The ruling Awami League yesterday said it would face the BNP politically and resist its hartal throughout the country.

The party asked all its units and associate bodies to organise "peace rallies" across the country and to stay alert as the BNP-Jamaat may try to create chaos.

The main rally will be held in front of the AL headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue at 2:00pm.

The announcements were made at a peace rally next to the south gate of Baitul Mukarram mosque.

Holding banners, festoons, national and party flags, crowds of several thousand leaders and activists chanted slogans praising the government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The crowd spilled over and reached the Secretariate to the west and Mahanagar Nattyamancha to the south.

Though the rally was scheduled to begin at 2:00pm, large groups of activists began to arrive at the venue hours earlier. Many of them brought sticks covered in placards, flags and banners while others carried hockey sticks and bamboos.

According to AL sources, activists will remain at every party office across the city from early morning to resist any unwanted situation centring the BNP's hartal.

Addressing yesterday's rally, Quader said, "Hartal became a weapon without a sharp edge and this weapon doesn't work anymore. We will hold peace rallies in the cities, districts, and upazilas all over Bangladesh tomorrow."

From now on, the BNP will not be spared, he said. "You have seen how dirty, criminal and murderous they are. And they have returned to their old face today. Now, we will go after them."

He added, "The BNP unleashed violence in the name of a peaceful rally."

He then condemned the BNP for attacking police and the residence of the chief justice.

"Let's see who stands by you tomorrow."

AL Joint General Secretary Mahabubul Alam Hanif said with its activities, the BNP proved itself to be a terrorist party.

Another joint general secretary, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, said the BNP would be resisted because it is conspiring to foil the election.

He urged supporters across the country to resist the BNP whenever it tries to create unrest.

He then asked activists not to "leave the streets until the next election".

Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh vowed that there would be "forts everywhere to resist the BNP's hartal".