A Sylhet court today issued an arrest warrant against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman in a case filed for his defamatory speeches against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Nazrul Islam passed the order against Tarique, elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, after a hearing on the case.

Earlier, Shariar Alam Samad, the district unit president of Bangladesh Chhatra League, lodged the case with the court on December 24 2014.

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According to the case statement, Tarique termed Bangabandhu a “Pak Bandhu” (a friend of Pakistan) and “big Razakar”.

In December 15, 2014, at a party meeting held in London, Tarique said Mujibur Rahman never fought for the independence of Bangladesh.

Tarique, now staying in London, faces over 18 criminal cases, including the ones filed over August 21 grenade attack. Of the cases, trials of August grenade attack and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases are going on at different courts.