Awami League rejects PM's call

The prime minister made the call to the opposition at a public meeting at Paltan Maidan on Wednesday.

Jalil in a statement yesterday termed the PM's call as a cheap political subterfuge, saying that unity cannot be forged with someone "whose hands are tainted with the blood of innocent men, including women and children."

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He said the prime minister's two-year rule was marked by "torture on opposition activists, rape of nearly 20,000 women and children, kidnap, nepotism and politicisation that tarnished the country's image in international arena."

Jalil said working together with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia means "becoming an accomplice of crime against humanity, giving legality to rampant corruption and taking stand against human rights."

He mentioned that international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and European Parliament, have identified Bangladesh as a country of human rights violations.

"Of course, the people of Bangladesh look for unity... this unity must be forged with democratic and pro-liberation forces against the corruption and misrule of Khaleda-Nizami," said Jalil.