BNP initiates talks with opposition parties

BNP's talks with opposition political parties began on Tuesday aiming to work out its plan for launching a united movement to 'restore' democracy and people's voting rights, reports UNB.
On the first day, a BNP delegation led by party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir sat in talks with Nagorik Oikya at its Topkhana Road office.
At a press conference held at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office on the day, Fakhrul announced plan to start the dialogue.
The BNP leader said the party's standing committee took the decision at its virtual meeting on Monday night.
"Our standing committee meeting decided to formally start talks with the political parties with the aim of forging a movement for the restoration of democracy. We're initiating talks today (Tuesday)," Fakhrul said.
He said they will hold talks with the political parties and finalise the outline of a united movement through discussions. They will sit with other opposition parties gradually, he added.
Replying to a question, he said BNP will not hold talks only with its alliance partners but also with all other political parties.
Asked whether they will hold discussion with Jamaat-e-Islami, Fakhrul said they want to hold talks with every party, including Jamaat.
Replying to another question about the existence of the 20-party alliance, he said they still did not abolish the 20-party alliance. "We'll finalise the future course of the alliance through talks."
"The main objectives of the discussions are to restore democracy and voting and other rights of people that the fascist government has snatched and to revive the economy and all the institutions of the country those have been destroyed by this regime," he said.
Fakhrul said their dialogue is also meant for forging unity among the political parties to wage a movement for establishing people's voting rights.
He said they will also highlight their demands--the release of all political prisoners, including Khaleda Zia, the resignation of the current regime, handing over power to a non-partisan and neutral government, dissolution of parliament and then holding a free and fair election acceptable to all through the reconstituted election commission--during the talks with political parties.