Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is preparing to implement the 11-party alliance’s planned long marches toward four major cities. Its Long March Implementation Committee met on Monday at the party’s central office in Moghbazar, Dhaka, according to a report published on August 17. Party Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar chaired the meeting, which focused on making the September 5 Dhaka-Chattogram march successful.

The meeting formed several committees and distributed responsibilities to ensure the marches are carried out peacefully, orderly and successfully. Participants also called on people at all levels in the relevant areas and across the country to support the programme fully. Those attending included Jamaat assistant secretaries general, members of its central executive and working councils, metropolitan leaders, and representatives of the Bangladesh Sramik Kalyan Federation and Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The 11-party alliance announced four nationwide long marches on August 6 from a sit-in at Muktangan in Dhaka, citing an 11-point demand including protests over electricity and gas shortages and rising commodity prices. The schedule lists marches from Dhaka to Chattogram on September 5, Rangpur on September 19, Khulna on October 10, and Sylhet on October 24. The first three will travel by road, while the Sylhet march will use rail. A grand rally in Dhaka is planned for November 14.