Dhaka: The BNP-led 20-party alliance on Tuesday called a 24-hour countrywide hartal, excluding Dhaka and Chittagong cities, from 6:00am Thursday demanding the return of missing BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed and other alliance leaders to their families unharmed.

Besides, the 20-prtay will stage demonstrations in all districts, upazilas, thanas and municipalities and all thanas in the divisional cities on Wednesday.

BNP joint secretary general Barkatullah Bulu, on behalf of the alliance, announced the hartal and demonstration programmes which are also meant for pressing the alliance’s demands for holding a fresh national election under a non-party administration and the release of its senior leaders.

Bulu said the Dhaka and Chittagong cities will remain out of the purview of hartal due to the city corporation polls. The hartal will end at 6am on Friday.

Bulu said their ongoing nonstop blockade programme will continue until the alliance chief Khaleda Zia’s further announcement in this regard.

Meanwhile, the opposition alliance’s 48-hour countrywide hartal, excluding Dhaka and Chittagong cities, that was enforced at 6am on Monday will end at 6am on Wednesday.

Earlier, the 20-party had enforced eight consecutive spells of hartal amid the non-stop blockade on working days - from 6:00am Sunday to 6:00am Friday - from 1 February till 6:00am on 25 March giving a 12-hour pause on 10 March for celebrating the victory of Bangladesh Cricket Team over England.

The alliance used to call a 72-hour hartal from Sunday every week and then extend it by 48 hours more ending at 6:00am Friday. However, it did not extend the hartal last week due to the Independence Day.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia enforced the blockade for an indefinite period on 5 January after having failed to come out of her Gulshan office to join a planned rally of the 20-party alliance in the city to mark 'Democracy Killing Day'.