Hefazat-e-Islam yesterday at a press conference announced that if it were restrained from holding a two-day-long conference on December 12 and 13, it would enforce a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the port city on December 15.
“We sought approval on November 4 to hold the conference on the Jamiatul Falah Mosque premises, but the authority has yet to approve it,” said Azizul Hoque Islamabadi, organising secretary of Hefazat, as he read out a written statement.
He said they would enforce a daylong hartal in Chittagong next Sunday, in addition to staging a demonstration on Friday, if they were not allowed to hold the pre-scheduled conference.
Hefazat General Secretary Junaid Babunagari, while responding to the queries of reporters, said the government had been trying to hold one-sided elections, which would spark subversive activities and instability in the country."
He said the caretaker government system was necessary to hold an impartial election.
The Hefazat leader announced that they would hold a grand rally, scheduled for December 24 at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka, at any cost.