Terming the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case unfair, leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) demanded on Tuesday immediate release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
They also called on the party leaders and activists to continue countrywide demonstration in a peaceful and democratic way to free Khaleda Zia.
The top leaders of the party said these at a sit-in programme in front of its Naya Paltan central office in the city protesting imprisonment of the party chairperson.
After shifting the venue twice, BNP decided to hold the programme in front of the party's Naya Paltan office as they didn't get permission from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to hold the sit-in at the Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh premises.
The programme was addressed by BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the party's standing committee members Dr Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, vice-chairman Khandkar Mahbub Hossain, advisers to BNP Chairperson Zainul Abedin Faruk, Abul Khair Bhuiyan and Barkatullah Bulu, senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and Juba Dal president Saiful Alam Nirab.
Leaders from the 20-party alliance including Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Bangladesh National Awami Party (BNAP), National People's Party (NPP), Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), National Democratic Party (NDP) and Labour Party also attended the programme.
Speaking at the event, Mr Fakhrul called upon the party leaders and activists to continue staging demonstrations in a peaceful and democratic way for the release of Khaleda Zia.
He said, "Our movement is to free Khaleda Zia from jail … we are demonstrating to free arrested BNP leaders and activists … the movement will continue to unshackle the people of Bangladesh and ensure democracy."
Terming the incumbent government isolated from the people, he said the government jailed Khaleda because of its political bankruptcy, filed fake cases against acting BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman and over 1.5 million BNP men.
The government thought the people of the country would get stunned and lose courage after the arrest of BNP Chairperson, Mr Fakhrul said.
"It will not happen because the people of the country will definitely 'get Khaleda out of jail," he added.
The BNP secretary general further added that the government lost its ethical grounds to stay in power anymore.
Besides, he said the government kept Khaleda Zia in a wrecked and abandoned prison which is a violation of human rights.
BNP standing committee member barrister Moudud Ahmed said the government kept the BNP Chairperson in solitary confinement in a false case.
"We will take Khaleda Zia out of the jail through the ongoing movement and will continue legal battle to free her", he said.
BNP leaders and activists have been staging countrywide protests after Khaleda Zia was jailed for five years on February 8.
After two days of demonstration on Friday and Saturday, Mr Rizvi announced a three-day protest programme at a press briefing held at party's Naya Paltan office on Sunday.
BNP observed a human chain programme in front of the National Press Club as part of the three-day protest yesterday (Monday).
The party will observe a hunger strike from 9:00am to 5:00pm today (Wednesday) across the country protesting conviction of the party chairperson.
The BNP also briefed the foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka on the country's overall political situation.
A group of BNP leaders, led by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, apprised the diplomats of the party's observations about the court verdict and the government's attitude towards Khaleda in jail. Diplomats from around 15 countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, France, Spain, Turkey, India and Pakistan attended the nearly one-and-a-half-hour meeting that began around 4:05pm at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office.
However, there was no briefing from either side about the meeting outcome.
A BNP leader, who was present at the meeting, wishing anonymity, said they told the diplomats how Khaleda was 'unfairly' convicted and ill treatment of her in jail, the government's procrastination in giving her division and a certified copy of the verdict for filing an appeal, the arrest of around 4,500 BNP leaders and activists and some other issues.
Apart from Fakhrul, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Moshrraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed and Nazrul Islam Khan, chairperson's advisers Reaz Rahman, Sabihuddin Ahmed and party special secretary Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon were present.
The BNP Chairperson is yet to file an appeal with the High Court.
Her counsels said on Tuesday that they were yet to get a copy of the trial court's verdict.
Sanaullah Mia, one of the lawyers for Khaleda, said that they would file the appeal with the High Court on Wednesday (today), if a copy of the verdict is available.
Around 12pm on Tuesday, Mia and three other lawyers arrived at the Nazim Uddin Road prison and sought to meet their client.
"We need her to sign some documents. We will brief the media later," Mia told reporters before entering the Prison Directorate's offices.
Almost an hour later, they came to the prison gate, waiting to meet their client. After waiting for another two hours, they left around 3pm as their request was rejected.
"If the verdict's copy is available tomorrow, we will file an appeal," he told the media before leaving.
The jail authorities, however, received the documents on power of attorney, which their client needed to sign, according to Mia.
ahb_mcj2009@yahoo.com