The Bangladesh Journal - Awami League seeks govt permission to receive Hasina at ZIA

The Awami League on Friday communicated with the interim government seeking permission to accord a reception to party president Sheikh Hasina at the Zia International Airport on her scheduled arrival from London Monday, party sources said.

Senior leaders, who went to see party general secretary Abdul Jalil at his Gulshan residence Friday afternoon, decided that only the members of the AL central working committee would be present at the airport to receive the party chief, insiders said.

They also said that the leaders had communicated with an adviser to the interim government and sought permission for a formal reception of the party chief assuring the government that emergency rules would not be violated anyway.

‘We talked to a representative of the government about the planned reception to our leader and the government asked for a list of the leaders who want to be present at the airport to receive her,’ a central leader of the party told New Age.

Senior leaders, however, refused to say anything about any discussion among themselves or communication with any adviser to the
government regarding the return or reception of the party chief.

‘We have come here just to see our ailing general secretary who has returned from Singapore after treatment,’ senior presidium member Tofail Ahmed told New Age.

Asked about the party’s preparation to receive Sheikh Hasina at the airport, Abdul Jalil said the party would inform everything about Hasina’s return in due time.

Earlier, Hasina failed to fly home from London as the British Airways on April 22 refused to carry her at the request of the Bangladesh government. The government slapped a ban on her return on April 18, which was withdrawn later.

Party sources earlier said Hasina, who left Dhaka on March 15 on a private tour to US, would return home Monday.