Zia demands 'national dialogue', govt rejects call

Bangladesh's main opposition party BNP's chief Khaleda Zia has called on the government to hold a "national dialogue" amid concerns over internal security after the recent killings of secular bloggers and publishers, a demand that has been rejected by the government.
"I've repeatedly called for a national dialogue with sincerity (but) unfortunately, it's true that the government is yet to pay heed to our demand...We hope the government will (now) take the initiative to start a national dialogue," Zia said in a statement on Thursday.
She said there should be a dialogue "for the sake of the nation" as the "common people are not safe now".

Responding to Zia's call, Finance Minister A M A Muhith said, "Total rubbish, rubbish...Her (Zia's) whole statement is rubbish,"
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader also dismissed her call for a national dialogue saying, "BNP has lost the eligibility to take part in any such talks".
"They (BNP leaders) are pelting brickbats. Some are doing it from nearby places and others from far off -- from near the Atlantic and the banks of the River Thames...(but) by shouting on the banks of River Thames, one can neither change the government nor achieve national unity or national dialogue," he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several of her senior colleagues in the Cabinet and ruling Awami League have accused Zia and her expatriate son and BNP's senior vice president Tarique Rahman of masterminding covert attacks to destabilise the country.

Zia's elder son Rahman took refuge in London since 2008 after he was declared a "fugitive" by the High Court for refusing to face trials in person on several criminal and graft charges.
BNP boycotted the January 2014 elections over its dispute with Awami League on election time government system.
Zia waged a nearly three-month long violent anti- government campaign enforcing a nationwide blockade coinciding with the first anniversary of the polls.

Over 100 people were killed in arson attacks on trucks and buses following the formation of Hasina's government.
Bangladesh in the past three months has witnessed a spate of murders, including that of an Italian aid worker and a Japanese farmer.
An attack on a Shiite rally last month left one dead. There have also been murders of two policemen and an assassination of a progressive book publisher apart from the killing of four secular bloggers this year.
According to US-based SITE, the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibilities for most of the murders.
Bangladesh authorities have repeatedly rejected IS existence in Bangladesh attributing the assaults to a section of the ex-prime minister Zia's BNP and its ally Jamaat-e- Islami.