Staff Reporter:
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said there is no legal scope to suspend or defer the election following the death of BNP chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
“There is no legal scope to defer the election. Since our party has nominated alternative candidates for the seats allocated to her, they will become the BNP candidates if their nominations pass scrutiny,” he said while talking to reporters at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office.
Explaining the legal position, Salahuddin said if the BNP chief had died after the scrutiny of nominations or the allocation of election symbols, legal complications could have arisen and the question of postponement might have come up.
“But that is not the situation now. She passed away before the scrutiny process. Legally, she no longer exists as a legal entity, so her nomination paper will not be valid during scrutiny,” he said.
In that case, the BNP leader said, if the nominations of the alternative candidate are found valid, that persons will be the BNP candidates in place of Begum Khaleda Zia.
Asked whether BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has broken down following his mother’s death, Salahuddin said Tarique Rahman is a political personality and must remain mentally strong.
“There is no alternative to this. No matter how shocked he is, he must remain strong in the interests of the nation,” he said.
Salahuddin said Begum Khaleda Zia sacrificed her entire life, her children and her family while struggling for democracy.
“She had an unmatched love for this country, its people and its soil. Her patriotism has no comparison,” he said.
The BNP leader said that although she lost everything in her personal life, she achieved a position that very few people in the world ever attain.
“We will move forward carrying her sacrifices, contributions and patriotism as our strength to build a strong, democratic and discrimination-free Bangladesh. We must do this, as it is the demand of the nation,” he said.
Salahuddin said Begum Khaleda Zia was not only a leader of BNP or Bangladesh, but also a leader for democracy-loving people across the world.
“She rose above party lines and political differences, and the people of this country placed her in that position of honour. That is a major achievement in our national life,” he said.
At the same time, Salahuddin said the pain and emptiness created by her death would never be filled. “We have lost her, and that sorrow will remain forever,” he said.
Khaleda Zia passed away early on Tuesday morning at Evercare Hospital at the age of 80.
Her Namaz-e-Janaza was held on Manik Mia Avenue on Wednesday, attended by millions, after which she was buried beside her late husband and former president Ziaur Rahman with full state honours.
She was nominated by BNP for three constituencies—Dinajpur-3, Feni-1 and Bogura-7—for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, although the party also fielded alternative candidates in view of her critical health condition.
