The BNP-led 20-party alliance on Tuesday extended its ongoing 72-hour nationwide hartal by 48 hours until 6am Friday as part of its movement for what it said restoring democracy and people’s voting right. In a statement, BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of the alliance, announced the extension of the shutdown programme. Now the shutdown that began at 6am on Sunday will end at 6am Friday. The hartal is going on alongside the BNP alliance’s nonstop countrywide transport blockade is also meant for protesting the arrest of its leaders and activists and the killing of its activists. Earlier, the BNP-led 20-party alliance on Friday called a fresh 72-hour nationwide hartal from 6am on Sunday protesting government’s repressive acts and growing incidents of extrajudicial killing. The hartal is also meant for registering the 20-party’s protest against mass arrest of opposition men and common people, interference in the judiciary, control over the media and torture on journalists. The shutdown programme is being observed to press home the alliance’s demand for restoring human and basic rights of people, securing the release of the 20-party leaders and activists, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Salahuddin said hartal was enforced alongside their ongoing countrywide transport blockade which remains in force for 36 consecutive days. The 20-party also had enforced hartal for five consecutive days from Sunday last week, halting the holding of the Secondary Scholl Certificate (SSC) exams that fell during the hartal hours. –UNB, Dhaka.
