politics
Indian Shillong Judge Court upholds acquittal of BNP leader Salahuddin
The judge court in India's Shillong has upheld a magistrate court’s verdict that acquitted BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed in a case filed against him over trespassing into India in 2015.
“A Shillong magistrate court earlier acquitted me. Later the Indian government appealed against the verdict. The judge court acquitted me disposing of the appeal on Tuesday,” Salahuddin told UNB over the phone.
In the short order, he said the judge court also asked the Indian government to take necessary steps to send him to back to Bangladesh.
Replying to a question, the BNP leader said he is eagerly waiting to return home.
He hoped that the Indian government and local administration will take immediate steps in line with the court order.
Earlier on October 26, 2018, the court of the first class judicial magistrate, DG Kharshiing, acquitted Salahuddin Ahmed in the case and asked the state government to take necessary steps for his immediate repatriation.
After remaining missing for around two months, Salahuddin, a former state minister, was found in Shillong, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya on May 11, 2015.
He was arrested for entering India without any valid documents. A case was filed against him under the Foreigners Act.
Later, Shillong police pressed charges against him in the case.
However, BNP claimed that Salahuddin was picked up from a house in the city's Uttara area on March 10, 2015 allegedly by unidentified men who introduced themselves as detectives..
BNP-Chhatra Dal activists deprived of posts trigger clash at Gazipur party meeting
A group of BNP and Chhatra Dal leaders and activists Tuesday attacked the party’s joint preparatory meeting in Gazipur.
The activists who were deprived of posts exploded four to five cocktails during the attack. At least five BNP leaders and activists were injured in the attack.
The incident took place at 11 A.M. on Tuesday at BNP’s district office in Gazipur’s Rajbari road area.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a thana-level march programme across the country to push for their 10-point demands that includes the resignation of the government and the dissolution of parliament; the formation of a neutral and interim caretaker government, and reducing the price of daily commodities.
As part of the programme, Mahanagar BNP organized a joint preparatory meeting at the party’s Gazipur office at around 11:30 a.m.
According to witnesses, at least 20-25 post-deprived Chhatra Dal leaders attacked the party office during the joint meeting, breaking chairs and tables. The injured were treated at a local clinic.
The leaders and activists of both groups fled the scene upon the arrival of Gazipur Sadar Thana police. Later, the police chased and arrested Chhatra Dal activist Raju.
Gazipur Mahanagar BNP Member Secretary Shaukat Hossain Sarkar, Gazipur Mahanagar BNP Joint Conveners Mehdi Hasan and Suruj Ahmed, and members of other affiliated organizations were present at the joint preparatory meeting.
Among the attendees were Mahanagar Chhatra Dal President Rozanuzzaman alias Sukkur, General Secretary Mahmudur Rahman, and their supporters. However, their participation in the meeting triggered protests among the post-deprived leaders and activists.
Later, they attacked the party leaders and activists and wrecked the party office as well. At one point, clashes broke out between the two groups.
Gazipur Sadar police station officer-in-charge Ziaul Islam said that the post-deprived leaders and activists from both sides of BNP and Chhatra Dal have carried out the attack. On getting the news, the police chased them and arrested a Chhatra Dal activist. Legal proceedings over the incident are underway.
BNP's complaints about corruption 'laughable': Hasan Mahmud
When the BNP complains about corruption, even donkeys laugh at them, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud commented on Tuesday.
“BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and the acting chairman have been punished for corruption and money laundering. The FBI came to Bangladesh and testified against Tareq Rahman,” he said.
"So when the BNP complains about corruption, even donkeys laugh at them," he made these remarks while speaking at a Chattogram City Corporation event.
“My question is: who made Bangladesh five times champions in corruption? The answer is BNP,” he continued.
Read more: Economic crisis, inflation leave public life in the lurch: BNP
Hasan Mahmud, the Awami League's joint general secretary, mentioned fires on school grounds in several districts in 2014.
He said, “BNP carried out arson attacks in 500 schools. New books for students were destroyed in those schools. The BNP did this in the name of resisting the election.”
“Prices of commodities increased due to the Ukraine war and the Corona pandemic,” he said in response to the BNP’s secretary general’s speech on the commodity price hikes.
“Inflation is 8 percent in our country, which is much lower than in other countries,” he added.
Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Bir Muktijoddha Rezaul Karim Chowdhury presided over the event, and Suborna Mustafa MP was the special guest.
Economic crisis, inflation leave public life in the lurch: BNP
BNP on Tuesday voiced concern that the ongoing economic crisis and growing inflation have turned into a national crisis, leaving common people in the lurch.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also said the nation will not get rid of the ongoing economic crisis unless the ‘corrupt and incompetent’ Awami League government is removed from power.
