Bangladesh: All MPs of opposition BNP resign from Parliament

All seven MPs of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) resigned from the parliament in a rally organised in Dhaka where the BNP put forward a 10-point charter of demand against the government of Sheikh Hasina. The resignation has been sent on email and it will be physically handed over to the speaker on Sunday, announced the BNP’s international affairs secretary Rumeen Farhana in the rally in Dhaka on Saturday.

The BNP held its 10th divisional rally in Dhaka on Saturday even while its top leaders including General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas were arrested over the last few days. Earlier, police registered cases against hundreds of people over Wednesday’s clashes between BNP supporters and the police in front of the BNP office in Nayapaltan area of Dhaka. One person was killed and several injured including some policemen in the clashes.

The BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain announced the party’s programme to start countrywide mass demonstrations against the government from December 24 in support of its 10-point charter of demand at the rally. The demands include resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament and inclusion of the provision of a caretaker government through a constitutional amendment, formation of a new Election Commission, creation of level playing field during the elections, holding the elections with ballot paper and not the EVM, release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other political prisoners, repeal of the controversial Digital Security Act and other repressive laws and making the price of essential items affordable for the people among others.

The BNP rally took place at the designated place at Golapbagh in Dhaka which was filled up to its capacity with BNP supporters. The nearby roads were also occupied with the people as there was no space left in the allocated ground. Extensive security arrangements were made in the area. No untoward incident was reported during the rally or afterwards ending the widespread apprehension among the public on the eve of the rally.