Khaleda not arrested out of political vengeance: Hasina

Pointing at Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia, her arch enemy and ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina has said the government did not arrest Khaleda out of any political vengeance, reports UNB.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday prime minister Hasina also said Khaleda is in jail after being convicted by the court for the “embezzlement of orphans' money”.

"We didn't arrest her for political reasons. Had we wanted so, we could've done that in 2015 and 2014. She's in jail due to a court verdict. The case proceedings continued for 10 years," she told parliament replying to a supplementary question from Awami League MP Nurjahan Begum (Women Seat-42).

The AL president said the BNP chairperson is in jail after being convicted on corruption charges for embezzling orphans' money.

"There're many seasoned lawyers and barristers in BNP. But all of them failed to prove that Khaleda Zia is innocent," she claimed.

Sheikh Hasina said BNP changed section-7 of the party's charter just before the court's verdict against Khaleda as BNP leaders knew that she is an offender.

As per the section-7 of BNP's charter, anyone being convicted on corruption charge cannot remain in the party's leadership position.

"This is a stigma [Kolonko] for the women community as a woman means a mother. How a person being a mother steals or misuses money of an orphan. It's a shame for our women community," Hasina said.

The prime minister said they always want a democratic process continue in the country and the country will march forward smoothly as it does now.

About the election system, she said more than 6,000 elections -- local government polls and by-polls-were held under her government but no one can raise any question against any election.