Jamaat calls hartal for today, tomorrow:Daily Sun

 Jamaat-e-Islami called a back-to-back countrywide hartal for today and tomorrow in protest against the death penalty awarded to its leader ATM Azharul Islam for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971. The embattled Islamist party also demanded the release of its detained leaders from prison. Jamaat acting ameer Moqbul Ahmad made the announcement in a statement on Tue
sday afternoon shortly after the pronouncement of the verdict on Azharul Islam. The statement said, “The strikes will begin at 6:00am and continue till 5:30pm.” The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Tuesday sentenced Jamaat assistant secretary-general ATM Azharul Islam to death for his wartime crimes. Hours after the hartal call, some Jamaat-shibir activists brought out a sudden procession in Kuril highway area at around 2:30pm in the city. Police dispersed them by charging batons while they were approaching the airport road. Meanwhile, some miscreants torched a parked car at Doinikbangla intersection in the city around 7pm. No one was hurt in the incident. Earlier on December 29, the BNP-led 20-party alliance enforced a daylong hartal in protest against the denial of their rally in Gazipur. They also demanded the release of their senior leaders arrested earlier in different cases. During the hartal, a female schoolteacher was killed when pickets hurled brick chips at a van carrying her in Sadar upazila of Noakhali. It was learnt that Jamaat and Shibir have taken massive preparations to make the strike a success. However, BNP didn’t extend support to today’s hartal. Moreover, BNP kept mum on the verdict on Azharul Islam like in the past.