The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party will bring out mass processions in the capital for Friday afternoon as part of its one-point simultaneous movement to force the government to quit and hold the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the fresh programme at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan central office.

He said that BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units would bring separate processions after juma prayers to press home the party’s one-point demand.

The BNP leader said that other opposition parties, which had been carrying out the simultaneous movement, would observe a similar programme from their respective positions.

The BNP leader hoped that the government would not obstruct their peaceful programme. He warned that the government would be held responsible for any untoward incident if it obstructed the processions.

The BNP secretary general said that the Awami League would be wiped out if democracy was established in the country.

‘The Awami League has become very scared. If the democratic rights of the people are truly guaranteed, then they [the Awami League] will be wiped out. ‘

‘In the interest of democracy, in the interest of the country, in the interest of the sovereignty, it has become a national demand now to resist the Awami League,’ he said.

Asked about prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent allegation against the BNP of taking people hostage in the name of movement, Fakhrul said, You’ve seen our movement over the past few years... It is a completely peaceful movement, and we have consciously tried to avoid any kind of violence.’

‘But the Awami League has purposely blocked every programme in the name of a peace rally,’ he said, accusing the ruling party of breaking political norms.

‘The day we gave, they gave the programme; we shifted, and they shifted and took it there,’ Fakhrul said, adding that counter-rallies only exposed the vindictive nature of the ruling party.

BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, vice-chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, chairperson’s advisory council members Abdus Salam, Ataur Rahman Dhali, and central leaders Shahid Uddin Chowdhury, Mir Sarrafat Ali Sapu, Shammi Akhtar, and Amirul Islam Khan Alim were present at the press conference, among others.