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3-day hartal on

Khaleda declines to entertain Hasina's request over phone

Staff Correspondent
Rejecting the prime minister's request to call off the hartal, the BNP-Jamaat-led 18-party opposition alliance enforced a 60-hour nationwide strike from this morning, worrying people about security and economic activities.
The shutdown aimed at forcing Sheikh Hasina's government to install a non-partisan election-time government raised fear of violence as ruling and opposition parties prepare for a face off on the streets.
Business leaders also requested opposition parties not to enforce hartal, calling it a destructive weapon that hinders the country's economic growth.
"The two major political parties give priority to the issue of retaining power or assuming power over economic advancement of the country. We are just killing our potentials," said Fazlul Hoque, former chief of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association. BNP chief Khaleda Zia on Friday at a rally announced that the opposition parties would enforce the non-stop hartal from 6:00am today if the government did not initiate talks on the formation of a non-partisan election-time government by yesterday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday evening made a phone call to her archrival Khaleda Zia to invite her to talks on Monday at Gonobhaban and requested the opposition chief to call off the hartal.
"You [Khaleda Zia| call off the hartal," Hasina was heard asking Khaleda over the telephone, but Khaleda refused.
"It is not possible to call off the hartal now since the programme was announced by 18-party alliance," said Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel, press secretary of Khaleda, at a press briefing.
Khaleda told the prime minister that if she had accepted in principle, that the next election would be held under a non-partisan polls-time government then the opposition would cancel all its agitation programmes, including the hartal, and join the talks, said Maruf.
The opposition leader told the prime minister that she would be ready to accept the invitation anytime after the evening of October 29, when the hartal ends, he said.
At least five people were killed in violence on Friday centring demonstration across the country. Yesterday, one
person was killed during a clash with law enforcers in Rajshahi and criminals hurled homemade bombs at high profile government officials, politicians, a judge and police yesterday, panicking people ahead of the hartal.
They exploded seven crude bombs in front of the houses of senior judge of the Appellate Division Justice SK Sinha, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed, Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud, Chief Election Commissioner Rakibuddin Ahmad and the office of Motijheel police deputy commissioner in Kakrail and Dhanmondi areas in the capital.
A senior newsroom editor of Ekattor Television was injured in another homemade bomb attack on the private television channel in Baridhara.
Announcing the 60-hour hartal at the rally, Khaleda termed it an "initial programme" to force the government into holding the election under a nonpartisan government.
"We have planned to enforce a series of hartal and blockade programmes in the coming days to force the government to install a non-partisan election-time government," a senior BNP leader told The Daily Star yesterday wishing anonymity.
The leader said the opposition chief made it clear in her rally speech on Friday that the talks and movement would go on simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the ruling party men have
declared that they would stay on the streets during hartal to foil any attempts to create anarchy in the name of anti-government agitations.
At an extended meeting of Awami League men, party Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif yesterday urged party men to be vigilant in every ward of the capital to protect lives and people's properties.
Some ruling party leaders yesterday also strongly criticised the leader of the opposition for enforcing the hartal ignoring the premier's call for talks.
After a meeting of 14-party ruling alliance, Awami League presidium member Tofail Ahmed at a press conference at Hasina's Dhanmondi office said, “Dialogues can't be held under pressure and threats. You [Khaleda] withdraw the hartal first.”
Law enforcers have claimed that they were prepared to thwart any attempts to destabilise law and order and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel were on the streets of the capital yesterday.