The BNP yesterday alleged that the BELA chief’s husband, Abu Bakar Siddique, was abducted by the same people who had abducted the former BNP lawmaker Ilyas Ali.
“The BNP firmly belives that those who abducted Ilyas Ali, also abducted Syeda Rizwana Hasan’s husband. There is a similiarity between the two incidents,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, joint secretary general of the party, told journalists at a press briefing in the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters.
On Wednesday, Siddique was abducted by unidentified miscreants on his way home from Narayanganj. The kidnappers released him in the early hours of yesterday, more than 30 hours after his abduction from Fatullah.
Meanwhile, BNP leader Ilyas Ali is yet to be traced, although two years have already elapsed since his abduction on April 17, 2012.
Rizvi alleged that the abduction of Ilyas Ali was a message to the opposition party, and an attempt at repressing them.
“By abducting and torturing Abu Bakar Siddique, a warning was sent to those who raised their voices in televsion talk-shows to protect the environment as well as freedom of expression,” he said.
On a separate note, the BNP leader urged people to join the long-march towards the Teesta Barrage, and said: “Our programme will be peaceful. If anyone tries to hinder our programme, the people will give their reply.”
