Khaleda accuses govt of staging militancy

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Friday night claimed that the recently reported militant activities in the country were staged by the government as it wants to gain political mileage by showing presence of militancy in Bangladesh.

Khaleda, who has been staying in London since September 15, was addressing a meeting of BNP leaders, UK chapter at Kingston in London.

BNP UK chapter's President MA Maleq and General Secretary Kaiser M Ahmed and BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, among others, were present at the meeting.

Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent interview in The Guardian, Khaleda said the AL-led government is trying to portray Bangladesh as a state of terrorism for their political interest, while there are many terrorists within the party. 

Terming the January 5 election a farce, Khaleda said the current government is holding onto power by force.

Khaleda was very critical of the current government at the meeting, which lasted over an hour and a half, sources present at the meeting told The Daily Star.

She said the country is currently going through tough times. There is no democracy, human rights or rule of law; the judiciary is being controlled by the government, therefore one cannot expect justice from court, she added.

Khaleda said the world must be made aware of undemocratic activities of the government, including murders and forced disappearances.