“There’s nothing secret,” said Quader when asked whether there is any secret understanding between the government and BNP over its chief Khaleda Zia’s release on parole.
Replying to a query from reporters about BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s phone call, he said the BNP leader asked him over phone to inform Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina about Khaleda’s release on parole.
“There’s nothing wrong in it. He asked me to tell the Prime Minister. But the Prime Minister didn’t inform him anything yet,” he said.
Quader, also the Road, Transport and Bridges minister, further said, “I repeatedly tried to say it’s a matter of the court…she’s in jail in corruption cases…it’s not a political case.”
Replying to another query, he said BNP did not file any appeal for Khaleda’s release on parole. “If they submit any appeal, then we’ll see whether there’s any logic in it.”
Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, has been in jail since February 8, 2018. She was convicted in two corruption cases. Her party insists that the cases are politically motivated but the government denies the charges.
The BNP chief has been receiving treatment at the BSMMU since April 1 last year.