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| Bangladesh |
| Withdraw hartal |
| 2011-04-03 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry yesterday urged Islami Oikya Jote ... a political party in Bangladesh. In the 2001 elections the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It has a focus on building an islamic state, and has used the madrassas to gain support... to withdraw the hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... called by it tomorrow. A faction of the IOJ, a component of the four-party alliance led by BNP, called the countrywide dawn-to- dusk hartal in protest against the proposed national women development policy which it says goes against tenets of the Koran. In a statement yesterday, the FBCCI said the government has already clarified that the policy has nothing against the Koran and Sunnah. "Calling hartal on the issue is illogical as there's nothing fishy in it, and the government's explanation has been accepted by all," said the country's apex trade body. Meanwhile, ...back at the laboratory the fumes had dispersed, to reveal an ominous sight... BNP is yet to announce whether it supports the hartal called by the IOJ faction led Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini. Addressing a presser yesterday, Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said his party always stood against actions which would hurt religious norms. He however did not make it clear if the main opposition party would actively support the hartal called by its ally. The cabinet on March 7 approved the women development policy incorporating provisions of equal rights for women and men in "almost all sectors" including health, education, poverty alleviation and development. It is considered fulfilment of an election pledge of the ruling Awami League. In a statement at the presser held at the BNP chief's Gulshan office, Fakhrul mentioned that in its election manifesto, the present government pledged that it would not do anything against the Koran and Sunnah but there are allegations of violation of this pledge in the women development policy. "As a party with firm belief in religious freedom and norms, BNP has always been supporting movements against actions which go against religious norms," he said. "We think the government should explain clearly whether any provision of the women development policy goes against the religious norms of majority people of the country," the statement said. The government did not discuss with the opposition parties and Islamic scholars while formulating this policy, he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |