BANGLADESH

The BNP has rescheduled Sunday's procession to Monday after police put an embargo on public gathering fearing lawlessness since that programme coincided with an Awami League rally.

Acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir emerged halfway through a standing committee meet to make the announcement.

"Due to the ban, the Dhaka procession will take place on Monday, starting at 2pm from the party office. Khaleda Zia will lead the procession.

"We hope the government will cooperate with us in this peaceful protest programme," he said.

"But the government should not mistake our tolerance for weakness," the spokesperson emphasised.

Party chief Khaleda Zia had given a call for Sunday's public procession, demanding reinstatement of the caretaker government system, during a rally in Chittagong on Jan 9.

But AL's metropolitan unit on Thursday called for a rally of its own on Sunday in front of the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police subsequently imposed a ban on all kinds of gathering and procession in the city on Sunday.

"Jan 29 rally was announced a long time ago. But Awami League's announcement of its rally was pre-planned. We were sure then that the government would use this as an excuse to bar the mass procession," Fakhrul said.

He said the decision was a reflection of the government's autocratic attitude.

"The government forced a ban on our peaceful programme. We believe in peace. So we have rescheduled our programme to Jan 30," he added.

Earlier, addressing a programme on the closing ceremony of diploma engineers' national council, Khaleda had demanded lifting of the ban on all sorts of gathering in the capital meant for Sunday.