PRO-ISLAMIST
opposition has slapped a deadline of 90 days to restore the cancelled
non-partisan caretaker system, which is widely believe the ruling party would
manipulate.
The opposition Bangladesh
Nationalists Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia on Monday threatened agitation,
which often begets violence in a poverty stricken nation of 150 million.
She urged her
pro-Islamist 6-party alliance and their supporters to enforce nation-wide shut
down on Mar 29 protesting the government attempts to bar its leaders and
activists from joining Monday's grand rally in the capital’s city center.
Despite security
agencies obstacles to hold the pro-Islamist opposition the rally was attended
by a crowd of 200,000 and was apparently peaceful, eyewitnesses claim. In a
country-wide crackdown, an estimated 4,000 opposition supporters and activists were detained,
police spokesperson said.
The commuting city
buses, long distance buses, river ferry boats were shut down. Several check
posts were manned by police and elite anti-crime squads who frisked thousands
of people entering the capital Dhaka.
The security agencies
asked the city hoteliers and community centers to shut down their business on the
eve of the opposition rally. The agencies put off the air three private
satellite channels Ekushey TV, Bangla Vision and
Islamic TV from live broadcast of opposition leader speech.
In her 90-minute speech, the BNP chief in a scathing remarks of the government and blamed for gagging the media.
At the rally the
opposition leader, Zia who was twice prime minister failed to provide terms of
reference of an interim government’s system would be responsible to hold free,
fair and credible election.
The opposition believes
that the upcoming parliament election in 2013 would be rigged, in the backdrop
of a weak election commission.
Saleem Samad, an Ashoka Fellow, is Bangladesh
based award winning investigative reporter. He specializes on Islamic militancy,
forced migration, good governance, press freedom and elective democracy. He was
detained and tortured in 2002 and later expelled from Bangladesh in 2004 for whistle-blowing on the
safe sanctuary offered to the Jihadists who fled during Anglo-US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Ending his life in exile in Canada
he has recently returned home after six years. He could be reached at saleemsamad@hotmail.com
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