At least 16 incidents of arson took place across Bangladesh in over 24 hours till this morning (November 01, 2023) during the road, rail and waterway blockade enforced by the BNP, Jamaat and its allies. Sources at the media cell of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters said that they got information of 16 arson attacks across the country. The reports of fire incidents reached the fire service control room from 6 am yesterday till 9 am today. No long route buses leave from Ctg on first day of blockade: 14 held Among the arson attacks, four occurred in Dhaka city (Postogola, Khilgaon, Baridhara), six in Dhaka division (Savar, Gazipur), three each in Chattogram (Karnaphuli, Rangunia) and Rajshahi (Bogura, Sirajganj) divisions. Nine buses, two covered vans, two trucks, one pick-up van, two commercial product showrooms and one police box were burned, fire department's media cell said. AL holding marches, sit-ins on streets protesting BNP-Jamaat’s blockade A three-day blockade of road, rail and waterways, enforced by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties, began on Tuesday (October 31, 2023) to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit and hold the next election under a non-party, neutral administration. Countrywide blockade: Long-route bus services from Khulna suspended

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday (September 09, 2023) urged everyone to remain alert as the government is plotting to carry out violence and communal attacks to shift the blame onto opposition parties. "They (govt) are conspiring. It won’t work, no matter how much plot they hatch,” he told a rally at Nayapaltan after the party’s two mass processions. As part of that plot, the BNP leader said his ruling party counterpart Obaidul Quader talked about violence and communal attacks two days ago. “By making such attacks by Awami League, they (government) will try to put the blame on the opposition parties. That's why everyone should stay alert,” he warned. Read more: BNP, like-minded parties set to hold mass processions in Dhaka Saturday Fakhrul said the government has no strength to resist the people who took to the streets to ensure its fall. “We must take to the streets with more courage to defeat this demonic government,” he told the opposition leaders and workers. The BNP leader said people from all walks of life, including farmers, labourers and hardworking people, regardless of their party affiliation, have got united to unseat the Awami League government through a united movement. “You’re going through suffering in the rain. You have to endure more pains and suffering in the days to come to establish a people's government through a credible election under a truly neutral non-partisan government by defeating the current regime,” he said pointing at the opposition followers. Read more: Polls experts, politicians say political parties should resolve differences over next elections

Leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League and its affiliates today took a stance in Dhaka as BNP and like-minded opposition parties and alliances organised a sit-in programme. According to party sources, every leader in every ward of the city took to the streets to face any untoward incident. Leaders and activists of Awami League, Jubo League, Swachhasebak League, Krishak League, Mahila Awami League, Mohila Jubo League and other affiliated organisations gathered in front of the central office of Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue since early morning. Read more: BNP announces countrywide rally, procession on Jan 16 A huge traffic contestation was created due to the gathering. Most commuters crossed the area on foot as vehicles were stuck due to the programme. On the other hand, Chhatra League leaders and activists gathered at Shahbagh since morning. Apart from the day-long programme in front of Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka Metropolitan South Awami League arranged a discussion at 11:30 am on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Homecoming Day. Minister of Road Transport and Bridges and General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, Obaidul Quader ,was present as the chief guest at the programmes.

