Bangladesh’s opposition party has called for an extension to the 72-hour hike, changing it instead to 120 hours — reportedly the fifth time the party has extended a scheduled strike.
The strike is now slated to end Friday as opposed to Wednesday.
According to Bangladesh’s Financial Express, the party will stage mass rallies in all district towns and wards across the country to push for its various demands, which include a new election under a non-party administration.
Blockades have already been in place and hindering business as usual since Jan. 5 when BNP party leader, Khaleda Zia enforced the transportation obstruction for an indefinite period.
No end to the unrest is yet in sight, but at a recent meeting with leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), stakeholders placed a 20-point demand on the government to accommodate losses incurred as a result of the turmoil.
Demands included some short-term policy support for the export-oriented sectors, like continuation of the present tax rate for next five years, special incentives against all kinds of exports for three years, 3 percent cash incentives for exporters who send goods to EU markets considering the devaluation of euro, and supply of gas at a special rate for the transport sector engaged in moving goods, the BGMEA reported.