The 14-party alliance is set to stage a human chain in the capital on Monday, protesting Pakistan’s denial of 1971 war atrocities and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s statement on the number of war martyrs.
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim, also the alliance’s spokesperson, made the announcement last week after a meeting at the party chief's Dhanmondi political office.
The human chain will be staged in 14 points from Gabtoli to Jatrabari via Technical intersection, Kallayanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Shukrabad, Karwan Bazar intersection, Bangla Motor, Shahbagh, National Press Club, Gulistan, Ittefaq intersection and Sayedabad Bus terminal from 4pm to 5pm.
Aiming to make the programme a success, the ruling alliance has already held a number of follow-up meetings.
The Dhaka City Unit Awami League held an extended meeting with it's affiliated bodies at the party's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on Sunday.
Emerging from the meeting, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said: “Pakistan said there had been no genocide in Bangladesh. Echoing the same tune, Khaleda Zia said Pakistani forces did not commit genocide in Bangladesh. She has been acting like a lackey of Pakistan distorting the history of the Liberation War.”
Tension has been prevailing between Bangladesh and Pakistan since last November after the country issued statement on the execution of war criminals’ in Bangladesh.
Amid the rumours about some Pakistani diplomats being involved with militancy in Bangladesh, a Bangladeshi diplomat went missing in Islamabad on February 1, 2016.
Jahangir Hossain went traceless for seven hours soon after the law enforcers detained a Pakistani embassy official in Dhaka over the rumours of him having ties with militancy.
On the other hand, Khaleda raised questions over the accuracy of the number of the 1971 Liberation War martyrs, claiming the official figure of 3 million was disputed.
During a programme on December 21, Khaleda also claimed Bangabandhu did not want independence, but wanted to be Pakistan's prime minister.
However, she did not mention the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman while making the statement.
