DACCA: The leaders of four parties — pro-PDM Awami League, NDF, Nizam-i-Islam and Justice Party — are shortly expected to make a joint announcement on the merger of their parties into one single organisation, according to informed sources [June 17]. The parties are likely to hold a joint convention to adopt the programme for the proposed party once they finally decide to merge into one political party.

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, chief of the pro-PDM Awami League, said that a convention would be held as early as possible. He said the manifesto for the proposed party to be endorsed by the convention will be drafted by a manifesto committee after the joint announcement.

Nasrullah Khan, who is also PDM chief, said that after the four parties decided to unite there would be no difficulty with the formulation of the party programme since most of them had worked together in the PDM. He said they still stuck to PDM’s 8-point programme and he favoured the revival of 1956 Constitution.

The talks for merger of the parties so far were held more informally and without any schedule for a talk of formal nature. There were separate meetings between the leaders of the four parties but they have not yet met together formally to discuss the merger issue. — Agency

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2019