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Business leaders' prodding fails to budge AL on Feb 12 hartal

Staff Correspondent
A letter from business and chamber leaders requesting the Awami League (AL) chief to withdraw the February 12 countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal in the greater national interest has apparently failed to influence the main opposition party to budge on the issue.
"The country’s business community have long urged political parties to find an alternative to hartal and siege programmes to stage their protest," the letter said, signed by chiefs of 10 leading chamber and trade bodies including the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI).
The letter also said trade and business together with production in mills and factories are being hampered due to frequent hartals, siege and similar agitation programmes. "We need a peaceful environment to carry forward trade and business activities to survive in the competitive global market."
However, the main opposition party stuck to its guns and seemed set to go ahead with its hartal programme unless its 15-point demand, including a demand for an end to violence and corruption, is fulfilled by tomorrow.
About the necessity to withdraw hartal in the country's interest, AL Joint Secretary Obaidul Kader told The Daily Star that his party will actually be serving a greater interest of the nation by enforcing the hartal which he said is aimed at freeing them from the misrule of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government.
"We understand the sufferings of the common people as well as businessmen due to hartal, but it's a temporary sacrifice for the greater well-being of the countrymen," he said urging people to observe the strike.
Signatories to the letter are acting President of the FBCCI Kamaluddin Ahmed, President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Fazle RM Hassan, President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters' Association Kazi Moniruzzaman, Chairman of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association MA Awal, President of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries AK Azad, President of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Ebaidul Haque Chand, President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mohammad Lutfor Rahman, President of Bangladesh Oushadh Shilpa Samity SM Shafiuzzaman and Chairman of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity Amir Hossain Khan.
Earlier, on January 13, office bearers of the FBCCI met with AL President Sheikh Hasina at her Dhanmondi office in the city and urged her not to enforce any more hartals or agitation programmes to the detriment of the country's economy.
Hasina defended AL's position saying when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was in the opposition, they did not respond to a similar no-hartal call from the then ruling AL.