Bangladesh talks hit new snag over Islamic party
Feuding Bangladesh political parties have agreed in principle to hold talks over electoral reform proposals made by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. But the deal hit an immediate hurdle when the opposition asked the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to exclude its coalition partner, Jamaat-e-Islami party, from the talks. The opposition accuses Jamaat-e-Islami of helping the Pakistani army in a genocide during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan, and more lately of harbouring Islamist militants fighting for introduction of Islamic sharia law in Bangladesh. Full Story