Bangladesh opposition calls 48-hour strike from Monday

Bangladesh's main opposition alliance has called another round of nationwide strike from Monday morning demanding safe return of a leader who went missing several weeks ago.

Barkat Ullah Bulu, Spokesperson of former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), made the strike announcement through a press release on Sunday, Xinhua reported.

The BNP on Saturday announced that it will stage demonstrations across the country on Sunday in protest against the disappearance of the party's joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed.

Ahmed's family has alleged that some plainclothes men showed identity cards of the detective branch of Bangladesh Police and took him with them from a house in Dhaka March 10.

Police have denied of arresting Ahmed who was made BNP spokesperson following the arrest of another top party leader.

Demanding necessary steps for getting back Ahmed, the BNP had earlier enforced several round of strikes since his disappearance amid its ongoing blockade campaign.

Bulu, also a BNP joint secretary general, said the strike will start at 6 a.m. on Monday and would continue till 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and southeastern seaport city Chittagong will remain out of the purview of the strike due to the city corporation polls slated for April 28, he added.

Khaleda Zia's 20-party opposition alliance has been observing a series of blockades across the country since January 5, demanding fresh elections under a non-party caretaker government system.