Staff Correspondent

BNP will announce its next moves after secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain returns to bangladesh, acting BNP office secretary Rizvi Ahmed said Tuesday.

"We will announce programmes in consultation with the party's policymakers after the secretary general returns from the US," Rizvi said in a press briefing at the house of Khaleda-appointed secretary general Khandaker Delwar.

Rizvi criticised the charges pressed against BNP senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman on Monday. "There is no legal validity of the charges pressed against Tarique Rahman. It is false and fabricated.

It was done with a view to harassing Khaleda Zia," Rizvi said. Khaleda's elder son Tarique, his wife and mother-in-law, face charges of amassing illegal wealth and concealing wealth information from the Anticorruption Commission.

Rizvi also denounced the conviction of Khandaker Delwar Hossain's son for possession of illegal arms. Speaking of Monday's verdict sentencing Khandaker Akhter Hamid Paban to 17 years, Rizvi said: "Paban was sentenced in order to weaken the secretary general psychologically." The acting office secretary asked the government to withdraw all charges against Tarique and release BNP chairperson Khaleda and other leaders.

Rizvi said he had contacted Tarique's wife and mother-in-law after the charges were pressed against them. "They are not worried about it. They said they would not bow their heads in the face of any pressure. They are ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the country and its democracy as Zia [Ziaur Rahman] did."

"The government has exercised these measures to scare people. But it will not be able to destroy the family of Ziaur Rahman that way," Rizvi said. Nasiruddin Ashim, lawyer for Tarique Rahman, questioned the six-month delay in submitting the charge sheet against his client.

"We are losing faith in the judiciary due to its current activities." "My client has submitted his wealth statements to the Anticorruption Commission properly," the lawyer said.