Dhaka, Sept. 19 -- BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has criticised the protest rallies organised by Jamaat-e-Islami and several other parties, saying such demonstrations are meant to create "unwarranted pressure" while ongoing discussions remain incomplete.

"In my view, these programmes were unnecessary. The talks have not yet reached a conclusion.

Calling protests at this stage only generates avoidable pressure, which neither benefits democracy nor helps in reaching the right decisions," Mirza Fakhrul told reporters on Thursday after returning to Dhaka from Singapore, where he had been undergoing treatment.

He questioned whether street protests would provide any real solution. "Since the fall of Awami League, we have ...