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An Islamist activist shouts slogans during a rally in Dhaka on Friday. The rally was organised by radical Islamist political parties to demand the introduction of Shariah law in Bangladesh |
Ilias Ali, a former lawmaker of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its current organising secretary, and his driver have been missing since April 17. Police found his abandoned car and mobile phone near his home.
The BNP said yesterday that it would “enforce dawn-to-dusk general strikes on Sunday and Monday as the government failed to locate the whereabouts of our missing leader.”
At least five people were killed in the capital Dhaka and Sylhet after strikes earlier this week by the BNP-led opposition alliance.
The BNP alleges that government agents abducted Ali and his driver. Police say they have conducted searches in Dhaka and adjoining districts but had failed to locate the missing BNP leader.
Earlier this week, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia threatened to wage tougher programmes if Ilias Ali and his driver were not returned unharmed to their families by April 28.
Last year, Chowdhury Alam, a key organiser of BNP in Dhaka city, also went missing. His family members suspect that he was also murdered later.
In their earlier demonstrations, the BNP and its Islamist allies have demanded the resignation of Hasina and early elections, which are not due to take place before the end of 2013.
Khaleda accuses Hasina of instituting “virtual one-party rule” to remain in office. The government dismisses opposition demands and says it will remain in office until the last day of its mandate.
Hasina and Khaleda have dominated the nation’s politics for two decades and analysts fear that their renewed confrontation could plunge the country into fresh turmoil. DPA