Joy-safadi meet
A drama staged by BNP: Hanif
Staff Reporter
The reported meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas son Sajeeb Wajed Joy and Mendi N Safadi, a leader of Israeli right-wing Likud party, is a drama staged by the BNP, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif said yesterday.
Snubbing the issue, Hanif said the drama was staged to divert the peoples attention as much information is being leaked about the BNPs conspiracy with Israel after the partys leader Aslam Chowdhury was placed on police remand.
Hanif made the comments while talking to journalists at the party presidents Dhanmondi office in the capital after BBC Bangla ran a report that it interviewed Safadi where the Israeli politician claimed that he had a meeting with Joy at the latters Washington office in the US last year.
Chowdhury is currently in jail on charges of sedition over an alleged plot with Israel to oust the current Awami League government. He was arrested after publication of a news report and photos of his meeting with the Israeli national in India.
Asked if Hanif is questioning the credibility of the report although it was run by BBC Bangla, he claimed that no BBC journalist ran the report.
No BBC journalist ran the report, rather the interview was taken by London-based BNP leader Jacob Milton and Milton asked BBC Bangla to make a story on it, Hanif claimed.
He also rued that an organisation like BBC published a borrowed interview without any verification, and said the Awami League would protest the report formally.
