The Dhaka-Chittagong long march to be organized by the opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance on September 5 will be made successful without giving any scope for provocation, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said Tuesday.
“This is a peaceful and systematic political program. The country’s people will make this long march program a success, InshaAllah, without giving any scope for provocation,” he said at a press briefing at the Jamaat central office in the city.
The 11-party alliance is going to organize the long march with a six-point demand including implementation of the public verdict reflected in the referendum, trial of the July mass killings, resolution of the energy and fertiliser crises, control of prices of essential commodities, improvement of the law-and-order situation, and an end to politicisation at all levels of the administration, he said.
Jamaat Ameer and opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman along with other top leaders of the 11-party alliance will lead the long march, said Golam Parwar.
“We are moving ahead with extensive preparations. We are witnessing a strong response, enthusiasm and excitement among the people (over the programme),” said the Jamaat secretary general.
He said the long march will begin from Shapla Chattar in Dhaka at 7am on September 5 and end at the historic Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong.
Roadside rallies would be held at various important points along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway during the journey, he added.
Parwar said they expect that more than 1,000 vehicles will participate in the long march, while leaders and activists of the alliance and common people from different districts, upazilas and metropolitan areas along the Dhaka-Chittagong route will join the program.
He said the 11-party alliance held a meeting with the police administration on Monday evening to ensure that the long march remained peaceful and disciplined.
“We informed the police administration about the relevant route, roadside rallies and different spots of the program,” he said.
The Jamaat general secretary said precautionary measures are being taken to minimize disruption to the movement of common people.
“We have planned to keep the long-march convoy on one part of the highway so that regular vehicles can continue to use the other part,” he said.
“However, such a large program may cause temporary inconvenience at some places. So, we apologize to the country’s people in advance,” he added.
Parwar said they are seeking cooperation of the administration, political parties, the media and people from all walks of life to make the program successful.
Jamaat Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, Dhaka city South unit Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul and Dhaka city North unit Ameer Md Selim Uddin, among others, were present at the briefing.
