Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal today said the commission invited BNP for informal discussions, not formal talks.

The government has no connection with EC’s invitation to BNP, Awal told journalists at a press briefing at the EC Secretariat in the capital.

“This is a strategy of Election Commission, not the government’s,” the CEC said.

Asked whether this was done as a result of international pressure, he said, “There is no question of that.”