The 13 demands of Hifazat-e Islam are ‘medieval’ and will not be fulfilled, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif has said.
Also a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Hanif made the statement at the tri-annual meeting of Awami Swechchashebok League in the capital’s Karwan Bazar on Sunday.
“The BNP has proven its belief in medieval ideas by extending support to Hifazat. But the people of Bangladesh will never accept these demands,” he said.
The Awami League leader claimed the main opposition was in a campaign to destroy government assets. “Khaleda Zia wants to further the agendas by her Pakistani mentors to turn the country into a Taliban state.”
About the strike called by BNP, Hanif said, “The opposition strikes are not for the people. Their shutdowns are attempts to create instability across the country.”
On Saturday, Hifazat-e Islam called a nationwide shutdown for Monday. The BNP, however, has not lent support to the strike, despite supporting the hardline group’s demands on principle.
The BNP called a 36-hour strike starting from Tuesday after Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed and six other senior leaders were denied bail in several cases and sent to prison.
Source: bdnews24