Dialogue with opposition only if Biden sits with Trump: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said she will hold talks with the opposition only if the US President Joe Biden sits for a dialogue with former US president Donald Trump. 

“Is (US President) Biden holding dialogue with Mr Trump?. If Biden sits with Trump for dialogue, then I will hold the dialogue (with opposition),” she told a press conference regarding US Ambassador‘s call to hold dialogue with opposition.

Following a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, the US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas expressed hoped that all sides going forward will engage in a dialogue without preconditions to de-escalate tensions and find a path forward to a free, fair and peaceful election.

Meanwhile, the prime minister has reiterated that the people of Bangladesh do not want any dialogue with the killers.

“No dialogue with the killers. This is Bangladesh. People of the country also do not want any dialogue with killers,” she told the press conference.

Election will be held and it will be … on due time, she added.

The prime minister has accused BNP of wanting to create unusual situation ahead of the national election.

“BNP actually does not want election, they want to create an unusual situation,” she said. 

“BNP is a terrorist party, as a terrorist party they need to get a good lesson,” she said during the press conference.