Zillur welcomes all-party policy summit

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Awami League (AL) acting president Zillur Rahman Thursday welcomed the government's move to arrange a policy summit with major political parties, but threatened to boycott it if Jamaat attends, reports UNB.
Zillur further expressed his doubt over arrangement of the all-party conference just one month before the parliamentary polls slated for the third week of December.
"It's good to hear people are talking about good things. We will join the summit if it is arranged following democratic process," he said.
"But we may not attend the conference if we see any undemocratic behaviour from the government and the Jamaat is in it," Zillur said.
Zillur made the statement in reply to journalists' queries when a delegation of National Water Development Board Sramik Karmachari League led by its president Mafizuddin Ahmed and former lawmaker Ali Reza Raju went to his Gulshan residence at noon.
Zillur also said the AL would scrutinise the terms and conditions of the proposed summit before joining it.
"But I don't understand how the government will arrange a national summit just ahead of the parliamentary polls. It may not be possible," he said.
"The advisers lack experience," Zillur said.
He alleged that the government imposed the state of emergency to cover its failure and suppress the people's voices.
"But the government does not know that the state cannot be ruled by using force," he said.
Zillur further said the government curtailed the fundamental democratic rights of the labourers by enacting the Representation of the Peoples' Order (RPO).
"If we are voted to power, we will return the labourers' right to trade union activities. It is their democratic and fundamental right," he said.
Asked about the much-talked about dialogue between AL president Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, Zillur said the final decision in this regard would be taken after Hasina's return from the United States (US).
With a positive tone about barrister Rafique-ul Huq's effort to bring the two key leaders to the negotiation table, he said barrister Rafique's effort was "positive".
"We don't know what came up in barrister Rafique's talks with the two leaders. We can't mistrust barrister Rafique," he said.