BANGLADESH

Warning that the consequences otherwise will be "unpleasant", BNP chief Khaleda Zia has demanded lifting of the ban on all sorts of gathering in the capital meant for Sunday.

"Awami League announced a counter-programme two days ago to foil the (BNP) mass procession. The government has now imposed Section 144 citing chances of conflict," Khaleda said at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) on Saturday.

Khaleda was addressing a programme on the closing ceremony of diploma engineers' national council.

The Dhaka metropolitan unit of Awami League announced a counter-programme on Sunday, to coincide with BNP's mass procession. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) subsequently imposed a ban on all kind of gathering and procession in the city on Sunday.

According to DMP officials, the ban has been imposed as a pre-emptive move to avoid possible law and order breakdown.

Khaleda 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.

Khaleda said the government is taken aback at the huge participation in BNP's "peaceful programmes". "Fearing this, they (government) have taken a wicked path," she alleged.

The former prime minister cited her 2001-6 administration's efforts for the improvement of technical education and engineers.

She supported the diploma engineers' slogan, 'Save Rivers, Save Country' and called on them to unite to save the country from the 'current crisis.

The closing ceremony of the 19th and 35th national council of diploma engineers was held in Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the programme on Thursday.

Around 6,000 diploma engineers from Bangladesh and 30 representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, took part in the programme.