An ominous uncertainty is gathering again on the horizon of the political landscape of the country with Awami League (AL)-led 14-party coalition's second deadline ending today without its major demands being met by the caretaker government.

The coalition is ready to enforce an indefinite countrywide blockade from tomorrow if the demands are not by the end of the day, according to 14-party coalition sources.

Meanwhile, BNP-led four-party alliance announced that it will resist the AL-led coalition's programme by being on the streets. "We will be on the streets too. If any body tries to attack us we will teach them a lesson on the streets," former minister also joint secretary general of BNP, Mirza Abbas, told a Jubo Dal rally in front of the party head-quarter in the capital yesterday.

BNP held several meetings and marches in different areas of the capital yesterday agitating against the AL-led coalition's scheduled programme of indefinite countrywide blockade.

Similar vows were also made last week at a joint rally of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir at Muktangan in the capital, which are the student wings of BNP and Jamaat respectively.

The four-party alliance is scheduled to hold rallies and marches today in metropolitan cities and in all upazilas in the country denouncing 'killings, terrorism, anarchy and antielection conspiracies by Awami League'.

AL President Sheikh Hasina on behalf of 14-party coalition placed an 11-point charter of demands to the president-cum-chief adviser (CA) to the caretaker government (CG) during her meeting with him on October 30, urging him to prove his

neutrality by conceding the demands.

The coalition, which has been demonstrating for electoral reforms since July last year, plans to enforce the blockade in the capital and in district and upazila headquarters by taking to the streets, occupying all highways, shutting down all ports, and by halting rail and water transports.

It also has plans to hold rallies and marches in the capital and in other parts of the country until the demands are met, which include reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC), removal of the chief election commissioner (CEC), correction and revision of the voter list, cancellation of all contractual appointments of government officials, and withdrawal of all government officials

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with leanings to BNP-Jamaat politics both in civil and police administrations.

To make the programme of blockade a complete success by bringing the entire country to a standstill from tomorrow, the coalition held a series of meetings with its city unit leaders and district leaders in the last couple of days.

"We will withdraw the blockade as soon as the Election Commission is reconstituted following the removal of current commissioners including the CEC," a close aide to AL Chief Sheikh Hasina told The Daily Star yesterday.

Different teams comprising central leaders of AL and its allies are currently visiting different districts of the country to give directions to local leaders and activists to enforce the blockade with maximum strength.

The central leaders are also instructing district and upazila level leaders to stage a massive show of strength in their respective areas by taking to the streets.

Foreign diplomats have also been meeting over the last few days the rival sides of the political divide in an attempt to bring about an amicable settlement to the current political impasse.

HASINA'S MEETINGS

AL President Sheikh Hasina last night held two important meetings with AL central working committee (ALCWC) and with the leaders of Dhaka's all thana units and all front organisations of the party. She directed them to bring the capital to a complete standstill to compel the CG to meet the 11-point demand. 14-PARTY MEETINGS

The central committee and the Dhaka city committee of 14-party coalition yesterday held separate preparatory meetings. Both the meetings concluded that President Iajuddin Ahmed is liable to be impeached for violation of oath and for his 'unconstitutional' remark that the present form of government has become a presidential form of government.

The central committee of 14-party met at its Coordinator Abdul Jalil's residence while the city unit met at Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) office.

Both the meetings demanded that Iajuddin meets the 11-point demand within 24-hours to create a congenial atmosphere for holding free and fair polls and to prevent the scheduled programme of countrywide blockade.

"The rule of people instead of the president's will be established on the streets from November 12 (tomorrow) if the president fails to meet our demands by tomorrow (today)," JSD President Hasanul Haque Inu said while addressing the city 14-party meeting.

Both the meetings directed the coalition activists to take all out preparations to make the blockade a complete success.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil told The Daily Star yesterday, "The government will not be able to make us cower with the threat of declaring a state of emergency, the blockade will continue until the demands are met."

The coalition also held a series of rallies in different parts of the capital in the last couple of days vowing to resist any election without reconstitution of the EC. Front organisations

of AL and its allies -- Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), National Awami Party and 11-party -- also held several programmes including an attempt to lay a siege to the EC to press home the demands.

The coalition will hold its final preparatory meeting, ahead of embarking on the programme, at AL's central office and will demonstrate in the city's Pallabi area today.

The 14-party coalition plans to bring tens of thousands of people into the area surrounding Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital tomorrow. They will perform patriotic songs, hold rallies and bring out a number of marches. The entire area from Muktangan to Gulistan Square via Noor Hossain Square and Bangabandhu Avenue will be filled with supporters and activists of the coalition, said Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, coordinator of the city unit of the coalition.

In addition to this, the coalition will create blockades in every thana of the capital. Each thana unit leader has been asked to mobilise thousands of people to bring respective areas to a complete standstill, added Maya, who is also the general secretary of Dhaka city unit AL.

He said they will also talk to transport workers to ensure that no vehicle can operate on the streets. "We will also sit with different professional bodies to make the blockade a complete success." DIPLOMATIC MANOEUVRING In the last several days, different foreign diplomats held meetings with different political parties to bring about a consensus over reconstitution of the EC. The US ambassador, Australian and Canadian high commissioners, delegations of the European Union and the Commonwealth Secretariat, and many other foreign diplomats met the AL president, BNP chairperson and leaders of other political parties to discuss the current political situation.

All the foreign envoys urged the political parties to avoid street violence. Many of them also requested the AL chief to allow more time for the CG to meet the demands placed by 14-party coalition. But, AL told the envoys that they gave enough time for implementing the demands.

Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A Boucher is scheduled to meet the AL president at 2:30pm today. Sources said the US envoy might request the AL chief to give the CG more time for meeting the demands. Many political leaders believe Boucher could play a vital role in resolving the current political stalemate.