No hartal today, blockade to continue.
BNP–led alliance on Saturday called countrywide ‘peaceful’ protest processions on Sunday, demanding the return of BNP joint secretary general Salah Uddin Ahmed and other opposition leaders and activists across the country who have fallen victim to ‘enforced disappearance’. The current non-stop blockade will continue, read a statement issued in this regard. Meanwhile, the 82nd day of non-stop blockade on Saturday was observed loosely as in recent days. The alliance in the statement signed by BNP joint secretary general Barkat Ullah Bulu said processions would be held in all districts, upazilas, thanas, municipalities and thanas of all metropolitan cities. On this occasion, the alliance also refrained from calling hartal on weekdays. Hartal was last observed till 6:00 am on March 25. The blockade appeared not to affect daily life in the capital, other cities and districts on Saturday, a weekly holiday.
There were large streams of traffic on Dhaka city roads and tailbacks were visible at some places. A good number of buses and other modes of transportation moved on highways and inter-district routes. Students of Secondary School Certificate examinations took their rescheduled examinations on Saturday. Shopping malls, private offices, educational institutions were open, while business establishments functioned without problems. Trains and ferry services were unaffected by the blockade. Reports of crude bomb blasts, firebomb and arson attacks in the capital and elsewhere appears to have abated for the last couple of days. New Age Meherpur correspondent reported police arrested 33 activists and supporters of BNP in a drive carried out in different areas of the district Friday night. Referring to the prime minister’s recent statement, the alliance in the statement retorted saying the prime minister would realise the success or failure of the opposition’s 81 days of movement if she stood among people without depending on law enforcement agencies, comprising of her party men.
Prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Friday said the 81 days of Khaleda Zia’s movement had failed. The Alliance statement further claimed success or failure would become apparent if steps are taken to hold general elections under non-party neutral government. People did not fail to give a fitting reply to the misrule of Hasina’s government by ensuring massive victory to BNP-backed candidates in the last five city corporation elections. Similarly, people will ensure victory to BNP and its allies in the future if given a scope to cast their vote, the statement claimed.
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