Staff Reporter:
After the 24-hour blockade program, BNP and like-minded parties have enforce a daylong hartal today, the last date for the submission of nomination papers to contest the 12th parliamentary polls.
The opposition parties’ shutdown is meant to register their protest against the schedule for the next na-tional election announced by the Election Commission (EC), and to mount pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government and release the opposition leaders and activists, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The shutdown will begin at 6am and end at 6pm Thursday, BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said virtually from a hiding place.
Earlier, the 24-hour blockade enforced by the opposition parties on Wednesday morning was marked by stray incidents of torching vehicles.
Opposition leaders and activists brought out sudden processions in different areas of the capital in sup-port of the program which will end at 6 am on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Rizvi called upon the opposition leaders and workers to make the shutdown program on Thursday a success by taking to the streets with courage.
Speaking at a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, he said, “The opposition leaders and workers will observe Thursday’s hartal program wholeheartedly by risking their lives,” he said.
The opposition parties have so far observed blockades in eight phases to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration.
They also observed a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal on October 29 in protest against the attacks on BNP’s grand rally at Nayapaltan that ended amid the incidents of torching vehicles and clashes, leaving three people dead.
