Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to call Opposition leader Khaleda Zia to sit for a dialogue over the formation of an all-party polls-time government with elected representatives, a leader of ruling Awami League said on Saturday.
“After discussion between the prime minister and the opposition leader, there will be no need to enforce hartal from tomorrow,” AL Presidium member Kazi Zafarullah, who talked to the prime minister this morning, told The Daily Star, a local newspaper.
Criticizing the strike, generally known as hartal, and Khaleda’s two-day ultimatum to the government for initiating a dialogue, the AL leader said this is not the time for the ultimatum and hartal when the nation is expecting a dialogue over the election-time government and both the parties advanced a lot.
PM may phone Khaleda in the evening, the newspaper reported quoting some party insiders.
On Friday, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may call opposition leader Khaleda Zia over the phone soon as a part of talks over next parliamentary election.
The PM has already talked with Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad and the leaders of 14-party alliance and now she will talk to the opposition leader, he told reporters at a programme in the capital Dhaka.
Earlier, on October 23, the PM informed the cabinet members in its weekly meeting that she will telephone the opposition leader and talk about forming an all-party government which will oversee the next parliamentary polls.
Addressing a meeting, Sheikh Hasina said she was ready for maximum sacrifice to break the current political deadlock over the next parliamentary election.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance has been continuing movement to press home their demand for holding parliamentary election under neutral non-party government.
BBN/SSR/AD-26Oct13-2:39 pm (BST)
