BNP extends mass campaign, leaflet distribution till 1 Jan

BNP has announced another extension of their ongoing mass campaign and leaflet distribution programme by two more days till 1 January in favour of the boycott and non-cooperation movement ahead of election.

At a virtual press conference today (30 December), BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said they will distribute leaflets on 31 December and 1 January calling people to boycott the upcoming elections.

Jamaat-e-Islami and other like-minded opposition parties will also align their campaigns with BNP during this period, said sources.

During the virtual press conference, Rizvi said, "The movement demanding the resignation of the government is now accelerating. Every citizen is supporting our program. Our leaders and activists have distributed leaflets to the people in markets, fields, and shopping malls.

"They [citizens] have listened to us and are supporting us. The government, however, is conspiring as it did in 2013-15 to obstruct the demand for free and fair elections and the democratic movement. The police are harassing, arresting, and filing cases," he alleged.

"Due to the desire of one person to hold all power, the government has plunged the entire country into anarchy. The spirit of the 1971 Liberation War was to fight against the Pakistanis for democratic, economic, and cultural freedom. But today, the people of the country are living in fear. There has been a rise in fascism and a horrendous situation is unfolding," Rizvi said.

"Police, RAB, and law enforcement are reigning everywhere. People are being taken from their homes. Women are also being mistreated. Even when arrests are made, no information is provided," he claimed. 

Earlier on the day, after distributing leaflets, Rizvi said, "The 7 January election must be stopped. It is a one-sided, illegal, deceptive, and fraudulent election that betrays the people and the voters."

The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami announced a three-day mass campaign, from 26 to 28 December which later got extended by two days till 30 December.

On 20 December, the BNP announced a non-cooperation movement against the government, calling upon the party's leaders and activists not to appear in court over any case.

On 23 December, the BNP and other opposition parties, demanding a non-partisan polls-time government, distributed leaflets across the country, including in the capital, urging people to abstain from going to the polling centres on 7 January and thus boycott the upcoming general elections.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganatantra Mancha, the 12-party Alliance, the Nationalist Like-Minded Alliance, the LDP, the AB Party, and other like-minded political groups also participated in the election boycott campaign.

The anti-election campaign met with a stern warning from the Election Commission (EC), which is geared up to conduct the polls amid the boycott by the BNP and other opposition parties.

"If any leaflets are distributed to discourage voters from going to polling stations, action will be taken on sight," warned Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman on 23 December.