The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The BNP-led four-party alliance yesterday at a meeting decided to sit with the Election Commission (EC).

It also demanded of the government to lift the stage of emergency and hold parliament elections before the local body polls and demanded the release of all the party leaders and activists and withdrawal of the cases against them.

" We are always eager to hold dialogue with the EC for holding a free, fair, credible and transparent elections in the country," BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain told the media after a meeting of the four party alliance at the Eskaton residence of Shafique Rehman, former editor of the daily Jai Jai Din.

BNP Chairman Begum Khaleda Zia presided over the meeting.

It was also attended among others by Jamaat-e Islami, Bangladesh Ameer Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami and Asstt secretary general Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, BJP chairman Barrister Andaleep Rahman and secretary general Shamim Al Mamoon, IOJ senior vice chairman Maulana Mohiuddin Khan and secretary general Abdul Latif Nezami, Ameer of Khalefat Majlis Maulana Ishhaque and secretary general Ahmed Abdul Quader attended the meeting that was followed by Iftar.

Responding to a question Khandaker Delwar said the four party alliance is election oriented.

"We are still in favour of holding a meaningful dialogue with the EC before the parliamentary election ahead of polls to the local bodies," he said.

Asked whether BNP would join the EC sponsored dialogue if other parties of the alliance were not invited by the EC, the BNP secretary general said " We urged the EC to invite component parties of the alliance to the dialogue,".

Replying to a question when the BNP is going for the talks with the EC Delwar said, "As and when the Election Commission desires us to go."

He said it would not be good to keep the other components of the alliance out of dialogue.

Jamaat and IOJ should be invited again as they did not respond to the earlier invitation without BNP.

Earlier the meeting was supposed to be held at the BNP central office at Naya Paltan but it has been shifted to Eskaton to avoid traffic congestion before the Iftar.