BNP starts mass signature campaign

Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Saturday started countrywide mass signature campaign for ‘unconditional’ release of the party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, from jail.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir formally launched the programme at the ground floor of BNP’s central office in Dhaka at 11:00am by signing on a sheet.
He was followed by BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Mirza Fakhrul said their movement would continue until Khaleda Zia would walk free from jail.
Fakhrul urged the party leaders and activists for carrying out the peaceful programmes for Khaleda’s release ignoring any provoc ation of the government.
The secretary general said that the people’s resistance and protests would force the government to quit.
He said, today’s big question is whether the government will actually allow the freedom function, let the sovereignty work, permit democracy rule over the country and agree to our free existence. 
Many leaders and activists were present during the inauguration and chanted slogans for release of Khaleda.
Leaders of BNP-led alliance, including Liberal Democratic Party president Oli Ahmed, Labour Party faction chairman Mustafizur Rahman Iran, its another faction secretary general Abdullah Al Mehedi and Bangladesh National Awami Party secretary general Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan signed the petition. 
Additional police forces were deployed in front of the party’s central office.
BNP will submit petitions to the district deputy commissioners across the country today and hold protest rallies at metropolitan cities except the two cities of Dhaka and district headquarters on Tuesday.
BNP is scheduled to submit petitions to district administrations at 12:00 noon, according to the party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi adding that all other units would submit as their convenient time.
BNP announced to hold a rally either on Suhrawardy Udyan or Nayapaltan in front of the party central office in the capital for February 22.
BNP has opened a website for mass signature with address www.bnpbangladesh.com.
Meanwhile, BNP senior joint secretary general Rizvi said more than 55 leaders and activists of it were arrested across the country since Friday till Saturday afternoon, including Satkhira district BNP president Rahmat Ullah Palash.
He said so far over 4,725 leaders and activists were arrested across the country since January 30.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net