Bangladesh tense as political parties stage counter rallies

Tensions mounted in Bangladesh today as supporters of ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP began their counter-rallies over dispute on electoral system, prompting authorities to deploy paramilitary troops across the country to maintain law and order.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia called for mass protests demanding resignation of Premier Sheikh Hasina and the amendment of the electoral system.
The ruling Awami League said that its leaders and workers would would crush any attempt of the opposition to create anarchy announced a counter rally.
The BNP initially insisted to stage the rally at the venue they set earlier but later agreed to shift it to the police suggested site, far away from the Bangabandhu avenue where the Awami League prepared to stage its rally simultaneously in an apparent attempt of counter showdown.

The rallies took place as the constitutional provision of a 90-day countdown for the upcoming elections, due on January 25, 2014, began today amid a growing political standoff over the interim government to oversee polls.
Zia yesterday said the government would turn "illegal" as of Friday, citing a legal provision that requires a neutral caretaker government to be set up three months before general elections.

Amid a fear that violence may erupt due to the face-off between the opposition and ruling party activists, most residents preferred to stay indoors deserting the streets in Dhaka.
Authorities last night relaxed a ban on street protests slapped earlier allowing BNP to stage the planned rally in the capital.

"We granted them a conditional permission to stage the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan instead of the street in front of their party office at Naya Paltan," police said.
Meanwhile, TV channels reported that unidentified people exploded home-made bombs in front of the residence of a minister and a pro-opposition lawyer in the capital.
"We briefly detained some people as part of our security measures suspecting they could create troubles," a police spokesman said.