National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has said that the blockade at Shahbagh in Dhaka, demanding the banning of the Awami League, will continue.
“If a decision to ban the Awami League is not made soon, all of Bangladesh will march to Dhaka once again," he said in a post on his verified Facebook profile at on Friday.
He added that all forces, regardless of political affiliation, must unite on the issue of banning the Awami League to protect the country's sovereignty.
He added that blockades have already started in various parts of Dhaka.
Calling the Awami League a "fascist, terrorist, pro-Mujib, anti-sovereignty, anti-independence, anti-July, anti-democracy, anti-Islam, anti-women, and anti-humanity" organization, Nahid urged all pro-Bangladesh forces to unite to push for its ban.
In an earlier post, Nahid Islam outlined three demands:
- The Awami League should be declared a terrorist organization and banned.
- A provision must be added to the International Crimes Tribunal Act for collective trials of the party.
- The July Declaration must be issued.
Meanwhile, the Awami League ban movement has gained peak momentum, as protesters led by the NCP blockaded Shahbagh intersection on Friday, terming it the “second phase” of the July uprising.
Protesting leaders and activists from various parties and organizations blockaded Shahbagh around 4:45pm Friday, on the call of Hasnat Abdullah, chief organizer (South) of the NCP and formerly one of the key leaders of the student-led uprising, from a mass rally named July Manch at Minto Road in the capital.
Hasnat said that it was not pleasant that they had to gather for a mass rally to explain why the interim government had to ban AL, after ten months had passed since the July uprising mass killing.
“Rather, it is shameful for us,” he said.
Additionally, protests demanding an AL ban have also been held in Rajshahi, Boalkhali, Noakhali, Kishoreganj, Khulna, among other places.
