Khaleda walks to freedom
Friday, 12 September 2008
Former premier and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was released from the high-security makeshift prison on the parliament premises Thursday, at the height of a turnaround in the interim regime's much-hyped political rectification drive.
Jail authorities set Khaleda, the three-time Prime Minister and widow of the slain President Ziaur Rahman, free from the sub-jail, after having received all the bail documents on Wednesday evening, reports UNB.
Hundreds of leaders and workers of BNP and its front organisations, with red buntings and flowers, thronged around since morning to welcome their party chief after a long anxious wait.
She walked to freedom at 11:35 am, as the activists yelled out of joy, clapped and chanted slogans, says an eyewitness account of the BNP chief's comeback.
Riding over a rousing reception by her party faithful, she drove in a motorcade to her husband's mazar first, which is close by the Sangsad Bhaban to offer fateha.
"She looked fresh, despite her long internment," reported a newsman from the scene.
Then she visited Tarique Rahman at BSMMU Hospital in an emotional reunion between the mother and son after their release from prison. From there she drove to the BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan.
Addressing the party workers there, Khaleda said the BNP will go to dialogue and polls both in right environment. She demanded of the caretaker government to lift state of emergency to create congenial atmosphere for election and call parliament election first before upazila election.
"Emergency should be lifted as it is not possible to hold any credible election under emergency," she said.
The BNP chairperson said, "We do not want upazila election before national elections."
"We are ready to sit in discussion and electoral dialogue with the government. "Election has to be held with the participation of all parties."
She urged the interim government to take rapid initiatives so that "people's government can come to power for healing the country's deplorable condition".
Khaleda Zia termed BNP as a united party, claiming that there are no divisions in it. She urged all party leaders and activists to work together.
Referring to Tarique Rahman's physical condition, Khaleda Zia said she talked to the physicians who advised sending him abroad on emergency basis for his better treatment.
"Physicians said Tarique would have to stay abroad for his treatment for a long time," she said, adding that he will not conduct any political activity during his stay abroad.
"After returning home cured, he will resume his political activities," she said.
"Tarique wants to be relieved of political activities as well as of his political post. He can't perform any political activity unless he recovers from his illness," said the former ruler out of motherly affection for her ailing elder son.
She broke down in tears telling the newsmen about condition of her son, who had wielded immense power during her rule and was arrested by army-led joint forces after the state of emergency was declared in the country.
Earlier, after reaching the party office, Khaleda held a meeting with party's standing-committee members.
Khaleda Zia got the all clear in the process of her release as the High Court Tuesday granted her bail for three months in the last two graft cases against her involving Niko and Gatco deals.
The former premier faces four cases under the purge launched by the interim regime following the political crisis that cropped up at the end of her immediate-past tenure. She had earlier secured interim bail in the last week of August in two other graft cases involving Zia Orphanage Trust fund embezzlement and Barapukuria Coalmine contract.
She was arrested, along with her younger son Koko, on September 3, 2007 amid a crackdown on the political arena after the January 11 changeover following the political crisis over election issues. Her elder son, Tarique Rahman, was held earlier on March 7.
Both of her sons are already free on bail and parole for overseas treatment, apparently following a latest change of wind in the country's highly wrought political scenario that sees many other detained politicians and other bigwigs walking to freedom.
Meanwhile, the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), after losing their legal battle for preventing Khaleda Zia from securing bail in all the four cases, has filed applications with the chamber judge of the Supreme Court for stay on operation of the High Court bail orders.
The vacation chamber judge will sit on September 15 for hearing the applications, court sources said after receiving the last two petitions Wednesday.
Jail authorities set Khaleda, the three-time Prime Minister and widow of the slain President Ziaur Rahman, free from the sub-jail, after having received all the bail documents on Wednesday evening, reports UNB.
Hundreds of leaders and workers of BNP and its front organisations, with red buntings and flowers, thronged around since morning to welcome their party chief after a long anxious wait.
She walked to freedom at 11:35 am, as the activists yelled out of joy, clapped and chanted slogans, says an eyewitness account of the BNP chief's comeback.
Riding over a rousing reception by her party faithful, she drove in a motorcade to her husband's mazar first, which is close by the Sangsad Bhaban to offer fateha.
"She looked fresh, despite her long internment," reported a newsman from the scene.
Then she visited Tarique Rahman at BSMMU Hospital in an emotional reunion between the mother and son after their release from prison. From there she drove to the BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan.
Addressing the party workers there, Khaleda said the BNP will go to dialogue and polls both in right environment. She demanded of the caretaker government to lift state of emergency to create congenial atmosphere for election and call parliament election first before upazila election.
"Emergency should be lifted as it is not possible to hold any credible election under emergency," she said.
The BNP chairperson said, "We do not want upazila election before national elections."
"We are ready to sit in discussion and electoral dialogue with the government. "Election has to be held with the participation of all parties."
She urged the interim government to take rapid initiatives so that "people's government can come to power for healing the country's deplorable condition".
Khaleda Zia termed BNP as a united party, claiming that there are no divisions in it. She urged all party leaders and activists to work together.
Referring to Tarique Rahman's physical condition, Khaleda Zia said she talked to the physicians who advised sending him abroad on emergency basis for his better treatment.
"Physicians said Tarique would have to stay abroad for his treatment for a long time," she said, adding that he will not conduct any political activity during his stay abroad.
"After returning home cured, he will resume his political activities," she said.
"Tarique wants to be relieved of political activities as well as of his political post. He can't perform any political activity unless he recovers from his illness," said the former ruler out of motherly affection for her ailing elder son.
She broke down in tears telling the newsmen about condition of her son, who had wielded immense power during her rule and was arrested by army-led joint forces after the state of emergency was declared in the country.
Earlier, after reaching the party office, Khaleda held a meeting with party's standing-committee members.
Khaleda Zia got the all clear in the process of her release as the High Court Tuesday granted her bail for three months in the last two graft cases against her involving Niko and Gatco deals.
The former premier faces four cases under the purge launched by the interim regime following the political crisis that cropped up at the end of her immediate-past tenure. She had earlier secured interim bail in the last week of August in two other graft cases involving Zia Orphanage Trust fund embezzlement and Barapukuria Coalmine contract.
She was arrested, along with her younger son Koko, on September 3, 2007 amid a crackdown on the political arena after the January 11 changeover following the political crisis over election issues. Her elder son, Tarique Rahman, was held earlier on March 7.
Both of her sons are already free on bail and parole for overseas treatment, apparently following a latest change of wind in the country's highly wrought political scenario that sees many other detained politicians and other bigwigs walking to freedom.
Meanwhile, the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), after losing their legal battle for preventing Khaleda Zia from securing bail in all the four cases, has filed applications with the chamber judge of the Supreme Court for stay on operation of the High Court bail orders.
The vacation chamber judge will sit on September 15 for hearing the applications, court sources said after receiving the last two petitions Wednesday.