Concerned over the ongoing political turmoil, civil society members on Tursday met President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban with a call to initiate informal talks to end the political deadlock.
They requested him to take steps to end the political violence and hold the next parliamentary polls by January 24 next year.
They said the ongoing democratic system must continue with a free, fair and unbiased polls.
Giving them a patient hearing the president said he played a behind-the-scenes role within the constitution to end the political impasse, the civil society team led by former foreign minister Dr Kamal Hossain, also the president of Gono Forum, quoted Hamid as saying.
“They have talked to the president on the violence and arson attacks. And they requested him to play his due role,” Ihsanul Karim, the president’s press secretary, told reporters after the meeting at the Bangabhaban.
“They have expressed the view that the elections must take place by January 24 in line with the constitution,” he said.
In reply, he said, the president informed the civil society team that he would reach their concern to the government as he did so in the case of the opposition leader making similar appeals.
“You have already seen its impact,” Karim quoted the president as saying to the delegation.
“We have conveyed to the president our concern over the spread of violence and arson attacks. We have also appealed to find a way out of the situation,” Dr Akbar Ali Khan, another member of the team, told the reporters.
“An election without the opposition participation will lead to catastrophe. Free and fair polls are must to sustain democracy. We have to protect democracy,” said the former adviser to the non-party caretaker government.
Replying to a question from the reporters who asked him whether their initiative would end the volcanic political situation, he said, “This is not that it will be resolved; but we hope something will happen.”
Dr Akbar Ali khan said they had not made any concrete proposal to narrow the political difference over restoration of the non-party caretaker government.
“We have just expressed our concern,” he said.
The delegation also includes former advisers Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Sultana Kamal, Badiul Alam Majumder and Dr Shahdin Malik.