Khaleda tells voters to guard centres in ‘message sent’ from jail

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has urged supporters to ‘guard voting centres’ in a statement released purportedly from jail.

Her message was read out by BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi during a media briefing on Saturday.

Voting for the 11th national election will be held on Sunday. Khaleda, who served two terms as prime minister, cannot contest due to her conviction for graft. 

Rizvi however did not say how he received the message from Khaleda, who is currently at Dhaka’s old central jail.

“She said ‘Tomorrow will bring us the opportunity to free the nation from dictators, so go to your voting centres in groups and disregard every intimidation. Each vote you cast will pave the way for freedom of democracy and people’,” said Rizvi. 

Khaleda asked supporters to start guarding voting centres from Saturday afternoon, said Rizvi.

“She has urged you to take turns in securing voting centres starting today. And after you have prayed Fazr (dawn prayer) line up outside the voting centres. And after you’re done voting make sure you don’t leave the premises.”

Khaleda has also instructed polling agents to not sign off any document without first finding out the exact number of votes received by each candidate, he said.

“The chairperson has asked you to not sign on blank documents. Don’t sign until the presiding officer has signed on the results. You’ll go with the presiding officer when he goes to the office of the returning officer or the assistant returning officer.”    

Khaleda was sent to jail after a court sentenced her to five years in prison for embezzling funds from the Zia Orphanage Trust on Feb 8. Her sentence was doubled after the High Court granted the state's appeal for scaling up her punishment to 10 years.

She has been the sole prisoner at a building in Old Dhaka that once housed the Dhaka Central Jail, which shifted to a new address at Keraniganj.

Her party is contesting the election by forming the Jatiya Oikya Jote, an alliance headed by Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain. 

The BNP and the Oikya Jote have blamed the ruling Awami League for obstructing their campaigns. The leaders have been hoping for a “quiet voters’ revolution”.