

Staff Correspondent, Sylhet: BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said Jatiya Oikyafront will sit for a fresh round of talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina if election-centric agenda is fixed.

“We don’t know what will be the agenda of the talks. Our only agenda is to have the election revoked. Jatiya Oikyafront will consider joining the dialogue if election-centric agenda is fixed,” he said while talking to reporters after offering fateha at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) in Sylhet.

The December-30 election must be revoked and the current ‘incompetent’ Election Commission will have to be reconstituted to hold a fresh national election under a non-party neutral government, said Fakhrul, also the leader of Oikyafront.

“The government will have to be formed through holding a credible election under an impartial government and Election Commission,” he said.

The BNP leader said the fresh initiative for dialogue will not be fruitful like the one held before the 11th parliamentary election if their demand for holding a fresh national election under a non-party government is not accepted.

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said Oikyafront remains intact and there is no conflict among its partners.

On Sunday, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold fresh dialogues with the political parties that joined talks at Ganobhaban before the December-30 election.

Fakhrul together with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rob) president ASM Abdur Rob, Krishak Sramik Janata League president Abdul Kader Siddiqui, Gono Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury and general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu reached Sylhet by air around 11:45am.

From the airport, they went to the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R).

They also offered fateha at the shrines Shah Paran (R) before going to violence-hit Balaganj upazila where a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader was gunned down by criminals on December 30, the voting day.


risingbd/Sylhet/Jan 14, 2019/Abdullah Al Noman/AI