A platform of eminent citizens yesterday sent separate letters to the president, prime minister and the BNP chairperson, urging them to hold talks to end the ongoing political unrest that has already claimed nearly 70 lives.
Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, who was involved with both leftist and the Awami League’s politics in the past, confirmed the news.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s press wing official Shamsuddin Didar also confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune that they had received the letter.
Prince Chanchal Mahmud, who claimed to be a representative of the Nagorik Samaj, went to the BNP office yesterday evening to hand over the letter, Didar said.
However, when asked whether they had received the letter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury did not give any direct answer.
Asking “who authorised them [the platform] to take such initiatives,” Iqbal Sobhan yesterday said if anybody initiates calls for such talks, it has to be the government.
The Dhaka Tribune could not confirm whether the president’s office Bangabhaban has received the letter or not.
The platform – comprising politicians and professionals from various spheres – surfaced on February 7.
On that day, the Jatiya Oikya Prokria – meaning the process of national unity – organised a round-table titled “National Dialogue to Resolve National Crisis” at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh in Dhaka and proposed to formulate a “national charter.”
They said the charter would set out calls to the government to fix a time-frame for holding talks and also appeal to the BNP and its partners for ending blockade, hartal and deadly violence.
In that programme, former chief election commission ATM Shamsul Huda said the country was heading towards a point of no return, and to pull things back, a national charter was required.
Only a day before that, the ruling Awami League ruled out any scope of holding talks unless the BNP and its allies ended violence.
Mahmudur Rahman Manna, one of the leading figures of the platform alongside Dr Kamal Hossain and ATM Shamsul Huda, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they had not discussed anything with the three recipients before sending the letters.
Asked how long they will wait for response, Manna said: “It is hard to say how long we will have to wait, but in the meantime, we will talk to professionals and other political parties and form our committee. That committee will decide out next course of action.”
However, while talking to the Dhaka Tribune last night, PM’s adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury questioned the neutrality of the platform.
“Dr Kamal Hossain never came to ee any of the victims who died or got injured in arson during the BNP-led alliance’s blockade. But he had the time to go and meet Khaleda Zia after her son died...How neutral could he be? If they really want talks, then they should ask the BNP to stop violence first,” Iqbal said over phone.
However, despite repeated attempts, neither Dr Kamal nor Shamsul Huda could be reached over phone for comments.
In the political violence that has now been going on for more than a month, about 70 people have been killed in arson on vehicles and crude bomb blasts in different parts of the country.
On January 5, the non-stop transport blockade was announced by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia after she was barred from coming out of her Gulshan office to attend a rally to mark the anniversary of last year’s national election that her party had boycotted.
She was virtually kept confined in the office for the next few days. However, although the authorities relaxed the security around her office in mid-January, Khaleda never came out. She has been staying inside her office since then.
On January 24, after Khaleda’s son Koko died, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went to Gulshan to condole her arch rival, but she had to come back from the gate.
On January 31, electricity, internet and land-phone connections and mobile network to and around the Gulshan office were cut. Although power was restored 18 hours later, all voice and data services still remain snapped over a large part of Gulshan area centring Khaleda’s office.
The US, the UK, the European Union and other foreign and local quarters have been issuing repeated calls for an end to the violence and for a meaningful dialogue, but none of the sides moved from their stance.
The ruling Awami League wants the BNP and its allies to call off the blockade, hartal and violence before even thinking about holding talks.
The BNP wants the government to initiate talks over restoring the non-partisan polls-time government system before relaxing their actions programmes.
Once before during the pre-election violence in 2013, some of these eminent citizens tried to take initiatives to unwind the deadlock, but that effort was never materialised.
Former advisers to caretaker governments M Hafizuddin Khan, Akbar Ali Khan, CM Shafi Sami and Rasheda K Chowdhury; lawyer Shahdeen Malik; former central bank governor Salehuddin Ahmed; former inspector general of police Mohammed Nurul Huda; Sujon Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar; Dhaka University teachers Reza Kibria and Syed Anwar Hossain; CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim; Bikalpadhara Secretary General Abdul Mannan; JSD chief ASM Abdur Rab; and former student leaders Sultan Mohammed Mansur Ahmed and Mushtaque Hossain were also present in that programme at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh on February 7.
