Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday announced another round of peaceful countrywide programmes demanding the release of its chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

The programmes include collecting signatures from mass people across the country on Saturday, submitting memorandums to all the deputy commissioner offices on Sunday and staging demonstrations in all the district towns and metropolitan cities, except Dhaka, on Tuesday.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programmes at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.

‘We want peace, not any violence. We also want to create a peaceful atmosphere in the country so that people can freely exercise their voting right. With this goal in mind, we’re announcing peaceful programmes demanding our leader’s (Khaleda’s) unconditional release,’ he said.

Fakhrul said they also want to hold a public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city and soon seek permission for it after fixing a particular date. 

A special court convicted former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on February 8 last. She was then sent to the old central jail at Nazimuddin Road in Old Dhaka.

Hours after she was taken to jail, the party announced countrywide demonstrations for Friday and Saturday last.

Later, the party announced a three-day programme from Monday to Wednesday demanding her immediate release.

As part of the programmes, the party observed a token hunger strike on Wednesday while formed a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Monday and staged a sit-in programme in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday.