Moriarty holds closed-door meet with politicians, lawyers
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
US Ambassador James Moriarty had a closed-door parley with leaders of major political parties and leading lawyers to know their views on the two burning questions -- general election under the state of emergency and upazila council polls before the national elections, reports UNB.
Awami League leaders Syed Ashraful Islam and Asaduzzaman Noor, BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan, Jatiya Party leader Ruhul Amin Howlader, Jamaat leader Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, SCBA president Barrister Shafique Ahmed and Barrister Naushad Zamir joined the meeting at the Ambassador's Gulshan house.
The consultation, which lasted one and a half hours from 4pm, took place at a crucial juncture in the country's baroque political scenario in the interim period.
Insiders said the leaders and the lawyers put forward arguments in favour of lifting the state of emergency before holding the general election.
The US envoy was perhaps given the impression that if the emergency is lifted, convicts will come out of jails and create trouble during the elections. But, they argued, there is no link between lifting the emergency and release of convicts as law will take its own course to deal with the release of any convict.
He asked about grounds of the opposition to holding the Upazila Council elections prior to general election. He was given the idea that the Election Commission has the authority to hold the local-body elections.
Awami League leaders Syed Ashraful Islam and Asaduzzaman Noor, BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan, Jatiya Party leader Ruhul Amin Howlader, Jamaat leader Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, SCBA president Barrister Shafique Ahmed and Barrister Naushad Zamir joined the meeting at the Ambassador's Gulshan house.
The consultation, which lasted one and a half hours from 4pm, took place at a crucial juncture in the country's baroque political scenario in the interim period.
Insiders said the leaders and the lawyers put forward arguments in favour of lifting the state of emergency before holding the general election.
The US envoy was perhaps given the impression that if the emergency is lifted, convicts will come out of jails and create trouble during the elections. But, they argued, there is no link between lifting the emergency and release of convicts as law will take its own course to deal with the release of any convict.
He asked about grounds of the opposition to holding the Upazila Council elections prior to general election. He was given the idea that the Election Commission has the authority to hold the local-body elections.