The possibility is also very slim that the dialogue will resume soon although Harris Chowdhury, political secretary to the PM, yesterday told The Daily Star that the meeting with other invitees will be held soon.

"The first phase of the dialogue has been completed for the time being," he said.

The talks have also proved useless as the government has apparently made no move to implement the important suggestions placed by some political parties and professional bodies during the talks last December.

Harris, however, claimed that the government is initiating steps to implement those recommendations.

The government has meanwhile started to portray the dialogue as a success in combating militancy. In a written answer to a lawmaker's query, State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar in parliament on February 5 termed the national dialogue an "effort to build national consensus against militancy".

With the dialogue with most invitees pending, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on February 1 told the House that she formally invited different political parties and social organisations through letters and discussed the issue of militancy.

Of the 27 political parties and 15 professional bodies invited to the national dialogue that began on December 12 amid boycott by the opposition alliance, the PM met with only three political parties and five professional bodies. She last met with the freedom fighters on January 4.

Officials at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said they have not been instructed to arrange any meeting with any invitee for the dialogue since then.

Meanwhile, the invitees yet to meet the PM have already lost interest in the dialogue due to the lengthy process.

ATM Azharul Islam, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, the second largest partner of the coalition government, yesterday told The Daily Star, "I do not know whether or not any date has been fixed for our meeting with the prime minister."

The chairman of a faction of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), another partner of the ruling coalition, Fazlul Haq Amini said the PMO was supposed to inform them the date of the meeting but has not yet done so.

Ahmed Abdul Quader, secretary general of another faction of IOJ, told The Daily Star that the PMO asked them to contact for the date. "We contacted them, but have not received any date for the meeting yet," he said.

IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS IGNORED
Three political parties--two factions of the Jatiya Party led by HM Ershad and Anwar Hossain Manju and the Krishak Sramik Jananta League--placed some vital recommendations for combating Islamist militants during the dialogue.

The Krishak League on the first day of the dialogue on December 12 asked the government to expel Jamaat from the cabinet on charges of patronising militancy in the country.

Ershad-led Jatiya Party, the second largest opposition in parliament, on December 13 proposed a judicial commission headed by the chief justice to be formed to probe the allegations of militant links against some quarters, be they inside or outside the government.

It also suggested that the PM form a national advisory committee drawing representatives from all political parties, professional bodies and civil society for suggestions on tackling militancy. According to the suggestion, the PM will lead the committee while the leader of the opposition or any opposition leader will be the coordinator of the national body.

The Jatiya Party led by Anwar Hossain Manju suggested resignation of those accused of harbouring militants from the government and the administration for the sake of fair probe.

The Bangladesh Medical Association in its nine-point proposal observed that the government will have to get to the root of militancy and unearth the reasons why the persons and agencies concerned failed to identify the militants before the bomb attacks.

The apex body of physicians also suggested that the PM come up with the "correct statement" of the government after discussions at the party forums like BNP standing committee, executive committee and parliamentary party.

They also stressed the need for holding a meeting of the general secretaries of the ruling four parties to get the countrymen united against militancy.

None of the recommendations was, however, implemented.