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Stop destroying democratic air PM asks opposition

UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday urged all concerned, particularly opposition political parties, to refrain from 'destroying the democratic environment and trampling human rights in the name of movement and demonstrations'.
She made the call when a delegation of the Council for National Agenda (CNA), led by its chairman Justice Mohammad Abdur Rouf, called on the prime minister with a plea for banning hartal to stem the current spell of unrest.
The prime minister urged members of the intelligentsia to play a positive role in creating awareness among people about the vice of violence and hartal.
The CAN, which groups retired judges, bureaucrats, academics and journalists, demanded halting
hartal by enacting a tough law or enacting law at least to stop attempt of enforcing hartal by means of violence.
"Hartal is a destructive action against national interest and economy. Almost all people are peaceloving and against hartal--they want to do their respective work," the delegation was quoted as saying.
People's human and democratic rights are being curtailed by forcing them to observe hartal, the CNA body observed.
The delegation comprised Barrister Mainul Hosein, Prof MA Majed, former advisor of caretaker government, Tobarak Hossain, ex-foreign secretary, Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, retired bureaucrats MM Rezaul Karim, MR Osmani, Shah Abdul Hannan,
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Masum Ahmad Chowdhury, journalist Sadek Khan, Prof Mahbubullah, Prof M Anwar Hossain and poet Ishraf Hossain.
"We do not want to curtail anybody's democratic and human rights---we want the continuity and strengthening of democratic process and development of the country. We are working to that end," Khaleda told them.
But she lamented that a certain quarter in the name of politics was trying to create instability. She mentioned that five police had been killed while many injured and maimed and a lot of property damaged in the last few days.
The prime minister said such activities are in violation of human rights. The government is providing assistance, as far as possible, to the family members of victims though their losses are irreparable.
She said the hartal-callers know it well that a government cannot be toppled through hartal. But it can hamper development and investment, make people panicky and destroy peaceful environment.
"Those who create such situation cannot be people's friends," she said.
The CNA body drew PM's attention and expressed concern over counteraction of the opposition for
today, the day of pre-announced political programme of ruling BNP and its allies.
The PM said that her political adversaries had done such things in the past as well and the BNP and alliance given concession time and again.
She urged the opposition to refrain from such practice.
Main opposition party, Awami League, and its leftwing allies have called a marathon 36-hour hartal from today in a series of such strikes in protest against the killing of AL leader Shah AMS Kibria in an attack in Habiganj.
Referring to the sad killing of Shah AMS Kibria, the prime minister said demanding trial of the killing is natural, but "no conscious persons would accept killing of innocent people in the name of seeking trial".
Mentioning that law and order has improved much following sincere effort and tough and effective steps of the government, she said, "Attempt to create instability through letting loose anarchy cannot be tolerated."
Stating with determination that the killers of Kibria must be caught and punished, she mentioned all-out efforts of the government to find the clue and the culprits.