Tarique speaks to BNP leaders in Dhaka meet from London

Tarique Rahman has spoken to BNP leaders at a meeting in Dhaka from London.

The Standing Committee members and leaders of professionals backed by the party held the closed-door meeting at Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office on Thursday afternoon.    

Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique has been acting as chairman of the party since Feb 8 when a special court in Dhaka sentenced his mother to five years in prison for corruption.

Tarique, who was also sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined Tk 20 million on same charges, has been in London since 2008 for ‘treatment’.

He was earlier convicted of money laundering and has several arrest warrants in different cases.

The High Court banned publication and broadcast of Tarique’s statements in any form of media in Bangladesh in January 2015 following his controversial remarks regarding Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangladesh’s Liberation War in a speech in London.

One of the BNP leaders who attended the meeting told bdnews24.com Tarique gave a speech at the meeting from London.

The leaders of pro-BNP professionals spoke in the meeting about what the party should do now after the jailing of the former prime minister.

Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir chaired the meeting moderated by Sammilita Peshajibi Parishad Member Secretary AZM Zahid Hossain.

Tarique earlier addressed the BNP National Conference through a video call in 2016. His speeches made through voice calls were also played on loudspeakers in different BNP meetings.