Arrest warrant issued against Tarique

A Dhaka court today issued an arrest warrant against BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman in a sedition case filed for calling Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” (friend of Pakistan).
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lutfor Rahman Shishir passed the order after the investigation officer of the case appealed to the court for issuing an arrest warrant against Tarique.
On October 19 last year, advocate Moshiur Rahman Malek, president of Bangabandhu Foundation, lodged the lawsuit with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.
“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 according to law,” Tarique said while addressing the discussion at York Hall in East London on September 29 last year.
“One day it will have to be explained how a Pakistani citizen became a president or prime minister of Bangladesh,” the BNP leader warned at the programme.
Tarique, now staying in London, faces over 18 criminal cases, including August 21 grenade attack cases.
Of the cases, trials of August grenade attack and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases are going on at different courts.
After finding truth of seditious allegation, Jewel Rana, assistant commissioner (Paltan Zone) of Detective Branch (DB) of police of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, on September 20 this year submitted charge-sheet before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Nur.
Before submitting the charges, Jewel, also the investigating officer (IO) of the case, took approval from the home ministry as it is a mandatory provision for bringing sedition charges against any person.