Several foreign diplomats have had a meeting with Opposition BNP now agitating for cancellation of Jan 5 polls in Bangladesh.
Diplomats from UK, Canada, Netherlands Australia and South Korea met the BNP leaders at Heritage Hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Sunday noon.
On behalf of the BNP, its vice chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, and Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Advisor Sabihuddin Ahmed were present at the meeting.
The main opposition BNP has boycotted the polls expressing no confidence in the dispensation that will conduct the polls.
With the deadline of nominations process to contest elections over, more than half the seats in the 10th parliament returned winners without a contest.
The European Union on Friday said they would not monitor the Jan 5 polls as main parties failed to create the necessary conditions for “transparent, inclusive and credible” elections
The opposition party has been asking for deferring the polls until they reach a consensus with the ruling party. –bdnews24.com
UNB adds: Asked about the meeting, Shamsher Mobin told UNB that it was not a formal meeting as they just took lunch together. “There’s no discussion on any specific issue.”
BNP sources, however, said the leaders discussed the country’s overall situation, EU decision not to send election observers, January-5 general election and the outcomes of the dialogue between the ruling and opposition delegations.
They also urged the diplomats not to cooperate with Sheikh Hasina’s government in holding the January-5 “farcical, one-sided” election. – UNB
