Awami League joint general secretary, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, on Tuesday rejected the Nobel laureate, Prof Mohammad Yunus’s proposal to sit for talks with the government to resolve the political crisis. Expressing optimism that the country’s two major political parties would be able to end the stalemate through dialogue, Hanif said: “Both the Awami League and the BNP know how the crisis can be resolved. Therefore, no mediation is needed.” He was addressing a meeting in the city.
The Shadhinata Chikitshak Parisad organised the meeting to mark National Mourning Day at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
“New faces with new thoughts appear just ahead of general elections, but we want to say that the AL and the BNP are capable of resolving the crisis,” Hanif said.
Prof Yunus said on Monday that he would be happy to share his thoughts with the government if it wishes to hear him out, like different political parties have done in the last two months.
“I meet representatives of political parties as they come to visit me. I am not going anywhere to express my thoughts. If anyone from the government wants my opinion, I will certainly do that with pleasure,” Yunus said. Lashing out at BNP leader Moudud Ahmed for saying that the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, stressed the need for restoration of a non-party caretaker government system to oversee the next general election, Hanif said the UN Secretary General spoke to the Prime Minister and wanted a free and fair election.
Addressing the same discussion, Communication Minister Obaidul Kader said the ruling Awami League would like to make adjustments with the Opposition, but the BNP must respond to its appeal.
He also urged the main Opposition BNP not to create anarchy in the name of democracy to realise its demand for a non-party caretaker government to oversee the election.
At a separate discussion at the Dhaka College auditorium, Awami League presidium member Mohammad Nasim called upon foreign countries not to intervene in the internal affairs of Bangladesh. “I would like to tell the foreign friends that they should not interfere in the internal matters of the country. Our country would run as per the rules of the land and the Constitution, not by the dictates of the foreign countries,” he said.
About the time of the election, Nasim, former home minister, said: “The election would be held in time. I would like to tell the foreign friends to send their delegations to observe the election. You will see how the election is conducted.”
Regarding the election-time government, the senior AL leader made his party’s position clear by saying that the election would be held as per the Constitution. “The election will be held in accordance with the Constitution. It will be held under the interim government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We cannot go against the Constitution,” he said.
Slamming Prof Yunus, he said: “Bangladesh has set an example in the field of women’s empowerment under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. While the Indian Nobel laureate, Dr Amartya Sen, has said that Bangladesh is much ahead of India in women’s empowerment, Dr Yunus is afraid of admitting it.” Law Minister Qamrul Islam alleged that Dr Yunus, in collusion with the BNP-Jamaat, wanted to turn the country into a militant state by crippling the country’s economy. “Dr Yunus is working from behind the scenes and in collusion with the BNP and the Jamaat as he became active during one-eleven,” Qamrul said at a discussion organised by the Bangladesh Krishak League at the Jatiya Press Club.
“The country’s negative image was reflected in the international arena when the BNP was in power. If it comes to power again, repression of women, militancy and misrule will increase. The evil force has to be resisted,” she said.
About the convicted killers of Bangabandhu, she said: “Diplomatic efforts are on to bring back the killers of Bangabandhu. We will continue our efforts in this regard till it is done.”