“The statement damaged our party image which cannot be regained by paying 100 crore”
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court has summoned BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman in a defamation case over making derogatory comments on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rezaul Karim passed the order on Monday.
The court asked Tarique Rahman to appear before it on December 10.
Md Monir Khan, assistant secretary of Bangladesh Awami League central committee, filed the case with the court.
In his statement, the plaintiff said addressing a programme in London on November 7, the BNP senior vice-chairman said a sedition case should be filed against Sheikh Mujib.
“Sheikh Mujib returned to Bangladesh with a Pakistani passport after around 25 days of independence and took oath as being a Pakistani national,” Tarique said.
Noting that many Bangladeshi newspapers published news on Tariqu’s statement on the next day, the plaintiff said: “The statement damaged our party image which cannot be regained by paying 100 crore.”
At various programmes in the UK in recent times, Tarique has given several widely debated versions and interpretations of Bangladesh’s history.
In one such programme, he termed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as “Pakbandhu,” meaning a friend of Pakistan.
Many have termed his interpretations as distortions of history.
Tarique, who faces 14 charges in the country including one for the August 21 grenade attack, has been living in exile in the UK for around six years.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
