The President called the session as per the Article 72 (1) of the Bangladesh Constitution.

government for ‘snatching away’ the said information.

The threats came at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Thursday afternoon that was jointly addressed by BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain and BNP chairperson’s adviser Advocate Ahmed Azam Khan.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s Wednesday remarks that Khaleda had whitened her black money earned through corruption, Khandaker Delwar once again said the government is misleading the nation by resorting to limitless falsehood to hide its own failures.

Replying to a question he said his party would tackle the situation legally.

He said they will take legal steps against the NBR for leaking information violating Article 163 of the Income Tax Law, while legal steps would be taken against the government for ‘snatching the information using influence’.

Responding to the Awami League joint secretary Mahbub Alam Hanif’s allegation against him, Delwar objected to his comment and said he (Delwar) is not at all communal.

‘I am completely non-communal’, the veteran BNP leader said.

Ahmed Azam Khan, also Khaleda Zia’s lawyer, once again said former Prime Minister Khaleda did not whiten a single unit of black money. If she did, the NBR could file a case against her.

Ahmed Azam said if the NBR fails to provide an explanation for disclosing Khaleda’s income tax related information, they would take legal steps against the NBR.

Describing the ‘white money’, the party said Khaleda Zia earned money from her immovable property of Tk 10 lakh and her Gulshan house which she got from the then President Abdus Sattar as pension and gratuity of her husband late President Ziaur Rahman after his assassination.

But she could not pay income tax because of legal complexity and she whitened this ‘white money’ in 2007.

BNP claimed this at a press briefing at the party’s central office in protest of the allegation brought against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia by ruling Awami League that she whitened Tk 1.31 crore black money.

AL acting general secretary Mahbub-ul-Hanif on Sunday claimed that they have Proofs of whitening Khaleda’s black money.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 7 brought the allegation against Khaleda but the party repeatedly denied it.

Khondker Delwar Hossain, the party’s secretary general, at the press briefing said that not a single black money of Khaleda Zia was whitened as she had no any illegal income source.

He refuted the allegation and described it as an ‘ill motive’ by the ruling party to tarnish the image of the leader of the opposition.

By contrast, Delwar reminded that allegations of having earned income from illegal sources remained against the incumbent Prime Minister and cases were filed against her (Hasina) in this regard.

He said the prime minister and her ministers failing govern the country disclosed false information.

The government has lost filthy under its leg and it might fall into hole, he added.

Ahmed Azam Khan, Khaleda’s counsellor and member of her advisory council, claimed Khaleda only took the opportunity to legalise her money in 2007 which tax was not paid under the project titled ‘White money whitening’.

So that was not black money, he said adding ‘complexity of income tax law and her lack of knowledge about tax was behind the delay to legalise her income.

Ahmed Azam claimed that AL leader Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif not understanding well created a puzzle between undeclared and black money.

Some highly placed sources of the party, however, told the New Nation that Khaleda would not announce tough agitation programmes against the government here but ask the people to raise their voices against violence, tender manipulation, women repression of the ruling party activists and leaders and price hike of essential commodities and crises of power, water and gas.

As part of the divisional cities tour to mobilise people against the government’s ‘failure, misrule and misdeeds,’ opposition leader Khaleda will address her grand rally at Madrasah Maidan of the city.

Meanwhile, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, member of the party’s national standing committee, at a press briefing in Rajshahi said that all necessary preparation were taken to make the programme successful.

The BNP chief will leave her cantonment residence at 8 am for Rajshahi and address to her followers at several points on the way.

Around 700 gates are set up from Sirajganj to Chapainawabganj covering Rajshahi to welcome Khaleda, Shafikul Haque Milon, general secretary of Rajshahi City BNP, said.

The city has already turned into a festive one with decoration of banners, posters and festoons where at least five lakh people from 18 districts of the country’s northern part are expected to attend the grand rally.

Besides this, many central leaders from Dhaka also will attend the programme.

The BNP chairperson began her divisional HQs organisational tour from the port city of Chittagong on March 29 by addressing a grand rally at the historic Laldigihi Maidan followed by Khulna on April 18.

