DHAKA: Alliance of Islamic parties has kept their pre-scheduled program of calling country-wide daylong hartal on October 26, protesting Latif Siddique’s derogatory remark on Hajj, unchanged.

The hartal will be enforced demanding to bring ousted posts, telecommunication and information technology minister to justice.

Mohammad Zafrullah Khan, general secretary of the alliance, has given the government an extended ultimatum of October 22 of arresting the former minister, for his deteriorating remarks on hajj and Tablighi Jamaat.

Zafrullah read out a written speech at the press conference on Thursday.

Terming Abdul Latif an ‘infidel’, general secretary of the alliance said that Latif must be arrested and come under exemplary punishment since he did not say ‘sorry’, and expressed his repentance.

Zafrullah further said that if any deterioratory speech against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a subject of punishment, then why it will not be punishable for obnoxious speech against the Prophet Mohammad (SM).

He also demanded the government to bring the former minister back in the country through Interpol.

Islami Party president Advocate Abdul Mobin, Muslim League general secretary Kazi Abdul Khayer, Mufti Fakhrul Islam of Khelafat Andalan and Sharshina Pir Maulana Shah Arif Billah, were among others, present at the conference.

BDST: 1252 HRS, OCT 16, 2014