Staff Reporter :The High Court (HC) on Sunday adjourned the hearing on the rule regarding the alleged abduction of BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed till today (Monday).The two-member HC bench comprising Justice Quamrul Islam Siddique and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order after hearing arguments from the petitioner and the State. The HC issued the rule on March 12 asking the government to explain as to why it should not be directed to find out and produce missing Salahuddin in the court by Sunday.In compliance with the HC rule, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam informed the court that the law enforcement agencies did not arrest the BNP leader but they are continuing their efforts to trace him. He also produced five separate reports from the Officer in-Charge of Uttara Police Station (West), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Special Branch (SB) of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) regarding the BNP leader. “None of the law enforcement agencies arrested him. They are trying to find him out. They are yet to know his whereabouts but they are keeping their efforts to trace the BNP leader,” Mahbubey Alam told the court.Salahuddin Ahmed, the Joint-Secretary General of BNP, remained traceless since March 10. Hasina Ahmed, wife of Salahuddin, filed a writ petition with the HC, seeking its directive to produce her husband before court on March 12. Regarding the disappearance of Salahuddin, the Attorney General also said it is a humanitarian issue. “We have to know if he (Salahuddin) was abducted or he himself went into hiding. We should see it from humanitarian point of view. The issue of Salahuddin should not be used for political purpose,” he said. Mahbubey Alam also expressed his doubt on the intention of Hasina Ahmed, saying that why she did not go to Police within 24 hours of the incident. He also said Hasina did not cooperated with the Police to search the house from where she claimed Salahuddin was abducted. “She (Hasina) did not file any written complaint with the Police after the incident. Later, Police filed a diary in this regard on its own. She also said meaningless words. Once she said she was informed of the abduction of Salahuddin from a local person and again she said someone informed her by telephone from abroad,” the Attorney General said. Former minister and BNP leader Barrister Moudud Ahmed appeared for Hasina and sought the copy of the replies of the law enforcement agencies in an affidavit form. The court also asked the State to submit the replies of law enforcement agencies in affidavit form on Monday. Later, Hasina, a former BNP lawmaker, told the journalists at the court premises that she wanted to get back her husband unhurt. “My request to the Prime Minister to direct the law enforcers to send back my husband unharmed. I will not do drama with the fate of my husband,” she said. In the writ petition, Hasina said some plain clothed people claiming themselves the men of Detective Branch of Police picked up Salahuddin from a house at Uttara on Tuesday night. Hearing the news of the arrest, she went to the Police Station but Police denied picking up Salahuddin and accepting her General Diary in this regard, she said.
