President opens dialogue with parties today

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President Zillur Rahman is set to open dialogue with political parties today (Thursday) on the appointment of the new Election Commission (EC). The dialogue will be held first with Jatiya Party (Ershad) at 11:00 am at Bangabhaban in the city followed by Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) at 12:00 noon. BNP has already rejected to join any such dialogue, saying they can sit with the President only on the restoration of the constitutional provision of the caretaker government, which was scrapped through the 15th amendment. - UNB Four to die for killing imam A speedy trial tribunal has sentenced four people to death and one to life in prison in an imam murder case in Ramna. Abdur Rahim Sarder (43), Mohamad Qazi Baizid (42), and Murad Hossain (45), burst into tears when they heard on Wednesday that they would be hanged for murdering Ramna Police Station mosque imam Maulana Mohammad Ishaq on Dec 29 last year. Other accused -- Ikram alias Masud (45), sentenced to death, and Mohammad Nazimuddin (40), awarded life imprisonment -- have been tried in absentia. - bdnews24.com