The much-anticipated dialogue between the 14-party alliance and the National Unity Front (NUF) kicked off at prime minister’s official Ganabhaban residence this evening.
“The dialogue began at about 7 pm,” a Ganabhaban official familiar with the talks said, reports BSS.
Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is leading a 23-member team of the 14-party alliance in the dialogue, while a 16-member delegation of National Unity Front (NUF) is being led by its convenor Dr Kamal Hossain.
The members of AL-led 14-party delegation are: Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, advisers Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammad Nasim, Kazi Zafar Ullah, Sammayabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua, Workers Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President (JASOD) Hasanul Huq Inu and another faction leader of the party Mainuddin Khan Badol, Law Minister Advocate Anisul Huq, AL presidium members Advocate Abdul Matin Khasru, Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak and Ramesh Chandra Sen, Joint-Secretaries Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, Dr. Dipu Moni, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, Office Secretary Dr. Abdus Sobhan Golap, Publicity and Publication Secretary Hasan Mahmud, Legal Affairs Secretary Advocate S.M Rezaul Karim.
The NUF deligation included five BNP leaders and they are party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, and Mirza Abbas.
The other team members include Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President ASM Abdur Rab, and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury.
Responding to the newly formed NUF or Jatiya Oikya Front’s call for dialogue over the next national election, Sheikh Hasina formally invited the alliance to take part in talks with ruling alliance at Ganabhaban at 7pm today.
The issue of dialogue surfaced when Dr Kamal, president of Gono Forum – a key component of the Oikyafront, wrote to the prime minister on October 28 asking for the dialogue. The NUF by now announced a seven-point demand for holding the next parliament election in a participatory manner.