4-party may join local elections only if detained leaders released

BNP led 4- party alliance will consider joining the local-body elections only if their detained leaders including Begum Khaleda Zia and Motiur Rahman Nizami are released.
A broad hint to this affect was given to the journalist by BNP Secretary General Khandoker Delwar Hossain after a crucial meeting of the alliance held in the city on Sunday. Khadoker Delwar presided over the meeting which reviewed the over all political situation specially in view of the Awami League decision to participate in the elections to 4 city corporation and 9 Paurashaba.
After thread bare discussion on the election issue, the 4-party leaders renewed their demand for lifting of emergency and national election first, but kept the option open for joining local polls if Tarique and Arafat are sent abroad for treatment and all detained leaders of BNP and Jamaat are released immediately.
The meeting also criticized the government for its failure to check price hike of essentials which are affecting the people severely.
Bbdnews24.com adds: A Dhaka court has pushed back the hearing by a week to Sunday on a petition to relieve BNP leader Tarique Rahman of personal appearance in court in an extortion case.
Special Court-3 judge Shahed Nooruddin set the date Sunday in the case that charges the elder son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia with helping hush up the murder of Bashundhara Group director Humayun Kabir Sabbir for money.
Both prosecution and defence counsels appealed to the court to defer the date on the grounds that they needed more time to be ready for the hearing.
Defence counsel advocate Sanaullah Miah told the court, "Since our senior lawyer is not present hearing on this matter is not possible. Let the hearing be deferred for one week." State counsel Syed Shamim Ahsan Habib agreed with Miah
The petition for exemption was filed on June 25. The same day Khaleda's younger son Arafat Rahman was exempted from personal appearance in the Gatco corruption case.
The Anticorruption Commission on May 6 pressed charges with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka against eight persons including Tarique and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar.
The face charges of taking Tk 21 crore in bribe to gloss over the involvement of Bashundhara Group chairman Shah Alam's son Safiayat Sobhan Sunbeam in the murder of Sabbir