BNP on Tuesday alleged that the government has filed a sedition case against its chairperson Khaleda Zia as part of its ‘dangerous plot’ to annihilate the opposition and re-establish a one-party rule having failed to politically face her.
The party also claimed that the treason charge was brought against Khaleda by distorting a small part of her comment about the number of 1971 Liberation War martyrs, though there is no seditious element in her comments.
“Awami League has proved through lodging the sedition case that it fears our leader (Khaleda). Having failed to face her politically, it resorts to filing false cases to harass her and keep her away from politics. We strongly protest and condemn the filing of this false case,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
He further said, “We want to equivocally say this case was filed with a heinous motive to make narrow political gains…as the ruling party has become politically bankrupt, it has been indulging in a dangerous conspiracy to completely eliminate the opposition and re-establish a one-party rule in Bangladesh.”
Fakhrul was speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office giving the party’s formal reaction to the filing of the sedition case against its chairperson.
On Monday, Supreme Court lawyer Momtaz Uddin Ahmed Mehedi filed the case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Rashed Talukdar in the morning urging the court to issue an arrest warrant against BNP chairperson for her remarks about the number of martyrs during the 1971 Liberation War.
Taking cognizance of the charge under sections 123 (A), 124 (A) and 505 of Bangladesh Penal Code, the court asked Khaleda Zia to appear before it on March 3.
On December 21 last, Khaleda Zia at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh raised questions about the actual number of Liberation War martyrs saying, “There’re controversies over how many freedom fighters were martyred in the Liberation War. There’re also many books and documents on the controversies.
Fakhrul demanded the government immediately withdraw the ‘false’ treason charge against Khaleda and release all the opposition leaders and activists after withdrawing ‘false cases’ filed against them.
The BNP leader also urged the government to hold a fair, inclusive and credible election under a non-party administration through discussions with the opposition to establish an acceptable government with people’s votes.
Otherwise, he warned, non-political elements and extremists will emerge as dominant forces in the country.
Mentioning that the people of Bangladesh have proved again and again that no one can hang onto power by resorting to killings, enforced disappearances, repressive acts and false cases, Fakhrul said, “People will surely restore to their rights and realise their demands through a democratic movement.
