BNP plans huge gathering on Khaleda judgement day

Khaleda Zia.
Khaleda Zia.

In an apparent bid to exert pressure on the government, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wants to keep its presence on the streets on 8 February the day when a Dhaka court is set to announce verdict in a graft case against party chief Khaleda Zia.

Accordingly, its leaders say, the principal opposition party is organising its workers to hold street demonstration on the day of judgement.

However, the attack on the police van allegedly from the BNP's procession on Tuesday embarrassed the party although its leaders claimed that it was a trap created by the law enforcement to stigmatise the BNP.

The verdict in Zia Orphanage Trust case against Khaleda Zia and five others is set to be delivered on 8 February. The ruling party camp has already warned of dire consequence if there is any protest against possible conviction of Khaleda and others.

The govenrment has already arrested a few leaders and quite a number of activists while some others are hiding so that they cannot be detained.

Terming the prison van attackers as intruders, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party is trying to hold peaceful protest rallies and other programmes but, he alleged, the government is instigating violence.

The BNP has convened the party's central executive committee meeting, inviting 700 leaders there, on 3 February (Saturday).

Twelve members of the BNP standing committee, 80 members of the party chairperson's advisory council, 502 members of the executive committee, and 22 presidents and general secretaries of 12 front organisations of the BNP have been invited to the meeting.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will give concluding speech at the meeting and she is exepcted to come up with directives for the party leaders and workers.

She may touch on the polls-time government for fair elections and required demonstration to achieve that as well as overall political situation of the country.

Asked what kind of speech she would deliver, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said Khaleda Zia would give "important messages".

The party has already enhanced its liaison with the diplomats stationed in Dhaka and Khaleda may hold a meeting with them on 4 or 5 February.

Ahead of the 8 February judgement in Khaleda case, the BNP will also hold a meeting of the standing committee where decisions on the party's future course will be taken, party sources said.

If Khaleda Zia is convicted and sent to jail, the party will be run by joint leadership, according to an outline already prepared by the party.

Since the second most senior leader Tarique Rahman is abroad, the senior standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain will lead a nine-member team including Mirza Fakhrul to run the party's various activities. Others are Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, Tariqul Islam, Mirza Abbas, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

As the Awami League government wants to use graft charges against Khaleda Zia as trap to push the party activists towards violence, the BNP has asked its leaders and workers to show restraint.

The party has planned to hold peaceful demonstration to free Khaleda Zia and attain an atmosphere for free and fair elections.

"Khaleda Zia has asked the leaders and workers of the party to show courage, not to engage in violence, while holding demonstration," a senior leader told Prothom Alo.

BNP leaders believe the AL government is desperate to keep Khaleda Zia out of the election process by convicting her and exahust the BNP leaders and workers by detaining them in case they are engaged in violent activities while protesting against Khaleda verdict.

"The government is provoking the BNP not to take part in the polls as it wants to hold a one-sided election," said Mirza Fakhrul.

BNP leaders said they could not recognise those who attacked the prison van on Tuesday by watching the footage. The police beat BNP leaders and activists every time Khaleda Zia went to the court except this Tuesday, the BNP leaders pointed out.

Political science professor at Jahangirnagar University Dilara Chowdhury said cases, arrests and the incident on Tuesday -- all had connections with the elections.

"It seems that the BNP wants to join the elections and the government too wants to bring it to the process but on its own terms. It's difficult to say how far the BNP will accept the dictation of the Awami League," she said.

*This story, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Khawaza Main Uddin