“The people of the country are living a miserable life due to increasing price inflation of daily necessities, including, electricity, fuel, transportation, and food. Almost all macroeconomic indicators are becoming weaker and acute,” he said.
In present-day Bangladesh, the BNP leader said there is only screaming all around for want of food and money. “The entire country has become a kingdom of scarcity. People are facing a suffocating situation, due to the high prices of everyday goods. Thus, the country's economy has plunged into a great crisis."
Also Read: Seeking grassroots support, BNP to march at thana-level of cities March 4
He said the government has shown the inflation rate was 9.52 percent in August last but the non-food inflation is hovering around double digits. “In January, this rate was 9.8 percent.”
Fakhrul said the prices of all goods in the market are gradually going up. “The prices of rice, lentils and eggs are skyrocketing while the per kg of broiler chicken is now over Tk 200. But the government's Bureau of Statistics (BBS) shows general price inflation at 8.57 percent and food inflation at 7.76 percent. The economists are expressing doubt about the data.”
He alleged that an economic anarchy has been created in the country because of repeated increase in electricity and gas prices, dwindling reserves, unprecedented dollar crisis and devaluation of money against the dollar, mismanagement in banking and financial sector, wrong policies, rampant corruption, siphoning off money abroad, increase in loan defaults, economic income inequality, lack of good governance and lack of democracy.
Coming out of its usual denial syndrome, the government was forced to admit the persisting economic crisis in the country in its letter sent to the IMF, the BNP Secretary General said. “The government is taking loans from the IMF on tough conditions to deal with the situation. In other words, they are now relying on borrowing from banks and IMF loans.”
He said the government does not want to acknowledge the country's economic crisis as it has no accountability. “They’re not elected by the people and public votes.”
The BNP leader said the government is always running a false campaign through the media by spreading fear among journalists and establishing its control on the press. “This propaganda is essential for those who are fascists and dictators to give people a false impression.”
Replying to a question, he said the current government must quit power to overcome the current economic crisis. “When this regime will go, the competent people can work and take effective steps to resolve the problems.”
AL staging drama over issue of Khaleda's politics with evil motive
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged Awami League has started staging dramas over the issue of Khaleda Zia’s scope to do politics with an evil motive.
Speaking at a discussion he also said the ruling party leaders need not talk about the issue as the BNP chief herself and her party will decide whether she’ll engage in politics or not.
"Begum Khaleda Zia has been kept under house arrest and she’s very ill…the government has started staging various dramas about her. Some ministers said that Khaleda Zia is not allowed to do politics. Another minister said she has no obstacle to doing politics,” the BNP leader said.
He questioned why the ruling party leaders have become so desperate to talk about whether the BNP chief can do politics or not. “Their intentions are absolutely evil. They want to confuse the people of the country and divert their attention to a different direction.”
Fakhrul said the Awami League leaders will not be able to mislead BNP as their party’s now only focus is on restoring the voting and other lost rights of the country’s people by ousting the Awami League government.
“We no longer want to see this government. This regime must resign and dissolve parliament right now. You can’t fool people by talking about this thing (Khaleda’s politics.),” he said.
The BNP leader said Khaleda Zia will do politics when the suitable time comes. “She’ will surely do politics, no matter where she stays as she is the most popular leader in the country.” So you (AL leaders) don't need to talk about it. She’ll take her decision and the party will take it.”
Fakhrul said the government can release Khaleda without any condition if it wants her to return to politics.
Jatiyatabadi Tanti Dal arranged the discussion programme at the Jatiya Press Club, marking its 43rd founding anniversary.
Khaleda has been convicted in a case of corruption in Zia Orphanage Trust and sentenced to 10 years in jail. In another corruption case involving Zia Charitable Trust, she has been given seven years of imprisonment.
Her jail terms have been suspended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on humanitarian grounds considering her poor health following a petition by her family.
The issue of Khaleda's opportunity to do politics as a convict has come into discussion as the law minister recently said that Khaleda can participate in politics, but not in the next general elections. Later, various ministers made comments disagreeing with the law minister.
AL, not BNP in ICU
Fakhrul urged the government to give attention to people’s problems instead of thinking about Khaleda. “The people's main problem is that they can’t elect their representatives with their votes. There’s no people's parliament and people now can't talk.”
He urged the government to step down, and dissolve parliament for establishing a government of people by holding a credible election under a non-party neutral administration.
The BNP leader said the ruling party leaders used to accuse BNP of rigging votes, but Awami League has been indulging in vote rigging since 1973. “You rigged votes in the last two national elections. I want to say firmly, BNP has never stolen votes.”
