BANGLADESH

The opposition alliance can sit with the government if it agrees for a non-partisan poll-time government and if there is a clearly spelt out agenda, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said.

"I want to tell the government that we want to discuss. But before that the government will have to make a clear and written announcement on non-partisan and impartial government," she said at the end of a mass hunger strike organised by the BNP-led alliance at Mahanagar Natya Mancha in Gulistan.

"We won't sit for any discussion without any agenda," she added.

The strike ended after Khaleda received sherbet from the daughter of missing party leader M Ilias Ali.

Khaleda's statement was aimed at clarifying her and her party's stance in response to various quarters calling the two parties across the table to settle their disputes.

The hunger strike programme was announced to demand release of BNP's missing leader M Ilias Ali, withdrawal of cases against BNP leaders and reinstatement of non-party caretaker government for overseeing the national election.

"No matter how many changes the government brings to the constitution, passes laws … no election will be held in this country under Awami League," Khaleda said.

"Now the government is luring the opposition saying that the president will oversee the election," she said.

"But we want to make it clear that this president is a partisan president. [No election] under his supervision will be accepted," she said.

"The government will have to either meet the demand of non-partisan government or step down," she added.

According to the latest constitutional amendment the ruling party brought last year, the next general election can be held under a partisan government as the non-party caretaker government provision has been scrapped.

BNP has been demanding cancellation of the amendment to reinstate the system of non-party caretaker government.

The European Union and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently urged the political leaders for sitting in a dialogue to settle the issues through discussion.

During her hour-long speech, Khaleda threatened to continue with movement if their demand of non-partisan government is not met by Jun 10. She also threatened of launching intensified agitation if arrested BNP leaders are not released from jail.

"We won't have any alternatives but to enforce countrywide general strike," Khaleda said. She also criticised police harassment of the family of Ilias Ali by setting up close circuit TV cameras at their house.

She once again blamed the government and the law enforcers for kidnapping Ilias Ali.

Regarding the killing of Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi, she said, "The journalists had learned a lot of information regarding corruption in the government. They would have disclosed those outside the country, had they survived."

"The government itself helped their killers escape. The law enforcing agencies are unable to capture the killers as they have already left the country," she added.

The opposition chief claimed that a relative of the prime minister and a member of the cabinet are directly involved in the alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project.

She claimed that many of the ruling party lawmakers are laundering money as they are preparing to flee the country in future.

Regarding the recent appointment of VC at JU, she said, "A partisan professor has been appointed from another university flouting rules."

Some BNP activists who had not been seen in active politics for quite a long time for their controversial role during the last caretaker government also participated in the hunger strike programme.

Family members of the arrested BNP leaders also joined the strike.