Charge sheet to keep Khaleda away from polls

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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted the charge sheet in Barapukuria coalmine corruption case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia only to keep her away from the elections, said BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday.

BNP’s ally Jamaat-e-Islami termed the submission of the charge sheet a conspiracy.

“They [the ACC] have filed the case against her with the political intention to torture her mentally so that she cannot take part in the elections,” Delwar said during a press briefing held at his Nam flat in the city.

Terming the case baseless and ill-motivated, Delwar said Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have to be allowed to participate in the elections. One will not find any substantial evidence if one looks into the case, he added.

He also said election cannot be free and fair under any threats, convictions and apprehensions. “Nobody should be barred from participating in the elections by convicting them in a farcical trial,” he said.

The BNP leader said if the government wants free, fair and neutral elections, all cases against Khaleda Zia will have to be withdrawn.

He said since the first investigation officer (IO) did not accuse Khaleda Zia in the case, the ACC appointed a new IO so that the new IO can accuse her.

On Election Commissioner Sohul Hossain’s recent remark that Khaleda and Hasina till now have no bar to participating in the elections, he said, “We do not have any confidence in them… They say different things at different times. We do not want to take part in the election at someone’s mercy… We want to join the polls under the existing laws of the land.”

Delwar said it is the responsibility of the caretaker government to create a congenial atmosphere to ensure free and fair elections. He said the government will be responsible if freedom and fairness of the election are jeopardised.

He said the government must lift the state of emergency to remove fear from people’s mind so that they can cast their votes freely.

Delwar also said in order to create a level playing field in the run up to the elections, the government must accept their 5-point demand that includes lifting of the emergency, scrapping the Representation of the People Order (Ordinance), 2008, relaxation of provisions for registrations of parties with the EC, deferment of the upazila polls and release of political leaders by withdrawing cases filed against them.

JAMAAT’S REACTION

During a press briefing held at the Jamaat-e-Islami central office, party Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojahid termed the submission of the charge sheet a conspiracy.

“It seems that a vested quarter wants to foil the election by submitting this kind of charge sheets,” said Mojahid, also an accused in the case.

He said the submission was ill-motivated.

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