Awami League and BNP leaders shooting conditions and counter-conditions at each other resulted in fading hopes for a dialogue as the leaders of the two parties sat for third round of talks, still remaining rigid over the polls-time government issue.
Party insiders said the conditions set by the two sides were apparently tough for either of them because for having to accept them, they would have to deviate from the stances.
The BNP placed conditions of release of its detained leaders and activists, freeing the party’s Nayapaltan office, lifting ban on political programmes, stopping repression of opposition men and suspending the election schedule.
The party is now focusing on forcing the government to suspend the election schedule and proposing of holding elections after 90 days of January 24, said a party insider.
The BNP delegation said the congenial atmosphere necessary for the dialogue could be created only if the ruling party accepted the conditions and then the formation of the polls-time government, restructuring of the Election Commission and freeing the administration from politicisation would be discussed, an Awami League leader told the Dhaka Tribune.
The Awami League, on the other hand, said the opposition party had to stop the ongoing destructive programmes for holding the dialogue. The Awami League said there was no scope of holding the next elections under any unelected person, said an Awami League leader.
On postponing the election, the Awami League said the issue entirely depended upon the EC.
In the presence of UNDP Resident Coordinator Neal Walker, the meeting was held at a UNDP project office two days after UN envoy Oscar Fernandez-Taranco had left Dhaka urging the two major parties to carry on the dialogue.
The two parties had met on Tuesday and Wednesday in the presence of Fernandez-Taranco.
Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Gowher Rizvi and party General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, and BNP leaders Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan, party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Vice-Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury attended the meeting yesterday.
The next meeting of the two parties was not yet decided, BNP Standing Committee member Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune.
After the meeting, both sides went to their party chiefs to discuss the meeting minutes.
A BNP leader said party chief Khaleda Zia also discussed about the next course of action and wanted to wait until December 16 as the party has no programme until that date. He also said non-stop blockade or non-cooperation programme might be announced from December 17.
The BNP leader also said as the government wanted to hold elections at any cost, they were showing their power and forcing Ershad to participate in the polls.
He alleged that it was the government’s trick to buy time in the name of dialogue.