BNP leader Pintu released from jail after 17 years

BNP’s vice chairman and former deputy minister Abdus Salam (Pintu) has been freed from jail after 17 years.

Kashimpur central jail part-2’s jail superintendent Al Mamun said Abdus Salam was released at 11:00am today as there was no arrest warrant against him.

Abdus Salam, who was a death row convict, of 21 August grenade attack case was acquitted from the case by High Court on 1 December. The apex court  scrapped the lower court verdict in the two cases filed over the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka on 21 August 2004, acquitting all convicts, including BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman.

After being released from jail after 17 years, Abdus Salam was welcomed at the jail gate by his relatives.

Abdus Salam, a founding general secretary of Tangail district BNP, was elected member of parliament three times from Tangail-2 constituency. He was deputy education minister in the last BNP government in 2001. Abdus Salam was arrested on 21 August in 2008.

Sources from the BNP media cell said Abdus Salam would offer prayer at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman. He is supposed to visit the BNP central office in Nayapaltan later.