Government pushing Khaleda towards death in jail, says BNP

BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has accused the government of pushing Khaleda Zia towards her death by keeping her in jail without proper medical care.

The BNP chairperson has been in jail for more than a year following her conviction in a corruption case. She is currently receiving treatment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, the BNP secretary general said the government is resorting to deception to block Khaleda’s bail in two cases.

“You have seen on Thursday how the government is creating obstacles in the two cases.  She should have received bail immediately. But the attorney general initially said he was sick before claiming to be busy with something else. The government is resorting to deception,” he said.

“The government is using deception to deny the BNP chairperson her legal right to be released. They are trying to interfere with the workings of the court and are gradually pushing the people’s leader towards her death by not providing her treatment.”

“Does the government just want to kill our leader by keeping her in prison without treatment?” he asked.

If Khaleda is not released to get proper treatment, then the government will be held liable for anything bad happening to her, he warned.

Asked if there is any connection between Khaleda’s release and the BNP’s decision to join parliament, Fakhrul said, “We have joined the parliament because of the present political situation, for the sake of democracy and for the sake of our party.”