BNP, Jamaat want to bolster movement thru 10 Dec programme
Opposition parties the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are aiming to intensify street protests with their Human Rights Day programme on 10 December in the capital to compel the government to cancel the 7 January election.
Sources within the parties say the establishment of a "unified alliance" of the BNP, Jamaat, and other anti-government parties could be announced before 17 December. The alliance will then engage in a non-cooperation movement before the elections.
According to sources within the BNP and Jamaat, both parties have recently formed a formal alliance, addressing their previous misunderstandings. Additionally, it has been disclosed that the Islami Andolan Bangladesh will also be joining this coalition.
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Senior figures from the parties told The Business Standard that the official announcement of the "all-party" political alliance will be made once the Islami Andolan becomes a part of it.
On 10 December, the BNP plans to establish a human chain in front of the press club.
One day before the opposition's Human Rights Day event, pro-BNP and Jamaat organisations, including Mayer Daak – a platform representing families affected by enforced disappearances – and the Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB), will stage a protest rally in front of the National Press Club on 9 December.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the BNP, said in a virtual press conference on Friday that the Dhaka Metropolitan BNP has already made all necessary preparations for organising the human chain on Sunday.
Acting Secretary General of the Jamaat-e-Islami ATM Masum also declared the formation of human chains on the same day nationwide, including Dhaka.
During Friday's virtual press conference, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi emphasised that the government believes it can suppress the BNP through punitive measures. However, he likened the BNP to a phoenix, asserting its resilience against any attempts to destroy it.
Bringing attention to the harassment faced by BNP leaders and activists, Rizvi cited instances such as the sentencing of Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP member secretary Rafiqul Alam Majnu, Central Juba Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, former Central Juba Dal Vice President Yusuf bin Jalil Kalu, and several others to two years imprisonment in a fabricated case from Shahjahanpur police station in the capital.
He further said, "Zahirul Islam Abhi, president of BNP Ward No 7 in Feni municipality, was assaulted by individuals affiliated with the Awami League and handed over to the police in a bloodied state. His residence was also vandalised. Additionally, Omar Farooq Bhuiyan, joint convener of Fazilpur union Swachchesebak Dal, Feni Sadar upazila Chhatra Dal leader Emdadul Haque Bijay, and Md Shibulu were arrested by the police."
