Hannan Shah arrested
BNP-led 18-party alliance on Monday called a countrywide 48-hour road, rail and waterway blockade from 6 am on Tuesday in reaction to the announcement of holding national election on January 7. It termed the poll schedule announced by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed a farce. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference held at the party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in the capital on Monday night.
Calling upon the party’s rank and file to make the countrywide blockade programme a success, the opposition spokesman said the blockade programme will begin from 6 am on Tuesday and end the same time on Thursday.
Rejecting the poll schedule, Alamgir accused the ruling Awami League of pressing ahead with holding of a lopsided election under its own management.
The expectation of the countrymen as well as the international community has been ignored through the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliament election, he said adding that the CEC has exposed his careless attitudes in this regard.
Urging the EC to postpone the poll schedule, he said, “We want to take part in a meaningful and inclusive general election. The path should be paved by the government immediately.”
Alamgir also asked the countrymen not to participate in the next general election under a so-called all-party poll-time interim cabinet.
“We have announced the blockade programme protesting the poll schedule.
More intensive antigovernment campaign will be enforced gradually,” he said.
“The movement will continue until our demand for election under a non-party poll-time management is met,” he warned.
Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member and former minister Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah was arrested by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police from Gulshan area in the capital on Monday night.
Joint Police Commissioner of DMP (DB) Mohammad Monirul Islam told The Independent that a team of DB police arrested the BNP leader from Notunbazar area at Gulshan while he was returning from a function at the residence of the Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh.
-With The Independent input
