The BNP-led 18-Party Alliance will enforce a dawn-to-dusk general strike countrywide on Thursday in protest at a Dhaka court sending 33 opposition leaders to jail in an arson case. National Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan announced the decision at a press briefing in the party's Naya Paltan headquarters in the afternoon on Wednesday.
"The people of the country will surely understand that we had no wish to call a programme like hartal considering [public sufferings]," he explained. He added that they were left with no other option to protest against the government's 'undemocratic, fascist behaviour." Khan urged the people to make the shutdown a success. "I urge the people to enforce the hartal entirely (Sorbattokvabe) from dawn to dusk on May 17 (Thursday) demanding unconditional release of the national leaders and withdrawal of the cases over false charges," he said.
The announcement followed a meeting of the central leaders in the BNP office cordoned by police.
Local units of the party that heads the opposition alliance had already called for general strikes in several districts before the announcement from Dhaka was made. A Dhaka court on Wednesday ordered into jail BNP's Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 32 other leaders after refusing them bail in an arson attack case.
In Thakurgaon, the home district of BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul, the local chapter of BNP called for indefinite general strike. Local BNP leaders called a daylong shutdown for Thursday in Chittagong, Sylhet, Sirajganj, Pabna, Joypurhat, Dinajpur and Bogra.
Police, meanwhile, have cordoned the headquarters of the BNP in Naya Paltan immediately after the court order. Several central leaders were already in the office but police were guarding at the main gate and allowing no supporters in. Four supporters were detained for trying to get into the office. Apart from Khan, Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyen Khan, Vice Chairman Abdullah Al Noman, Advisor to the Chairperson Fazlur Rahman Patal, Joint Secretary General Barkatullah Bulu and Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, among others, were in the office.
"The people of the country will surely understand that we had no wish to call a programme like hartal considering [public sufferings]," he explained. He added that they were left with no other option to protest against the government's 'undemocratic, fascist behaviour." Khan urged the people to make the shutdown a success. "I urge the people to enforce the hartal entirely (Sorbattokvabe) from dawn to dusk on May 17 (Thursday) demanding unconditional release of the national leaders and withdrawal of the cases over false charges," he said.
The announcement followed a meeting of the central leaders in the BNP office cordoned by police.
Local units of the party that heads the opposition alliance had already called for general strikes in several districts before the announcement from Dhaka was made. A Dhaka court on Wednesday ordered into jail BNP's Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 32 other leaders after refusing them bail in an arson attack case.
In Thakurgaon, the home district of BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul, the local chapter of BNP called for indefinite general strike. Local BNP leaders called a daylong shutdown for Thursday in Chittagong, Sylhet, Sirajganj, Pabna, Joypurhat, Dinajpur and Bogra.
Police, meanwhile, have cordoned the headquarters of the BNP in Naya Paltan immediately after the court order. Several central leaders were already in the office but police were guarding at the main gate and allowing no supporters in. Four supporters were detained for trying to get into the office. Apart from Khan, Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyen Khan, Vice Chairman Abdullah Al Noman, Advisor to the Chairperson Fazlur Rahman Patal, Joint Secretary General Barkatullah Bulu and Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, among others, were in the office.
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