• The ruling Awami League (AL) party is slated to hold rallies in Dhaka’s Mirpur and Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital’s south area of Gulistan on January 11. 
• The AL announced that the rallies will be held during the afternoon hours (local time). However, the exact timings and locations of the protests remain unclear, as of writing. The central office of the AL is located in Bangabandhu Avenue. 
• The ruling party has reportedly directed all ward units to “remain alert” on the streets amid the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s mass sit-in program on January 11. 
• AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and other senior party leaders are expected to attend the rallies. The AL activists have been advised to assemble in their respective areas and join the rallies with processions.  
• Per reports, the AL stated that it will take measures as per the central leadership’s order, should the BNP sit-in program extend beyond schedule. The AL members will also reportedly remain active with counter programs against any BNP program. Moreover, the AL cadre has been advised to refrain from aggressive behavior. 

The turnout at the protest rallies is liable to be in the low hundreds given similar anticipated turnouts at the BNP protest marches on January 11. Taking into consideration the elevated inter-party tensions due to the announced sit-in protests by the BNP and other opposition parties on the day, bolstered security arrangements are likely across Dhaka, especially in Dhaka’s Mirpur and Gulistan. Given previously recorded inter-party clashes, there remains a high possibility of the recurrence of such clashes between the AL and BNP cadre. Such tensions are liable to be further exacerbated should the police resort to restrictive measures, including the use of baton charges, road barricades, tear gas, and detention of protesters. Stringent security measures are expected at the protest locations and near government buildings, including Parliament, considering the ongoing parliamentary sessions in Dhaka. There also remains a likelihood of ad-hoc protests in various neighborhoods of the city. Severe traffic disruptions are liable near the protest locations.

Those operating or residing in Dhaka on January 11 are advised to avoid all political rallies due to the helightened risk of unrest.