Three BNP leaders went to the Old Central Jail on Nazimuddin Road to visit incarcerated BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, but despite having permission, the trip was in vain.
Around 3:30pm on Thursday afternoon, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir along with Standing Committee members Mirza Abbas and Nazrul Islam Khan went to the prison.
However, they were refused entry despite being made to wait for half an hour.
Speaking to journalists about the matter, the BNP secretary general said: “We asked for permission to meet her in advance, and were given a time on Tuesday. That time later got postponed to between 3 and 4pm Thursday, but when we arrived, we were told that it would not be possible today. Prison authorities let us know that we would probably be able to meet Khaleda Zia within a day or two.”
When asked what reason they were given, Fakhrul said: “We have no idea. They said it is because the IG has gone to Kashimpur.”
A prison official seeking anonymity told journalists: “Because the IG is not in the prison, the BNP leaders were not allowed in. However, they will be able to meet their chairperson in two days without even requiring a permit.”
On February 8, Khaleda Zia was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with the Zia Orphanage Trust Graft Case by Dr Akhtaruzzaman of Special Judge Court 5.
The BNP chairperson was subsequently sent to the Old Central Jail. Following this, the prison’s day care centre was turned into a “sub-jail” for the former prime minister.
This article was first published by banglatribune.com