Bangladesh ruling party invites major opposition alliance for poll talks

Dhaka : The ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party on Tuesday invited a newly-formed opposition alliance for talks on the general election slated for December.

AL office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap hand delivered an invitation letter to the opposition alliance leader Kamal Hossain, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the letter, the talks will begin at 7 p.m. on November 1 at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official residence here.

Obaidul Quader, AL General Secretary, said the decision to hold the talks come after Hossain wrote to Hasina seeking a dialogue.

The country's main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) earlier this month formed the alliance called the "Jatiya Oikya Front" (United National Front).

Hossain is a former Foreign Minister and a prominent lawyer who drafted the country's constitution after its independence in 1971.

He has demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners including BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been in jail since February in a corruption case.