Slamming the government for harassing BNP leaders and activists by implicating them in ‘false and ghost cases, Fakhrul said the government should be ashamed of filing cases against 40 lakh leaders and activists of the opposition parties.
He also came down hard on Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader for his comment that BNP will go to ICU, saying it is Awami League that has already been there in the ICU as it has got bankrupt politically.
“Why’re you so scared of holding the election under a neutral government? The reason behind your fear is that you know if the election is held under a neutral government, you won’t get even 20 seats and will lose your security money as well,” the BNP leader said.
Left leaders with 14-party worse than AL
In an oblique reference to Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon’s comment the ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance is "non-functional", he said Jatiya Party and some renowned leaders of the left parties joined the 2014 polls with Awami League amid the boycott by BNP and took the share of the advantage of power.
"Now they (left leaders) are in little difficulty and they’re not made ministers and given the share of the advantage of power properly. So, they’re now saying the 14-party is no longer functioning,” Fakhrul said.
He also said these left leaders are worse than Awami League. “There're now some people in this country whose job it is to pander and flatter the government and work against the interests of the people.”
The BNP leader said left leaders who are with the 14-party alliance used to criticise BNP whenever they get a chance, but they’re not playing their due role and talking about democracy, people’s voting rights, and the government’s corruption.
Khaleda undergoes health check-up at Evercare, returns home
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia underwent health check-ups at Evercare Hospital in the capital on Monday.
She arrived at the hospital from her Gulshan residence around 5:35 pm and stayed there for over one and a half hours, said her media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan.
He said the BNP chairperson underwent several tests at the hospital as per the advice of her medical board.
The BNP chief left the hospital around 7: 13 pm and reached her residence at 8:22 pm, he said.
Khaleda’s personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain said the medical board formed earlier, led by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, advised her to go under the health check-ups at the hospital.
"She underwent various necessary medical tests at the hospital. The test reports will be available by tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.
Read more: Khaleda to do politics if a favourable environment in place: BNP
Zahid said the medical board will decide her next course of treatment after assessing her health condition and test reports.
Asked about Khaleda’s physical condition, he said, "Her condition is as before and it remains unchanged.”
Khaleda, a 77-year-old former prime minister, has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems.
She received treatment at the same hospital six times since she was infected with Coronavirus in April, 2021.
In November 2021, Khaleda Zia was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.
Read more: No external pressure over letting Khaleda do politics: Law Minister
AL govt involved in BDR carnage: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that Awami League and its government were involved in the BDR mutiny at the Pilkhana Headquarters that left 57 army officers killed.
“The Awami League government gets unnerved whenever February 25 comes. One of their (govt’s) ministers said yesterday (Saturday) whether our leaders Begum Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman were involved in that carnage,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader further said, “We would like to say very clearly that Awami League and its government were fully involved in this killing. With their direct cooperation and through their conspiracy and plan, this BDR carnage was carried out to turn Bangladesh into a weak subservient state and to completely demoralise the patriotic army of the country.”
Fakhrul said the government’s involvement can easily be understood as it talked to the rebel leaders and made a negotiation with them at the time of the mutiny. “What kind of negotiation was it? You compromised with those who were killing the smart officers of our army."
As per the rules of the Army, he said the mutiny must be suppressed through intervention, not by another means. “Moeen U Ahmed was the then Army Chief who played the main role in destroying democracy in Bangladesh through 1/11 (political changeover) and who tried to hamper the country’s independence and destroy the army.”
BNP arranged the discussion at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) in memory of 57 army officers killed in the BDR mutiny 14 years back.
On 25-26 February 2009, a cabal of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) killed 74 people, including 57 army officers, of the paramilitary force at the Pilkhana Headquarters.
Following the heinous killings of the army officers at the Pilkhana headquarters, the government renamed the mutiny-hit paramilitary force BDR as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), changing its logo as well as uniform.
Fakhrul criticised the media for 'not running any news' on the BDR mutiny on Saturday.
“Unfortunately we note with sadness that yesterday (Saturday) was February 25, but there was not even a single column of news in any newspaper of the country about the horrific carnage that had taken place on that day,” he said.
Fakhrul said there is a positive sign that the country’s people have started taking to the streets to restore democracy and their voting and other rights.
“We’ve already been on the streets and we’ve been observing different programmes in protest against the price hikes in the daily essentials, including rice, pulses, oil and fuel, since August last year,” he said.
During the current movement, the BNP leader claimed that police gunned down their party’s 17 leaders and activists while many others were arrested and sent to jail by implicating them in false cases. “We must get rid of such an awful situation.”
