DHAKA, Dec 2: Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Friday invited the opposition parties to a ‘national dialogue’ over measures to tackle ‘religious militancy’, but the Awami League immediately rejected the invitation.

“We will continue our efforts to woo opposition political parties to sit across the table,” Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, a minister, said at press conference on Friday evening.

“The government would start sending letters to the leaders of the opposition political parties, business leaders and professional bodies and leaders of religious institution in the next two or three days in this regard.”

Mr Bhuiyan said the government was ‘trying to talk to leaders of the opposition on the phone’.

On its part, the Awami League defended its decision to turn down the invitation, saying that any form of dialogue with the government at this stage would hamper the ‘ongoing anti-government movement’.

“We will not sit [for talks] with a prime minister whose hands are stained with blood,” AL general secretary Abdul Jalil told journalists after the meeting. “She has killed thousands of our leaders and activists.”

Some members of the party’s central committee argued that the government was on the verge of collapse and, if the Awami League agreed to a dialogue, the ruling party would get a lifeline.

When the BNP secretary general’s attention was drawn to the League’s decision, Mr Bhuyian said: “If Awami League does not come forward, we would not refrain from talking to the leaders of other political parties. We are exposed to a national crisis, so all should come forward to help the government.’’