Bangladesh opposition party’s 48-hour strike: ‘Sheikh Hasina playing with fire’

Bangladesh’s main opposition party started a 48-hour general strike ahead of country’s general election.

Voting would start Sunday and last for eight hours across the country in over 42,000 ballot stations as ballot boxes have been sent over in preparation for the vote, the election commission said. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former premier Khaleda Zia, are boycotting the election. Ailing Khaleda Zia is currently under house arrest.

Why is BNP boycotting the election?

The party said that they can’t guarantee the fairness of the elections under prime minister Sheikh Hasina who is seeking to return to power for a fourth consecutive term. The party has vowed to disrupt the election, calling for strikes and urging people to join the boycott.

What has the BNP said on Sheikh Hasina?

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP joint secretary general, said that his party wants Sheikh Hasina to resign, calling the election “skewed.”

“The government is again playing with fire. The government has resorted to its old tactics of holding a one-sided election,” he said.

Have their been incidents of violence in Bangladesh during campaigning?

Campaigning has been marred with violence with at least 15 people killed since October, Associated Press reported. Earlier, an apparent arson fire on a train in the capital Dhaka killed four people. A police official said the people who wanted to disrupt the election were “definitely” behind it.

What Bangladesh’s foreign minister said?

A.K. Abdul Momen said that the timing of the attack, just a day before the election, was to hinder the democratic process.

“This reprehensible incident, undoubtedly orchestrated by those with malicious intent, strikes at the very heart of our democratic values,” he said.