Several top leaders of the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP came together at Hotel Sonargaon on Friday to meet visiting Indian minister Sushma Swaraj who came to Dhaka on a three-day visit.
Photojournalists, present at the scene, continuously clicked their shutters to capture the rare moments of bonhomie.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s advisors Moshiur Rahman and Gowher Rizvi were waiting since 9am at the hotel lobby for a prescheduled appointment with Swaraj.
They were waiting for the prime minister’s sister and daughter who met the Indian minister.
BNP’s acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan and party chief’s advisor Sabih Uddin Ahmed showed up around 9:45am.
They were waiting for BNP chief Khaleda Zia who had a scheduled meeting with Swaraj.
Fakhrul went over Moshiur Rahman and exchanged greetings.
Photo: asif mahmud ove/ bdnews24.com
He was about to go back to join other BNP leaders sitting on the other side when Rizvi said, “How’re you brother? Please don’t leave us.”
The BNP leader replied with a smile, “We don’t want to leave you. Rather you are pushing us far.”
Rizvi then turned to Khaleda’s advisor Sabih Uddin Ahmed and said in a humorous tone, “See, we are having a dialogue here.”
The BNP and the Awami League have been on loggerheads before the Jan 5 general elections. The BNP demanded a non-party government’s supervision in the polls but the Awami League insisted the elections would take place under its regime.
This prompted the BNP and its allies to boycott the polls.
Various national and international quarters have called for talks between Hasina and Khaleda but in vain.
Khaleda even turned down her arch political rival’s offer for a dialogue.
But now, the BNP chief says the prime minister will have to sit with her for talks if the latter wants to “solve the political impasse”.
On Friday, meeting the Indian minister, Khaleda claimed “there was no democracy in the country”.
During conversations at the lobby, Moshiur Rahman asked BNP leader Fakhrul, “How are you? You look good today.”
Fakhrul replied, “Not bad sir.”
Rahman was a senior teacher to Fakhrul during their time at Dhaka College’s economics department. Since then, the latter addresses Moshiur as “sir”.
During the seven-minute conversation, the BNP and Awami League leaders sat in a circle at the lobby.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tarek Karim, too, was present at the lobby.
Source: Bd news24
