Opposition long march from Dhaka to Ctg today

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s 11-party alliance will hold a long march from Dhaka to Chattogram today, pressing the government to implement the referendum verdict and the aspirations of the July uprising, alongside demands to end the fuel and power crisis, curb extortion and corruption, improve law and order, and rein in the rising prices of essential commodities.

Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, who also convenes the long march’s implementation committee, said the government has taken no initiative to implement the referendum verdict even six months into its tenure.

He made the comments after the alliance’s final preparatory meeting at its central office on Thursday.

The referendum verdict is central to the alliance’s grievance. Porwar said the demand was not aimed at unseating the government but at securing its compliance with the outcome the public had already delivered.

“We are not waging any movement to topple the government,” he said. “Our demand, and that of the people, is that you accept the referendum verdict and our six-point demands.”

Around 1,500 vehicles are expected to take part, Parwar said. The procession will begin at 7am from Shapla Chattar in Motijheel and end with a rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram in the afternoon.

The alliance will also hold rallies at the truck stand near Kanchpur Bridge in Narayanganj, Paduar Bazar Bishwaroad in Cumilla, Mohipal in Feni, and Mirsarai, with leaders and activists lining both sides of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.

Separately, the Chattogram unit of the National Citizens Party detailed its own programme at a press conference at its city office in Chawkbazar.

Porwar said the alliance did not anticipate any sabotage and expected the march to remain peaceful, noting that it had informed the inspector general of police about the programme in writing.

He urged the government to provide administrative support for the march and warned that any attempt by the government or its supporters to create an adverse situation would erode public confidence and trigger public anger.

The march comes as business leaders warn that disruptions to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway could further strain an economy already grappling with fuel shortages.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Mahmud Hasan Khan said political parties have the right to hold programmes in the current democratic environment but should avoid those that cause public suffering or harm the economy.