AL blames PM for instigating attacks on lawyers

Briefing newsmen at the party's Dhanmondi office in the city yesterday, the AL leaders alleged that the prime minister was just a few yards away from the place of occurrence and instigated her 'private force' to launch an attack on the lawyers who were staging a peaceful demonstration.

Reading out a written statement at the briefing, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil alleged that the pro-alliance activists set on fire the houses of AL adherents at four villages in Pabna on August 29 and demanded a judicial probe into the incident. The AL arranged a video show at the news briefing of hundreds of distressed people rendered homeless in Pabna.

Expressing deep concern at the recent incidents of violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), the AL blamed the BNP-led government and the anti-CHT peace treaty groups for deterioration of law and order in three hill districts.

Besides, the AL also came down heavily on the government for what it said signing a secret pact with the United States agreeing not to seek trial of any US soldier in future. Abdul Jalil explained the August 17 US-Bangladesh pact as going against the independence and sovereignty of the country.

"Why is the question of giving immunity to US soldiers against prosecution being raised now? Is the US going to set up a military base in Bangladesh? Are US soldiers coming to our country?" AL presidium member Tofail Ahmed asked.

Replying to a query, Tofail said the US knew it for sure that pressure would be mounting worldwide for trying US soldiers in the International Court of Justice for the killings in Iraq and that's why "it (US) is signing immunity (against trial) pacts with other countries by exerting pressure".

On the issue of attacks on lawyers at the court building on Saturday, AL leaders also questioned the role of the law enforcing agencies. After visiting the spot, some of the senior opposition leaders narrated to journalists yesterday that a 'private force' of the prime minister launched the attack on the lawyers at her behest.

AL presidium member Abdus Samad Azad said, "We want to blame Khaleda Zia for the attack. Police gave protection to the private force when the latter attacked the lawyers yesterday."

The AL leaders deplored killings of party leaders in Khulna and other places and criticised the home minister for failing to contain the slide in law and order.

They said the AL would support the September 16 hartal called by left-leaning groups to protest wholesale closures of state-run enterprises and freewheel retrenchment of public sector employees and workers.

On the question of forming an alliance with like-minded parties, the AL general secretary said the party was very much in the process of having dialogues with other progressive opposition parties to wage a united movement in future against the BNP-led ruling alliance.

On the six-point agenda put forward by the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) to the AL early last month, Jalil said, "Not that we have agreed to all their points rightaway, but we can make progress by taking those as the basis for further talks."

AL leaders Matia Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Obaidul Kader, and Mohammad Nasim were present, among others, at the press briefing.