Ishraque's supporters give 24-hour ultimatum for his mayoral oath

Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain today issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding that he be sworn in as Dhaka South City Corporation mayor.

They also warned a tougher movement if their demand is not met.

Former secretary Mashiur Rahman, the chief coordinator of the protest, made the announcement this afternoon during a sit-in programme at the gate of Nagar Bhaban, the DSCC headquarters.

He said, "We had given a 48-hour ultimatum, of which 24 hours have passed without any response from the authorities," Mashiur Rahman told reporters.

"If engineer Ishraque Hossain is not sworn in as mayor within the next 24 hours, we will launch a more intense and tougher movement. The people of Dhaka will bring him to the office through protests."

He also clarified that while the protest continues peacefully, essential services, particularly those under the cleanliness department, would remain unaffected. Workers from that department will be allowed to collect and use their equipment to ensure that urgent civic services are not disrupted.

Earlier in the day, starting from 10:00am, Ishraque's supporters and a large number of workers from the city corporation's labour union began their protest at Nagar Bhaban, effectively halting all public services at the city corporation headquarters and causing significant inconvenience to citizens.

This ongoing movement began on May 14. The protesters earlier paused their activities after issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to the government.