The BNP-led 20-party alliance has curtailed its declared Thursday’s 24-hour nationwide hartal programme by 12 hours, making it a dawn-to-dusk one. In a statement, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday said a daylong hartal from 6m to 6pm will be observed on Thursday across the country, protesting the gun attack on BNP chairperson’s adviser Reaz Rahman. But, the party did not mention the reason behind shortening the programme by 12 hours. However, a party leader wishing anonymity told UNB that they have curtailed hartal as the second phase of Biswa Ijtema begins on Friday morning. Earlier in a statement on Tuesday night, Rizvi said a countrywide all-out hartal from 6am Thursday to 6am Friday will be observed on behalf of the 20-party alliance protesting the gun attack on former state minister for foreign affairs Reaz Rahman that left him seriously injured. Unidentified criminals shot Reaz in the leg and waist and torched his car near Westin Hotel at Gulshan-2 around 8:45pm. Reaz, who came under the attack on his way back home from BNP chairperson’s office, is now undergoing treatment at United Hospital. Earlier on January 5, having failed to come out of her Gulshan office to join a planned rally of the 20-party alliance in the city to mark “Democracy Killing Day”, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia enforced the blockade for an indefinite period. Rizvi urged the country’s people from all walks of life to spontaneously observe the hartal and blockade programmes. He further said the ongoing blockade will continue until they achieve the victory. Meanwhile, BNP standing committee members in a statement on Tuesday accused the government of getting desperate to foil the 20-party’s ongoing blockade programme with subversive and terrorist acts, and urged the country’s people to intensify their movement to make it a success. – UNB, Dhaka.
