The BNP’s planned talks with like-minded opposition political parties began on Tuesday to work out the outline for launching a united movement to “restore” democracy and people’s voting rights.
The delegation of Nagorik Oikya, led by former Awami League leader Mahmudur Rahman Manna, sat with the BNP high-ups at its Topkhana Road office.
Earlier in the day, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir during a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office said that the decision to hold the dialogue was taken at the party’s Standing Committee meeting held on Monday night.
“Our Standing Committee decided to formally start the talks with political parties to forge a movement for the restoration of democracy,” Fakhrul said, reports Bangla Tribune.
He said the BNP would hold talks with all political parties, including its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami, and finalize the outline of a united movement through the discussions.
Fakhrul added that the party would raise three points – release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other political prisoners, resignation of the government and formation of a neutral government, and dissolution of parliament and reconstituting the Election Commission.
Replying to a question regarding the existence of the 20-party alliance, he said the 20-party alliance had not yet been disbanded. “We will finalize the future course of the alliance through the talks.”
Ahead of the 2018 elections, the BNP and other opposition parties formed an alliance, the Jatiya Oikya Front.
