Sunday • December 24, 2006

N A T I O N A L  N E W S

LDP holds talks with Sheikh Hasina on polls issues

President of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Prof. AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury called on Awami League President Sheikh Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence yesterday afternoon.

The LDP president, a former President of the country, along other LDP leaders, Col (Rtd) Oli Ahmed, Major (Rtd) Abdul Mannan and Mahi B Chowdhury went to Sudha Sadan at 4:30 pm and held meeting with Sheikh Hasina.

After the meeting, the LDP president and two senior leaders left Sudha Sadan.

Awami League leaders Qazi Jafarullah, Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Obaidul Kader were present at the meeting.

Iajiddun root of all crises: Abdul Jalil

"The president and chief adviser, Iajuddin Ahmed, is the root of all crises in the country as he has been creating problems one after another by violating the constitution," alleged Awami League general secretary and coordinator of the 14-party alliance Abdul Jalil.

He was talking to newsmen after an Awami League presidium meeting held at Sudha Sadan on Saturday afternoon with party President Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

He said, "if the caretaker government takes necessary steps to create a congenial environment for a fair and neutral election and implements our demands only then we will participate in the election along with our partners in the grand alliance."

The presidium meeting discussed the on-going movement and the overall political situation along with the preparations for the next general election.

CEC-in-charge hints after meeting with 14-party delegation

Poll schedule may be revised again

The election schedule may be revised once again in an effort to ensure the participation of all political parties in the coming general election.

A broad hint to this effect was dropped by CEC in charge Mahfuzur Rahman while talking to the waiting reporters at the EC on Saturday.

However, he said, the decision in this regard may be taken on Sunday (today) at the meeting of the election commission.

He disclosed that a 14-party delegation called on the election commissioners on Saturday and placed a number of demands including revision of the election schedule.

Earlier, a nine-member delegation of 14-party, led by Suranjit Sengupta, met the election commissioners and placed a number of demands including announcement of a new election schedule.

Combine leader Hasanul Huq Inu urged the election commission to disclose the list of voter of 2001 and the new updated voter list.

He also said, "a free and fair election cannot be held as the Chief Adviser of Caretaker Government and acting CEC have taken their post violating the constitution".

The delegation members also suggested the election commission seek the opinion of the Supreme Court if it is necessary to extend the polling date.

The other members of the 14-party team were Rashed Khan Menon, Dilip Barua, Mokammel Haque, Pankaj Bhattacharya, Nurul Islam, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Syed Ashraful Islam.

Attacks media for spreading lies, threatens to sue Sheikh Hasina

Abbas yet to know about shooting truth

Former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas now attacks the press and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina for spreading lies about the shooting at the house of Mirza family on December 18, that left his brother Khokon and sister-in-law Masuda bullet-hit.

Talking publicly about the incident for the first time yesterday at a press conference, Mirza Abbas, failed to reply the queries of the journalists and only blasted the media for publishing whatever they liked. Five brothers of Masuda were also with him at the press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

On Thursday, Hasina raised questions about the police's reluctance to take actions against Abbas even after he shot his brother and sister-in-law at his own house.

Abbas and his family denied the shooting at first and later gave several contradictory statements regarding the incident and the consequences.

As the former minister blamed the press for publishing lies about the incident, the journalists asked him what the truth was. He then said that he is yet to know about it.

He claimed that he was not involved in the shooting in any way, which was probably a misfire. He neither heard anything about it from his brother Khokon nor did he have any chance to talk about it with Masuda, he added.

Asked how the shooting took place, Abbas said he was asleep and woke up after hearing the gunshot. "None was inside the bed room except Masuda and Khokon when I went inside," he said, "At first, I thought the shooting happened due to personal feud, but later I came to know it was a misfire."

The brothers of Masuda also supported Abbas's claim that the press has been lying about the incident. They also backtracked on what they had said about the incident earlier.

Earlier, Masuda's eldest brother Harunur Rashid had told some reporters that his niece (Khokon's daughter) called and informed him that Khokon had shot his wife. But yesterday in a statement they said, "We never made any such statements to the media."

They, however, remained silent when a reporter asked them if they would like to hear the recorded conversation he had with Harun earlier.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Motijheel Police Station Ainul Hoq yesterday told The Daily Star that he went to take Masuda's statement but physicians at the Apollo Hospital did not allow him to talk to the patient. "I requested them to take the statement," he added.

Meanwhile, doctors yesterday recorded Masuda's statement but did not hand it over to police.

The Daily Star, December 24, 2006

Release of Awami League leader demanded

Dhaka City unit Awami League Secretary Mufazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya yesterday demanded immediate release of eight of their leaders including Krishak League President Dr. Mirza Abdul Jalil and city unit Organizing Secretary Kazi Mustak Alen.

Police picked the leaders up on December 21 during the countrywide hartal called by the 14-party combine and sent them to jail.

In a statement last night, Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya also the city coordinator of the combine, has asked police to discharge their duties neutrally and not to carry out any sort of repression on the combine leaders and activists.

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