BNP yesterday alleged that the government is controlling the judiciary through its politicisation for hanging onto power. "Since it came to power in 2008, Awami League politicised the judiciary in a cunning way to ensure its absolute power. Now there's no independence of the judiciary as it has been regulated by the government," said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He also alleged that the ruling party has turned Bangladesh into a "failed state" with its efforts to establish one-party fascist rule by politicising the judiciary, the last resort of people for justice. The BNP leader came up with the remarks at a press conference at BNP's Nayapaltan central office protesting a Pabna court's recent verdict sentencing nine BNP activists to death and jailing 25 others for life, for attacking a train carrying then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina in 1994.

Fakhrul said their party is always against any form of terrorism and it wants the proper trial of any such incident. "But Awami League is using such incidents for making political gains." He claimed that no one was injured in the train attack carried out around 25 years back during BNP's rule, but BNP leaders almost at all levels have been implicated and convicted in the case filed over the incident.