Terming it an "imbalanced agreement" they said the BNP government has to take responsibility for the agreement.

Addressing a press conference at the Dhanmondi AL office in the capital, the former planning minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir demanded that the energy adviser should say whether he would hold those including the then energy minister responsible.

He urged the government to change, cancel or write the sections of the treaty which go against the interest of the country. He said those sections were kept while handing over the mine to Asia Energy in 1998.

Responding to a question, Mohiuddin said AL will amend the "faulty sections" of the agreement if voted to power.

Mohiuddin accused the government of confusing the people in their interest to win the election through circulating propaganda over Fulbaria coalmine. He said the truth is the then BNP government gave licence to BHP Minerals through an agreement to develop Fulbaria coalmine.

The terms and conditions of the agreement were not in favour or in the best interest of the country, he said adding that the BNP government gave authority to BHP Minerals of handing over the licence to another company. BHP Minerals had applied to the then AL government to handover the licence to the Asia Energy, he said.

The AL government could not but allow the handover of the licence to Asia Energy since such change of hands is internationally recognised and AL did not want to obstruct investments in the country.

AL inserted a condition during the handover that Asia Energy would be bound by the Mine and Mineral Affairs Act 1968 in a bid to make necessary changes to some sections of the agreement.

He said the last page of the agreement papers proves the agreement is the contribution of the then BNP government. The last page of the agreement also proves that the AL has preserved the rights to bring necessary changes to the agreement, he added.

Former state minister for power and energy Rafiqul Islam spoke among others at the conference.