DHAKA, March 3: The opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) will return to Parliament within March 8 under a new agreement that it signed today with the ruling Awami League.After a marathon 12-hour bargaining session spread over the last four days, the negotiators of the Awami League of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the BNP, headed by former premier Begum Khaleda Zia, signed an agreement at midnight yesterday resolving the stand-off, with Speaker Humayun Rashid Chowdhury in the chair.
The agreement provided that the four-point accord signed between the two sides on January 14 last year will be implemented. It also envisaged the withdrawal of political cases against some BNP leaders by March 31 after investigation, so as to effectively implement the accord.
It was also agreed that all the 113 BNP MPs would be accommodated in the 35 Parliamentary standing committees and other committees will be reorganised. The agreement has also provided for equal coverage of government and opposition inParliament through state-run radio and television.
The BNP has been boycotting the Parliament since August 30 last year, accusing the ruling party of reneging on a four-point accord. The party had also demanded for more floor time, reconstruction of a floating bridge to give public access to the grave of its founder President Ziaur Rahman and to allow public rallies on two major Dhaka streets.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
