At the recent press conference of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, she displayed a softened stance in the interests of dialogue, but there has been no change in this week’s hartal (general strike) programme. After the end of the 72-hour hartal, the BNP-led 20-party alliance called for a 48-hour hartal. This started from six this morning, Wednesday, and ends at six on Friday morning.
BNP’s joint secretary general Barkat Ullah announced this programme yesterday, Tuesday. Additionally, nationwide demonstrations and processions will be held on Thursday, and special prayers will be held for the missing BNP leader Salah Uddin Ahmed on Friday at mosques and other places of worship.
These programmes are being held in demand of BNP’s missing joint secretary general and former state minister Salah Uddin Ahmed to be returned. The 72-hour hartal announced last Sunday was for the same cause. The strike ended at six this morning.
BNP sources said that BNP’s top leadership had been ready to relent somewhat in the programmes, at the behest of local and foreign well-wishers. They were mulling over a withdrawal of the hartal and for Khaleda Zia to address a large public gathering in the city. Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder of Gonoshasthya Kendra, called upon Khaleda Zia on Monday night and reportedly advised that she make some changes to the programmes. But with Salah Uddin’s disappearance, BNP has moved away from their decision to curtail hartal, for the time being. They alleged that the law enforcement agencies picked up Salah Uddin. Rather than find Salah Uddin the prime minister and other senior leaders of Awami League were making instigative remarks in this regard.
BNP standing committee member and former army chief Mahbubur Rahman told Prothom Alo yesterday, the blockade-hartal programme has been on for almost two and a half months. The party was considering a change in programmes, but there was a strong reaction within the party about Salah Uddin Ahmed’s disappearance. The government hasn’t come forward as much as they should have in this connection. We can’t just accept defeat.”
These matters also appeared in the statement issued to the media by the 20-party alliance yesterday. It was stated, “Seven days have passed since Salah Uddin was ‘arrested’, but he has not been freed or produced before the court. Similar incidents have occurred recently regarding Chhatra Dal’s former organising secretary Anisur Rahman Talukdar and many other leaders and activists around the country. The government has denied that Salah Ahmed was arrested and has concocted a story in court. Sarcastic and objectionable comments were made from a senior level in the government. This has heightened the fear within Salah Uddin’s family and among us. The arrogance of whisking away such an important political leader without any trace, cannot be accepted.”
Concerning the extension of the 72-hour hartal by another 48 hours, the statement said, “They have obstructed all means of peaceful protest against the government’s unabated misdeeds and state sponsored terrorism. There is no scope for the opposition to carry out normal political and organisational activities. The opportunity to highlight all this in the media has also shrunk. No alternative has been left before us but to continue with the peaceful blockade programme nationwide.”
Source: Prothom Alo