He called upon people from all walks of life and all political parties to get united to establish a pro-people and democratic government through a credible election under a non-party administration.
"No election will be held in Bangladesh until the caretaker government is established. No elections will be allowed before that,” Fakhrul warned.
He said their moving ached with their peaceful programmes in a democratic manner. “They (govt) are obstructing our programmes…they can’t stop us as people will come up with resistance very soon and we’ll move forward with redoubled speed.”
Speaking at the programme, BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the Awami League government must be held responsible to people someday for its all misdeeds, corruption, looting and killing incidents carried out by it.
"The people of the country have their backs against the wall. They’re waking up. Inshallah, the unelected, undemocratic, usurper and illegitimate government will be ousted. We will be there on the streets with the people until this government is removed,” he said.
BNP leader dies during road march in Chuadanga
A local leader of BNP died of a stroke while attending the party’s road march in Chuadanga district on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Abdul Zabbar Bablu, president of BNP's Alamdanga upazila unit.
Sources said Chuadanga BNP arranged a road march in the district as part of the party’s countrywide programme on Saturday afternoon. Abdul Zabbar suffered a stroke when he took part in the programme.
Later, he was taken to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital where the doctors declared him dead, said Dr. Fateh Akram, Resident Medical Officer of the hospital.
“The body will be handed over after completing the post-mortem," he added.
Seeking grassroots support, BNP to march at thana-level of cities March 4
As part of the ongoing simultaneous movement, the BNP and its associate bodies and like-minded parties will march in all thanas under their divisional cities on March 4 (next Saturday) to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
The main opposition party announced the fresh programme shortly after the launch of their march in all districts of the country today (Saturday) - which was part of the same series of programmes
The programme will also protest against the rise in the prices of power, gas and essential items, and pressure the government to release BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia without any condition, essentially to drop the 'false' cases against her, and now and to accept the party’s 10-point demand.
In a statement, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir urged the party rank and file to make the party’s movement a success with their spontaneous participation, to force the government to accept their 10-point demand and quit.
BNP Standing Committee members and the party’s senior leaders participated in the district-level programme.
Today's nationwide march programme in all districts by the BNP to press home their 10-point demand was observed on Saturday amid clashes and obstruction in nine districts.
The leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies alleged that the ruling party activists attacked them in Jhalokathi, Nilphamari and Netrokona when they tried to observe their march programme there.
Besides, they said police charged batons on the opposition leaders and activists in Patuakhali while law enforcers opened fire on a procession in Cumilla.
BNP could not hold the march programme in Bagerhat and Rajbari due to obstructions reportedly by police while the party leaders and activists cut short the programme in Gazipur and Magura in the face of police obstruction.
Besides, the party’s march programme was foiled as a crude bomb exploded in front of its office in Natore before the start of the march.
In his statement, Mirza Fakhrul strongly condemned and protested the incident and said the government was trying to create anarchy by attacking the opposition’s peaceful march programme as it got scared of the ongoing movement.
He claimed that over 100 BNP leaders and activists were injured in attacks by police and ruling party ‘cadres’ on the march programme in different districts.
From December last year, BNP and like-minded parties and alliances started a simultaneous movement to bring down the government, or at least realise the all-important caretaker or non-party provision ahead of the next election.
Besides, the leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka north and south city units observed the march programme in five areas in the capital since January 28.
The party also arranged a similar programme in all unions and divisional cities across the country to press home their 10-point demand.
AL to resist anything nefarious on behalf of nation: Dipu Moni
The Awami League will resist any nefarious move with the help of the people of Bangladesh, said Education Minister Dipu Moni on Saturday.
“An identified evil force wants to destabilize the country ahead of the national election. They want to wreak havoc once more, as they did in 2013 and 2014. However, Bangladesh Awami League will strongly oppose any vicious move with the people of the country,” she said.
The education minister, also the Awami League Joint General Secretary, said this while talking to the reporters at the diamond jubilee ceremony of Chandpur Govt College.
Also Read: BNP conspiring to regain power illegally: Dipu Moni
“The Awami League's peace rally today is part of the effort to move Bangladesh forward,” she said, adding: “This program is to ensure that we can continue our development work and build Smart Bangladesh.”
Our programs are not counter to any party’s programs, she explained and said, “We have always been in the field and will always be. We are in the government, we are also with the people of the country in the field. We have always been present to safeguard peace, order, and people's lives, and we will remain so in the future."
Md Hasanuzzaman Kollol, secretary to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Md Anisur Rahman, election commissioner, Faruk Hossain, former secretary and author, and Kamrul Hasan, DC of Chandpur, were among those present at the ceremony.