Around 8,000 opposition leaders and activists have been arrested in Bangladesh.
Dhaka:
The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called for a 48-hour nationwide strike on Thursday, demanding the cancellation of the January 7 general elections. The opposition also claimed that the election was aimed at bringing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League government to power for a fourth consecutive term. The announcement comes a day after Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Habibul Awal said the much-awaited general election will be held on January 7.
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BNP senior joint general secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called for a two-day general strike from 6 am on Sunday. The party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, rejected the announcement of the election program and vowed to continue protests against the government’s decision to continue the election process. Senior BNP leader Abdul Moin Khan said, ‘Everyone in Bangladesh knows the outcome of this election.’
Some of the BNP’s allies, including the far-right Jamaat-e-Islami, backed the strike call, forcing law enforcement agencies to step up security vigil across the country and even call in paramilitary forces to guard highways and major cities. The opposition continued its intermittent agitation since October 28 with a nationwide transport blockade, disruption of supply systems. The opposition has demanded Prime Minister Hasina’s resignation to pave the way for a neutral government to hold elections.
In an indirect reference to the BNP and its allies, Awal said his office had invited all registered political parties to hold talks with the commission who were “reluctant” to participate in the upcoming elections, but “they declined the invitation.”
At least five people, including a policeman, have been killed in political violence in the past two weeks. More than 200 people were injured and dozens of vehicles were damaged or set on fire during the protests. This led the authorities to deploy paramilitary forces in major cities to secure highways and maintain law and order. According to media reports, around 8,000 opposition leaders and activists, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown.