Dhaka: Detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League has agreed to join an unofficial dialogue with the interim government in Bangladesh reversing an earlier decision.

"We have decided to sit with the government as we re sincere about the discussion," Awami League's acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said.

He said a seven-member Awami League delegation would hold talks with the designated advisers of the interim cabinet "to discuss issues including release of the party chief, price spiral, withdrawal of emergency and announcement of polls date."

The Awami League decision came as a Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman sent a cell phone SMS to the party's acting president Zillur Rahman for initial talks ahead of a proposed government dialogue with the political parties.

The government earlier also communicated with two factions of detained ex-premier Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for talks while sources in the reformists group of BNP led by former finance minister Saifur Rahman said they were likely to sit with the government leaders on Tuesday.

The conformists led by Zia appointed secretary general Khondker Delwar Hossain, however, demanded an appointment with the party chief at a sub-jail for "instructions" ahead of the talks but the authorities were yet to make any comment on the proposed appointment.
Source : PTI