Bangladesh police cordon off Khaleda Zia's programme venue

Fears of violence grew as police cordoned off the venue where Bangladesh's main opposition leader is scheduled to speak later Sunday.

Former prime minister and leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address a convention, organised by Bangladesh Sammilito Peshajibi Parishad, a pro-opposition platform of professionals, Xinhua reported.

The programme was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the city's Bangabandhu International Convention Centre.

Five days ahead of an anti-government rally to demand a non-party caretaker system, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Saturday imposed a ban on meetings, processions and rallies in capital Dhaka from 6 a.m. Sunday which is to remain in place until further notice, a step the opposition described as an attempt to mute dissenting voices.

Maruf Kamal Khan, the BNP chairperson's press secretary, told Xinhua that police who were assigned to ensure security of the opposition chief have not turned up.

He could not tell whether the opposition chief was contemplating to defy the ban.

In protest against the ban, the main opposition party Saturday night announced that it would stage demonstrations and rallies at all district headquarters Sunday.

A senior police official, on condition of anonymity, said whoever defied the ban would face lawsuits.

The political standoff over the non-party caretaker government system culminated with both the ruling and opposition parties calling rallies on Oct 25 in Dhaka.

The BNP announced it would hold an anti-government rally Oct 25. Following the main opposition's announcement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party also reportedly decided to take to the streets of Dhaka the same day, raising fears of violence.

BNP has asked AL to bring back the caretaker system, or else it would not participate in the next polls slated for early 2014 because it feared an election without the caretaker government would not be free and fair.

Since June 2011, when the Bangladesh parliament abolished the non-party caretaker government system after an apex court verdict declared the 15-year-old constitutional provision illegal, the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance has been waging mass protests pushing for the reinstatement of the provision.

The scrapped provision mandated an elected government to transfer power to a non-partisan caretaker administration to oversee a new parliamentary election.