Hold dialogue, restore CG: Khaleda.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Friday put forward a three-point demand, including an immediate dialogue for holding a fair and inclusive election under a ‘government acceptable to all’ to resolve prevailing crisis. She placed the demands at a news conference at her Gulshan office on the 67th day of the transport blockade called by the BNP-led alliance. Khaleda said that the ‘so-called’ parliament was in session and the ruling party could unilaterally scrap the controversial 15th amendment to the Constitution as they had unilaterally passed the amendment. It would pave the way for holding election under a non-party and neutral government, she said. Khaleda, also the former prime minister, said in her written statement that the present crisis would be over ‘after this (proposed) amendment is made and the government resigns and takes steps for fresh elections’.

The two other demands Khaleda made were immediate release of the leaders and activists who had been arrested across the country to ‘suppress’ the movement, stopping enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, an end to harassment of her alliance activists by police and joint forces, withdrawal of all ‘false’ cases filed against leaders and activists and fair investigation of each extrajudicial killing to give punishment to those responsible. Her third demand was immediate withdrawal of all restrictions on meetings, rallies, processions and political activities. ‘We believe, we can approach a solution through this process, we can turn the movement soon into a peaceful understanding,’ Khaleda said. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson said they were struggling for restoring the people’s voting rights and democracy. She said the current movement was for ‘ideology’, for establishing people’s rights and it was a movement of all those who believed in democracy. Khaleda said the current movement was not by any individual against any individual or by a party against a party. She claimed that her current movement did not aim to grab power. The BNP chairperson called upon all irrespective of opinion, profession and class to unite and join the movement and expressed the hope that movement would succeed soon.

Khaleda also urged those who were still inactive to become active and join movement and build up a greater national unity. She said the movement programmes would continue until it reached a ‘logical conclusion’ as the ruling party had taken no initiatives to normalise the present ‘suffocating’ situation. Khaleda said BNP and its allies were aware of the sufferings of the people during the ongoing movement.  ‘It is only the ruling party which has no realisation,’ she said.  She requested all to bear with ‘this temporary suffering’ for the ‘greater interest’ of the nation. Khaleda blamed Awami League and particularly Sheikh Hasina for the ongoing crisis. ‘This crisis is political and constitutional,’ she said. She said the government was not willing to resolve the crisis rather it wanted the crisis to prolong. ‘So they [government] are carrying out smear campaigns at home and abroad branding the democratic movement as militant activities.’ She accused the ruling party of carrying out sabotage during the movement. She said the ruling party in a planned way was pushing ordinary people into death by putting them in transports promising security. Khaleda said the ruling party men were constantly threatening to put her in jail but threats would not work. Referring to the 1996 crisis,

Khaleda said BNP at that time had kept its commitment and resigned after amending the Constitution following an election for maintaining constitutional continuity. She said that before the ‘farcical’ election of January 5, 2014, the Awami League had stated that it was an election for maintaining constitutional continuity. She said Sheikh Hasina had also made a commitment to hold a fresh election dissolving parliament if a consensus was reached over an election-time government through discussion. Khaleda said that if Sheikh Hasina keeps her commitment this time, though belatedly, an environment of peace, relief and consensus would return. She said there was no alternative to national unity to make the country’s independence meaningful and to restore people’s fundamental and democratic rights. She said onus was on the ruling party to resolve the present crisis and they could open up the path for the desired national unity. ‘Then we together can celebrate the nation’s 45th independence day getting rid of the crisis,’ she said. Khaleda hoped that good sense would prevail on the ruling party and they would come to the path of consensus and take initiative to resolve the crisis through discussion.

BNP chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan who conducted the news conference said that Khaleda Zia would not entertain questions from reporters. BNP leaders Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahman, Abdul Quayum,  Shirin Sultana, BNP chairperson’s special assistant Shimul Biswas and press wing members Shamsuddin Dider and Syrul Kabir Khan were present.

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