Opposition to lay siege to PMO in Dhaka

Dhaka: The Awami League-led 14-party combined opposition has decided to lay their planned siege to the Prime Minister's secretariat for two hours on Tuesday, defying a ban slapped on gathering around the PMO.

Meanwhile, being informed of the Opposition's decision to besiege the PMO in defiance of the ban imposed by the police administration, the government has instructed the law-enforcing agencies to maintain peace in the Capital ''at any cost'', quoting competent sources UNB said.

A 13,000-strong force drawn from different agencies, including the paramilitary BDR and Armed Police Battalion (APB), has been deployed to build a security bulwark around the Prime Minister's Office at Tejgaon.

The mainstream Opposition lineup has planned to keep the PMO hemmed in from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (local time) as part of their latest round of movement for electoral reforms before the forthcoming general election.

After a preparatory meeting of the alliance yesterday, AL leader Tofail Ahmed again warned that a ''non-stop hartal'' would be enforced from the day caretaker government would take over if the ruling coalition handed over power to the interim government headed by Justice K M Hasan before implementing their electoral reform proposals.

Ahmed told the reporters that they would continue their peaceful programme ''defying'' government ban.

''Whenever the opposition goes for any peaceful demonstration, the government imposes section 144 to foil the programme. But whenever the Prime Minister brings out procession, all roads are sealed off and she uses administration to make the procession successful,'' lamented the senior AL leader.

''If the BNP-Jamaat coalition government does not accept Opposition's reform proposals, we would announce tougher programme from the grand rally scheduled for September 18,'' the AL presidium member threatened.

The 14-party declared the siege programme to press home their demand for implementing their electoral reform proposals.

Previously, the 14-party observed ''sit-in-demonstration'' in front of the PMO on April 19 on the same demand. And that time also the government-imposed restrictions on the gathering around the high-security PM office.