BNP’s programmes: Blockade today, hartal tomorrow

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other opposition parties on Wednesday resumed their hartal and blockades following one-day hiatus on Tuesday.

The 8th spell of the programmes began with an all-out blockade for 24-hour, being enforced across the country from 6:00 am today, Wednesday.

The 24-hour hartal will begin at the end of the blockade at 6:00 am Thursday (30 November), the last date of submission of nomination papers, as per the election schedule, the Bangladesh Election Commission announced.

The parties have been enforcing the programmes seeking resignation of the government, holding the forthcoming 12th parliamentary elections under a nonpartisan government and release of the arrested party leaders including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and stopping harassing them.

Earlier, BNP observed the programmes in seven spells. The seventh spell of the programmes ended at 6:00 am Tuesday.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami also has been enforcing the same programmes separately.

De facto opposition BNP on 29 October called dawn to dusk hartal protesting the foiling of their mass rally in Dhaka on 28 October. Since then the party has been enforcing the blockade and hartal except Friday, Saturday and Tuesday.

According to the BNP, more than 17,010 leaders and activists of the party have been arrested as of 28 November afternoon centering the 28 October grand rally. The arrest spree started a few days before the rally.

Over 435 lawsuits have been lodged against the party leaders and activists that time, BNP leaders informed the media.