Prosecutors say Pecker's actions helped Trump deceive voters in the 2016 election
Election with Khaleda Zia in jail won’t be credible: BNP
BNP leaders have warned that they will boycott the next parliamentary election unless the government releases party chief Khaleda Zia from prison.
Published : 10 Sept 2018, 12:25 PM
Updated : 10 Sept 2018, 12:25 PM
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the remarks at a protest programme in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Monday.
“The government must free Khaleda Zia from prison. An election with Khaleda Zia in jail will never be credible,” he said.
Khaleda has been serving a five-year prison sentence in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case since the verdict was announced on Feb 8.
BNP leaders and activists held an hour-long programme in Dhaka that began at 11am with concurrent demonstrations in metropolitan areas and district towns across Bangladesh.
Although the programme was supposed to be a human chain, the protest morphed into a big rally amid the presence of leaders and activists. Traffic congestion was seen as one side of the road in front of the Press Club was blocked by protesters.
BNP supporters chanted slogans calling for Khaleda’s release.
The BNP leader urged all political parties to build a national unity against the government.
“It’s time for stronger unity. We have to build unity among all political parties and people to protect our rights. We have to fight for people’s government and democracy.”
Fakhrul demanded the Hasina administration’s exit before the schedule for the next general election. He also demanded a neutral government to steer the country through the polls. He called for reforms to the Election Commission and the deployment of army to make the election free and fair.
Fakhrul also claimed that many BNP leaders and activists were detained on false allegations or harassed by law-enforcement agencies.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the government is trying to shut Khaleda and BNP out of the election race as seen in the previous polls.
The BNP plans to hold a two-hour symbolic hunger strike in Dhaka, metropolitan areas and district towns on Sept 12.
RELATED STORIES
Modi, who is seeking a rare third consecutive term, referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" during a campaign speech on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism from opposition groups
He seeks a rare third term on the back of issues such as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism
The JaSaD leader died at a Dhaka hospital on Friday morning, his family said
