Bangladesh PM brushes aside calls for dialogue

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday brushed aside calls for a dialogue to end the ongoing political crisis, saying those responsible for creating anarchy across the country will be brought to book.

She made the remarks after visiting Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where most of victims of the political violence are undergoing treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Bangladeshi politicians, academics, jurists and former bureaucrats have already urged President Abdul Hamid to hold a national dialogue to resolve the current political crisis.

The group of eminent citizens had sent letters to President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, calling for talks to end the crisis that has reportedly claimed the lives of 70 people since Jan 5.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies have been enforcing a non-stop blockade since Jan 6, demanding fresh parliamentary elections under a non-party caretaker government system.