Observe hartal on Tuesday: Khaleda

BNP Chairperson and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Begum Khaleda Zia has urged the people to observe a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Tuesday, reports APB.

BNP and its allies, including Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, earlier announced the shutdown programme to press for their four-point demand.

The demands, announced separately from their respective platforms, are: Resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and reformation of the Election Commission, issuing voters' identity cards, release of political prisoners and withdrawal of cases filed against opposition leaders and workers.

In a statement yesterday, the BNP leader alleged that elections to the Union Parishads and parliamentary by-elections held under the present government were not free and fair. She also accused the AL government of vote rigging.

Begum Zia said the government had announced the schedules for the pourasava elections unilaterally, ignoring the demands of the opposition and fixed the date for filing nomination paper on January 26.

"They don't want the opposition parties to participate in the election," she said, adding, "in the greater interest of the nation and democracy we can't accept a face elections."

Meanwhile, leaders of the 7-party alliance yesterday also urged the people to make Tuesday's countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal a success defying all sorts of instigation.