President's removal, national unity discussed with BNP: Hasnat

Representatives from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee at the meeting with the BNP discussed the removal of President Mohammed Shahabuddin and national unity, said Hasnat Abdullah, the convener of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, today (26 October).

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Hasnat said, "We discussed the removal of the president, a second republic and national unity with the BNP for a new political order. The BNP said they will inform us of their position on these matters after discussing it in their party forum."

He further said, "We have held meetings with Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh in the last two days. They agreed with some of our views. Jamaat-e-Islami has said that the president has lost the moral qualification to hold office."

He also announced that student leaders will hold meetings tomorrow (27 October) with several other political parties, including the 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Ganatantra Mancha, and Gono Odhikar Parishad, on these issues.

Nasir Uddin Patwari, the convener of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, said, "We demand that the president must be removed, but we have not given a deadline for that to happen. Also, there is no alternative to national unity to meet the expectations of the people."

Earlier in the day, a seven-member delegation of student leaders and the Nagorik Committee went to the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office in Dhaka to hold the meeting with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Apart from Hasnat and Nasir, the delegation included Anti-Discrimination Student Movement spokesperson Umama Fatema and Chief Organiser Abdul Hannan Masud, and Nagorik Committee spokesperson Samantha Sharmin and Akhter Hossain.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed and Joint General Secretary Shaheeduddin Chowdhury Anne accompanied Fakhrul during the meeting, said BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.