Dhaka, March 11 – The BNP was not given permission till Sunday to hold its planned rally at Suhrawardy Udyan today demanding the release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia.A three-member BNP delegation led by chairperson’s adviser Abdus Salam yesterday went the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) but they came back with an empty hand, said a BNP leader.
He get the impession that the government would not give permission to the BNP to hold the rally this time too.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir talked to Minister for Home Affairs yesterday about giving them permission and but the minister did not make anything clear to him, said a senior leader.
The minister however assured him that he would think about the matter of permission, her said.
That’s why, the BNP central leaders still expect that the government is likely to give them permission to hold the rally even at the last moment.
A member of BNP delegation to the DMP said that they did not give them any hope for the permission.
Despite this we are still waiting to get the permission and our leaders and activists are prepared to join the rally and make it successful, he said.
The leader said, in case the party is not given permission it would declare fresh programme at a press conference protesting the government decision.
Meanwhile, briefing reporters BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the BNP is not being given permission to hold rally at Suhrawardy Udyan though HM Ershad led Jatiya Party and Rashed Khan Menon led Workers Party are given permission for it.
He also confirmed that they are yet to given permission to use Suhrawardy Udyan to hold the rally demanding the release of former premier.
“We are fully prepared for the rally. We are given permission sometimes tonight (Sunday), we will be able to make the Suhrawardy Udyan rally a success,” he said.
Abdus Salam and Khairul Kabir Khokan, among others, were present at the press conference.
The BNP has been organizing different mass contact programme like rally, human chain, hunger strike, collecting of signature and distribution of leaflets since the special judge’s court verdict convicting Khaleda for five years in a graft case and sent her old central jail at Nazimuddin Road on February 8 demanding her release. – Staff Reporter
