Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said the Supreme Court and the Election Commission will decide whether BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia can contest the next general elections.

The government has nothing to do in this regard, he said.

The minister said this while talking to reporters after attending as the chief guest the inaugural ceremony of a training programme for lower court judges at the Judicial Administration Training Institute in Dhaka.

Replying to a question, he said the government is not so easily scared that it will have to contest the national polls by keeping anybody out of the race.

“If anyone has to stay out of the elections because of any legal procedure, the government has nothing to do with it,” he said. “The government is not afraid of any threat and the law will take its own course.”

Replying to a question on Khaleda's fate over contesting the polls, he said there are two separate judgements of the SC regarding the issue and, therefore, the SC and EC will take decisions on this issue.

The government has no role to play to this effect, he said, adding that Khaleda Zia can seek bail through moving an appeal before the High Court.

The law minister on February 8 told reporters that the SC in one judgement said if anybody is convicted and sentenced to two or more years' in jail by the lower court for moral turpitude, he or she can contest the election until the appeal is not settled by the apex court.

In another judgement, the apex court said a convict cannot contest the election, he said.