Azad said he had recently travelled from Sylhet to Habiganj and experienced the poor state of the road, raising concerns about the feasibility of a large-scale journey involving thousands of vehicles.
Hamidur Rahman Azad. Photo: Courtesy.
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Hamidur Rahman Azad. Photo: Courtesy.
The Jamaat-led 11-party alliance today (15 November) announced the suspension of its planned long march to Sylhet, scheduled for 21 November, citing poor road conditions and the potential disruption of regular train services.
Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and coordinator of the alliance, announced the decision at a press briefing after a meeting of its liaison committee at Jamaat’s central office in the capital.
He said the alliance had initially planned to hold the long march by road but later rescheduled it for 21 November after finding the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in a deplorable condition.
Azad said he had recently travelled from Sylhet to Habiganj and experienced the poor state of the road, raising concerns about the feasibility of a large-scale journey involving thousands of vehicles.
The alliance later considered organising the programme by train as an alternative.
However, he said the proposed train journey could disrupt regular rail services, as the programme would require stops at different locations along the route to address gatherings and hold brief rallies.
He also pointed out that railway connections to Chattogram, Chandpur and other areas could be affected, while some sections of the route have single railway lines.
Considering the potential public inconvenience and logistical complications, the liaison committee decided to suspend the train-based programme as well, Azad said.
The alliance had announced four long marches on 6 August as part of its movement over a seven-point demand.
Three of them, towards Chattogram, Rangpur and Khulna via Kushtia, have already been completed with large public participation, he said.
Azad said the alliance would continue its movement through peaceful and systematic programmes, alleging that the government had failed to meet public expectations regarding the implementation of the July National Charter and the referendum mandate.
He said alliance leaders would discuss and decide on their next course of action at a subsequent meeting.
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