BNP ‘welcomes’ TIB proposal on poll-time govt

 BNP has welcomed a proposal put forward by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) for an interim government to conduct the parliament election but put forth conditions for a ‘compromise’.
The party’s Standing Committee member Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Saturday demanded the release of his party activists and said ‘false cases’ against them have to be withdrawn before any ‘compromise’ with the government was possible.

“In the first part of its proposal, the TIB has said under the current [political] condition, a free and fair election with all political parties is not possible under a partisan body. We congratulate them for this statement,” he said at a human chain organised by the BNP.

The second part of the proposal says a ‘consensus-based Parliamentary committee’ will be formed with elected representatives from the two main political alliances. This committee will in turn nominate the 11-member election-time Cabinet including its head.
On the second part, Hossain said, “Dialogue between the government and the opposition is a must to form such a consensus-based committee.”
He seized the opportunity to put forth pre-conditions for the talks. “There’s no congenial environment for dialogue in the country now. In order to create that, the government must unconditionally release our detained leaders and withdraw false cases against them.”
The BNP leader warned the opposition would not engage in talks with the government unless a congenial environment was created.
On Friday, the Berlin-based organisation laid bare its formula for a poll-time administration when the top political parties of Bangladesh – the ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP – are in confrontation over how to conduct the parliament polls.
Sheikh Hasina-led government scrapped the caretaker government provision in 2011 through the 15th amendment. Khaleda Zia-led opposition alliance is demanding its restoration, saying free and fair polls were not possible without a caretaker.

TIB floated the proposal to end the current political impasse in which Bangladesh finds itself -- to ensure a 'free and fair poll'.

TIB officials say it was necessary to create opportunities for dialogue to make the election process democratic.

Recently, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam had said the government was ready to start a dialogue with the Opposition but BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia ruled it out.