Khaleda sued for sedition

A Dhaka court yesterday ordered an investigation into a sedition charge filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for her comments on the number of 1971 martyrs.

The court also asked officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station to take legal action against Khaleda after probing the matter.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Atiqur Rahman passed the order after Moshiur Malek, founding president of Bangabandhu Foundation, had lodged the sedition charge.

In his complaint, Malek alleged that on December 21, Khaleda at a programme, organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal to mark the 45th Victory Day, said, “There are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War”. 

Khaleda also said, “He [without naming Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman] did not want independence of Bangladesh, he [Bangabandhu] wanted to be the prime minister of Pakistan, Liberation War would not take place if Ziaur Rahman did not declare independence.”

She made the comments to create division among the patriotic people, Malek added.

The news published in different newspapers the following day hurt the complainant, and her comments were tantamount to sedition, he said in his case statement.

Malek also appealed to the court to issue an arrest warrant for the BNP chief and bring her to trial for the indecent remarks about the Liberation War and the number of freedom fighters.  

This was Khaleda's first public address in more than a year where Khaleda raised questions about the number of Liberation War martyrs.

On December 23, a Supreme Court lawyer served a legal notice on Khaleda, asking her to apologise to the nation within seven days or face legal consequences.

Khaleda's comments drew widespread flak among pro-liberation forces in the country. Many slammed her, terming an “agent of Pakistan” and demanded that she leave Bangladesh.

BNP's key ally Jamaat-e-Islami has many convicted (some executed) war criminals, some of them became ministers when Khaleda was in power.

Khaleda's comments and statements came hot on the heels of Pakistan's denial of committing any war crimes or atrocities in Bangladesh during the nine-month bloody war.

NIKO GRAFT CASE

Khaleda will not appear before a Dhaka court today in connection with the Niko graft case on personal grounds, advocate Sanaullah Miah, one of her lawyers, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Today is the scheduled date for hearing on charge framing against Khaleda and several others in the case.