Dawn-to-dusk hartal called for today

Islami Ain Bastabayan Committee has called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal across the country today (Monday), demanding scrapping of some 'anti-Qur'an provisions' in the National Women Development Policy, reports UNB. The shutdown was also called to protest the High Court verdict against 'fatwa' (religious edict) and demanding scrapping of the National Education Policy. The National Women Policy approved at the cabinet meeting on March 7 provides for equal right of women on paternal property. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken allout preparation to maintain law and order in the city during the hartal hours. Official sources said nearly 10,000 uniformed and plainclothes police will be deployed in the city to avert any untoward incident. Besides, plainclothes men will also remain on alert with still and video cameras to identify the trouble makers during the hartal hours. bdnews24.com adds: There will be non-stop general strikes if the government obstructs Monday's hartal, threatens chairman of a faction of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ). At a pre-hartal meeting at Muktangon in the city Sunday, IOJ chief Mufti Amini said, "This hartal is to save Qur'an. We'll declare non-stop hartals if we're barred." He also asked leaders and activists of his party and its allies -under the banner of Islamic Law Implementation Committee (ILIC) - to take to the streets with Qur'an and burial cloth in hands. Amini called the shutdown on March 8 to protest the proposed National Women Development Policy 2011, ban on fatwa by the High Court and the recently formulated education policy. "No women development policy will be allowed to be executed in this country," he said. "We are on the streets to establish the law of Qur'an and we'll not turn our back," he added.