As pressure on the two major political parties mounts to sit for dialogue to resolve the deepening political crisis, BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Saturday said now there is no atmosphere to hold talks with the government. “There’s no atmosphere to hold discussions with the government. To create the atmosphere, the detained opposition leaders must be freed and the cases filed against them be withdrawn. We want to clearly state that discussions would take place if the atmosphere is created,” he said.
He said this while addressing a human-chain programme in front of the National Press Club in the city organised by BNP Keraniganj thana unit demanding the release of all the BNP leaders, including its standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy.
On Transparency International Bangladesh’s (TIB) proposal for the framework of election-time government, Mosharraf said the TIB proposal on the framework of poll-time government makes it clear that neutral and fair election is not possible under a partisan government.
Welcoming the proposal, Mosharraf said it (proposal) will be effective if the government shows sincerity to it and the consent of the opposition. “That’s why everything has to be done through discussions.”
Observing that the government’s role is important in implementing the TIB proposal, Mosharraf said BNP would take its decision on the proposal after seeing how the government reacts to it.
Mosharraf said, “Awami League wants to return to power by holding election under a party-government. We want to say no election will be allowed to be held without a non-party government.”
On Friday, the TIB, the graft watchdog body, proposed formation of a committee taking equal number of members from both the ruling and opposition alliances to select polls-time government for holding a free and fair election. UNB
