The trade bodies will meet Prime Minister Khaleda Zia today and await an appointment with Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina, sources said.

The leaders of different chambers and trade associations at a meeting organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) on Thursday decided to meet the prime minister and the opposition leader to persuade them to sit in dialogues to find ways to end bomb terrorism.

The FBCCI then sent letters to the two top leaders seeking appointments with them.

"Militant activities must be stopped by any means. A national consensus is a must for this," President of the apex trade body Mir Nasir Hossain told The Daily Star yesterday.

At the meeting with the prime minister, the leaders of the business community will submit a set of proposals to put an end to the present situation. The FBCCI last night finalised the proposals, sources said.

"We will also meet the leader of the opposition soon. We have sought an appointment with her. We hope to get an appointment," the FBCCI president said.

Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, expressed grave concern over the prevailing situation. "We are in a deep crisis and a panicky situation," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

"If this situation continues, our export will fall drastically," he said, suggesting enactment of an anti-terrorist law to eliminate all types of terrorist activities.

The prime minister on Wednesday called upon all political parties and eminent personalities of the country to sit across the table to find ways to stop bomb terrorism.

The Awami League (AL)-led 14-party opposition combine at a meeting on Thursday termed the prime minister's call for dialogues a farce, saying the government is making a mockery instead of hunting down the militants while the state, administration, judiciary and politics are at stake due to repeated bomb attacks.

BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan however said on Friday the government will officially invite the AL-led opposition combine to a dialogue.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said the government is yet to contact them.

Sources said in the light of the prime minister's call, political parties and professional groups, including that of engineers, physicians, agriculturists and journalists, and academics and vice-chancellors of universities, might be invited to take part in discussions.

The next phase of discussions would take place after the PM's visit to Makkah to attend the December 7-8 extraordinary OIC Summit, viewed as a crucial meet of the leaders of the Muslim world at a trying time. She is scheduled to leave on December 6 and return home on December 9.

Meanwhile, the 14-party combine will hold an exchange of views with different professional groups on December 7 on gearing up anti-militancy movement.