Gatco case eye-opener for reformists

Khandaker Delwar Hossain, chairperson-appointed secretary general of BNP, yesterday said he hopes leaders of Saifur-led faction will “learn a lesson from Gatco case”.
Referring to the top two leaders of his rival group who have been included in the charge sheet in the case, he said, “They are at last realising that the government is in fact out to destroy the politicians.”
Delwar, who leads the pro-Khaleda faction, was talking to reporters at his Nam flat.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday approved the charge sheet that includes pro-reform stalwarts M Saifur Rahman and Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan along with Khaleda Zia, now detained former prime minister.
Originally, the case was filed against 13 including Khaleda and her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko for illegally awarding the container handling work at Dhaka Inland Container Depot and Chittagong port yard to Gatco.
Meanwhile, leaders of pro-reform faction have decided to wait for Saifur Rahman, acting chairperson appointed by standing committee, to return from Singapore to know what had led him to make the controversial statement before his departure.
On Wednesday, Saifur, also a former finance minister, said his position as the chairman is of no value after four of the standing committee members withdrew their support.
In response to the latest developments, the reformist camp has been considering bringing a change in its leadership if Saifur refuses to budge on his changed stance.
Some of them, however, hope that the factions will be reconciled.
Meanwhile, Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah, an adviser to chairperson, yesterday said they would accept only those who would agree to return to the 'mainstream' without any condition.
Referring to the cases against Khaleda, Khandaker Delwar said this all is a conspiracy against BNP, but the party would get back to power through a free and fair election.
Slamming the role of ACC, he said the Gatco case is a false one aiming to damage the BNP chairperson's image and prevent her from participating in the election.
Delwar said the charge sheet has come after six months of calculations by the government. They [government] have implicated some pro-reform leaders but excluded those they find preferable.
“This [Gatco case charge sheet] is nothing but a conspiracy to destroy the politicians,” he said, adding that things would have been much better had they understood it earlier.
He reiterated his call for the military-backed caretaker administration to allow Khaleda and Sheikh Hasina to take part in the election and let the people give verdict on the two.
Criticising the judiciary, the BNP leader said, the Appellate Division's judgment seems to have frustrated the people. Some forces behind the scene are denying the defendants right to bail.
He said the judges must act according to the constitution; otherwise a day would come when they might have to appear before the 'people's court'.
The press briefing was attended among others by BNP Vice-President Sarwari Rahman, Joint Secretary General Selima Rahman and acting office secretary Rizvi Ahmed.