Bangladesh’s battling Begums break the ice

Bangladesh's 'Battling Begums',Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia,broke the ice at an 'Iftar' party with the premier inviting her arch foe to "come back to Parliament".

Bangladesh’s ‘Battling Begums’,Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia,broke the ice at an ‘Iftar’ party with the premier inviting her arch foe to “come back to Parliament”.

Both reached out to each other at an armed forces reception yesterday at the Dhaka cantonment,where the Prime Minister,in reply to greetings from Zia,invited her to join the Parliamentary proceedings,which the main opposition BNP is boycotting.

Dubbed as ‘Battling Begums’ of Bangladesh politics,Hasina and Zia met after two decades,except when Zia went to condole the death of the Prime Minister’s husband.

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“Please join Parliament and speak,” the Prime Minister requested Zia after the leader of the opposition walked up to her at the Iftar reception asking,”How are you”?,the media here reported.

However,Begum Zia did not respond and merely chuckled.

An undeterred Hasina then turned to the Speaker of the Parliament Abdul Hamid and within Khaleda’s earshot said “Please make her understand,so that she returns to Parliament”.

Both the leaders shared the same table during the Iftar along with the Speaker,new Army Chief General Mohd Abdul Mubeen and the Chief of the Air Staff,Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman.

On the olive branch held out by Sheikh Hasina,the speaker later told reporters that he hoped Khaleda Zia would join the house after Eid-ul-Fitr,Daily Star reported.

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Khaleda,who leads the main opposition BNP party has been absent from the house,with the exception of few days,since the new Parliament convened in January this year,ostensibly due to dispute over seating arrangement.