With the leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia issuing ultimatum on Friday to initiate dialogue on the polls-time government or face 60-hour nonstop shutdown, senior citizens of the country feared that the nation’s political situation was moving towards a confrontation which would ultimately threaten the democratic system.
They urged the top leaders of the two major political parties to sit down and discuss the issue to make sure the next general elections was held in a free, fair and credible manner.
Senior legal professional barrister Rafiq-Ul Huq said: “She [Khaleda] has given the government two days to sit for a dialogue over the non-party caretaker government and threatened with three days of non-stop hartal. But, fact of the matter is that she has only given one day. It seems she invited the government, served food and then took away the plate even before they started eating.”
He said the formation of the polls-time government comprising the advisers of 1996 and 2001, would require amending the constitution.
Meanwhile, former adviser to the caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan said: “The time of political consensus almost ends. If the two political parties do not reach any consensus, the country will move towards conflict.”
Another former adviser to the caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan said the time given to the government to discuss the caretaker government was very short.
He said: “A three-day non-stop shutdown across the country cannot be justified in any way.”He expressed his concerns over political violence as well.
President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Kazi Akramuddin Ahmed urged the two leaders to resolve the ongoing political crisis through discussion.
He requested the political parties not to call hartals, as they were harmful for businesses.
“If there is no hartal, businessmen can run their trades properly, which will strengthen the country’s economy,” he said.
Rights activists Sultana Kamal said since there is an ultimatum, there is little space for dialogue between the two political parties.
“BNP Chairperson did not give the government a chance to hold dialogue over the formation of the polls-time government,” said Sultana Kamal, who also served for a short time as an adviser in the 2006 caretaker government under then president Iajuddin Ahmed.
Executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)
Iftekharuzzaman said: “The country’s democratic system will suffer due to the conflicting position taken up by the two major political parties. People of the country is now concerned over the prevailing political crisis.”
The possibility of confrontation has increased even more after the opposition leader issued the ultimatum, he said.
