BNP's Dhaka south, north units march in Motijheel, Uttara

BNP flag

Dhaka, Feb 17 - The leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units on Friday brought out separate silent processions in the capital to press home the party’s 10-point demand, including holding the next polls under a non-party caretaker government.

The organisers said the march programme was also meant for registering the party’s protest against the rise in the prices of power and gas and essential items, repression on the opposition and mounting pressure on the government to release party chairperson Khaleda Zia without any condition.

As per the party’s plan, BNP’s Dhaka south city marched from Motijheel to Nayabazar around 4:05 pm.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir along with party standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and vice chairman Abdullah Al Noman took part in the march after a brief address.

Through the silent march, Fakhrul said they would send out a message to the city dwellers to wake up and put up a resistance against the current government’s misrule and repressive acts and failure to run the country and check the growing prices of essential items.

Earlier, the leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka north city marched from Uttara’s Jashimuddin Road intersection to Abdullahpur.

BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated the programme along with other party senior leaders, including Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Abdul Awal Mintoo around 3:35 pm.

In a brief address before taking out the procession, Mosharraf said their party has been on the streets with different programmes to realise public demands and to protest public sufferings as people are going through a tough time due to the misrule of the Awami League government.

He said their programmes are drawing huge public support, prompting the ruling party to come up with counter programmes out of fear of losing power. “Awami League is holding counter programmes, exposing its political bankruptcy.”

The BNP leader said the country’s people and the foreigners now can realise that no credible election is possible under the Awami League government. “That’s why foreign leaders and envoys are giving the government sermons about credible polls.”

He warned that the country’s people will no longer allow the current regime to hold the general election under it. “The election must be held under a non-party caretaker government and we’ll force this regime to quit through our movement.”

Mosharraf urged the party leaders and activists to peacefully hold the programme as they did in the past without responding to any provocation.

Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies joined the two separate programmes, carrying banners, national and party flags, festoons and portraits of the party's top leaders.

A huge number of law enforcers have been deployed in the areas to maintain law and order and fend off any untoward incidents.

Apart from BNP, LPD, Gonoforum, People’s Party, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote and Peshajibi Ganatantrik Jote also staged the march programme in different areas of the capital at different times on Friday as part of the simultaneous movement to oust the current government.

BNP’s all other metropolitan city units will hold a similar programme on Saturday.

Earlier, leaders and activists of the party’s Dhaka north and south city units observed the march programme on January 28, 31, 30 and February 1, respectively, to push for their 10-point demand.

The party also organised a march programme in all unions across the country on Saturday last amid the allegations of attacks and obstruction by the ruling party activists and law enforcers. - UNB