BNP nominates militants, Quader says as it picks lawyer accused of terror financing

After the BNP nominated a lawyer accused of terror financing to run for the elections, Obaidul Quader says the party has ‘chosen militants for polls after financing them’.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 Nov 2018, 08:55 PM
Updated : 28 Nov 2018, 09:19 PM

“Many people have been nominated (by BNP) solely because of their involvement in militancy,” the Awami League general secretary remarked on Wednesday before the deadline for nomination submission ended.

“There has not been any announcement yet, but it’s not surprising they are getting picked. We have been saying for quite sometime that they are financing militants,” he added.

File Photo: Shakila Farjana

Quader again raised the question as to who the prime minister will be if the Jatiya Oikya Front, an alliance of the BNP, wins the polls.

The coalition’s chief Dr Kamal Hossain’s party Gono Forum says he is not contesting in the election.

The question came to the fore again as a court order has barred convicts, who are sentenced to more than two years in prison, such as BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her son and the party’s acting chief Tarique Rahman, from contesting in elections before five more years after they serve the terms.

“I want to know who their prime minister pick is,” Quader said.

The BNP has nominated Shakila Farjana along with Vice-Chairman Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin and SM Fazlul Haque, a member of the party chief’s Advisory Council, for the Chattogram-5 (Hathazari) seat.

File Photo: Arrested Shakila Farjana

Shakila, daughter of Chittagong BNP leader Syed Wahidul Alam, was arrested in 2015 for allegedly supplying over Tk 10 million to Hamza Brigade, a terrorist organisation. She was later released on bail.

The money had been sent to the bank accounts of Maniruzzuman Don, a key organiser of the extremist outfit, according to the law enforcers.

The lawyer for Shakila said she had taken the money as fee for cases against Hifazat-e Islam leaders and activists but refunded it after she realised she could not handle the cases.

He also claimed Shakila did not know the account to which she returned the money was Don's.

Her mother Farida Wahid had alleged Shakila had been framed because she had handled many cases against BNP leaders and activists.