Charges were framed against Tarique, Zubaida to demoralise opposition activists: BNP

Strongly denouncing the framing of charges against its acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a ‘false’ case ahead of the national election, BNP on Saturday urged the government to return to healthy politics.

Speaking at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also alleged that the charges were framed at the behest of the government to confuse people and demoralise opposition leaders and activists, reports UNB.

"A scheme has been working since 1/11 to remove Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman and Zia family from politics, which is still going on. As part of that move, Begum Khaleda Zia was unjustly sentenced in 2018 just before the last parliamentary election. In the same manner, the government has completed all preparations to unilaterally punish the BNP acting chairman and his wife before the next national election," he said.

The BNP leader said the charges have been framed against the BNP acting chairman and his wife at a time when the government is being failed to foil a strong movement even by resorting to brutal repression, killing, and arrest of opposition leaders and activists.

“So, the charges have been framed against Tarique and Zubaida in a conspiratorial false case at the directive of the government to destroy the morale of the leaders and workers and the people,” he said.

Fakhrul also claimed that the allegations on which the false case was filed during the 1/11 regime were ‘baseless and ‘fabricated’.

He feared that a unilateral judgment will be delivered in the case as per the directive of the government out of its political vengeance.

The BNP leader, however, said the government will not be able to put Tarique’s leadership under any question, belittle Zubaida Rahman and thwart the ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy, the voting rights of people, and the rule of law by any ‘dictated’ verdict.

“BNP strongly condemns and protests such nefarious activities of the government. We call upon the government to return to healthy and fair politics shunning these despicable conspiracies,” he said.

On April 13, a Dhaka court framed charges against Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in absentia in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2007.

ACC now a BNP suppression commission

Fakhrul alleged that the ACC filed the case against the BNP leader and his wife 16 years back on ‘false, fabricated and imaginary charges.

“The Anti-Corruption Commission has now become the BNP suppression commission. It is unfortunate that a false case has been filed by making Tarique Rahman a fictitious owner of the property which he does not own or he has any correlation with it,” he said.

The BNP leader also alleged that imaginary charges have been brought against Tariq Rahman and Zubaida Rahman over their tax-paid assets.

“The anti-corruption commission can’t see the rampant corruption in the country. The ruling party leaders and activists and the party-backed businessmen and bureaucrats have built a paradise of corruption with the patronage of the government. The ACC doesn’t take any action against them,” he alleged.

Fakhrul said the ACC) is now being used as a weapon of the current ‘fascist’ regime to suppress people’s ongoing movement.