Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday said it got a conditional permission from the authorities concerned to hold its public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference at the party's central office in Dhaka’s Nayapaltan, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they were allowed to stage the rally on 23 conditions.

"We've received the permission letter from the DMP a few minutes ago. They've given their consent to hold the programme at the Suhrawardy Udyan with 23 conditions. We've taken all-out preparations to make our public rally a success," Fakhrul said.

Mentioning that they were given permission in the past just 12 hours before such a programme, he thanked the DMP authorities for sending the letter a bit earlier this time.

The BNP leader sought cooperation from the government in holding the rally peacefully. "I would like to urge the ruling party and the DMP to cooperate with us completing the programme peacefully. We hope you'll help us. Pleas don't spoil the democratic environment by putting any obstacle to our rally."

He also called upon the ruling party to refrain from making any provocation. "Some incidents that have taken place over a few days indicate different meanings. Police have got desperate to arrest the leaders and activists of our Dhaka city units and implicate them in false cases."

The BNP secretary general alleged that police arrested their 20 leaders and activists while they were retuning home after joining a preparatory meeting at party standing committee member Mirza Abbas' Sahjahanpur residence on Friday night.

Fakhrul asked BNP leaders and activists not to respond to any provocation of the ruling party centring the rally. "To make the rally a success, exercise restraint and have patience in the case of any provocation."

As per the conditions set by the DMP, the rally will have to be concluded by 5pm and the BNP leaders and activist will be allowed to entre the meeting venue two hours before the beginning of the rally.

The other conditions are: Refraining from showing any cartoon or making any statement hurting religious sentiments, making any provocative statement, carrying out any anti-state, anti-peace activities, creating any obstacle to traffic, using loudspeaker without approved places, using rods and sticks with banners and festoons, entering the venue with processions and gathering on footpaths.

Fakhrul said their public rally will reflect people's hopes and aspirations through the gathering of huge people.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will address the rally as the chief guest. She last addressed a rally at the same venue nearly four years back on January 20, 2014, 15 days after the 10th parliamentary polls, while a public rally at Nayapaltan on January 5, 2016.

On Friday last, BNP announced to hold the rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan on Wednesday marking what it said the civil-military 'uprising on November 7, 1975'.

Later, the party deferred it to Sunday for various reasons.