Dialogue if BNP severs Jamaat link: Quamrul

 

Qamrul Islam

Ruling Awami League (AL) is ready to sit for a dialogue with BNP over holding the next parliamentary election in a free, fair and credible manner only if the main opposition severs relations with the war criminals and Jamaat-e-Islami, state minister for law Qamrul Islam said Wednesday.
No solution would come through hartal or violence. Everything can be resolved through talks, he said urging the opposition to join the parliament and sit for dialogue.
Qamrul was addressing a rally in front of AL Central Office on Bangabandhu Avenue. Twenty two Pro-AL organisations organised the rally to protest against the BNP-led 18-party’s 36 hour hartal that ended Wednesday.

“Dialogue is not possible in any circumstances if the BNP does not sever relations with war criminals and Jamaat-Shibir,” he said.
The junior minister said actions would be taken against those news outlets that instigated religious sentiment of the people resulting in violence in different parts of the country.
Saying plots have been hatched to destroy the country and its democracy, he said probe is going on against the people who resorted to mayhem recently and instigated religious sentiment.
“Action against them is delayed as investigation is going on into it,” added the minister.
AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif at another rally at city’s Pallabi said action would be taken against Bangla-language daily Amar Desh and its Editor Mahmudur Rahman for what he said hatching conspiracy against the country.
Referring to threats by Rahman that he would sue Hanif for making comments on the distribution of Tk 85 crore for Hefajat-e-Islam’s April 6 long march and grand rally in the capital involving his name, the AL leader said: “See, what action the state takes against you [Mahmudur].”
Awami Jubo League organised the rally to protest against what it termed “the BNP and Jamaat’s violence and anarchy” during the recent hartals.
Chaired by city [North] Jubo League President Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, the rally was also addressed by Jubo League Chairman Omar Faroque Chowdhury and AL organising secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, among others.
Addressing the rally, Hanif said the BNP and its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami had plotted to overthrow the government through Hefajat’s April 6 long march and rally in Dhaka.
“They (Jamaat and BNP) could not be successful as intelligence agencies had this information,” Hanif said.