Accusing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of making false comments in parliament about its chairperson Khaleda Zia’s assets abroad, BNP on Thursday said such an act was “tantamount to treason.”
"The assets the prime minister talked about yesterday (Wednesday) in parliament do not exist. She tried to confuse people with her falsehood. Her effort to confuse people with false statements in parliament is some sort of treason," said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Speaking at a press conference, he further said: "We strongly condemn and protest the unguarded, imprudent, indecent and aggressive comments of the prime minister."
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had told parliament that international media ran news claiming Khaleda Zia was the third most corrupt person in the world.
She said huge amounts of money stashed by Khaleda Zia's sons had been detected in many countries, including $750 million in Belgium and $250 million in Malaysia. In addition, the BNP chief also owned assets worth several million more, such as a house in Dubai and a market in Saudi Arabia, all of which are now under investigation.
Protesting Sheikh Hasina's comments, Fakhrul said the prime minister had taken an oath to work responsibly, speak the truth, and not to lie. "So, she can't make false statements and confuse people while standing in parliament," he added.
The BNP leader also warned that a defamatory suit could be filed against the prime minister for her calling the BNP chairperson a “lunatic.”
"The ruling party leaders are suffering from mental problems because they fear Khaleda Zia and her popularity. We usually don't make such comments, but a defamatory case could be filed against the prime minister for the word (lunatic) she uttered about our chairperson," he said.
Fakhrul added that Sheikh Hasina's comments about Khaleda Zia and her family members would create confusion in public mind about the next general election and cast doubts over a congenial political atmosphere.
Mentioning that the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had branded Sheikh Hasina as a “wrongheaded” person in the past, he said the prime minister should think about what the people and the court's perception of her is before calling anyone “insane.”
Fakhrul also denied the prime minister’s claim that Khaleda Zia did not protest the allegations about her assets abroad.
"That's total falsehood. We protested the allegation at a press conference. Not only that, we have sent a legal notice to her (the prime minister) and she is yet to respond to it."
He further claimed that the prime minister had only proved that her allegations against the BNP chief were false and fabricated by refraining from responding to the legal notice.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
