The decision to enforce 6:00am-6:00pm shutdown, also to protest the deterioration of law and order and price hike of essentials, was taken at an emergency meeting of the AL presidium on December 22.

The AL is also scheduled to hold a mass rally at Paltan Maidan on January 10. Party chief Sheikh Hasina is expected to announce 'tough agitation programmes' on the day to dislodge the government.

Meanwhile, the AL and its front organisations have taken preparations to make tomorrow's hartal a success. Dhaka City unit of the AL in the last few days exchanged views with different professional groups and held extended meetings with different thana and ward units ahead of the hartal.

Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil while addressing a rally yesterday in support of the hartal urged the people to observe tomorrow's hartal to register their no-confidence in the present government.

"January 3 hartal is a crucial event in the process of dislodging the BNP-Jamaat-led coalition government by April next," he said at the rally organised by Awami Jubo League, youth wing of the party, in front of its central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.

He said the hartal is to protest the 'autocratic activities' of the coalition regime and if the government resists it the AL will draw up indefinite agitation programmes.

The AL leader accused the government of trying to thwart AL's reorganisation efforts by foiling council programmes at places. He said, "The rulers are afraid of the planned anti-government movement by the Awami League and are out to foil it by unleashing atrocities on opposition leaders and activists."

Presided over by Jubo League Chairman Jahangir Kabir Nanok, the rally was also addressed by AL Joint-General Secretary Obaidul Kader and Jubo League General Secretary Mirza Azam.

After the rally, a procession was brought out, which marched down some city streets shouting anti-government slogans and urging people to observe the hartal.