Dhaka, Mar 14 (UNB) – As its deadline to the government to release its recently arrested leaders and activists expired today (Thursday), the BNP–led 18-party alliance is going to enforce a 48-hour nationwide hartal from Monday.
A press release issued from the BNP office said the 18-party will enforce the 48-hour shutdown called by alliance chief Khaleda Zia demanding the release of all the arrested BNP leaders and activists and restoration of the caretaker government system.
Besides, the alliance will stage demonstrations on Sunday in all metropolitan cities, district towns and upazila headquarters ahead of the hartal.
The release signed by BNP assistant office secretary Abdul Latif Jony urged the country’s people and leaders and activists of the alliance to make the rallies a success.
Police on Monday raided the BNP office and arrested over 150 leaders and activists of BNP, including its acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, vice chairmen Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abedin Farroque, BNP joint secretaries general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Amanullah Aman.
However, three of the BNP leaders — Fakhrul, Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury — were released on Tuesday keeping all others behind the bars.
Meanwhile, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia addressing an unscheduled gathering of party activists in front of its Nayapaltan office on Wednesday said if the detained leaders and activists were not released by Thursday the 18-party would enforce all-out hartals on March 18 and 19.
Earlier, BNP standing committee members at an emergency meeting after the police action on Monday night threatened to enforce countrywide hartals on March 18 and 19 if their arrested leaders are not released and valuables ‘looted’ from BNP’s Nayapaltan central office not returned by Thursday.
Source: UNBConnect