[ALOCHONA] Hasina and Khaleda talk after a decade

http://www.newagebd.com/2008/nov/22/front.html#1

 

Hasina, Khaleda talk after over a decade
Courtesy New Age 22/11/08

Nazrul Islam

 

Political arch-rivals Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia on Friday exchanged pleasantries and shook hands after over a decade amidst thunderous applause from hundreds of dignitaries and invited guests at the Armed Forces Day reception at Dhaka Cantonment on Friday evening.
The two leaders, who were put behind bars by the military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed and eventually released after nearly a year in detention, shared a light moment and jail experiences at the reception at Senakunja.
Both Hasina and Khaleda, chiefs of two major political parties – Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party – told the media that they had exchanged greetings and talked about their time in jail.
The AL chief entered the venue five minutes before the BNP chief arrived. As Khaleda approached the area, reserved for the VIPs, Hasina who was chatting with the advisers to the government, drew near to receive her.
Khaleda stretched out her hands towards Hasina. As the two leaders shook hands, the guests attending the programme burst into applause welcoming the rare gesture.
Fakhruddin was flanked by Khaleda on his the right and Hasina on his left at the reception. The event took place when the nation is preparing for general elections to end nearly two years of military-led emergency rule.
The function was attended by president Iajuddin Ahmed, chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Jatiya Sangsad speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar, advisers to the interim administration, chief election commissioner, head of the parties, former presidents, judges of the Supreme Court, chiefs of the three services, high civil and military officials and foreign diplomats.
The two smiling former prime ministers, who did not talk publicly for more than a decade, also inquired about wellbeing of each other’s families, especially their grandsons and granddaughters.
The chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, and the army chief, Moeen U Ahmed also talked to the two leaders separately on the sidelines.
The content of their discussions, however, could not be known.
Many attempts to have the two leaders to sit across the table to resolve major issues of the nation had failed in recent times.
The two leaders last week expressed their eagerness to sit together to hold a dialogue on national issues. Hasina wanted an agenda specific discussion while Khaleda preferred open ended talks.
They last attended the Armed Forces Day reception in November 2006, but did not talk. They publicly talked for the last time in 1995 at the wedding reception of Hasina’s daughter Saima Wajed Putul at the Jatiya Sangsad complex.
When asked what they had discussed, both the leaders told reporters that they simply had exchanged greetings and enquired about the families of each other.
Khaleda Zia said that they had talked about their experiences in jail as both of them lived in separate sub-jail at the parliament complex.
‘We shared our experiences in jail. Although we lived closer, we could not talk at that time’, she said. Hasina echoed Khaleda.
Asked about the much-talked-about political dialogue between the two leaders, who ruled the country for 15 years in turns, Khaleda said she had no problem to hold talks.
To a question on possible deferral of the elections to December 28, Sheikh Hasina said that it was now a matter between the government and BNP, not of her party.
‘The reason for elongating the state of emergency and delay the polls is not clear to me. We prefer the election to be held as per the schedule so that the people get rid of the emergency rule’, Hasina told reporters.
Asked whether the two leaders would continue their conversation, the AL chief said that they [the two leaders] often talked to each other.
But again, she said, all should not be weighed in the same manner. She said she was taken to jail though she had no corruption records.
The Armed Forces Day was observed to pay tribute to the members of the armed forces who laid down their lives in the war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.

 

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