AMN
A three-day blockade of road, rail and waterways, enforced by Bangladesh Nationalist Party and like-minded opposition parties, across Bangladesh began this morning. The blockade is to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit and hold the next election which is due in January, 2024 under a non-party, neutral administration.
Banned political party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami also enforced the blockade simultaneously from this morning to Thursday evening with the same demands.
According to the media report, seven people including a police constable and a media person lost their lives and more then 1000 got injured in the last three days in different incidents in Dhaka and other places of Bangladesh.
At many places vehicles were set on fire by the miscreants on the first day of a 3- day blockade. A bus was set on fire by unidentified arsonists near the National Press Club in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
In response 72-hour blockade called by BNP, Jamaat and associate parties, Awami League is holding a march and sit-in programme on the streets. Ruling party’s leaders and activists were seen shouting the slogan in favour of Sheikh Hasina government while protesting the opposition’s blockade.
Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other security agencies heavily deployed to check unwanted incidents. Eight Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalions deployed in the capital from Monday evening. Apart from the capital, BGB members are patrolling in various parts across the country.
Public transport systems within cities disrupted and long route bus services between major cities were suspended from this morning due to growing concerns over the three-day blockade. Due to panic conditions and street violence, low-income people including street vendors in the city are bearing the brunt of political uncertainty as their daily sales or income have dropped sharply.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh Kazi Habibul Awal said the 12th national polls would be held as scheduled regardless of whether the environment for elections is favourable. He told reporters after holding a meeting with US Ambassador Peter Haas on Tuesday.
He said whether or not the environment is favourable, they were expecting that ultimately most political parties would join the polls and make the environment favourable.
Election in due time, no dialogue with killers: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today reaffirmed that the next national election will be held in due time and no one can stop it.
She denounced the recent terror acts carried out by BNP-Jamaat clique in the name of movement and said that no dialogue will be held with the killers.
“No dialogue or talks will be held with the killers and the people of Bangladesh also don’t want it… the next national election will be held in due time and none can stop it,” she said.
Addressing a press conference to brief the media at her official Ganabhaban residence about the outcome of her recently concluded visit to Brussels in Belgium from October 24-26 to attend Global Gateway Forum, the premier also said the next national election will be held following the same procedure the country followed during the 2018 general polls.
About the polls-time government, she the full cabinet will continue working till the next election.
“The cabinet will do their routine work after announcement of the election schedule as per the RPO and the ministers will not be entitled to government facilities during their election campaign,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, castigated the recent terrorist activities of BNP in the name of movement, in which one police constable was brutally killed and other police personnel and 45 journalists were inhumanly tortured.
“They (BNP) also attacked the police hospital and killed people there like the Israeli (attack on Palestine),” she said, adding, “There is no difference between BNP and Israel as the brutality of the attack was the same.”