Hasina, Khaleda meet over Iftar

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (R) and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia are exchanging pleasantries at the Iftar party at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment Thursday. — FocusBangla Photo

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia had a little chat and exchanged pleasantries as the two political rivals took Iftar together at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment Thursday, reports UNB.
The Armed Forces Division hosted the Iftar party in honour of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Minister of Defence.
The chiefs of the three services received the Prime Minister at Senakunja.
Before breaking the day's fast, Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Abdul Hamid and Khaleda Zia talked to one another for a minute in a cordial and hearty atmosphere.
Flashing a smile on her face, Hasina said: "Thank you for coming…You (Khaleda) do not come to parliament, (but) have come to Iftar party; it's a good sign."
The Prime Minister then said, "Come to parliament, we'll listen to you."
Hasina also requested the Speaker, who sat beside Khaleda Zia, to convince her to return to parliament. And she told Khaleda to settle the dispute in consultation with the Speaker and come back.
Khaleda Zia, also ex-premier, whose party suffered a humiliating defeat in the last polls, has long been leading a boycott of the parliament following a dispute over sitting arrangement in the front row as her party demands more front-bench seats.
Premier Hasina was flanked by Army Chief General Md Abdul Mubeen, Navy Chief Rear Admiral ZU Ahmed and Air Chief Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman. Speaker Abdul Hamid, Khaleda Zia, Deputy Leader in Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, JP chief HM Ershad and Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon also sat at the head table.
Ministers, MPs, politicians, high civil and military officials were also present.
While in the opposition, Sheikh Hasina was not invited to the Iftar party of the Armed Forces Division as Leader of the Opposition.
A few days back, the Prime Minister and the opposition leader bartered invitations for Iftar on the same day, August 29, but both the top leaders refrained from responding to each other's invitation.
Thursday's military-hosted Iftar was preceded by special munajat seeking peace and prosperity of the nation.
After the Iftar, the three chiefs had separate meeting with the Prime Minister over a cup of tea.
As the Prime Minister was leaving the venue, former Speaker Zamir Uddin Sircar met her. On a query from the Prime Minister, Sircar said he and other BNP MPs "wholeheartedly want to join the parliament proceedings from day-one."