BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is currently in prison, said it is possible for an opposition party to exist outside parliament, reports bdnews24.com.
She made the remarks in response to a lawyer's comment during a hearing of the Niko graft case at Dhaka Special Judge's Court-9, established on the special premises at Old Dhaka on Sunday.
The BNP, which has been outside of parliament since its boycott of the 2014 polls, won only eight seats after participating in the 11th national polls held in December last year.
Jailed since last February for graft in the Zia orphanage and trust cases, Khaleda said those who speak out for the rights of the people are 'the opposition'.
She was brought to court in a wheelchair for the hearing at 12:20 pm. Barrister Moudud Ahmed, another suspect in the case, was giving his own defence at the time. "We are in trouble now because we are the opposition," he said.
Lawyer for the prosecution Borhanuddin then asked: "Are you the opposition party?"
To which Khaleda said: "An opposition party isn't just in parliament. They can exist outside it as well. Those who take to the streets, those who speak on behalf of the people, those who speak for the rights of the people are the opposition party."
The Niko graft case accuses former prime minister Khaleda and ten others of abusing the power of their office to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko. The case was started by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007.
Moudud Ahmed spoke for nearly one and a half hours in his defence to call for his exemption from the case.
"The (Niko) deal was sealed during the Awami League's term from 1996 to 2001. We just continued it.
It is said that I served as the legal adviser in the case and argued for it. But there are no documents supporting this. Neither attested copies, nor photocopies," he said.
