Bangladesh main opposition BNP chief Khaleda sends legal notice asking govt. to withdraw its notice to vacate her house

M.A. Kader-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Bangladesh

Dhaka, 24 April (Asiantribune.com): With a legal notice Bangladesh main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia responded Thursday to the government's notice to vacate her Dhaka Cantonment residence by 15 days.

BNP chief Khaleda's lawyer barrister Mahbubuddin Khokan sent the notice through courier service and registered post giving the government five days to withdraw its notice to vacate.

The Directorate of Military Lands and Cantonments served the notice on Khaleda on April 20, asking the opposition leader Khaleda, who is former three-time prime ministers, to leave the Moinul Road mansion within 15 days.

The cabinet earlier in the month made the decision to cancel the lease on the place given to Khaleda after the 1981 brutal killing of her husband, the-then president Ziaur Rahman.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told parliament at the start of this month that she would ask the opposition leader to vacate the house and that blocks of apartments would be built in the prime land for families of army officers killed in the 25-26 February BDR mutiny. Hasina has also said the cantonment authorities allocated the house to Khaleda violating Cantonment Board laws.

Following the PM’s statement on April 8 the cabinet cancelled the lease on the house citing legal faults.

The BNP in a quick reaction termed it was purely an expression of political vendetta and vowed to face the notice politically and also legally.

They warned government that it would be responsible for any untoward incident happened in the country with the lease cancellation issue of Khaleda’s house.

On April 25 the BNP will hold demonstrations and rallies at divisional and district level throughout the country.

Meanwhile, the main opposition BNP also announced Thursday a month-long protest programmes over the acute crisis of power and water in Dhaka and elsewhere the country.

Their protest programmes will include resolution of such wide-ranging issues as water, power and gas shortages, deteriorating law and order, violence in educational institutions and fixing fair prices of agricultural crops.

Secretary-general Khandaker Delwar Hossain made the declaration Thursday noon at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office and said the protests will continue across the country starting May 5 through June 2.

The secretary general said BNP cannot remain non-chalant about the sufferings the people have been going through.

"Demanding adequate water, power and gas supplies, we'll be staging protest rallies and processions at metropolises, districts and Upazila on May 5," Hossain said.

On May 14, countrywide rallies and processions will protest the deteriorating law and order.

All metropolises, districts and Upazilas will mark May 19 to demand an end to the "atrocities being committed at educational institutions and politicisation everywhere," he said.

He also said, rallies and processions will march the streets on May 24 demanding reduced manure and diesel prices, bringing commodity prices within the reach of the people, ensuring payment of right prices for the farm produces and protection to the export-oriented industries.

Lastly, on June 2 processions and rallies again will protest deteriorating law and order and exacerbating incidents of murders, robberies, extortion and harassment countrywide.

-Asian Tribune-