The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

BNP leaders at a meeting yesterday has decided to sit with the caretaker government on October 15 for dialogue to remove all hurdles facing the party as regards registration.

To this effect a special committee of the party has been formed.

"BNP will sit with the government for a dialogue and the committee would carry out preparatory tasks prior to the dialogue," Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui, convener of the committee told the media after a meeting of the committee at the party's central office at Naya Paltan in the city.

The meeting discussed the dialogue agenda and the demands of the BNP to be placed to the government for participating in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

The other members of the special committee are MK Anwar, Vice Chariman, Nazrul Islam Khan, Joint Secretary General, Abdul Mannan former lawmaker and Rizvi Ahmed, Office Secretary of the BNP.

Replying to a question over the issues of the dialogue with the government Chowdhury Tanveer said the committee has been preparing a list of the discussion points and developing a set of recommendations.

Asked whether to join in the parliamentary elections he said BNP is an election-oriented party and wants to participate.

On the issue of five point-demands previously made by BNP, he said the special committee would also raise those demands to the government.

Lifting state of emergency, some amendments to the Representation of People's Order (RPO), to withdrawal of all cases filed against party chairman, leaders and activists and deferring the upazila polls are among the demands made by BNP.

Asked if BNP will go for registration by the Election Commission's (EC) deadline on October 15, Nazrul Islam Khan said " We hope our dialogue with the government will help remove all the hurdles facing as regards registration,".

He said it is unimaginable to hold elections without BNP.