UNB, Dhaka: BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is going to sit with her party senior leaders tonight (Tuesday night) following the latest political development over the arrest of journalist Shafik Rehman in a case in connection with a conspiracy to abduct and kill Prime Minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. The meeting is scheduled to start at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office around 8:30pm, said BNP assistant office secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim. He said some party standing committee members, vice-chairmen, chairperson’s advisers and joint secretaries general will join the meeting to be held with Khaleda in the chair. Shamim also said the country’s overall situation, Union Parishad polls and the arrest of journalist Shafik Rehman are expected to come up for discussions at the meeting. On Saturday morning, detectives arrested journalist Shafik Rehman, former editor of the Bangla daily Jaijaidin, from his house. He was later put on a five-day remand in the case. Detectives also claimed that they have found the involvement of detained Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, another pro-BNP journalist, in the alleged conspiracy against Joy. On Monday, a Dhaka court fixed April 25 for hearing a petition filed by Detective Branch of police over showing Mahmudur arrested in the case. Mahmudur, who faces around 70 cases, has been in prison since he was arrested in April 2013. Earlier at a press briefing, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi threatened that their party will take harsher programmes if Shafik Rehman is not released immediately.
