Opposition activists start to gather in capital
Ruling Awami League yesterday formally announced to resist the opposition’s Dhaka march programme, triggering apprehension of further escalation of the ongoing political violence as BNP leaders said they would observe the programme at any cost.
Ruling Awami League’s high-ups have asked the party’s leaders and activists to remain alert and to take to the streets on Sunday in a bid to thwart the opposition’s programme.
The instructions of the ruling party’s high-ups came at an extended meeting of Awami League in its headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on Wednesday evening.
If any unknown face is found in the city hotels, temples and mosques, hand them over to the members of the law enforcing agencies, leaders were quoted as saying by meeting sources.
In a statement on Thursday AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam urged all not to respond to the call of the opposition leader to march towards Dhaka on Sunday.
Instead of responding to the call of the anti-liberation forces, he urged all of the pro-liberation forces to resist them with all out efforts.
Meanwhile, addressing the meeting Awami League presidium member Mohammad Nasim said the main opposition BNP would not be allowed to create anarchy in the name of holding its ‘March for democracy’ programme in the capital before the January 5 elections.
“Nobody believes you (Khaleda). If you want to hold any kind of rally or meeting in the city, it has to be done after Jan 5,” Nasim said.
Earlier, Information Minister Hasanul huq Inu said the opposition would not be allowed to hold the programme.
However talking to The Independent BNP leaders said they would make their Dhaka march programme a success at any cost despite the obstacles created by the government and they had already started to gather in the capital from different corners of the country.
While talking to The Independent, Fazlul Haque Milon organising secretary of the party’s Dhaka division, said party supporters are facing severe difficulties as the law enforcers and the ruling party men are creating obstacles.
“Several divisional-level organising secretaries of the party told me that they cannot rent vehicles to reach Dhaka due to the pressure from ruling party leaders and pro-government transport owners,” Milon said.
However, many of them have started to reach the capital, Milon added. He mentioned the BNP activists were asked to find devise and means to reach Dhaka by overcoming the obstacles.
BNP also alleged that the government had confined BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence by deploying huge contingents of law enforcers to thwart the ‘March for Democracy’ programme.
“The government is trying to thwart the March for Democracy. As part of plan, BNP chairperson has been kept in confinement,” BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan blamed.
Khan, also a standing committee member of the party, made the allegation in a video massages sent from an undisclosed location yesterday afternoon.
The Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested Joint Secretary General and lawmaker of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon from near Matshya Bhaban of Segun Bagicha area in the city yesterday afternoon.
BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia on Tuesday evening announced the programme titled ‘March for Democracy’, calling upon the people from all walks of life to march towards Dhaka to help establish a poll-time government to oversee the 10th national elections.
-With The Independent input
