Khaleda sees AL men’s link to targeted killings

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia speaks at an iftar-cum-discussion at Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday said the ruling Awami League men and their cohorts were involved in the recent targeted murders around the country, including the latest killing of the wife of a police official in Chittagong.
‘Everything will come out once they are nabbed,’ she added.
She also said the government wanted to hold another ‘one-party’ general election keeping her and her party leaders in jail.
She called for putting the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on trial on graft cases, including the NIKO case, claiming that whatever had happened over the NIKO issue took place during Hasina’s rule and denied her own involvement in the issue.
She said if judges and the Chief Justice neutrally held the trial and if the foreigners (NIKO representatives) are brought over, Hasina would be sentenced.
Khaleda made the remarks while addressing a discussion, following an Iftar party organised by Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium, to mark 35th death anniversary of former president Ziaur Rahman.
Branding the present government ‘illegal’ and the parliament ‘devoid of people’s representatives’, she said people will not accept the actions and laws passed by this government.
She said there was no opposition in parliament as those who claim to be the opposition, are part of the government, and do not dare discuss crucial issues in fear of losing their job and positions.
Khaleda said the ruling party thinks that they will hold another election by sending her party leaders and activists, including her, to jail.
She said Hasina wanted to hold the one-party election along with HM Ershad, her ally, but it would not be so easy and would not be accepted at home and abroad like the election on January 5, 2014.
She said people did not believe there is independence of judges and the judiciary and added that now a dual legal system existed in the country – one for ruling party men and another for the opposition and ordinary people.
She said the ‘self-proclaimed’ prime minister exonerated herself from all 15 cases filed against her, whereas the cases filed against opposition leaders including Khaleda are being now being dragged into court.
Referring to the NIKO graft case filed against her, she said the case could not possibly proceed without including her arch political opponent Hasina into it.
She said they had information about irregularities and shady transactions involving the Bangabandhu Trust.
So they should not think about awarding us punishment without bringing Hasina on the dock, she said.
Referring to the seven murder case of Narayanganj, she said the trial of the seven murders did not gather pace because it involved RAB and high police officials, who would drag Hasina’s name into it as well.
She addressed judges, the CJ and lawyers and said BNP wanted justice, rule of law and nothing else, and called on them to hold trials on allegations against both ruling party and the opposition leaders, without holding quick trials of BNP men. We will then see who is sentenced, she added.
Presided over by BNP vice-chairman, TH Khan, also founding president of the forum, the discussion was also addressed among others by BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mahbubur Rahman, Jamiruddin Sircar, ASM Hannan Shah and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy. It was conducted by Supreme Court Bar Association secretary Mahbub Uddin Khokon.

Source: New Age