Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called countrywide dawn-to-dusk strike for Thursday protesting withdrawal of all 'false and politically harassment' cases filed against its leaders.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan announced the strike at a press conference at the party's central office at Naya Paltan in the capital Dhaka Wednesday evening.
The BNP leader demanded unconditional release of 18-party alliance leaders and withdrawal of cases immediately.
Mr. Khan requested the countrymen to observe the strike, generally known as hartal, protesting a court order that rejected the bail petitions of its leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 32 others and sent them to jail in an arson case.
Earlier in the afternoon, a Dhaka court rejected the bail appeal of 33 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance and ordered sending them to jail in an arson case filed for torching a vehicle near the Prime Minister's Office during hartal on April 29 last.
BBN/SSR/AD-16May12-8:50 pm (BST)
