Moudud claims Salahuddin still alive

Moudud Ahmed, a lawyer for missing BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed's wife, yesterday told the High Court that they believed and had information that Salahuddin was still alive.

During the hearing of a pending rule, he also prayed for a directive on the government to form a judicial commission to investigate his disappearance and to find him.

The bench of Justice Quamrul Islam Siddique and Justice Gabinda Chandra Tagore adjourned the hearing till today.

Following yesterday's proceedings, Moudud told The Daily Star that Salahuddin's wife Hasina Ahmed told him of having information of Salahuddin being alive. However, Hasina said she did not give such information to Moudud.

“I don't know things like this. If I did, I would inform you (media) first,” she told this correspondent on the court premises, after attending the hearing.

Following a petition by Hasina, the HC asked the government on March 12 to explain why it should not be directed to produce Salahuddin before it on March 15.

The petitioner said the law enforcers picked him up from Uttara on March 10.

In reply to the rule, chiefs of the police force, Rapid Action Battalion, Criminal Investigation Department, Special Branch of police, and Dhaka Metropolitan Police submitted five reports to the HC on March 15, saying none had arrested Salahuddin and that the law enforcers were looking for him.

During yesterday's hearing, Moudud cited a March 13 report of the Prothom Alo, saying detectives had picked Salahuddin up. He argued that the HC could pass any order on the government to protect the lives of citizens.

Earlier in the day, Khandker Mahbub Hossain, another lawyer for Hasina, told the court that the law enforcers had failed to find Salahuddin.

Additional Attorney General Momtaz Uddin Fakir prayed for rejection of the petition, saying law enforcers had not detained him and were looking for him.