A grand rally in Barisal city is scheduled to be held on May 12 while in the capital Dhaka, it is scheduled for May 19.

The last one of her organisational tour will be held in Sylhet which schedule is yet to be finalised.

According to party insiders, AL would hold grand rallies at all divisional headquarters from the later half of this month highlighting Government’s successes in the last one and a half years of its office.

Simultaneously, the law enforcers, especially members of the intelligence agencies, have been asked to be cautious about the troublemakers across the country.

Sources said that Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina would exchange views with the grassroots to know the real picture of the masses, and their hopes and aspirations. She would also explain all possible ways in implementing her party’s election pledges.

Talking to The New Nation, acting Awami League General Secretary Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif said, “In the democracy, the opposition can do whatever they want within the limit. As in the past, the AL is ready to counter all kinds of street agitation politically.”

“As part of the countrywide programme, currently as many as 15 teams comprising leaders of AL Central committee are holding extended meetings at different districts. The countrywide political tour of AL started on March 18, this year. The visiting team-members have been asked to focus on the Government’s successes and different development works, make people aware of the deep-rooted conspiracies and propaganda by the BNP and its allies.”

On BNP’s demonstration and march towards the Election Commission office on Monday demanding cancellation of Bhola-3 by-poll results and resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two other commissioners, the AL Joint-Geenral Secretary reiterated that the election to Bhola-3 by-poll was held in a free, fair and peaceful manner.

Terming BNP’s allegation regarding the by-poll baseless and ill-motivated, he said, “This is only to create unrest across the country making it a political issue.”

Awami League Information and Research Secretary Advocate Afzal Hossain said, “There is nothing to be worried in this regard. Mass-people are with us. Our Government is trying to resolve all prevailing problems – including water-power-gas crises. The AL men and members of other likeminded political parties will highlight Government’s successes to draw the attention of the people.”

Asked about the opposition’s similar programmes, Afzal Hossain alleged that the opposition has been giving provocative speeches through different programmes but they would have to handle it politically with patience.

“Keeping the BNP’s programmes in mind, Awami League will launch a month long-programme throughout the country. The AL Central Working Committee will hold a meeting immediately after the party’s General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam returns home,” he said, adding that the meeting would finalise the next course of action.

He was speaking at a briefing on Bhola-3 by-elections at BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office on Monday.

Moudud made the comment apparently in response to Hasina’s comment on Sunday, saying that voters of Bhola had given a ‘fitting reply’ to BNP.

Also a BNP standing committee member, Moudud, referred to the alleged rigging in the by-elections.

The BNP has already demanded cancellation of the results alleging widespread violence, intimidation and manipulation.

Moudud suggested that Awami League’s time was running out.

“People have started hating Awami League after the farcical polls.”

AL contender Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shaon won the by-elections of Saturday.

The BNP leader said they would launch a series of programmes demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda and the two other commissioners.

The anti-government demonstrations will also continue, he said.

BNP has already declared nationwide demonstrations on Apr 28.

The former law minister also condemned the role of the Election Commission.

“The commission worked as the government’s agent and lost their credibility.”

He said regarding the election commissioners that they did not have the moral right to remain in the constitutional position anymore.

“If they have any self respect they should resign,” Moudud said.

He claimed that the by-elections have been subject to ‘unprecedented rigging’.

“No one except the government and the Election Commission claim that the election was fair. People have rejected the elections.”

Moudud said BNP contender Hafiz Uddin Ahmed was popular in his constituency.

He secured victory in six previous elections.

Moudud said that even during the national elections of Dec 29, 2008 — which he suggested were engineered — he lost to Jashimuddin by just 8,000 votes.

Moudud said that election rigging was evident from the striking contrast between the results of previous elections and the last one.

He put forward some evidence pointing out that 60 percent of the votes were cast between 8-11am which required 11 votes to be cast every minute which is virtually impossible.

“It is impossible even in the digital method.”

The BNP leader alleged that their party agents were driven out from 57 centres.

They also claimed that many of their activists have been injured.

Approximately 450 persons have been injured from the beginning of the campaign.

The press briefing also screened a documentary on the criminal activities and intimidation by ruling party.

