Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday called for cooperation from political parties to help maintain stability in the country, following the crash of a Bangladesh Air Force training jet into Milestone School and College in the capital’s uttara area.
The appeal came during a meeting at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka, where Yunus met with representatives of four major political parties —the  Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party, and the Islami Andolan Bangladesh.
The meeting was convened in response to Monday’s devastating crash that left at least 31 people, mostly primary schoolchildren, dead and 165 others injured. The incident has triggered widespread protests and public outrage in various parts of the country.
During the meeting, the political parties assured the chief adviser of their full support for the interim government’s efforts to restore calm and uphold order in this time of national mourning.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, party leaders said that they reaffirmed their commitment to unity in the face of what they called fallen fascist forces and urged the government to take firm steps to maintain law and order. Â
Following the meeting, law adviser Asif Nazrul said at a briefing that the four major political parties had demonstrated a united front against fascism during their discussions with the chief adviser, which were convened to address the country’s recent unrest following the deadly Air Force jet crash in Dhaka.
‘All participating parties made it clear that there is no division or disagreement among them when it comes to unity against fascism. Some leaders did mention that, in the political arena, certain remarks may be exchanged as part of regular competition. But they assured us this should not be misconstrued as any crack in their anti-fascist alliance,’ he said.
The adviser said that the political parties called on the interim government to take a firmer stance on maintaining law and order, admitting that there had been some shortcomings in this area.
He said that the BNP specifically emphasised the importance of progressing with the electoral process in a fair and structured manner.
The law adviser said that the chief adviser encouraged the parties to make their unity more visible to the public.
Asif Nazrul said that the party leaders had identified attempts by banned and fascist-aligned groups to re-emerge in various parts of the country.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, its standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-amir Abdullah Mohammad Taher and assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad, NCP convener Nahid Islam and its member secretary Akhtar Hossain, and IAB presidium member Ashraf Ali Akon and joint secretary general Gazi Ataur Rahman joined the meeting, according to the CA office.
