The BNP will continue the ongoing hartal beyond the planned 72 hours if phone, internet and cable services are not restored at Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office immediately, says a press release.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance has been enforcing the countrywide 72-hour hartal since yesterday morning in protest at filing "false" cases against Khaleda and implicating her as the mastermind in last week's Jatrabaribus arson.

In the press release last night, BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed last night quoted the party chief as saying: "I am ready even to make supreme sacrifices for the sake of the country and to realise people's rightful demands."

Salahuddin, who was made the party's spokesperson after the arrest of BNP Office Secretary Rizvi Ahmed early Saturday, said: "We humbly call upon the people to make sacrifices for the time being due to the ongoing movement to drive out the killer of democracy and destructive Awami force.”

He also said their movement would continue until the “illegal” government stepped down and arrangements were made to hold a free and inclusive election.

The opposition-sponsored countrywide blockade enters 28th day

today. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on January 5 announced the programme after police barred her from coming out of her Gulshan office to attend a planned gathering of the opposition.

In the early hours of Saturday, cable, power and land phone connections to Khaleda's Gulshan office were snapped apparently to put pressure on her to call off the movement.

Besides, mobile phone networks of major operators were suspended within half a kilometre radius of the office, affecting around 10,000 phone users.

Amid widespread criticism, Dhaka

Electric Supply Company Ltd restored power supply to Khaleda's office after over 19 hours of severing the line. But other services remained suspended for the second day.

A reporter ofThe Daily Star visited different buildings near Khaleda's office yesterday and talked to some residents and office staff. All of them said they had been unable to communicate with anyone over mobile phones since Saturday.

"Why would the government make us suffer when we are involved with neither the government nor the BNP?" asked Md Barek, one of the residents.