The top leaders of the four party alliance at their first
meeting since promulgation of the state of the emergency in the country in
January last year urged the Election Commission yesterday to invite all the
components of the alliance to the dialogue with the EC.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia who was released on bail on last Thursday chaired the
meeting which was attended by the Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami,
Khilafat-e-Majlish chairman Maulana Mohammad Ishaque, Bangladesh Jatiya Party
chairman Andalib Rahman, BNP secretary general Khandakar Delwar Hossain, Islami
Oikyo Jote secretary general Abdul Latif Nizami and BJP secretary general
Shamim Al Mamun.
"The meeting urged the government and
the Election Commission to hold dialogue not only with BNP, but also with the
component parties of the alliance to hold a meaningful and proper
election," said BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain while briefing
the press on the decision of the two-hour long meeting that was held at the
Eskaton residence of journalist Shafiq Rehman.
The meeting, scheduled to be held at the
BNP central office at Naya Paltan was shifted to Eskaton yesterday morning.
Delwar said that being an election-oriented alliance, they were always in
favour of a meaningful dialogue with the government and Election Commission to
move the country toward parliamentary elections.