Staff Reporter :The BNP-led 20-party alliance has extended its ongoing countrywide hartal by 48 hours alongside the non-stop blockade programme. Now the hartal will continue till 6:00 pm on Friday. BNP Joint-Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed made the announcement in a press statement on Tuesday afternoon. Besides, the alliance will bring out mass processions in all the districts, upazilas, thanas and pourasavas across the country on Thursday to press home their demands.The alliance called the hartal to press home their demands, including fresh elections under a nonparty government system. The hartal was also called for protesting extra-judicial killings by the law enforcers, forced disappearances, abductions, and crippling of the 20-party men, mass arrest, government’s interference in the judiciary and control over the media, and demanding the release of all political prisoners.The 20-party alliance called the hartal for 72 hours from Sunday morning. The hartal was relaxed for 12 hours from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm yesterday (Tuesday) for the celebration of the Bangladesh Cricket Team’s historic victory in the World Cup against England.Salahuddin Ahmed urged the leaders and workers of the 20-party alliance to observe the hartal programme and mass procession across the country spontaneously.
