Dawn-to-dusk hartal affects normal life in Bangladesh

Dawn-to-dusk hartal affects normal life in Bangladesh

Normal life is affected in Bangladesh following a dawn-to-dusk hartal Thursday morning launched by the country's main opposition party and its allies in protest against increase in prices of fuel.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) also showed the government's failure to rein in soaring prices of essentials, safeguard small stock investors' interest and end repression of opposition leaders and activists as the reasons behind its decision to enforce a strike.

Most shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed and public transport were off the roads due to the lockdown, which is the seventh of its kind since the incumbent government came into force on Jan. 6, 2009.

The strike also hampered the functioning of offices to a large extent due to thin attendance in the absence of transport. Although inter-district buses stayed off the roads, the authorities claimed that operation of trains, launches and flights was usual.

Man-peddled rickshaws dominated the capital city's usually bustling streets like other hartal days. Some CNG- driven auto- rickshaws and inter-city buses were also seen on the capital streets.

Bangladeshi Home Minister Shahara Khatun had earlier said they would go tough against unruly picketers during Thursday's hartal.

Law enforcers were out in the capital streets early morning much before the hartal convenors and appeared firm not to let the pro-hartal pickets gather anywhere in the city. About 11,000 additional policemen and 3,000 Rapid Action Battalion personnel with 12 mobile courts reportedly deployed in the capital to deal with pickets.

No violence has so far been reported since the beginning of the strike, which was supported by BNP's allies including key Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the party which is demanding release its top leaders who have been detained on war crimes charges.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling party Bangladesh Awami Leagues has vowed to resist main opposition party's hartal and follow-up anti-government agitation programs, labeling those as " BNP's attempt to create anarchic situation in the country."

Hundreds of ruling party activists were seen to bring out anti- hartal procession on many city streets on Thursday morning in different parts of the capital city.

Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's BNP also said the government will be responsible for any untoward incidents if it obstructed the hartal from being observed which is aimed at protesting fuel price hike.

Just a day after raising prices of all kinds of petroleum products for the second time in more than four months, the Bangladeshi government Monday hiked the price of Compressed Natural Gas which analysts say will likely drive up already high inflation rate that leaped to 11.29 percent in August from July's 10.96 percent.

The government said there was no alternative but to increase fuel prices as losses by the state oil firm mounted on the back of rally in global oil prices. It was also necessary to ease the state firm' s subsidy burden, added the government.

BNP acting Secretary General Fakhrul Islam claimed over 300 leaders and activists of the party were arrested across the country ahead of Thursday's hartal which began at 6: a.m. local time.

A Bangladesh police spokesman was not immediately available to justify his claim.

Earlier former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's BNP and its allies had enforced a 48-hour non-stop general strike on July 6-8, demanding the cancellation of the 15th constitutional amendment and reinstatement of a non-party caretaker government system to hold parliament elections.

Bangladesh Parliament on June 30 abolished the non-party caretaker government through constitution amendment which means Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's incumbent Bangladesh Awami League- led government that has two-thirds majority in parliament will stay in power during the next national elections slated for early 2014.

Editor: Chen Zhi

English.news.cn   2011-09-22 14:46:44 FeedbackPrintRSS
By Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua)