Tension runs high in the city as the BNP-led 18-party alliance is set to hold its much-hyped ‘March for Democracy’ programme at the city’s Nayapaltan today amid threats by the ruling party activists to resist it.
The opposition alliance is moving ahead to hold its planned rally in front BNP’s Nayapaltan central office defying the government’s restriction on it in its last-ditch effort to force the current regime to cancel the schedule for the 10th national election billed for January 5.
The opposition demands the government arrange the election under a non-partisan interim administration to avert polls fraud.
The Nayapaltan area has already been made off-limit to traffic by putting barricades at different points well ahead of the public showdown.
Party sources said the BNP chairperson has asked the senior leaders to be there in front of Nayapaltan by 10:00 am to start the programme.
Khaleda may set out from her Gulshan residence for Nayapaltan around 2:30pm. If she is resisted by the law enforcers, the opposition activists may march towards her residence.
According to the sources, Khaleda may not come to the Nayapaltan if the opposition activists cannot converge on there. Considering the situation, the opposition will devise their next course of action.
Meanwhile, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a statement on Saturday night alleged that their chairperson Khaleda Zia has been confined to her Gulshan residence after withdrawing her police protocol.
Earlier, he accused the government of putting the city under virtual siege to thwart the opposition’s peaceful programme and voiced their firm determination to hold it at any cost.
Some other opposition leaders threatened that where there will any resistance there will be counter-resistance, as the ruling party said its activists will be there on the streets with sticks to resist the opposition men for protecting the capital.
Taking a hard-line in a bid to prevent the opposition men from gathering in the Nayapaltan area, the Dhaka Metropolitan police (DMP) has reportedly decided to go on ‘arrest on sight policy’ if they try to move there in groups.
Opposition leader Khaleda Zia at a press conference on Tuesday announced the public showdown programme urging people from all walks of life to march towards Dhaka carrying the national flag on Sunday to realise their demand.
Amid the growing tension over a possible face-off between the activists of Awami League and BNP, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Friday rejected BNP’s request for allowing it to hold the rally in the city.
In a video message on Friday, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia urged the county’s people to make the programme a success with their spontaneous participation in it braving all obstacles and barriers.
The former premier also urged all to hold the programme at Nayapaltan despite the denial of permission by the police, and directed the party leaders and activists to make it a success under any circumstances, even if she cannot join it for any reason.
Meanwhile, communications of the capital with several districts remained snapped since Friday morning as bus and launch services have been suspended at the behest of the local administration to foil the Dhaka March programme.
The movement of all types of public transport, including bus, train and launch, between capital Dhaka and other parts of the country virtually came to a halt on Saturday.
Besides, law enforcers arrested several hundred BNP leaders and activists from different parts of the country, including over 200, in the capital and 80 in Chittagong on Saturday.
The 18-party opposition alliance is likely to announce its fresh action programme from the rally to resist the January-5 election.
The alliance may announce harsher programmes like non-cooperation, blockade and mass curfew from Monday to the voting day, which will badly affect the country’s all sectors, including economy and education and lead to the anarchy and widespread violence.
A security blanket has been thrown around Dhaka city in the early morning to avert any unpleasant incident over the rally.
The law-enforcement agencies, including members of police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), have been put on red alert.
Besides, police and Rab have been asked to set up check-posts at all entry and exit points in and around the capital as part of foolproof security measures.
Source: UNBConnect
