The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Acting Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday said the Election Commission should be more focused on holding the parliamentary election eschewing dillydallying tactics.

Talking to reporters he said Awami League wants parliamentary election first and requested the Election Commissioners to talk about parliamentary elections and stop pattering about local body polls.

Ashraful who chaired a meeting of Awami League secretaries at its Dhanmondi office alleged that the caretaker government is dillydallying with the treatment of ailing party chief Sheikh Hasina.

He demanded Hasina's unconditional release and sending her to USA for her ear treatment.

"Awami League sent an application to the Chief Adviser with a request to release Sheikh Hasina and arrange appropriate treatment for her abroad…Please honour our letter." Ashraful said.

Ashraful said Awami League would not attend the National Independence Day reception hosted by the President at Bangabhaban on March 26 as Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and war criminals were invited to it.

"We, in principle, have decided that we will never join any programme that would be attended by Jammat leaders and war criminals," he said.

The secretaries' meeting accused the government of imposing restriction on trade union activities and said the country's image is being tarnished for it. "It is against ILO convention treaty and government should lift the ban on trade unions from today."

Responding to a query about launching movement for the release of detained Sheikh Hasina, he said the party is respectful to the sentiment of AL leaders and workers and programmes will be announced at appropriate time.

Ashraful said the party will hold meetings with the division level leaders to know their opinions about the evolving situation and how to ensure the release of Sheikh Hasina. The Central working committee would fix the dates of the meetings on March 29.

The meeting expressed concern about soaring prices of essentials and said the government should take steps forthwith to bring down the prices.

Meeting sources told UNB that the secretaries and assistant secretaries holding different posts urged the central leaders to start movement to release of Sheikh Hasina.

"Awami League workers and supporters are not happy over present activities of the central leaders. Party's front organizations also want movement to free Sheikh Hasina…So, central leaders should honour the sentiment," a secretary told the meeting.

Some secretaries and assistant-secretaries said they never accept any attempt to hold local body election ahead of national elections and they will resist the local body elections.

Some of them appreciated presidium member Tofael Ahmed's remark on March 18 that when Bangabndhu was arrested, local leaders, workers and supporters joined the War of Liberation without wasting time for directives from the party's central leaders.

The leaders urged the central leaderships to sit with leaders of the front organizations.

They also proposed to launch issue based movement like price-hike, crisis of electricity, gas and fertilizer.

Party secretaries Mukul Bose, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan, Abdur Rahman, Asaduzzaman Noor, Abdul Mannan Khan, Dr Hasan Mahamud, Nurul Islam Nahid, Habibur Rahman Seraj, Prof Nazma Rahman, Dr Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin, Dr Abdur Razzak, Dewan Safiul Arafin Tutul, Yafes Osman, Dr Dipu Moni and assistant secretaries BM Mozammel Huq and Asim Kumar Ukil, among others, attended the meeting.