Awami
League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam held a meeting with party
leaders from Dhaka, Gazipur and Manikganj districts. Star file photo.
Star Online Report
Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said today that the prime minister’s offer to Khaleda Zia for a political dialogue is still there and the opposition leader may visit Gono Bhaban responding to the invitation anytime.“We have extended our invitation. It is now up to her to decide when to come,” he said at a meeting with AL lawmakers from Dhaka, Gazipur and Manikganj districts at the Gono Bhaban, the prime minister’s official residence.
On Saturday, PM Sheikh Hasina invited BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to Gono Bhaban Monday evening to discuss about polls-time government and attend a dinner with the premier.
The PM also requested Khaleda to withdraw the 60-hour hartal, which was slated to begin from the next day.
However, Ashraf said that his party had yet to receive any reply from the opposition with regards to the invitation to talks.
“If she wants, we will invite her again. We will invite her a hundred times for the sake of the country,” the AL leader insisted.
Ashraf alleged that BNP is not a “normal political party”, rather one that operates in “military style”.
“Therefore, it is tough to hold any discussion with them about complex political issues,” he said.
The AL leader, however, stressed that the time for dialogues is not over yet, and hoped that the parties would find a solution to end the ongoing political impasse.
He also said that his party will hold a rally at the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan on November 3 marking the Jail Killing Day.
