BNP observes 'Black Day'

Dhaka, Jan 11 (bdnews24.com) – BNP is observing Monday as 'Black Day' countrywide terming January 11 2007 the day of suspension of constitutional rights of the Bangladesh people through promulgation of the state of emergency.

The party hoisted a black flag at its central office to observe the day and placed wreaths at the grave of party's founder and late president Ziaur Rahman at city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the morning.

Talking to bdnews24.com, party secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain said: "January 11 is a black chapter in the history of Bangladesh. On this day in 2007, some army personnel forced the then president Iajuddin Ahmed to impose the emergency."

He alleged that they had implemented their plot after installing the interim government, which clung to power for two years discontinuing the democratic process. "They brought the grand alliance to power as per their design."

President Iajuddin Ahmed imposed emergency on this day in 2007 as Awami League and its allies started violent protests boycotting due elections under Iajuddin. Elected president by the BNP-led four-party alliance, Iajuddin had also assumed office of the chief adviser to the caretaker government on January 2007, amid row over selection of the chief adviser, and started process to hold the ninth parliament election.

The caretaker government was later formed anew with former Bangladesh Bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed as its head. It is widely believed the then army chief, general Moeen U Ahmed, played the key role in installing the new caretaker government that ruled the country for two years.

Awami League-led grand alliance formed the subsequent elected government in January last year, after a landslide victory in the December 2008 general election held under the Fakhruddin-led government.

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