400 BNP leaders' eligibility in question for upcoming elections

Shafiqul Islam Sohag

Approximately 400 leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are facing concerns over their eligibility for the upcoming National Parliamentary Elections.

At the highest echelons of the party, there is a belief that the government is taking swift action against senior leaders who have been involved in protests against the government, with the intention of disqualifying them from contesting in the elections. Many legal actions against these leaders, including BNP's Secretary-General, members of the Standing Committee, and middle-ranking and young leaders, have gained momentum since the One-Eleven government's time. Several cases have reached their final stages, and some have already concluded. The leaders involved in these cases are likely to be disqualified from participating in the elections.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has expressed concerns about the possibility of being arrested if they oppose the government. He may also face imprisonment within the next one-and-a-half months. Those who are opposing the government, those who are not aligned with the government's interests, are all being sent to jail.

BNP leaders are asserting that while they are accepting the government's claims in cases related to the ongoing movement and promptly resolving cases, the government's rapid prosecution is aimed at disqualifying BNP leaders from contesting in the elections.

Even though the government is insisting on receiving bail from the leaders, they are not easily granted bail. Even if bail is granted, they are immediately arrested in old cases. This strategy was implemented even in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007, where BNP's Chairperson Tarique Rahman was sentenced to nine years in prison, and his wife, Dr. Zobaida Rahman, received a three-year prison term.

Lawyers supporting BNP have alleged that the government has been instructed to expedite the resolution of these political cases from the Ministry of Home Affairs. They believe that the government is resorting to its old tactics of manipulating cases against BNP leaders, both old and new, to disqualify them from the election process.

Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, the joint secretary general of BNP and the lawyer in charge of handling cases on behalf of party leaders, told Bangladesh Pratidin that the government wants to quickly settle the cases filed on behalf of BNP leaders so that they are disqualified from contesting the elections. In this case, the government is using the court.

A member of the BNP Standing Committee said that the cases that are being tried to end the cases quickly are false, invisible, and harassing. 2 to 3 thousand unknown accused are kept in the cases. Earlier police were used to suppress the opposition, now courts are being used.

In this regard, BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu said that the government is trying to punish the responsible leaders of the BNP with old cases to consolidate their position. Today, not only the country, but the whole world has taken a stand against this government.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has 93 charges. Furthermore, there are a maximum of 451 cases against the party's joint secretary-general Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel. The cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia amount to 37. Additionally, 7 cases have been filed against the party's standing committee member Dr. Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain. four cases against Barrister Zamiruddin Sarkar, 48 against Mirza Abbas, 36 against Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, six against Nazrul Islam Khan, six against Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, nine against Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, four against Selima Rahman and six against Salahuddin Ahmed.

In the cases filed against the party, there are 313 charges against Jubo Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, 305 charges against former Jubo Dal President Saiful Alam Nirob, 254 charges against BNP's Joint Secretary-General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, 204 charges against Vice-Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu, 180 charges against Senior Joint Secretary-General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, 184 cases against executive committee member Sheikh Rabiul Alam Robi, 147 cases against Secha Sebok Dol general secretary Rajib Ahsan, 106 cases against chairperson's advisor Aman Ullah Aman, 103 cases against executive committee member Akramul Hasan. Still, new cases are being added.

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on September 13, 2023, and has been rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan.