Khaleda to appear at media briefing Wednesday as tension rises ahead of verdict

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will appear before journalists on Wednesday amid escalating tensions over the delivery of a verdict on her corruption trial.

She will speak at a news conference at her Gulshan office at 5pm, the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Tuesday.   

He told bdnews24.com: “The BNP chairperson will address the people through the press conference with the political situation of the country in the backdrop.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police issued a ‘special notice’ prohibiting any form of gathering from 4am on Thursday until further notice.

The DMP notice said inputs from intelligence agencies and media suggest efforts to destabilise public order may take place on that day and sought cooperation from all quarters for security.

Khaleda and five others, including her son and BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, have been tried at the court of Dhaka’s Fifth Special Judge Md Aktaruzzaman on charges of embezzling Tk 21 million in foreign donation meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust.

A former prime minister, Khaleda faces up to life in prison if found guilty of the charges, which means she will be disqualified for running in the parliamentary polls.

The BNP, which claims the charges are part of a plot to keep the party chief out of the national election, has threatened to take the streets.

Ruling Awami League leaders, however, deny it saying if Khaleda is not guilty, then it will be proven in court.

It has also called supporters to be wide awake as the BNP is expected to burst into protests if Khaleda were to be convicted.

But earlier, Khaleda had urged her party supporters to hold ‘peaceful programmes’.

“Please don’t do something foolish that can put the party in danger. Remain united,” she said at the Executive Committee meeting on Saturday.

She had called the meeting ahead of the delivery of the verdict for the first time after its formation around two years ago. 

The BNP chief also visited the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal and Shah Paran in Sylhet on Monday to offer prayers there.