'No nat'l polls with Khaleda behind bars'

BNP yesterday said no parliamentary election will be held in the country keeping its chairperson Khaleda Zia behind the bar.

The party's senior leaders made this comment during the party's token hunger strike programme at Mahanagar Natya Mancha in Dhaka, protesting the Supreme Court order upholding its stay on bail granted by the High Court to Khaleda Zia in a murder case filed in Comilla.

The token hunger strike started around 10:00am where hundreds of party leaders and activists took part.

“It is clear from the senior leaders' speeches that parliamentary election would not be possible in the country keeping Khaleda Zia in jail,” Fakhrul told the hunger strike.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury broke the token hunger strike, drinking fruit juice.

From the programme, BNP leaders demanded immediate release of Khaleda Zia for better treatment, election under a non-partisan interim administration, reconstitution of the Election Commission and army deployment in the parliamentary polls.

BNP standing committee member Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said the government is planning to hold a “farcical” election again, like January 5, 2014.

Another standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said, “If Khaleda Zia is not released through the legal process, then street movement will be the only option.”