The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday said the caretaker government has arrested Shamim Iskander to create pressure on party chief Khaleda Zia.

The government arrested Iskander, the younger brother of Khaleda, Friday on charges of amassing wealth illegally. The arrest involves a case filed by the Anti-corruption Commission.

"People think the arrest of Shamim Iskander has come to create pressure on Khaleda Zia," Delwar told a news conference in the morning at his NAM apartment in the city.

Delwar said a new spell of "confusion" has surfaced because of the arrest of Iskander, a retired flight engineer of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, as it came a day after Arafat Rahman Koko was released from jail for medical treatment.

The BNP leader said they had seen a ray of hope after the release of Koko from jail for eight weeks but the situation quickly turned cloudy after the new arrest.

Delwar said Iskander was arrested when he went to see ailing Koko, Khaleda's youngest son. "The government has set a bad example because of the way it arrested him. The government could have arrested him from somewhere else if there is any charge against Iskander," he said.

Delwar demanded the government release Tarique Rahman, Khaleda's eldest son, without any delay following Koko's example, as Tarique's condition is deteriorating fast.

He also demanded immediate release of the party chief and withdrawal of all the cases against her. "The charges have no valid grounds," he said.

"Khaleda Zia will not flee the country, and if she is released, she will stay in touch with due legal course," Delwar said. Replying to a query on any prospect of sitting with the government for the pending dialogue, he said, "We're an election-oriented party, we want to join the dialogue, but it must be meaningful. And we want to join the dialogue under the leadership of Khaleda Zia." About the ensuing local body elections, he said the position of the four-party alliance on the matter did not change. "I think, we've taken the right decision," he said, adding that the party will take action against the violators of the coalition stand on the local body polls.

Meanwhile, BNP leaders from Rangamati and Chapainawabganj districts separately met Delwar after the news conference.

He asked the party activists to stand united for the release of the party chief and work for restoring democracy in the country. Later, Delwar offered water to the former Chhatra Dal leaders who observed a token hunger strike outside his NAM apartment demanding the release of Khaleda and Tarique. The ex-student leaders then ended their protest.