Time limit to be 30 or 90 days

The BNP plans to unveil a model for the caretaker or interim government system at its March 12 rally and issue an ultimatum to the government for restoration of the system to oversee the next parliamentary election.
And if the government does not respond, the main opposition party may launch tougher programmes like non-cooperation movement and sit-in for an indefinite period in Dhaka, highly-placed sources in the party have said.
From the capital's Paltan Maidan rally on that day, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia may give a 30-day or 90-day ultimatum for the government to restore the caretaker system, the sources added.
Titled "Dhaka Cholo" (Let's March to Dhaka), the BNP predicts this to be one of the biggest ever gatherings of the leaders and activists of the four-party alliance, which includes the Jamaat-e-Islami.
"The party chairperson will announce a tougher movement, including an ultimatum, from the rally if our demand is not met before that," said Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, a standing committee member.
In whatever name or form, there must be a non-partisan government to supervise the election, he told The Daily Star.
The government scrapped the caretaker system in June last year through the 15th amendment to the constitution. The amendment brought in provisions allowing the political administration to conduct the elections.
The BNP maintains it will boycott any such polls.
Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia today sits with the leaders of the alliance and other like-minded parties at her Gulshan office to discuss a model of an interim government, the party's future agitation programmes and expansion of the four-party coalition, said her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel.
The party's national standing committee, the highest policy-making forum, will meet on Thursday to discuss those issues. Khaleda will preside over the meeting at her office, Maruf Kamal added.
The standing committee will also decide on the agitation programmes to be declared by Khaleda from the March 12 rally, aimed at mounting pressure on the government for a restoration of the caretaker system, senior leaders of the party said.
They added that a few among the four-party alliance and like-minded parties were trying to persuade the BNP leadership into declaring from the rally tougher programmes like sit-in for an indefinite period, but the BNP high command was yet to make a decision.
“We won't give the government any chance to mislead people. Our demand is clear and it will be realised through peaceful programmes,” said a standing committee member, requesting anonymity.
Another member of the committee, however, said they would give their opinion on the agitation programmes but that Khaleda herself would finalise those hours before the rally.
“The standing committee will discuss the issue after getting the opinion of the alliance partners,” said Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a senior member of the standing committee.
Meanwhile, the party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir warned against obstructing its programme.
The government will not be able to control the situation if the peaceful rally is obstructed, he added.