Oikya Front welcomes PM’s decision on talks

Oikya Front welcomes PM’s decision on talks

United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka | Oct 29,2018

The Jatiya Oikya Front steering committee sits in a meeting at the chamber of BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed at Motijheel in Dhaka on Monday.– New Age photo

Welcoming prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s decision on holding talks with it over the next general election, Jatiya Oikya Front on Monday postponed its Tuesday’s meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner.

‘We called upon the prime minister for talks. We’ve come to know that she has decided to invite us to join dialogue responding to our call,’ said Oikya Front leader Moudud Ahmed, also a  standing committee member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Talking to reporters after a meeting of Oikya Front’s steering committee at his Motijheel chamber, the BNP leader further said, ‘We welcome the Prime Minister’s decision and we’ll surely respond to it once we’re formally informed about its venue and date.’

Earlier in the day, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader at a press conference said their party agreed to sit in dialogue with Jatiya Oikya Front leaders over the next general election very soon.

He said Sheikh Hasina will lead the dialogue.

In the wake of the ruling party’s announcement for talks, the Jatiya Oikya Front steering committee members sat in the meeting at Moudud’s chamber to work out its next course of action.

Moudud said their meeting condemned the lower court’s verdict in Zia Charitable Trust graft case the as it was given after holding trial in absence of Khaleda Zia.

‘We hope the government will take immediate steps for her release on bail removing all the obstacles to it,’ he said.

The BNP leader said the meeting also protested inflicting sufferings on people by enforcing transport strike at the behest of the governments’ ministers.

Moudud said an Oikya Front delegation was supposed to hold a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Tuesday afternoon, but it has been postponed as the prime minister responded to their call for holding talks.

JSD president ASM Abdur Rob, general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, Gono Forum general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu, executive president Subrata Chowdhury, Nagarik Oikya’s Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Jahedur Rahman, Jatiya Oiky Prakriya’s Sultan Mohammad Mansur, ABM Mostafa Amin and Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury have attended the meeting with Moudud in the chair.

On October 13, BNP together with Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya Prakriya, JSD and Nagarik Oikya launched the Jatiy Oikya Front to press for their seven-point demand.

Source: New Age Bangladesh