People will reject injudicious verdict against Khaleda: BNP

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday warned that people will not accept it if any injudicious verdict is given in the Zia Charitable Trust graft case against Khaleda Zia and others, reports UNB.

"It won't be so easy for you (government) to arrange an injudicious verdict against our chairperson Khaleda Zia. The country's people won't accept it and justice must be ensured for her," he said.

Fakhrul came up with the remarks while speaking at a protest rally at the Jatiya Press Club, arranged by Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, demanding release of its general secretary and organising secretary.

He alleged that the government is making a plot to remove Khaleda Zia from politics. "But we can't allow the government to do that."

The BNP leader urged his party colleagues to get ready for foiling the government's evil design against their chairperson.

The Special Court-5 in Dhaka on Thursday fixed February 8 to deliver the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against Khaleda and five other people.

The ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her eldest son Tarique Rahman, who is now living in the UK after securing bail, and four others for misappropriating over 2.10 crore that came as grants from a foreign bank for orphans.

Fakhrul questioned as to why the government is trying to complete the trial proceedings of the case so hurriedly. "Is it for keeping Khaleda Zia away from the next election and politics as part of your plot?"

He also criticised the government for what he said its failure to control the soaring prices of the essentials. "An unstable situation has been prevailing in every sector. We must wake up to overcome the situation."

The BNP leader also alleged that the government continued it repressive acts to annihilate the opposition in a planned way.

He claimed that their party's at least 20,000 leaders and activists were arrested over the last one month.

Meanwhile, claiming that the graft case against their chairperson Khaleda Zia was filed with forged documents and false information only to harass her, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said no evil design of the government will be successful.

"The government is trying to influence the trial of the case," he said while distributing warm clothes among the poor people near Basunia Bazar in Sadar upazila on Saturday.

"But if the verdict is influenced, BNP will deal with it politically. The next course of action will be taken after the announcement of the verdict," Rizvi said.

He also alleged that although the government has withdrawn all the cases filed against Awami League leaders and activists, not a single case was withdrawn against the BNP men.