The National Citizens’ Party (NCP) views Friday’s meeting in London between professor Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman positively.
The party believes that issues such as fundamental reforms and justice for the indiscriminate killings during the July movement will take greater precedence in the meeting than the question of election timing.
Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus reached London on a 4-day state visit last Tuesday. The meeting is being considered quite significant in the political arena of the country amid the ongoing debate centering the election schedule.
The gap or disagreements between the government and the BNP may narrow on various issues, including the possible timing of the election, key reforms, and the July charter, if the meeting proves to be fruitful.
This correspondent spoke to three key leaders of the NCP regarding this on Wednesday. They feel issues like reform, trial of Awami League leaders and July charter will take precedence in the meeting between the chief adviser and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
If the two leaders fail to yield any result from the meeting, the ongoing crisis may further intensify.
Seeking anonymity, a top NCP leader told Prothom Alo, “Different political parties and people could take to the street if the BNP doesn’t take a positive stance over the question of reform and trial of Awami League leaders. People didn’t sacrifice their lives only for an election. They wanted a fundamental change in the state mechanism. The people will find their own path, if the BNP wants to ignore people’s aspirations.”
Meanwhile, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has termed the meeting “the most significant event of the time”. He said the meeting could be a turning point.
However, the NCP does not want to consider it that much important beforehand.
Speaking regarding this, NCP senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adeeb said, “The reactions from the participants after the meeting will determine the real value of the meeting.”
There has been a distance between the interim government and the BNP over the last few months centering various issues including national election schedule. NCP leaders believe the gap will narrow if the meeting proves to be a success. However, the NCP wants the BNP to take a strong stance in favour of fundamental reforms and the trial of Awami League leaders.
The NCP leaders have taken the meeting between the two leaders positively in the current context, said NCP senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adeeb.
He said, “A crisis has emerged on the BNP's end regarding the aspiration for a new Bangladesh through fundamental structural reforms following the July mass uprising. We expect Tarique Rahman to stress on the country's aspirations, citizen's and human dignity and fundamental reform for the greater interest to avoid further intensifying that crisis.”
There are talks within the political arena that the election schedule might be brought forward following the meeting between the chief adviser and BNP acting chairman.
BNP senior secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said this meeting would ease the existing crisis in the country's politics.
However, NCP leader Ariful Islam Adeeb expected, “The meeting may proceed centering the implementation of the reform initiatives and the trial of Awami League leaders will take precedence in the meeting.”