The New Nation - Internet Edition

Habibullah Mizan

Despite apparent denial by senior leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the party is going to participate in the government-sponsored dialogue shortly.

BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, now detained on charge of various allegations, has already given green signal to her loyal party Secretary General Khodaker Delwar Hossain.

He however, did not discuss the issue with other senior pro-Khaleda Zia leaders except his 'own men' inside the party. Delwar is continuously criticising the caretaker regime as a 'political strategy' only to create pressure on the government side.

White talking to the New Nation, several sources closed to Delwar said very soon the party would select delegates and try to ensure Begum Khaleda Zia's presence in the dialogue. But if the process failed, BNP will go without its chief to realise various demands especially unconditional release of the chairperson and immediate government's initiatives to send her two detained sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko abroad, who have been reportedly suffering from several health complications, sources claimed.

BNP, the immediate past ruling party, which is mainly blamed for the 1/11 changeover, will also place another 7-point demands including lifting of the state of emergency, parliamentary election and in October and before any local government elections and freeing of all political prisoners immediately.

Earlier, Khaleda Zia's appointed BNP Secretary General repeatedly had refused to take part in any talks with the government, whom he alleged to have come to power as part of a 'deep conspiracy' against Bangladesh. But later in a dramatic move they participated in the pre-dialogue and informal talks with the Election Commission.

While talking to her lawyers and journalists after hearing of the GATCO graft case in the special court at Jatiya Sangsad recently, the detained ex-Prime Minister herself proposed to the caretaker rulers a 'peaceful solution' to bring an immediate end to the present crisis. She said that the 4-party alliance also wanted a free, fair and credible election participated by all political parties. ''This is no time to blame one another,'' she said expressing her eagerness for a 'national consensus' to take the country ahead. Replying to a question of the reporters Khaleda, also boss of the BNP- Jamaat led- 4- party alliance said that the decision of the leaders of the alliance would be final regarding the issue of participating in the talks with the government.

Political analysts see Khaleda's latest stand as a clear indication of BNP's willingness to participate in the talks. They said, since all the political parties took part in the talks, BNP and its other alliance partners would go for dialogue to realize their respective demands.