BNP and other like-minded opposition parties, alliances and organisations are set to observe a mass sit-in programme in Dhaka and other divisions in the county as part of the simultaneous movement to unseat the current government. The four-hour programme will be observed from 10am to 2pm separately by the opposition parties and the organistaions to realise their 10-point demand, including holding the next polls under a non-party neutral government. It will be the second programme of the simultaneous movement after the mass procession by the 33 opposition parties on December 30. Read more: BNP’s 27 points parts of anti-govt movement: Amir Khosru BNP policymakers said the programme was worked out for January 11 keeping in mind the political changeover that took place on that day in 2007 - an episode popularly known as 1/11 in the country. Meanwhile, BNP vice chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain along with party law affairs secretary Kaiser Kamal met Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Tuesday evening. Coming out of the DMP office around 7:20pm, Dr Zahid said they got permission for observing the sit-in programme in front of their party’s Nayapaltan central office from 10-am to 2pm. DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq said they urged BNP to observe the programme keeping traffic normal. "They (BNP) have to take the responsibility if there is a disruption in traffic." BNP senior leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Mirza Abbas, will address the programme. Besides, Ganatantra Mancha will hold the programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club while the 12-Party Alliance at Bijoy Nagar Water Tank, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote at Purana Paltan, LDP at FDC Crossing and Ganatantrik Bam Oikya in the east side of the Jatiya Press Club and Gonoforum (Montu) at Arambagh. Though Bangladesh Jamaat Islami joined the mass procession programme with BNP and other parties on December 30, the Islamist party has decided not to observe the sit-in programme due to a strategic region, said a senior leader of the party. After the sit-in, the opposition parties and alliances are likely to announce fresh programmes to intensify the simultaneous movement. Besides, BNP senior leaders will take part in the mass sit-in programme in different divisions. Read more: Restoring people’s ownership of country is BNP’s main challenge: Mosharraf As per the plan of BNP, party standing committee members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy will lead the programme in Sylhet Division while Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan in Rajshahi, Nazrul Islam Khan in Mymensingh, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in Chattogram, Selima Rahman in Barisal, and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku in Rangpur, Vice-Chairmen Barkat Ullah Bulu in Comilla, Shamsuzzaman Dudu in Khulna and Advocate Ahmad Azam Khan in Faridpur. Earlier on December 30, BNP and 32 other like-minded opposition parties staged a mass procession programme in different parts of the capital and Rangpur city as the first programme of the simultaneous movement. They also separately announced the sit-in programmes across the country for January 11 as their next course of action, to press home their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the current government and formation of a polls-time caretaker government. Earlier on December 24, BNP held the mass-procession programme in all divisional cities and district headquarters. Due to the national council programme of the ruling Awami League and Rangpur city polls, BNP rescheduled the same programme in Dhaka and Rangpur for December 30.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday expressed her frustration for not having a strong opposition in the country as the two main opposition parties, created by military rulers, don't have base among the mass people. “We are not getting strong opposition. They do not have their position among the people of the country,” she said. She said this while holding a views exchange meeting with the officials of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The meeting lasting three and half hours was held at the PMO with the prime minister in the chair. Apparently pointing to the opposition BNP and Jatiya Party she said both were created by the military dictators, who grabbed the state power defying the Constitution. “They don't have any interest for the country and its people,” she said.  Hasina, also the chief of the ruling Awami League, said that her party is the only political party that comes from the land and people of the country. “For that reason all our thinking always centres round the country and its people,” she said. She said that in developed countries politics is dominated by two parties only. “In most of the cases there is no other party except two parties. There is reluctance seen in the other parties in participating in elections. Same thing is happening in our countries also,” she said. She mentioned that when the western world talks about democracy and participatory elections, they hardly think about the situation in Bangladesh where the opposition parties have no strong popular support. Also read: Work for people’s welfare, PM urges police force Hasina discounted the propaganda about Bangladesh becoming another Sri Lanka (a nation in economic crisis).   “We are taking various types of assistance for development. That’s right. But we are not loan defaulter and even during the COVID-19 pandemic we repaid our loans, Bangladesh is the only country that repay all loans in due time,” she said. She said that Bangladesh takes various types of development programmes and before taking that the government do its proper calculation.  “From where we should take loan and how much, what benefits we will get from this development and what will be the return – all these are well analysed and calculated,” she said. Regarding the foreign investments Hasina said that Bangladesh welcomes only the investment which will be beneficial for the country. “We do not accept any investment just for showing investments are coming.”

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday alleged that the government has got desperate to attain its goal of depoliticisation in the country by eliminating opposition parties.