No respite in sight, blockade continues
DHAKA, Nov. 28 (nsnewswire) — Opposition men for the third consecutive day enforced nationwide blockade which triggered wide spread violence, leaving over a dozen people dead.
Protesting the “killing of its activists and government oppression” , Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s opposition alliance Wednesday extended its blockade by 23 hours in two phases.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its 17 allies including key Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party announced the blockade in protest against the announcement of schedule for polls.
Some 18 people including a paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) soldier were reportedly in stray incidents of violence in the first two days of blockade.
The deaths have not been officially confirmed.
Blockaders reportedly continued their attack on the railways Thursday by removing fishplates, uprooting rail lines and snapping rail communication on different routes.
Media reports say Dhaka remained virtually cut off from the rest of the Bangladesh since Tuesday morning as the main opposition alliance enforced nationwide blockade which triggered wide spread violence, leaving hundreds of people including dozens of policemen injured.
In the early hours of Thursday incidents of clash, arson, vandalism, chase and counter-chase, bomb explosions and detention were reported from many where in the the country.
Despite opposition threat to boycott, Bangladesh Election Commission announced on Monday that the country’s 10th parliamentary election will be held on Jan. 5 next year.
Like previous days police used tear gas and rubber bullets against opposition protesters. At least 50 people including cops were reportedly injured as opposition men clashed with the law enforcers in Patuakhali on Thursday morning .
Hundreds of people, including dozens of policemen, have reportedly been injured in the last two days’ deadly violence in opposition strongholds outside Dhaka.
In the capital city streets traffic remained relatively thin as most private vehicles were kept indoors.
Khaleda Zia has asked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring back a non-party caretaker system, or else the opposition won’t participate in the next election because it fears an election without the non-party caretaker government will not be free and fair.
A senior BNP leader who did not like to be named told Chinese Xinhua News Agency Thursday morning that the opposition alliance will go for more tougher agitation from the beginning of next week on Sunday.
“It’s a do or die situation for the main opposition party,” he said.
He further said, “Hasina’s Fascist AL party government is killing people like birds and controls almost all the media so that they can’t talk about state-sponsored repression on opposition.”
A ruling party spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Political analysts have long been telling that there is no alternative but to reach consensus over the caretaker issue to avoid further serious confrontation.
Bangladesh’s leading development partners including China have also called for dialogue to end political impasse.
“As a friendly neighbor of Bangladesh, China sincerely hopes that all relevant parties in Bangladesh would set store by overall interests, solve differences through dialogue, make efforts to ensure the success of the election and work together to achieve political and social stability and economic development,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang said at a regular press conference on Nov. 27.
The two leading leaders of South Asian country’s politics held phone talks last Oct. 26, the first direct conversation between the two leaders of the South Asian country’s politics since January, 2009 when Hasina cabinet took oath of office.
Although both the parties are seeking dialogue to end impasse over the formation of the polls-time government, but no headway is being made so far.
The South Asian nation plunged into a major political crisis in late 2006 and it returned to democracy after two years of army- backed rule following a widely acceptable parliament elections in 2008 under caretaker government.