My doors are open for talks: PM Hasina to student protesters

PM also said:

• Those involved in murders must be brought to justice
• Policeman reportedly responsible for Abu Sayed killing has been suspended and will be tried
• Order issued to start releasing innocent people, students
• Students among the arrestees have already been freed on bail
• Those who will be found guilty will only remain in jail

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the doors of Ganabhaban are always open to the student protesters for dialogue to resolve the ongoing situation surrounding the quota system in public services.

"I do not want this confrontation," she said while holding a views-exchange meeting with the members of Peshajibi Samonnoy Parishad at her official residence Ganabhaban. "If they [protesters] want to sit with me, I'm ready."

They may come with their guardians, she said, reports UNB.

"I want to talk to them. I want to hear them, I want to hear what are their demands left unfulfilled. I want to fulfil all those that are under my capacity," she said in the first such gesture since the students' street protests for quota reforms in government jobs began a month ago.

Sheikh Hasina, the chief of Awami League, said she never closed her doors for holding a dialogue with the students.

"Doors of Ganabhaban are open, whenever the protesters want to talk to resolve the issue I am ready to sit with them," she said.

Regarding the judicial investigation commission, she said, "I did not wait for anyone's demand."

PM Hasina said she wanted whoever was involved, be it a policeman or anyone else, should be prosecuted. All those who had weapons and who caused such incidents should be prosecuted and investigated.

She mentioned that not only in Dhaka, but all the destructive activities that happened elsewhere in the country will be investigated and proper justice will be ensured.

"That is why I appointed two more judges in the judicial commission and added three members," the PM said.

She also mentioned that she has increased their scope of work and extended the time so that it is properly investigated.

Sheikh Hasina said she wanted those who committed such unjust killings will be investigated properly and put on trial.

"I want that. Those involved in the murders must be brought to justice. I make it clear that whoever is involved in the murder must be brought to justice. Those involved will be identified after investigation," she said.

Talking about the incident in Rangpur where student Abu Sayed was killed allegedly by police she said the policeman reportedly responsible for it has been suspended and is under investigation. "And he will be tried."

The prime minister mentioned that students among the arrestees have already been freed on bail.

"At the same time, I also issued an order to start releasing all the innocent people among the detainees and the students who were absolutely not involved in the murders and the destructive activities. It is starting," she said.

She also said that those who will be found guilty will only remain in jail and the rest will be released.

At the event, the PM announced the abolishment of the Prottoy pension scheme for the teachers of universities and employees of self-governed, autonomous, state-owned, statutory and similar organisations of the country.  

"We are totally cancelling it," she said. 

In this connection, she mentioned it was the pledge of Awami League before the 2008 general elections.

"We had launched this scheme keeping in mind the overall issue. We had provided various facilities for different classes of people there," she said.

The university teachers and employees have been agitating against the Prottoy scheme since July 1 calling it discriminatory.

President of Peshajibi Samonnoy Parishad Kamrul Hasan Khan, presidium members Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin, Yusuf Hossain Humayun, Niamul Huq Bhuiyan, Md Abdus Sabur, Md Jamal Uddin Chowdhury, Md Habibur Rahman, Dhaka Union of Journalists President Sohel Haider Chowdhury, among others, were present.

3 AL leaders assigned for talks' initiatives

Meanwhile, PM Hasina assigned three senior AL leaders to talk to quota reform movement coordinators, highly-placed sources said.

"We are trying to communicate with them," AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, one of the three assigned leaders, told TBS today.

"Any problem can be resolved through dialogue," he said hoping that the talks will help overcome the present situation.

Two other leaders assigned by the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, are the party's presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanok and joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim.

The sources said that Sheikh Hasina assigned them to hold talks with the quota reform movement coordinators after a meeting at Ganabhaban on Friday night.

Previously, the law minister, the state minister for information and education minister were tasked with talking to the students.