Staff Reporter :The BNP-led 20-party alliance’s fresh 72-hour countrywide non-stop hartal is beginning today (Sunday) morning amid the ongoing countrywide non-stop blockade programme. The shutdown will continue till 6:00 AM of Wednesday. The alliance called the hartal protesting the threats to arrest BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and cutting off utility services to her Gulshan office. The hartal was also called to protest Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s order to law enforcers to thwart the ongoing movement by any means, hurling of bomb on BNP senior leaders’ residences, attack on BNP chairperson’s adviser Reaz Rahman and killing of about 21 leaders and workers of the 20-party alliance in fire, crossfire and the so-called gunfight. BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed on Friday made the announcement of the hartal programme in a press statement on behalf of the 20-party alliance.BNP’s another joint secretary general Salahudin Ahmed in a press statement on Saturday called upon the leaders and workers of the 20-party alliance and the countrymen to observe the hartal spontaneously. He also called for continuing the ongoing blockade programme alongside with the hartal. The hartal is beginning a day before beginning of the SSC examinations.
