The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Top leaders of the reformist group of the BNP, at a meeting to finalise their strategy after reviewing latest political situation, yesterday night said there was no development in their move to unify the party.

Held at the Banani residence of the party Acting Secretary General Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, the meeting was attended, among others, by former Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Standing Committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman.

Party Acting Chairman M Saifur Rahman was conspicuous by his absence from the meeting.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Major Hafiz, who on Sunday said he was ready to relinquish his post for the sake of unity with the anti-reformist group led by Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, yesterday dropped a broad hint that they were backtracking from the unity move as their was no response from the other side.

Claiming himself as the legitimate Secretary General of the BNP since most of the party leaders and activists were with them, Hafiz said the unity would only be achieved if the other side' (Khandaker Delwar group) agrees to the reforms agenda.

Hafiz, who recently said Mannan Bhuiyan became isolated from the rank and file of the party by 'launching the reform proposals unilaterally', last night said, "The former Secretary General gave the reform proposal on the basis of the discussion with other leaders and former MPs."

He said the reforms in politics and the party was necessary to ensure non-return to the pre-January 11, 20007 situations of confrontations.

"Not only Mannan Bhuiyan, three senior leaders of the Awami League had also floated reform proposals," Hafiz said, adding, "Reform is essential to democratise the party and politics both."

When asked, he said, "There is no development in the unification move of the party after Acting Chairman M Saifur Rahman's phone call to Khandaker Delwar."

Major Hafiz, however, expressed the hope that the BNP would be reunited under the leadership of detained party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia before the next general elections. "And there is much time left for the party to unite," he asserted.