Free Khaleda stir to be peaceful, claims BNP
Staff Reporter
Following Khaleda Zias conviction in a graft case, the BNP yesterday announced a peaceful programme to demand their leaders release from jail. Our movement is to demand the immediate release of Khaleda Zia and restoration of democracy. We want to make it clear that our peaceful movement will continue till our leader is set free, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said. The BNP leader asserted that no election would take place in the country if Khaleda was barred from participating in the poll process.
Fakhrul was addressing a human chain programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club. The human chain from 10.30 am to 12 noon was organised as part of the BNPs countrywide programme to demand Khaledas freedom.
The former Premier was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case and sentenced to five years in prison by a special court in Dhaka on February 8.
Several thousand BNP leaders and activists formed the human chain, which was held amid tight security. The protesters raised pro-Khaleda and anti-government slogans as a heavy deployment of law enforcers kept a wary watch.
Thanking people for supporting the party, Fakhrul said: You have defied many obstacles to join this human chain to show love and respect for our chairperson. This huge turnout of people to protest against her jailing proves that Khaleda Zia is the most popular leader in the country.
He alleged that Khaledas imprisonment was a political plot to keep her from contesting the forthcoming general election.
Our party wants the 11th parliamentary polls to be held under an election-time neutral government and an independent and impartial Election Commission. The BNP wants to fulfil peoples hopes and aspirations by joining a peaceful and credible election, he said.
Fakhrul claimed that government forces have launched drives to arrest BNP leaders and activists across the country.
Ironically, BNP vice-chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu was arrested from Segun Bagicha as he was returning from the protest programme yesterday.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the people have rejected the unfair jailing of Khaleda. He also said the government must release her immediately and withdraw all false cases against her.
Another standing committee member, Mirza Abbas, said the next election would surely be held with Khaledas participation irrespective of how many plots the government may hatch against her. Itll be a nightmare if anyone thinks of holding the polls without her, he warned.
The BNP also hosted similar programmes at the district, thana, upzila and city levels to demand Khaledas release. The party had staged similar protest programmes on Friday and Saturday as well.
The party will also hold an hour-long sit-in programme today and stage a hunger strike from 9am to 5pm tomorrow across the country.
On Saturday, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had officially announced the partys three-day protest programme at a press briefing at BNPs Naya Paltan office.
