The BNP and like-minded opposition parties has called for a 48-hour nationwide hartal from 6:00am on Sunday.
The hartal has been called to protest the Election Commission`s schedule for the next national election under the Awami League-led government, announced last week.
The shutdown which will begin at 6:00am on Sunday and end at 6:00am on Tuesday is meant to mount pressure on the government to step down and hand over power to a neutral government and release all the arrested BNP leaders and workers, including its secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
At a press briefing on Saturday, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called upon people from all walks of life and the opposition leaders and workers to observe the programme peacefully and make it a success.
"This hartal is meant for restoring all the lost rights of people and realising the demand for holding a free, fair, and acceptable election. This shutdown is also for registering the protest against repression of the government," he said.
Rizvi urged the leaders and workers of BNP and other opposition parties to take to the streets with courage during the hartal hours to effectively enforce the shutdown.
He also called upon the government to step down and cancel the election schedule to ensure a credible and inclusive election.
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