DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A one-day strike called by opposition parties in Bangladesh failed to force the government to resign though it did cause widespread disruption.
Roads were reported free of all transportation while schools, shops and offices remained closed in major cities, police told the BBC.
The main opposition party, the Awami League, and 13 other parties accused the government of failing to stem the rise of hard-line Islamists.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and the Bangladesh National Party came to power in 2001 with two-thirds majority in the parliament. The next general election in the country is in early 2007.
The government has maintained tight security since August when more than 300 bombs went off around the country on one day. Since then there have been numerous bombings and the killing last week of two judges in the southern town of Jhalakathi.
Authorities blame the violence on a fierce campaign by Islamic extremists.
