EC invites BNP for dialogue, delivers letter to locked office
Election official Md Mohsin has delivered a letter to the BNP office through the collapsible gate as the office remains locked since 28 October after the party's grand rally was foiled on the day .
He waited for several hours but didn't find anybody.
The letter was delivered to invite BNP to join dialogue as the the election commission has taken a final initiative to hold discussion with registered political parties ahead of the announcement of the election schedule.
The incident took place on Thursday.
About the matter, the election commission director (public relations) Md Shariful Alam said, "So far as I know he (Mohsin) has hung the letter on the lock. But I can't be sure."
While visiting the BNP office at Naya Paltan, it was found that the letter in a white envelope was kept on a chair inside the collapsible gate.
Police members deployed there said the election commission official waited with the letter from morning to the afternoon. He kept the letter on the chair at around 3:30pm.
There was a huge violence between police and BNP leaders and activists centering BNP's grand rally on 28 October. A police member and BNP associate organisation Jubo Dal leader were killed. The BNP's grand rally was foiled due to the violence. Since then, police have taken control of the BNP office.
Meanwhile, BNP top leaders including party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been arrested in a sabotage case filed over the violence. The police are conducting raids at the residences of top leaders. Many leaders have gone into hiding in the face of police operation.
Amid such a situation, BNP has observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal protesting against the attack on their grand rally by police, and nonstop three day blockades demanding the resignation of the caretaker government and organising the national election under a neutral government. The blockade ends at 6:00pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the election commission has sent letters to 44 registered political parties to participate in the discussion about the progress of preparation for the parliament election.
The letter has been sent to the political parties since Wednesday. As part of that, the EC official went to deliver the letter inviting BNP to join the discussion.
The letter signed by EC director Shariful Alam is being delivered to the political parties.
The envelope of the letter kept on the chair of the BNP office is addressed to the party secretary general.