BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday accused the government of involvement in the recent abduction of businessman Abu Bakar Siddique. The husband of green activist Syeda Rezwana Hasan was released in fear of severe consequences for the Hasina administration, she said.
"The government understood that if Siddique was not released, BNP would wage tougher agitation to oust it. So, it had to free him. He would otherwise have had the same fate as missing BNP leader Ilias Ali.”
Khaleda was addressing the inauguration of two-day-long seventh national council of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, a pro-BNP labour body, at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital's Ramna. A new committee of Sramik Dal is likely to be declared today.
Killing and forced disappearance have increased a lot as there is no democracy in the country, she said. “The government has shown its prudence by releasing Siddique,” she added.  
“Many BNP leaders, including Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam, have remained missing. I want to ask the illegal regime to immediately release those whom you still keep hostage. You're violating human rights and committing crimes against humanity every day by abducting people and killing them.”
In her speech, the BNP chief compared the Sheikh Hasina-led government to Hitler's autocratic regime and said the present administration must be held accountable for its misdeeds and must step down within a short time.

“Your (the government) days are numbered no matter how much efforts you make to cling to power keeping Ershad [Jatiya Party chief] along....You won't be able to hold on to power for a long time. You have to go,” Khaleda said.
She also warned the ruling party that it would face consequences for its misrule.
Reiterating her party's demand for a fresh national election under a non-party caretaker government, Khaleda said that if the current “illegal regime” had the minimum shame it would have quit and arranged an election under a neutral administration.
She accused the ruling party of killing democracy after assuming office “through a voterless election”. People are now ready to bring down the government and restore democracy, she said.