BNP backs Barrister Rafique

Dhaka, Sep 30 The BNP on Sunday said it will have no objection if Barrister Rafique-Ul Haq heads the election-time non-party government, a day after the senior lawyer met opposition leader Khaleda Zia.
"If the demand for a non-partisan government is met, then the two parties will sit and decide on the Chief Advisor," Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said at a discussion.
"In that case, if veteran lawyer Barrister Rafique-Ul Haq wishes to be the head of that government, we [BNP] have no objection."
Barrister Rafique on Saturday said he would initiate steps to have the Prime Minister and the chief of the ruling Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, and the BNP Chairperson Khaleda, to sit across the table over the caretaker government issue "for the sake of people".
The Attorney General during the regime of military-ruler Hussein Muhammad Ershad, he said he was willing to head the caretaker government, if asked to do so.
The Constitution, after the 15th Amendment that repealed the caretaker government provision, provides no room for an elected person to head the interim government. It has to be changed again to cater to the BNP's demand for a non-partisan administration.
Barrister Rafique had accompanied Hasina during her recent visit to the northern region of the country. Jatiya Party chief Ershad, a key ally of the ruling coalition, was also with them during the visit. He had represented both the leaders in the court during the 2007-8 military-backed emergency rule.
Hours after expressing his willingness he held a two-hour long meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday night.
Speaking at the discussion of Constitutional Rights Forum at the National Press Club, Mosharraf said, "I've seen in TV news that the polls centres of Gazipur-4 by-election are deserted. The number of voter is very low. It proves that the people don't want any national election under a partisan government."
He urged the government to meet their demand of election under non-party government's supervision 'sensing the reality'.
"Listen to Barrister Rafique's suggestions to address the crisis," he added.
The BNP leader several times said their clear demand is the revival of the non-party government system and then the two parties would sit and discuss who will be the Chief Advisor.
He referred to Rafique's remarks to back him. "Senior personality Rafique-Ul Haq had worked for the two leaders during the 1/11 episode," he said.
He also said his party was ready to hold talks with Awami League over the structure and scope of work of the poll-time government.
"It would be possible to make the two leaders (Hasina and Khaleda) sit in one table, if the agendas are set. But before all of these, the government will have to announce that the next election will be held under non-party government's supervision," Mosharraf said.
Member Secretary of the Forum Suranjan Ghosh read out the key paper in the discussion titled 'Irregularities and corruption in the banking sector: Threat to Bangladesh's democracy and development.'