Tarique faces arrest order for calling Mujib Pakbandhu

A Dhaka court yesterday issued an arrest warrant against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman in a case filed against him for calling the founder of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” (friend of Pakistan).

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ataul Haque passed the order after Tarique failed to appear before his court as per its previous order on November 17.

The court asked the officer-in-charge of Paltan Model Police Station to submit a report before it by January 29 on execution of the arrest warrant.

The arrest warrant was issued after Monir Khan, assistant secretary of Awami League's central sub-committee, plaintiff of the case, submitted a petition to the court seeking Tarique's arrest as he failed to appear before the court yesterday.

Soon after the order, Pro-BNP lawyers brought out a procession on court premises and demanded withdrawal of the arrest warrant against Tarique.

Earlier, on November 17, the court summoned Tarique asking him to appear before it in connection with the case.

The court also sent a copy of the summon order to the BNP central office at Naya Paltan. It was later posted to the wall of the party office on November 23 failing to find him at his address which was mentioned in the case.

In his case statement, Monir alleged that Tarique called Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” at a discussion in London on September 29 last.

 “Sheikh Mujibur Rahman cannot be the Father of the Nation. He returned to the country with a Pakistani passport. Someone who accepts Pakistani passport even after Bangladesh's independence is a citizen of that country in the eyes of the law,” Tarique reportedly told the programme held at York Hall in East London.

Tarique, now in London, is a fugitive accused in the August 21 grenade attack cases. He is also faces charges in 15 other criminal cases.

BNP REACTION

Meanwhile, lambasting the arrest warrant against Tarique Rahman, BNP yesterday said the government would not be able to intimidate the opposition's upcoming movement by filing “false” cases against BNP men.

“The defamation case against our leader Tarique was filed only to stop the opposition's democratic movement. But we want to say unequivocally that the present repressive government would not be able to sustain through filing false cases and killing opposition men,” Fakhrul said in a press briefing at BNP's central office in Naya Paltan.

Meanwhile the youth front of BNP, Jubo Dal, yesterday announced agitation programmes at all city and district headquarters today in protest of the arrest warrant against Tarique.