The ruling Awami League and opposition political parties including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Friday announced counter programmes in the capital at short distances at the same time on Saturday.

The BNP, from its grand rally at Naya Paltan in Dhaka on Friday afternoon, announced to hold sit-ins at all the entry points of Dhaka on Saturday to press home their one-point demand for resignation of the government and holding the upcoming general election under a neutral government.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, addressing the Naya Paltan grand rally as the chief guest on Friday afternoon, announced the new agitation programme and said that the BNP and like-minded opposition political parties would hold the programmes between 11:00am and 4:00pm.

Hours after the BNP announcement, the ruling Awami League at the night announced that they would hold ‘peace rallies’ at the important entry points of Dhaka on Saturday.

Dhaka south city unit Awami League office secretary Riaz Uddin Riaz at about 9:00pm said that the Dhaka south and Dhaka north units of AL would enforce the programmes.

United News of Bangladesh, quoting Bangladesh Awami Juba League general secretary Mainul Hossain Nikhil, reported that the Juba League would organise ‘peace rallies’ in Dhaka entry points of Abdullahpur, Tongi, Gabtali and Aminbazar on Saturday and that the ‘peace rallies’ would begin at 11:00am.