Arrest orders for Tarique, Fakhrul

A Dhaka court today issued arrest warrants against BNP leaders Tarique Rahman and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a defamation case filed against them on charges of distorting history and calling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a leader of black sheep.

The Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Anwar Sadat passed the arrest orders after the officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the probe report before it.

The case was filed by AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, with another Dhaka court on September 8.

In his case statement, the complainant said BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique, at a seminar at Queen Mary University of London on August 24, said “the prime minister is the leader of black sheep”.

On September 2, Tarique told another seminar that Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh, which is defamatory and punishable, Siddique said.

BNP acting secretary general Fakhrul, at a programme in the party's Nayapaltan headquarters on September 5 last year, said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the end of his March 7 speech in 1971 used the words “Joy Pakistan”, the complainant said.

On December 14 last year, the IO was asked to submit the probe report before the court today (Tuesday).