Thousands of supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country’s main opposition party, took to the streets of the capital, Dhaka, on Saturday to demand the immediate resignation of Prime Minister and Awami League leader Shaykh Hasina, in a protest called days ago but now exacerbated by the arrest on Friday of its general secretary and an executive committee member.
The arrest of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas has revived one of the longest rivalries in the current international politics: the one between Hasina and BNP chairperson and former prime minister of the country, Jaleda Zia, now disabled and convalescing at her home, amid heavy security measures for fear of reprisals, as confirmed by the press department of her party to the ‘Dhaka Tribune’.
The BNP has not given any credibility to the version of the Bangladeshi police, which accuses both leaders of obstruction of justice and of encouraging Wednesday’s clashes, the most serious since the beginning of the wave of opposition protests that broke out in August against the increase in the prices of daily commodities, including fuel, and the constant repression against the party.
At least one person was killed and eight injured, according to the BNP, which has reported at least ten supporters killed by security forces since last summer, and that at least 1,400 others have been arrested in recent weeks.
Saturday’s march, led by the party’s acting head, Tarique Rahman, ended with a rally where the seven deputies representing the BNP in Parliament announced their seats.
Then, a spokesman read out a program of demands in which the BNP demands, above all, the immediate dissolution of the government to give way to an interim executive and, from there, the immediate convocation of elections; the political reinstatement of Jaleda Zia, the end of acts of reprisal against his supporters, an economic reform to lower prices and the creation of an independent anti-corruption commission.
Finally, the remaining BNP leaders have called for a day of nationwide protests on December 24 in case their demands are not met, according to the final speech reported by the ‘Daily Star’.
