Fakhrul accuses govt of using judiciary to block Khaleda from election

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that the government has been trying to use the judiciary to prevent BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from participating in the next parliamentary election.

“The government is creating unprecedented instances one after another,” he said at a BNP programme on Friday.

“A bail order by the High Court was deferred by the Supreme Court in a case that involves only a five-year jail term. That’s unprecedented. And the order to dispose of the case in three to four months is unprecedented too.”

A special court sentenced Khaleda to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust case on Feb 8.  Following the appeal challenging the court verdict, the High Court granted Khaleda a four-month interim bail on Mar 12.

But when the ACC and the State moved the Appellate Division, it suspended the bail order until May 8. On May 16, the Supreme Court upheld the bail order and asked the court to dispose of the case by July 31.

Fakhrul said, “The judiciary is the only place where people go to get justice against repression and oppression. But unfortunately the government is out to use it.”

Though, he said, the High Court granted her bail, she could not get out of jail only because of the government.

“They think that they will fail to get people’s support if the leader of the country gets out of jail. Their defeat will be unstoppable if she takes part in the election,” Fakhrul said adding that the government confined Khaleda to jail in false cases in a planned way.

On the Khulna City Corporation polls, Fakhrul said the government let loose the reign of terror by engaging police to harass, suppress and arrest the opponents.

“They obstructed voters not to go to the polling stations so that they can rig votes. Even the US envoy also wants a probe into the election.”  

The BNP leader asked the party leaders and workers to “organise themselves and get ready to take to the streets whenever needed”.