Khaleda served iftar as per jail code: Quader

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said that as a convicted person, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is served iftar according to the jail code.

But if she deems the iftar provided to her insufficient and is unhappy about it, authorities concerned will be asked to take measures accordingly, Quader, also general secretary of Awami League, said.

He said this while answering journalists’ questions at a progress review meeting of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Lines at the office of Agargaon metro rail site.

“Iftar is a religious matter. People usually don’t take expensive food items for iftar. Doing politics over the issue is unexpected,” the minister said.

Quader made the remark referring to Tuesday’s iftar event hosted by BNP in honour of politicians, where the party provided guests with Tk 30 iftar package each -- the amount allocated for its jailed chairperson.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir during the event said that the government provides Tk 30 for their party chairperson’s iftar and that is why the party activists decided to spend the same amount of money per person on the iftar, as a sign of their solidarity.

Khaleda landed in jail in February last year after being sentenced to five years in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. The High Court later extended her jail term to 10 years.