Staff Reporter :Awami League’s (AL) senior leader and commerce minister Tofail Ahmed has rejected outright the civil society group’s proposal for holding a dialogue with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).”The civil society group’s proposal is unacceptable and unrealistic. What sort of dialogue will be held with those persons involved in murdering people by hurling petrol bombs,” he said this at a press conference at his Secretariat office on Tuesday.The press conference was organised to inform the media about the outcome of the high level meeting of World Trade Organisation (WTO), held in Geneva, Switzerland on February 5-6.Civil society group, a platform of a section of leading eminent citizens of the country on Monday sent three separate letters signed by former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda to the President Md Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for taking initiative to hold a ‘national dialogue’ to overcome the ongoing political crisis.Tofail Ahmed said as the civil society group is trying to cover terrorism, sabotage aand terrorists they want to put a democratic government and the terrorist groups on the same line.”Dialogue can’t be held with the killers, who have been murdering sons and daughters and innocent people by blasting bombs,” he said.”The civil society group’s proposal is nothing rather it is a move to divert people’s attention from violence into another direction. Nobody can reverse the government decision, let alone Shamsul Huda,” he said. He added if a dialogue is necessary with the terrorist the United States would sit with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist groups.Industries minister and another stalwart of AL Amir Hossain Amu in a separate function yesterday accused BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia of killing people by hurling petrol bombs.”Khaleda’s move is not to change the government. She (Khaleda) is now hatching conspiracy to bring changes in the Constitution,” he said while addressing a discussion in the auditorium of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) in the city.Amu said people rejected Khaleda’s hartal as they came out on the streets and the transports are running across the country.”Defying blockade and hartal as the people are traveling in buses and coaches and the drivers and transport workers are now on the streets, Khaleda Zia is killing them by launching petrol bombs,” he said.Food Minister Quamrul Islam termed BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s ongoing movement is to withdraw graft case filed against her son and BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman.”Election is not the main issue to Khaleda. The main issue is to protect her son Tarique Rahman from the graft case,” he said while addressing a programme in front of Motijheel Ideal School and College in city.AL presidium member and former home minister Shahara Khatun termed Khaleda Zia as the enemy of the country and its people cautioning to be aware of her.”Khaleda’s effort to make country unstable will go in vain,” she said while addressing a human chain in front of the National Press Club in city.
