Bangladesh opposition sounds warning as demand for non-party government remains unheeded

Ex-Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia' s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Monday launched over one and a half month-long "peaceful demonstration program" and warned the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of waging tougher movements to realize its key demand of restoring a non-party caretaker system to oversee the upcoming parliamentary elections. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of BNP, rang the warning bell when he made the announcement as part of its ongoing anti-government activities across the South Asian country. The announcement came at a press briefing just a day after Hasina brushed aside the key demand of Khaleda's 18-party opposition alliance for an interim caretaker administration to conduct parliament elections. As part of the program, Alamgir said BNP leaders will visit all the 64 districts by Aug. 31 to drum up public support for the party's key demand to press Hasina government to restore the non- party caretaker government system to hold next parliamentary elections slated for early 2014. Apart from this, he said Khaleda Zia, also chairperson of BNP, will address grand rallies in a number of districts by Oct. 5 to whip up public support for restoration of the caretaker provision in the constitution. The opposition chief will also hold rallies in Dhaka and Chittagong, some 242 km southeast of the capital city. "Dates for rallies in Dhaka and Chittagong will be disclosed later," he added. BNP spokesman Alamgir threatened that the opposition alliance will go into more tougher movements by bringing changes to its ( today) Monday announced peaceful programs following the government 's activities and political developments in the coming days. "We want to give the government more time through our peaceful programs. We would expect the government will change its stance and realize the key demand of the opposition parties." Political tension in Bangladesh heightened since December last year after opposition alliance geared up anti-government agitation programs, demanding restoration of the non-party caretaker government system. Since June 2011 when Bangladesh Parliament abolished the non- party caretaker government system after an apex court verdict declared the 15-year-old constitutional provision illegal, the BNP- led alliance has been waging mass protests demanding for the reinstatement of the provision. The scrapped provision mandated an elected government to transfer power to an unelected non-partisan caretaker administration to oversee a new parliamentary election on the completion of its term.