Parties in `national unity’ working to set goals [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Parties in `national unity’ working to set goals

Local October 10, 2018

Parties in the process of national unity have decided to finalise a framework under which the country would be run and common agitation programmes to force the Awami League-led government to hold the 11th parliamentary polls under a neutral government.
The decision was made at a joint meeting of the Bangladesh Nationalist party, Juktafront and Jatiya Oikya Prakriya leaders at Jatiya Samajtanrik Dal faction president ASM Abdur Rob’s Uttara house Monday evening, meeting sources said.
Earlier on Sunday, they agreed on five demands, including formation of polls-time non-party government and release of the jailed BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The process of fixing the programmes of movement is, however, going slowly as parties in Juktafront want to finalise the framework under which the state would be run if the parties in the process of national unity are voted to power, according to a Juktafront leader.
Juktafront led by AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury comprises Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction of Rob and Nagarik Oikya led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna.
The issue was placed at the first formal meeting of the top leaders of the BNP, Juktafront and Jatiya Oikya Prakriya at BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain’s Gulshan house in Dhaka Sunday evening, meeting sources said.
Bikalpadhara secretary general Abdul Mannan placed the issue and wanted to know in detail about checks and balances in state power BNP announced as a main goal at a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on September 30, said leaders attending the meeting.
The first of the nine goals of Juktafront and Jatiya Oikya Prakriya announced at National Press Club on September 15 was to ensure checks and balances in state power, particularly between parliament and executives and the president and the prime minister, to put an end to single individual-centred executive power.
BNP leaders, however,
stressed the need for taking to the street immediately, the sources said.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Juktafront leaders ASM Abdur Rob, Abdul Mannan, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Jatiya Oikya Prakriya leaders Mostofa Mohsin Montu, ABM Mostafa Amin and Sultan Muhammed Mansur Ahmad and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, among others, attended the Sunday’s meeting that was adjourned till Monday night.
The adjourned meeting that resumed on Monday evening at ASM Abdur Rob’s house discussed about the preparation of the framework of government and programmes of the movement.
A Jatiya Oikya Prakriya leader attending the meeting said that the meeting decided to place proposals of movement from BNP, Juktafront, Jatiya Oikya Prakriya at their next meeting at Jatiya Oikya Prakriya convener Kamal Hossain’s house on Thursday.
Replying to a query, he said four names were proposed for the united platform —Jatiya Oikya Jote, Jatiya Oikya Dhara, Jatiya Oikya Front and Jatiya Oikya Mancha. The name was yet to be finalised, he added.
Monday’s meeting lasted for about three hours from 9:00pm and was attended by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Moudud Ahmed of BNP, ASM Abdur Rob, Abdul Mannan and Shahidullah Kaiser among others of Juktafront , Mostofa Mohsin Montu, ABM Mostafa Amin and Sultan Muhammed Mansur Ahmad of Jatiya Oikya Prakriya and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury.
At one stage of the meeting Moudud told journalists that they would soon announce the goals and programmes of movement.
After the Sunday’s meeting a Jatiya Oikya Prakriya leader said that how they would launch united movement if the goal of the national unity process was not set as in that case any party might quit the movement at any time.
The issues of movement, election and framework of government came at the Sunday’s meeting that lasted for about one hour and a half hour from 9:00pm, the leader said.
JSD president Abdur Rob, when the meeting was underway, told journalists that the meeting decided in principle to launch movement for realising five-point demands recently announced by BNP, Juktafront and Jatiya Oikya Prakriya.
The demands include dissolution of parliament, formation of polls-time neutral government, release of all political prisoners including jailed BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and reconstitution of the Election Commission.
Asked if the Jamaat-e-Islami, key ally of BNP, would remain in the greater unity, Rob said they are forging unity with BNP.
He said that pro-liberation forces would be welcomed in the greater national unity.
Sultan Mohammad Monsur Ahmad told New Age that the meeting agreed on the five-point demands and election under non-party government was the prime demand.
He said that they were yet to decide if the form of the movement would be simultaneous or united.
Moudud Ahmed after the Sunday’s meeting told journalists that the leaders were agreed on five-point demands, including fair elections under neutral government and release of Khaleda.