AL govt strangling dissent: Khaleda

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday said the government's vindictive attitude towards its political rivals is increasingly becoming dangerous, reports UNB.

She alleged that the Awami League wanted to eliminate the existence of the opposition and alternative opinions.

"The current regime has created a suffocating situation in the country where no one, including political leaders and activists, feels safe and secure," the former prime minister said in a statement.

The BNP leader issued the statement protesting at the arrest of her advisory council member Taimur Alam Khandaker and Swechchhasebak Dal organising secretary Yasin Ali.

Khaleda Zia strongly condemned and protested their arrest.

She said the government is using 'false' cases as weapons to arrest and harass and suppress the BNP leaders and activists.

"Spreading panic among people has now become essential for the government to protect its power by suppressing people's protest against it. A senior lawyer and political like Taimur Alam Khandaker has been arrested only for this reason," she observed.

The BNP chairperson alleged that the government has also taken a destructive policy to grasp the entire nation and establish its dictatorship.

She said the opposition leaders and activists in the country are being deprived of exercising their constitutional rights. "There's no sign of democracy now in the country while the government has snatched people's basic and human rights."

Khaleda urged the government to stop the 'mass arrest' of BNP leaders and activists across the country.

She also demanded the government release Taimur and other arrested BNP leaders and activists after withdrawing the 'false' cases filed against them.

Earlier in the day, the police arrested Taimur Alam Khandaker outside Narayanganj district court in connection with a violence case.

Officer-in-charge of Fatulla police station Md Kamal Uddin said they arrested Taimur around 1:15pm in a case filed for instigating violence during the non-stop blockade of the BNP-led alliance in 2015.