Close Khaleda’s office in diplomatic area: Shajahan
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan today urged the government to undertake steps to close BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in diplomatic zone.
“Khaleda Zia is hatching conspiracy in the name of politics at her office. So, we demand that the government immediately closes her office down,” the minister said while addressing a rally near Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office today.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. He also reiterated his demand for the immediate arrest of Khaleda Zia and urged the prime minister to undertake steps in this regard for the sake of country.
Otherwise, the people will arrest her and send her to Kashimpur jail, he added.
“We will return here if she is not arrested,” he said demanding immediate withdrawal of hartal (shutdown) and blockade.
The shipping minister was holding the rally before marching towards Khaleda’s office to lay siege to it this afternoon.
The minister was leading around 5,000 of people, who gathered at Gulshan-2 intersection this morning, under the banner of Sramik-Karmachari-Peshajibi-Muktijoddha Somonnoy Parishad.
They started towards Khaleda’s office but were resisted by police on road No. 86, few yards away from the office.
On February 8, Shajahan announced a series of protest programmes including a march led by himself towards Khaleda's Gulshan office.
Meanwhile, activists of Mohila Awami League have been staging a demonstration near Khaleda’s Gulshan office since morning with the same demands.
Around 100 female activists gathered on road No. 86 and started for Khaleda’s office but police resisted them by putting barricades around 11:00am, our correspondent reports from the spot.
In face of police resistance, they staged demonstration on the road.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance enforced its latest spell of 72-hour countrywide hartal since Sunday on top of the nonstop nationwide blockade that enters its 42nd day today.
On the other hand, BNP has termed the shipping minister's move to "gherao" Khaleda's office as "utterly provocative," and claimed that the move was aimed at "killing" the BNP chief.
In a joint statement, BNP's Dhaka city Convener Mirza Abbas and Member-Secretary Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel said Shajahan Khan carried out the "gherao" programme as per the instruction of the government high-ups.
BNP also warned the shipping minister of dire consequences for his threat to arrest Khaleda.
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