"The dastardly attempt on the life of Sheikh Hasina came precisely at a time when she initiates steps to unite the pro-liberation, secular and democratic forces in the country," he told the first session of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Beijing.

He also urged the leaders of political parties of Asia to create world opinion for instituting a credible international inquiry committee to bring the perpetrators to book, according to a faxed message received in Dhaka.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has organised the three-day international conference attended by 300 representatives of different political parties from 34 Asian countries.

Vu Khoan of Communist Party of Vietnam, Mrinmoy Bhattacharya of CPI, Sitaram Yechury of CPI (M), Kim Chang Hyun of Democratic Labour Party of Korea, Mohammad Nabi Habibi of Islamic Coalition Party of Iran and Christine Ann McDiven of Liberal Party of Australia also spoke at the first session.

The AL lawmaker said, "The forces inimical to our independence are literally up in arms to destroy the secular democratic way of our life, the fledging institutions of democracy in our country and the socio-cultural values that we have cherished for centuries."

All the speakers of the first session, in an instant reaction, strongly condemned the assassination attempt and conveyed their sympathy to Sheikh Hasina.