18-party call countrywide shutdown Sunday

Dhaka – The BNP-led 18-party alliance on Friday called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday in protest against the fuel price hike.BNP coordinator Tariqul Islam announced the shutdown at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office after a secretary general-level meeting of the 18-party alliance in the morning.
Tariqul, also a BNP standing committee member, told reporters that the hartal has been called in the interest of people.
“We didn’t want to enforce the hartal, but we’ve called the lockdown in the interest of the common people, farmers and the economy, and to protest the government’s undemocratic and autocratic decision,” the BNP leader said.
Voicing his party’s concern over the fresh fuel price hike, Tariqul said the common people will have to go through a miserable life as the prices of essentials will go up further following the government decision.
Questioning the logic for raising the petroleum prices, the BNP spokesman said, “The fuel prices are stable on the international market right now. As per as we know, the government was making profit from the previous fuel price hike. Now they’ll make more profit. Where’ll they spend this money?
He alleged that the intention of the government behind raising the petroleum prices is only to continue its plundering.
The former minister called upon all to make the hartal a success by their spontaneous participation.
“We’ll observe the hartal peacefully. The government will have to bear all the responsibilities if it obstructs our peaceful programme and creates anarchy,” the BNP spokesman said.
Issuing a note of warning, Tariqul said, “We don’t want any violence. If the government deliberately wants to create violence we won’t spare them.”
Asked whether BNP will call hartal again if the government increases power tariff, he said they will declare not only hartal but also enforce harsher programmes if the government takes any anti-people decision.
Criticising the government for arresting many opposition leaders and activists in ‘false; cases, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, he demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The announcement followed an emergency meeting of the main opposition BNP, chaired by its chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday night, hours after the government declared its decision to increase the fuel prices.
At the meeting attended by the senior party leaders, the BNP chief decided to enforce the countrywide hartal on Sunday.
The government on Thursday raised the petroleum prices with effect from zero hours on Friday, the second time after December 30, 2011.
According to an official release, the prices of diesel and kerosene have been raised by Tk 7 per litre while those of octane and petrol by Tk 5 per litre.
Now diesel and kerosene will be selling at Tk 68 per litre while octane and petrol at Tk 99 and Tk 96 per litre respectively. The petroleum prices were last raised in November 2011.
The Awami League government has increased fuel prices for five times during its present tenure.
Meanwhile, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, during her mass contact programme on December 26, threatened to call hartal and road-blockade programmes if the government raises the prices of fuel, gas and electricity.
“Don’t try to increase the prices of fuel, gas and electricity. We’ll enforce hartal and road blockade programmes in case of any price hike of fuel, gas and electricity,” she

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