Opposition rally demands neutral government for polls in Bangladesh

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh’s main opposition political party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), on Wednesday organized a huge rally in the capital Dhaka, demanding the formation of a non-partisan caretaker government to hold free and fair elections.

The party has been holding a series of demonstrations for the last couple of months in Dhaka as well as other parts of the country demanding a neutral caretaker government and the resignation of Premier Sheikh Hasina.

The party will hold countrywide protest rallies on Jan. 16, the recently released BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared while addressing the sit-in.

“The ruling Awami League party wants to control everything and dreams to establish one-party rule in the country,” Alamgir claimed, warning that people have awakened and want rule of law.

Alamgir called on the party supporters to actively participate in any anti-government movement in the future to get the party leader and former Premier Begum Khaleda Zia released.

Earlier, hundreds of thousands of activists and leaders of the BNP gathered at Dhaka’s Naya Paltan area in front of the party’s political headquarters.

The participants of the sit-in demanded the resignation of the prime minister, and an end to human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.

The South Asian delta nation of nearly 170 million people is going to hold the 12th national elections in December this year or January next year which the ruling Awami League government wants to hold under the administration of incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that the opposition parties have vehemently rejected.

Meanwhile, another rally was organized by the ruling Awami League party in Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Avenue area, where Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, also secretary general of the party, said the movement of the opposition has failed to gain people’s support.

He called on the BNP leaders to join the next election under the Awami League government and give up the unconstitutional demand for a caretaker government.