The main opposition Awami League (AL) is desperate to dislodge the 29-month-old BNP-led four-party alliance government while the ruling combine is bent on quelling the agitation even through repressive measures.

Political observers say hopes of resolving the current political stalemate have all but evaporated as both the chiefs of BNP and AL in their recent statements have clearly showed their intent for a political face-off on the streets.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at a rally on February 14 asked her supporters to go on a counter-offensive against any violent political move. "[Confine] those inside their houses who want to block the roadmap for development," she told the government loyalists.

Leader of the Opposition and AL President Sheikh Hasina refused to sit with the ruling alliance to end the stand-off and turned down the appeals, even by the US envoy, to return to parliament.

She has demanded immediate resignation of the government and a mid-term parliamentary election.

Observers fear a violent flare-up on the political front tomorrow as a scheduled public meeting of the BNP in the city's Bashabo playground coincides with the countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the AL.

Sources said there is a good chance of confrontation between supporters of the two biggest parties in Bangladesh over holding the rally and enforcing the hartal. There has been no move yet from any side to either shift the rally or defer the shutdown to avert a possible conflict.

The BNP claimed that the public meeting is one of eight such meetings to be held in Dhaka, which was announced much ahead of the hartal call. Prime Minister and BNP chief Khaleda Zia will address the meeting.

However, AL sources claimed the BNP announced the rally after the hartal call in an attempt to foil the shutdown and repress the AL leaders and activists, who will be out picketing on the streets.

The police meanwhile yesterday raided the houses of leaders and workers of opposition Awami League (AL) and its affiliates as top police officials briefed the field-level officers on the government instruction to keep city streets off pickets and procession during tomorrow's hartal.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Ashraful Huda yesterday addressed the police officers at Rajarbagh Police Lines and asked them to execute the government order. High zonal officers, officer-in-charge (OCs) of DMP police stations, inspectors and sub-inspectors were also present at the briefing, sources said.

The houses of ward level AL and Jubo League leaders were raided across the city.

The home ministry on Wednesday ordered the police to arrest some 1,000 Awami League (AL) activists in the city and confine the opposition leaders and workers indoors during the countrywide hartal.

It also directed the police to press charges against opposition activists arrested on more than one count. Additional strike forces will be deployed in the strategic points across the metropolitan areas.

The law-enforcers were also directed to file cases in a way so that the accused cannot be cleared of the charges and collect witnesses on the spot during the hartal.

Plans are underway to revive previous cases against opposition leaders to quell the anti-government agitation, sources said.

Asked about the government move to resist the hartal, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil told The Daily Star that they do not scared of the government threat. "Demonstration is our democratic right which we will do on the streets during Saturday's hartal."