The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Protesting the crackdown on its leaders and activists across the country, the Awami League yesterday warned that the operation was destroying the possibility of the dialogue and making the general elections uncertain.

"The crackdown is designed to make the situation murky," party Acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said, while talking to journalists after a meeting of its Secretariat at Dhanmondi AL office last night.

Terming these arrests as politically motivated, he said, the law enforcers were launching a countrywide house-to-house raid to nab the AL leaders and workers without any specific allegations to gag their voice.

"The Caretaker Government, unleashed the repression as the AL leaders are preparing to launch a mass movement for the release of party President Sheikh Hasina," he said, adding that the Secretariat worked out plans to carryout the May 28 decisions of the party Central Working Committee.

According to the meeting's plan, the party would launch a mass-signature campaign across the country, outside Dhaka city, from June 7 to 30 to press home it 6-point demand that includes unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina. The signature forms will be provided to all the districts by June 4.

Besides, the central leaders will attend extended meetings of the district committees from June 15 to 30.

Asked about BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia's call for unity among political parties, Syed Ashraf dismissed the possibility of unity with the BNP and Jamaat, saying, "Our party has ideological differences with them."

He alleged that the BNP-Jamaat alliance was responsible for the promulgation of the state of emergency in the country through their move to hold January 22 'one-party' election as per fake voters' list.

Asked about the Dhaka City committee's planned 'human Chain' around the makeshift jail where Hasina is being detained, he said the date for the programme would be fixed after consultation with the leaders of Dhaka City Committee.

Awami League will observe the historic 7th June commemorating the 6-point movement by organizing discussions and its founding anniversary on June 23.

Awami League would send a letter conveying its decision of not joining the dialogue without party chief Sheikh Hasina to the Chief Advisor's office tomorrow or the day after.