The situation turned more complicated as the mainstream opposition parties have rejected the prime minister's fresh call for talks to find ways to stop bomb terrorism.

After the November 22 grand rally of the 14-party opposition combine, both the government and the opposition leaders from their respective positions started talking on holding a dialogue on reforms in the caretaker government and the electoral rules.

Senior ministers said they are ready to sit with the opposition to discuss electoral reforms and any other issues except the caretaker government reforms.

But the opposition leaders asked the government to place precise proposal for discussion and said reforms in the caretaker government must be on the agenda.

The 14-party opposition combine last night at a meeting termed the prime minister's call for dialogue a farce, saying that the government is making a mockery instead of hunting down the root of the militants when the state, administration, the judiciary and politics are at stake in the wake of repeated bomb attacks.

The opposition leaders said the dialogue offer is merely an attempt to hide the militants and to misguide the people.

Sources said the breach between the government and opposition further widened in the wake of the recent bomb attacks, especially after the suicide bombings in Gazipur and Chittagong, that diminished the possibility of a dialogue on electoral reforms.

In such a situation Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Wednesday called upon all the political parties and distinguished personalities in the country to sit across the table to find the ways to stop bomb terrorism.

Referring to the PM's dialogue offer, Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday told journalists that the government will formally take initiative for the talks with all political parties.

BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, replying to a reporter's query about the talks, yesterday said the government, if needed, may send letters to invite the political parties for the talks.

But the opposition leaders yesterday said they will consider the dialogue offer only when the prime minister will show her government's seriousness to root out militancy by axing Jamaat-e-Islami and other "patrons of militants" from the government.

Leader of the Opposition and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina yesterday in a statement said the prime minister's call for talks is nothing but a deception to the countrymen.

"We can't think to sit in a dialogue with the militants to stop militancy," Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday told The Daily Star, terming Jamaat, a partner of the alliance government, as the main patron of militancy.

"Militants exist within the government. So the government has to prove first its sincerity by removing Jamaat from the alliance and expelling the BNP men who have link with the militants," said Jalil, also coordinator of the 14-party.

About opposition's demand for expulsion of Jamaat from the coalition before any talks, Communications Minister Nazmul Huda said it's a "trickery " of the opposition as they don't want to sit with the government to resolve the problem of militancy.

"They should respond to the prime minister's call within the existing form of the coalition government. It's not fair to drop anyone before the dialogue," he said.

"If the talks find anyone's involvement in militancy then there will be a scope to decide the matter," Huda, also a vice president of BNP, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Huda and his party BNP seem to be determined to keep Jamaat in the four-party coalition, political observers analysing the prevailing situation believe.

Sources in the ruling coalition said most of the BNP high-ups are very concerned about the ominous rise of Islamist extremism, but they appear to suffer from a tunnel vision as they need the support of Jamaat to win the next polls.

Many political observers believe the prime minister and her cabinet colleagues, taking the importance of Jamaat in consideration, have launched a counter propaganda on the rise of militancy by putting the blame on the previous Awami League government.

Such statements of the ruling party leaders are apparently to prove that Jamaat-e-Islami does not have any link with the militants, the observed said.

"The bomb blasts started to occur during the last Awami League regime and they did not take any step to stop such carnage," the prime minister said on Wednesday.

About the allegation against Jamaat of harbouring militants, she earlier told in and outside the parliament that it's a conspiracy to split the four-party alliance.

BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan last week said instead of helping the government in the fight against militancy, the opposition is trying to reap political gains out of the issue.

Nazmul Huda also termed the opposition demand for expelling Jamaat from the ruling alliance "a long-term conspiracy" to split the ruling alliance.

"The opposition leaders know it very much that they will not be able to assume power if they can't break the BNP-led four-party alliance," he observed.

Senior leaders of the 14-party however termed the prime minister's call for talks "a farce" and said she made the call to save BNP's alliance partner Jamaat-e-Islami which is blamed for its role in militant activities.

"Actually the government has no political will to curb the militants," Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain said on Wednesday.

The senior opposition leaders have also proposed a national dialogue of all political parties, excepting Jamaat, to face the national crisis.

Rejecting the prime minister's call for all-party talks, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President Hasanul Haque Inu said the ultimate aim of the prime minister is to save Jamaat-e-Islami in the name of offering dialogue.

"The prime minister in the same speech spat venom at the opposition parties accusing them of involvement in militancy. Senior ministers have also launched a campaign against the opposition parties linking them with the militants," Inu said.

"Under this circumstances there is no atmosphere for a national dialogue," the JSD president said.