Bangladesh opposition set for mass march against polls

Published December 29, 2013
Police detain a man they suspect of being an activist of the banned Islamist organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir, in Dhaka December 27, 2013. — Photo Reuters
Police detain a man they suspect of being an activist of the banned Islamist organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir, in Dhaka December 27, 2013. — Photo Reuters

DHAKA: Bangladesh opposition protesters were set for a mass march on Dhaka Sunday in a bid to derail controversial January 5 elections, despite a police ban amid fears of widespread violence.

The opposition, which is boycotting the polls, has been predicting that up to a million people will descend on the capital in an effort to pressurise Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to halt what it describes as a “farcical” election.

Police have banned the so-called “March for Democracy” amid fears that the rally would become a focal point for more unrest after what has already been the deadliest year for political violence in the country's history.

Police have detained more than 750 opposition supporters as a “preventive measure”, while authorities have suspended Dhaka-bound bus, ferry and train services, virtually cutting off the city from the rest of the country.

“It seems the government has imposed an undeclared shutdown in the country,” Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a leading opposition figure, said late Saturday.

Alamgir urged supporters to defy the ban and march to central Dhaka where Khaleda Zia, leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was expected to address a mass rally on Sunday afternoon.

It was unclear whether Zia would herself make it to the rally, with supporters accusing authorities of keeping her under de facto house arrest since Wednesday.

Police and security forces have conducted nationwide raids, searched trains and buses to arrest opposition supporters.

The arrests were made ahead of the protests “to prevent acts of violence and sabotages”, Dhaka police spokesman Masudur Rahman told AFP.

Around 100 passengers were taken off a Dhaka-bound train in northern Tangail district as police searched the carriages for Islamists accused of launching attacks against police in recent months.

Bus operators, meanwhile, said they had halted their Dhaka-bound services while ferries remained anchored in river stations.

“We suspended our services following government orders,” Mohammad Faruq Talukder, owner of the country's largest inter-city bus operator, Sohag Motors, told AFP.

Zia's party has organised a series of crippling national strikes and transport blockades in recent weeks in a bid to halt the elections.

The strikes have done further damage to an economy already reeling from the impact on the crucial garment sector from a factory collapse in April which sparked widespread industrial unrest.

The opposition have been demanding that Hasina stand down and allow a neutral caretaker government to oversee the polls as in previous contests, but she has refused to yield.

The credibility of the polls has been further undermined by the refusal of foreign countries and organisations to send observers.

Violence triggered by the election protests and war crime trials of opposition leaders have left at least 273 people dead in 2013 -- the deadliest year of political upheaval since the country's independence in 1971.

With Hasina's Awami League certain of victory, the elections are seen as likely to further widen the political divide in a country which has endured nearly two dozen coups in its short history.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.