They called on the two to open dialogues 'by any means' and said Bangladesh was witnessing a grim law and order situation and hartal was hitting business hard.

The business delegation appreciated Awami League's human-shield on Thursday as a good substitute for hartal to register protest.

The meeting in a city hotel came after the AL scheduled a countrywide back-to-back dawn-to-dusk hartal for April 7-8, demanding immediate resignation of the government and snap polls.

"The country will fall into an even worse situation if we fail to restore political stability. For stability, the ruling BNP and opposition Awami League must sit together to thrash out disputes," said Annisul Haq, president of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

"I have never felt so insecure as now," he said, adding the situation was not so grave during the 1996-2001 rule of the AL, though it was criticised for its failure to cut crimes. "Now I have to phone home at least three times a day to know whether my family is okay."

Annisul hailed the previous AL government for keeping the prices of essentials stable.

On a recent BGMEA view that a democratically elected government should complete its term, he said the association did not meddle in politics and supported a democratic change of government.

On businesspeople's demands, Hasina, also AL president, said the government was not sincere about dialogue which is evident in its 'forcing the opposition out of parliament'.

"How can we sit with the party which wants to eliminate the Awami League? How can we sit with those who have killed at least 12,000 workers of my party since the last general elections?" she asked.

Hasina said her party had no option but to enforce hartal, as the ruling coalition's "repression and misdeeds hit new highs".

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI), Metropolitan Chambers of Commerce and Industries (MCCI), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Shop Owners Association (BSOA), Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab), Dhaka City Shop Owners Association (DCSOA), Bangladesh Courier Services Association (BCSA) and Bangladesh Agricultural Machinery Merchants Association (Bamma) also took part in the discussion.

MCCI President Kutub Uddin Ahmad said the hope for expanding trade and business would die down if the government and opposition had no common agenda to face global challenges.

Criticising hartal, Kutub Uddin, also a former BGMEA president, said: "When the Awami League was in power, BGMEA leaders issued a statement criticising hartal. The then commerce minister and now the general secretary of Awami League, Abdul Jalil, appreciated the move then, saying the language of the statement should have been more terse."

Rehab President Towfiq M Seraj called on the AL to join parliament saying the business community felt confident if the opposition was in the House. "If need be, walk out of the House four times a day, but please join it."

Quazi Moniruzzaman, former BGMEA president, urged the ruling and opposition parties to work together to face the looming challenges in the garment sector when the quota system goes.

Requesting the AL leadership to come back to its no-hartal stance, he called upon the BNP-led alliance government to promise a similar no-hartal stand when in opposition.

FBCCI Director Mohammad Helal Uddin said: "Compared to the present situation, I have to say the business people were in a far better situation under the previous Awami League government, though we used to think otherwise then."

BSOA President Amir Hossain Khan said extortionists threatened each and every businessperson by phone to give tolls. "The criminals know everything about us -- how much money I have in bank and what property I'm going to buy." He said every businessperson seemed accountable to the extortionists.

In an effort to defend her party's change of stand from anti-hartal while in power to pro-hartal in opposition, Hasina said she made the announcement seeking a similar commitment by the then opposition. She claimed people frustrated with the present rulers want a change through midterm polls.

Senior AL leaders, including Abdul Jalil, were present at the programme.

Among other business leaders present in the discussion were former advisor to caretaker government Rokia A Rahman, BKMEA President Fazlul Haq, former BKMEA president Manjurul Haq, Masud Kader, FBCCI directors Aktaruzzaman Manju and Harunur Rashid, DCSOA General Secretary (GS) Delwar Hossain, BCSA GS Abu Naser and Bamma GS AKM Masud Jahangir.