The BNP will hold an hour-long sit-in programme in front of all the district offices of the Power Division across the country on June 8 to protest the ongoing loadshedding and 'corruption' in the power sector. Besides, the party will also submit a memorandum to the district power offices on the same day. BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme on Tuesday at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office. Also Read: People suffer as severe load shedding continues countrywide He said the programme was worked out at a meeting of their party’s standing committee, the highest policy-making body, on Monday night. “A sit-in program will be observed from 11am to 12pm in front of the power office at the district headquarters on June 8 and a memorandum will be submitted there in protest against the unbearable loadshedding and massive corruption in the power sector,” the BNP leader said. Also Read: Imagine if electricity generation capacity were still 3000 MW like in BNP-Jamaat govt period: Nasrul Hamid He said people are going through unbearable suffering due to terrible power outages across the country. "In villages and towns, people get electricity for one or two hours in 24 hours. People are experiencing loadshedding for five-six hours during the day as well.” The BNP leader also said power is also not available in the capital for more than 3/4 hours every day. He alleged that the government looted thousands of crores of taka in the name of quick rental power projects and subsidies for the power sector.  “Their (govt) fraudulence is now clearly exposed before the people through the rampant loadshedding.” Also Read; Sylhet BNP expels 43 leaders for contesting city polls “The Awami government has committed a criminal offence by creating scope for looting in the power sector. The indemnity law has been enacted to legitimize looting in the power sector. That is why those involved in these quick-rental projects should be arrested. They’re the biggest enemies of the people,” the BNP leader said. He condemned the attack at on the peaceful road march programme of Ganatantra Mancha in Bogura.    

Convoys of buses and vehicles filled with Pakistani pro-government supporters are flooding the main road leading to the country's capital on Monday to protest the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Thousands are making their way toward the Supreme Court for a rare sit-in against its decision to give Khan, now opposition leader, an “undue reprieve” following his arrest in a graft case. The 70-year-old Khan was released on bail and given protection from arrest until later this month. Also Read: Pakistani court frees former Prime Minister Imran Khan The call to protest is a sign of escalating tensions between the judiciary and the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022. Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance of 13 political parties affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League has called for the sit-in over the weekend. The radical Islamist political party Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam is leading the protest call. Also as part of the alliance, Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — the son of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto — is also joining the protest. The sit-in is expected to take place despite a ban on rallies and public gatherings that the government imposed in the wake of the crisis. “Our peaceful protest is against Chief Justice (Umar Ata Bandial) for facilitating the release of Imran Khan,” said Fazalur Rehman, the head of Pakistan Democratic Alliance. As he spoke, more than 3,000 supporters had already gathered near the sprawling court building. In a televised statement on Monday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif accused the Supreme Court of siding with Khan. He suggested the court “examine the conduct of the chief justice" and take legal action against him. Last Tuesday, Khan was dramatically arrested from a courtroom in Islamabad and dragged out by agents of the National Accountability Bureau on charges of accepting millions of dollars worth of property in exchange for providing benefits to a real estate tycoon. Also Read: Pakistan on edge as court decides whether ex-PM Imran Khan goes free or is rearrested Khan’s arrest triggered a wave of violent protests across Pakistan. Supporters of Khan and his Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party, clashed with police, set fire to more than 100 police vehicles, and burned down government buildings and even military facilities, including the residence of a top regional army commander in the eastern city of Lahore. A year after his ouster, Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, is still widely popular in Pakistan. Khan blames Sharif, the country’s military and Washington for his removal from power, saying it was part of a conspiracy to discredit him. All three have denied the charge. Later in the day, Khan will appear before a top court in Lahore city to seek bail and protection from arrest in terrorism cases filed against him because of last week's violence instigated by his supporters. Cash-strapped Pakistan is facing political turmoil amid stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund for the revival of a 2019 bailout to avoid a default on sovereign payment.

The Ganatantra Moncho, an alliance of seven political parties, on Friday announced a three-hour public sit-in protest in Dhaka and other divisional cities on January 11 as part of the simultaneous movement of the opposition parties and alliances to unseat the current government. Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Babul, the convener of Bhasani Anusari Parishad and also a leader of the alliance, announced this programme from their mass procession today. He said they will hold mass sit-ins on January 11 in all divisions, demanding the release of all the top opposition leaders, including Begum Khaleda Zia, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mirza Abbas, Pratim Das, who were imprisoned in "fabricated, false" cases. The sit-in in Dhaka will be held from 11am to 2am in front of the Jatiya Press Club, Babul added. Earlier in the day, the Ganatantra Moncho brought out a mass procession from the Jatiya Press Club around 11am. The procession ended at the Nightingale intersection in Kakrail after parading different roads through the Paltan intersection and Bijoy Nagar Road. Also Read: Simultaneous Movement: Ganatantra Mancha brings out mass procession in Dhaka Meanwhile, Biplobi Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque said, "No national election is possible under this government. Also, no fair election is possible in the future while this government is in charge. That is why we said this government should be forced to resign before the election. And after that, an interim government will have to be formed. There is no alternative to that." "The BNP announced a 10-point demand; we came up with 14 points. A liaison committee has already been formed. At a discussion yesterday, we decided that these points would be the basis of our simultaneous movement, which we will present to the people as soon as possible." Ganasanghati Andolan Chief Coordinator Junaid Saki said the 2018 election is a disgraceful day for the nation. "This government has joepardised the state by looting votes in the dark of the night." The BNP and other opposition parties and alliances are observing December 30 as a "Black Day," marking the anniversary of the 11th parliamentary election held on this day in 2018. Around 33 like-minded political parties, including the BNP, are holding mass procession programmes in the capital today to push for their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament, transfer of power to a non-partisan caretaker government and formation of a new election commission.