Avoid blockading highways, roads except Shahbagh: Hasnat

Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser of the southern region of the National Citizens Party (NCP), has urged party supporters and citizens to avoid blockading highways or roads across the country—except for Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection—as part of their movement demanding a ban on the ruling Awami League.

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook account in the early hours of Saturday (May 10), Hasnat called for mass gatherings and rallies throughout the country but emphasised the importance of refraining from blocking national highways or other key roads in the capital. “Do not block any roads except Shahbagh,” he wrote. “Hold spontaneous rallies in districts, but open up all blockades.”

According to the statement, a major public and student gathering will be held at Shahbagh at 3.00pm today. Similar sit-in demonstrations will take place at various locations nationwide, referred to as “July spots.”

He also announced a new protest programme centered on three core demands: declaring the Awami League a terrorist organization and banning its activities; amending the International Crimes Tribunal Act to enable the prosecution of Awami League factions; and issuing what the NCP refers to as the “July Declaration,” the details of which remain undisclosed.