Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
The BNP-led 20-party alliance is firm to continue the ongoing movement even if BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is arrested.
Party sources said Khaleda Zia is adamant to carry forward the movement even in case of her arrest. For this, she has assigned some senior leaders to come forward to lead the current nationwide movement.
Meanwhile, an reliable source said Khaleda Zia has asked veteran lawyer Justice TH Khan, a senior most BNP Vice-Chairman to be ready for taking over the leadership to coordinate party activities in case of her absence.
However, the source added, BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman will act as the acting chairman of the party. Tarique will make directives from London while TH Khan will coordinate the movement across the country.
Following the arrest warrant issued against Khaleda Zia, there is much speculation that she may be arrested anytime. The government may take the step to arrest the BNP chief as part of its strategy to control the anti-government movement, said political observers.
A Dhaka court on Wednesday issued the arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases. Several ruling party leaders, including Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, have already hinted at arresting Khaleda Zia.
Party sources apprehend that the government would also try to arrest some other influential leaders of the BNP and its alliance partners so that the alliance can’t forge tougher movement after the arrest of the BNP chief.
Realising the situation, Khaleda Zia also assigned some other party leaders for taking the charge of leadership to lead the moveement. BNP standing committee members Dr RA Gani or Tariqul Islam also might be assigned to coordinate the movement.
The name of Zobaida Rahman, wife of Tarique Rahman, is also being discussed. She might take over the BNP helm. Many senior leaders want Zobaida because of her clean image. The names of TH Khan and Dr RA Gani came in the consideration to Khaleda Zia, as the two old-aged leaders have clean image. TH Khan has international reputation too.
When asked, BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said Khaleda Zia had started the ongoing nonstop blockade programme knowing well that she might face any consequence for the rigid stance. Alternative leadership will come forward while the countrymen will make the movement successful in case of Khaleda Zia’s absence, he added.
Apart from this, Khaleda Zia is also taking the matter in mind seriously as she had a bitter experience with her party leaders. Some leaders had conspired with her during the army-backed caretaker government of 2007-2008.
It that time, no one was assigned to carry forward the chairperson’s responsibility, as there was no such provision in the party’s constitution. The provision of an acting chairman was included in the sixth council of the BNP held in 2009. According to the constitution, Tarique Rahman will act as the head of the party in the absence of the chairperson.
Khaleda Zia was arrested on several times during military dictator HM Ershad’s regime in the 1980s and also during the regime of the army-backed caretaker government of 2007-08.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance is firm to continue the ongoing movement even if BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is arrested.
Party sources said Khaleda Zia is adamant to carry forward the movement even in case of her arrest. For this, she has assigned some senior leaders to come forward to lead the current nationwide movement.
Meanwhile, an reliable source said Khaleda Zia has asked veteran lawyer Justice TH Khan, a senior most BNP Vice-Chairman to be ready for taking over the leadership to coordinate party activities in case of her absence.
However, the source added, BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman will act as the acting chairman of the party. Tarique will make directives from London while TH Khan will coordinate the movement across the country.
Following the arrest warrant issued against Khaleda Zia, there is much speculation that she may be arrested anytime. The government may take the step to arrest the BNP chief as part of its strategy to control the anti-government movement, said political observers.
A Dhaka court on Wednesday issued the arrest warrant against Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases. Several ruling party leaders, including Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, have already hinted at arresting Khaleda Zia.
Party sources apprehend that the government would also try to arrest some other influential leaders of the BNP and its alliance partners so that the alliance can’t forge tougher movement after the arrest of the BNP chief.
Realising the situation, Khaleda Zia also assigned some other party leaders for taking the charge of leadership to lead the moveement. BNP standing committee members Dr RA Gani or Tariqul Islam also might be assigned to coordinate the movement.
The name of Zobaida Rahman, wife of Tarique Rahman, is also being discussed. She might take over the BNP helm. Many senior leaders want Zobaida because of her clean image. The names of TH Khan and Dr RA Gani came in the consideration to Khaleda Zia, as the two old-aged leaders have clean image. TH Khan has international reputation too.
When asked, BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said Khaleda Zia had started the ongoing nonstop blockade programme knowing well that she might face any consequence for the rigid stance. Alternative leadership will come forward while the countrymen will make the movement successful in case of Khaleda Zia’s absence, he added.
Apart from this, Khaleda Zia is also taking the matter in mind seriously as she had a bitter experience with her party leaders. Some leaders had conspired with her during the army-backed caretaker government of 2007-2008.
It that time, no one was assigned to carry forward the chairperson’s responsibility, as there was no such provision in the party’s constitution. The provision of an acting chairman was included in the sixth council of the BNP held in 2009. According to the constitution, Tarique Rahman will act as the head of the party in the absence of the chairperson.
Khaleda Zia was arrested on several times during military dictator HM Ershad’s regime in the 1980s and also during the regime of the army-backed caretaker government of 2007-08.
