The leaders of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's party rejected talks on Monday with the government on conduct of elections later this year unless she was released from detention. The Awami League leaders also threatened to launch a street campaign if Hasina, who has been under detention for nearly a year over charges of corruption and extortion, was not freed immediately. “We cannot hold dialogue with the government while our chief is languishing in prison,” Qumrul Islam, a leader of the party's Dhaka City Unit told a meeting of partymen from across the country. The Awami League will formally announce a decision on Tuesday whether to participate in the talks, after evaluating the opinions of partymen drawn from across the country. The army-backed interim government has begun talks with political parties to switch back to popular rule after an election promised for December.
