The BNP-led 18-party alliance on Thursday called another spell of 72-hour road-rail-waterway blockade across the country from 6am Saturday demanding that the next national election be arranged under a non-party government.
BNP joint secretary general Salauddin Ahmed on Thursday announced the fresh programme through a video message sent from an undisclosed location.
The opposition alliance called the fresh blockade programme on the last day of their nonstop 131-hour second spell of blockade that ended 5pm on Thursday.
“We call upon the country’s people to observe the programme in a peaceful manner. At the same time, we want to say that we’ll forthright withdraw the blockade programme whenever the government will announce that it has accepted the non-party caretaker government demand,” he said.
The 72-hour blockade will end at 6am on Tuesday if it is not extended further unlike the previous two spells.
In the video message, Salauddin also said, gayebana janaza will be held across the country — all cities, including Dhaka, district towns and upazila headquarters– after Jum’a prayers on Friday for those killed during the recent blockade.
The BNP spokesperson said they had given the government until 5pm Thursday to meet their demand for arranging the next polls under a non-party administration. “We’re forced to call the fresh blockade programme as the government did not give any hint for accepting our demand.”
The blockade programme is also meant to push for the release of the arrested alliance leaders.
Earlier, on November 30, the alliance enforced a 72-hour blockade from 6:00am December 1, which was later extended by 59 hours till 5pm today (Thursday) for pushing the same demand.
The 131-hour blockade has already been marked by violent incidents of clashes, bomb blasts, vandalism and arson attacks on buses and railways across the country, leaving at least 23 people dead so far.
The opposition combine enforced the first spell of 48-hour road-rail-waterway blockade 6m on November 26 protesting the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls.
On November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner announced that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held on January 5 next.
However, the alliance later extended it by 23 hours that ended at 5am on November 29 amid widespread violent incidents, leaving at least 19 people dead, including three students who along with 15 others suffered severe burn injures as miscreants set a passenger-packed bus at Shahbagh in the capital.
There had been violent incidents like vandalising and torching of vehicles, clashes between blockade supporters and police and ruling party activists, arrest of opposition leaders and activists and crude bomb blasts allover the country, including the capital.
Source: UNB Connect
