BNP leaders talk gibberish about Khaleda's Saudi trip cancellation

A smokescreen has been created over the postponement of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's visit to Saudi Arabia for performing Umrah, with party leaders giving different explanations.

Although earlier its standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan formally told the media that Khaleda would leave for Saudi Arabia on July 8, after cancellation of the tour, none of the BNP leaders made any formal comments over the issue. Besides, senior leaders gave different reasons informally to the media.   

Even its spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon expressed his ignorance at a press conference at its headquarters yesterday. "It is the BNP chairperson's personal matter. It is in no way political," he said.

However, he hoped that Khaleda would visit Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah in a convenient time this Ramadan or after Eid-ul-Fitr.  

On Wednesday night, several senior BNP leaders confirmed to the media that Khaleda postponed the visit as her elder son Tarique Rahman did not get him visa for Saudi from London, but some others said the BNP chief cancelled it as she heard that the government might hatch out a conspiracy over party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's bail.

But both sides confirmed to the newspaper that Khaleda cancelled the tour after talking with Tarique.

Earlier, BNP insiders said she was supposed to hold a series of meetings with Tarique in Saudi Arabia during the trip.

At yesterday's press conference, Ripon also said, "Like previous years, Khaleda Zia was invited by the Saudi government this year for performing Umrah as she used to do it every Ramadan."

"But our party chief was not feeling well physically from the beginning of Ramadan. For that reason she might have cancelled the visit," said Ripon, also the party's foreign affairs secretary.

Ripon, however, told reporters that the BNP chief was not interested in performing Umrah as most party leaders were now in jail.

He also criticised the media for reporting that Tarique did not get a Saudi Arabian visa in London.

Ripon said some media also reported that the validity of the invitation by the Saudi government expired. It is not true; she can visit Saudi Arabia anytime to perform Umrah, he added.