The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Commenting on the allegations against the former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko for taking the amount of $ 3 million in connection with public works projects awarded by the Bangladesh government to Simens AG and China Harbor Engineering Company, the secretary general of BNP Khandker Delwar Hossain yesterday termed it as 'motivated' to tarnish the images of family members of Zia.

"The whole move seems to be politically motivated for tarnishing the images of Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman's family members," he told the journalists after visiting two injured brothers from Kendua Upazila in Kishorganj at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The two brothers Aftab and Afzal were injured by the attacks of Awami League goons recently.

"Despite repeated appeal to the government to put an end on the ongoing violence the Home Minister is making political statements to detract the public attention," he added.

He called upon the government to stop post-election violence, killings and atrocities across the country.

He also said the news of killings, capture and extortion is being published every day in the newspapers.

"If the present grave situation is allowed to go unrestrained then there might be an unpleasant situation at one stage which may cause harm to democracy," he mentioned.

"The people of the country want to see the immediate stop of such attacks," he mentioned.

Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member and former minister Dr Khandker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday alleged that terrorist attacks on BNP followers were intensified due to the incendiary comments made by the Home Minister.

"If the ongoing attacks on our party activists were not stopped then the public expectation to 'change' would not be fulfilled," he told the reporters while visiting injured Abdur Rahman, a local leader of Meghna Upazila at the Orthopaedics Hospital in the city.

He inquired about the health condition of BNP leaders, who were mercilessly beaten by Awami activists at Badhyanathpur Bazar of the upazila on Saturday.

Dr Mosharraf called upon the physicians to ensure proper medical treatment of Rahman.

Demanding the government to halt the ongoing repressions committed by ruling class, the former minister of BNP said the government should maintain utmost tolerance for the sake of democracy.