Diplomatic sources confirmed that the two prime ministers would discuss the trial of war criminals – in addition to trade and other bilateral issues.

Foreign secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes told bdnews24.com on Monday night that the two leaders would meet at 5.15 pm local time..

The prime minister’s meeting with Gilani is seen as particularly significant against the backdrop of the government’s initiative to try those who are alleged to have collaborated with the occupation Pakistan forces during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

Hasina is also scheduled to see her Indian counterpart though the time and venue for the meeting is yet be fixed.

Sheikh Hasina landed at Bhutan’s Paro airport at around 7.40 am Tuesday, Bangladesh mission officials told bdnews24.com .

She was given a guard of honour at the airport and escorted to the SAARC village in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.

She will deliver speeches in the opening and concluding sessions of the SAARC summit on April 28 and 29.

Baghmara police chief Harunur Rashid said that Shaihudul was arrested on Saturday in relation to a case where he and a number of other cadres of Siddiqur Rahman alias Bangla Bhai, chief of the banned Islamist outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, is alleged to have inflicted violence on Jhikra upazila parishad member Ramzan Alim and demanded Tk 50,000.

Ramzan Ali had filed the case in 2006 but as Shahidul had not appeared, the court had issued a warrant for his arrest.

Following his arrest, Shahidul was sent to jail by order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court of Rajshahi.

Shahidul Islam has a number of other cases against him – for which he is currently on bail.

“People were lined up for registration in the office when the blast took place,” Rapheel Hussain, a resident of the area, said by telephone. A police official said 300 people were gathered in the office. He said the death toll was likely to rise.

Taliban militants have carried out suicide bombings in a bid to topple Pakistan’s US-backed government.

Government promises to crack down on what it termed “terrorists” went awry when a protest leader at a hotel in Bangkok slid down a rope from a balcony to escape riot police.

Another two were rescued by hundreds of “red shirts,” who heavily outnumbered security forces at a Bangkok hotel owned by the family of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The leaders later joined around 10,000 of their supporters at a hotel and shopping centre in the middle of the city, now the main protest encampment in the Thai capital.
“If they use force to disperse us, we will flatten the entire neighbourhood,” said Jatuporn Prompan, a protest leader who was not among the three escapees, on a red shirt stage.

Abhisit had been scheduled to address national television at 1 p.m. local (7:00 a.m. British time), from an army barracks where he has been holed up during the month-long protests, but by 4 p.m. he had not done so and his aides could not provide a reason.
He has been absent from the public eye since Monday.

The government, which had previously said it would not directly confront the protesters, has also stepped up the rhetoric, although no troops were seen on the streets of Bangkok.

“We will arrest and suppress the terrorists. We have set up special task forces hunting for the terrorists,” Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said before launching the attempt to snatch opposition leaders.

The move against the red shirt leaders on Friday follows a failed attempt by troops to eject protesters from one of their sit-in sites in the city last weekend.

At least 24 people were killed and more than 800 injured in the clash, Thailand’s worst political violence since 1992, which only appears to have hardened the four-year political impasse and raised the possibility of more bloodshed.

STOCKS FALL
The risk of further instability sent Thai stocks down 3 percent. The market has now lost almost all its gains this year.

“Under the current uncertain situation, we recommend investors to stay along the sidelines at the moment as we could see a possibility of another 5 percent drop in the near term,” Julius Baer Research said in a note to clients on Friday.

Thailand’s five-year credit default swaps (CDS), often used as a measure of political risk, were trading at 111/116.85 against 105/111 bps on Monday, the last trading day prior to a three-day holiday.

The “red shirts” back Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, and want Abhisit to step down immediately and call early elections. The government has offered December — possibly October — as poll dates. The powerful military chief this week also suggested early polls to resolve the crisis.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij told Reuters on Thursday Abhisit would not resign as it would “be very negative for the country.

According to a report from investment bank Morgan Stanley, losses to tourism, which accounts for 6 percent of gross domestic product, could clip 0.2 percentage point from economic growth this year.

The government believes Thailand’s economy could grow 4.5 percent this year, although Korn warned that forecast could prove optimistic.