DMP bans demo indefinitely

Police have imposed an indefinite ban on meetings, processions and rallies in Dhaka metropolitan area from 6:00am tomorrow.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)slapped the ban today, five days ahead of an anti-government rally organised by the BNP-led 18-party opposition combine to press home its demand of restoration of the caretaker government system.

DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed issued a notice in this regard, DMP Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman told The Daily Star.

The ban would be in effect until a further notice specifying changes in the order is issued, he added.

The announcement, which some fear may worsen the prevailing political stalemate, came quite coincidentally with a BNP delegation’s visit to the DMP headquarters for permission for the October 25 rally.

“This is a clear trampling of all sorts of democratic norms,” Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, who led the delegation, told The Daily Star over phone in an immediate reaction.

The DMP officials told the BNP delegation that they would convey their decision after consulting high officials.

“But after emerging from the DMP office, we came to know that the DMP has banned all kinds of demonstration,” Farroque said.

The police, like the government, are showing “autocratic attitude”, he commented, adding: “There is no match between their words and actions.”

The main opposition BNP will announce its next course of action after a meeting of the party high-ups at its chief Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office this evening.

Violent face-off unavoidable?

Heated over the demand of restoration of the provision of a neutral caretaker government for overseeing the next general election, the political scene of the country is feared to witness a face-off on the streets as both the camps stick to their stance over the issue.

The opposition alliance argues that the ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance government scrapped the caretaker provision disregarding the Supreme Court-announced options for holding the next two general elections under the system to manipulate the results in their favour.

The government, meantime, maintains that the experience under the 2007-2008 caretaker government regime warrants a stop to the continuation of the provision as that goes against the spirit of democracy.

With local and international bodies and individuals, who include UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry, suggested talks for holding the next election in a free and fair manner, there is almost no move by the government for so.

The issue of the incumbent cabinet’s continuing after October 24, which is the threshold of 90-day period before the expiry of the government tenure when the election should be held as per constitutional provision, remains another debated topic.

Taking the cue from party high-ups, grassroots leaders of AL and BNP have intensified their preparations for a face off on the streets, on or after October 25, centring the next general election.

Grassroots units of BNP-Jamaat-led opposition alliance in many areas have formed committees to resist the next parliamentary election under Sheikh Hasina-led government.

All-party polls-time govt

While the opposition has demanded that someone neutral should head the polls-time government,PM Sheikh Hasina yesterday proposed forming an all-party election-time governmentand urged the main opposition BNP to nominate its MPs for inclusion in the interim cabinet.

Hasina, however, did not specify the size of the cabinet and its scope of work or who would head the cabinet. It is also not clear from her speech when the interim cabinet would be formed.

In its initial reaction, the BNP last night spoke critically of the proposal and would come up with its formal reaction after Khaleda sits with her party leaders tonight to discuss the latest development.