The country braces for a further 72-hour opposition hartal from Sunday, the third of a series of such shutdown in less than three weeks to force the ruling Awami League form a non-party caretaker government (CG) to oversee next general election.
BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference after a secretary general-level meeting of the 18-party alliance held at the party chief Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office on Friday afternoon. According to decision of the meeting, the hartal will begin at 6:0 am on Sunday and end at 6:0 am on Wednesday.
The first such stoppage for a duration of 60 hours was enforced on October 26, 27 and October 28, which was followed by another spell of 60-hour strike on November 4, 5 and November 6.
The hartals, marked by widespread violence, left at least two dozens people killed and roughly 13,125 others injured. The casualties were reported following clashes between hartal supporters, police and activists belonging to Awami League and its affiliated bodies.
Alamgir, also the acting secretary general of BNP, accused the government of pressing ahead with a lopsided national poll under a so-called all-party poll-time interim government.
The government is behaving differently as it does not take any concrete initiative when it says about holding dialogue to overcome the country’s prevailing crisis on CG issue, he added.
“We will observe the 72-hour nationwide hartal to realise our CG demand. Apart from this, we will go for a vigorous movement on the same issue and a decision in this regard has already been finalised at the meeting,” he added.
There is no alternative but to go for a tough anti-government agitation to ensure people’s right to vote freely and strengthen the country’s democracy, he said adding that none
will accept the next general election if it is held under the ruling party management.
The government has imposed restriction on political activities, including rallies, processions and mass gathering, in the capital in a bid to thwart the movement so that it can linger its rule by holding the farcical election, he alleged.
Responding to a query, Alamgir said all the antigovernment movements have seen successes through enforcement of hartal programme. “Similarly, we will be able to realise our CG restoration demand through observing the hartal programme with people’s spontaneous participation,” he said in reply to a question.
Replying to another question, the 18-party spokesman said their door for dialogue and negotiation is still open. “We’re repeatedly saying that we want a peaceful solution to the crisis through dialogue and compromise. As the government is not taking any effective measures, we’re forcing to enforce hartal.”
He said ambulance, food and medicine shops, newspapers, journalist and physician carrying vehicles will remain out of purview of the hartal.
-With The Independent input
