Govt deliberately pushes Khaleda towards death: BNP

Staff Reporter :
Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Wednesday accused the government of deliberately pushing its party chief Begum Khaleda Zia towards death.
“The government is deliberately pushing Begum Khaleda Zia toward death by not giving her a scope to receive advanced treatment abroad ignoring the repeated requests from her physicians,” BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said it while speaking at a prayer session organised by BNP at its Naya Paltan central office, Dhaka marking the 79th birthday of party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
Amir Khosru threatened to announce tougher programmes if the government failed to allow its ailing party chief Khaleda Zia to go abroad for receiving advanced treatment.
“The people of Bangladesh will not remain silent if steps are not taken immediately for ensuring the treatment of our leader Begum Khaleda Zia abroad,” said Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
The BNP leader also said that their party had a scheduled protest programme on August 19.
“If necessary, tougher programmes can be announced later demanding the treatment of our leader. Everyone must be ready for it,” he said.
The BNP leader said that Kahleda’s life had to be saved to restore democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and the voting rights of the people of the country.
“The entire nation is now moving in that direction. I’m sure that we will be able free our leader (Khaleda) and ensure her treatment so that she can return to the political arena again.”
He said that the government along with those who sent Khaleda Zia to jail in false cases and those who are depriving her of treatment must be accountable in the days to come.
“Country’s judiciary is now being used as a political weapon. Our leader and mother of democracy (Khaleda) was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in a false case using the judiciary as a political weapon. People of Bangladesh can no longer remain silent since the judiciary, their last hope and resort, has become a political weapon,” Amir Khosru said.
The party’s all city and district units also arranged prayer sessions seeking divine blessings for the speedy recovery of Khaleda Zia.
Apart from this, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir warned the government to refrain from trying to conduct next polls without forming a caretaker government.
“Never try to hold election before your (govt) resignation and forming a neutral government. And the people would not allow you to conduct polls without caretaker government,” Mirza Fakhrul said while addressing leaders and activists of the BNP at a special prayer seeking early recovering of the party chief Khaleda Zia’s in Ruhul Amin Auditorium in Thakurgaon.
Mirza Fakhrul said that the BNP will compel the government to quit power bringing together all people and democratic forces of the country.
“We will remove all false cases of the party men by using people’s force of unity and to form a neutral government for holding next polls fair, free and acceptable manner,” he said.