Khaleda 'leaves' her memories | Politics | bdnews24.com
Khaleda 'leaves' her memories
Sun, Nov 14th, 2010 12:23 am
Dhaka, Nov 13 (bdnews24com) BNP chief Khaleda Zia had to leave her home of nearly four decades from where she saw her husband Ziaur Rahman's rise and fall.
Law enforcers made her leave the cantonment residence on Saturday afternoon following a High Court order that essentially asked Khaleda to vacate the house where she had come to live in 1972 with her husband as adjutant general.
The drama began to heighten from Friday evening when, albeit differences of opinion, a month's deadline expired. A close aide of Khaleda dispelled rumours that she was leaving the house 6 Mainul Road in Dhaka Cantonment of her own volition, which he said was government propaganda.
Khaleda finally had to move out of the house around 3:15pm on Saturday amid heavy security, where law enforcers had gathered from morning to pack off the leader of the opposition.
Later in the evening, she told a press conference: "They've uprooted me from my age-old memories."
She had moved to the house in 1972 after a short stint as Brigade Commander of Comilla. In less than three months, he was made deputy chief of army staff.
Gen Zia, founder of BNP, continued to live in the house, situated over almost three acres of land, when he became the first military ruler and subsequently the president of Bangladesh.
After Zia's assassination on May 30, 1981, the then interim president Abdus Sattar leased the house to the family.
With her two sons Tarique and Arafat Rahman Coco, Khaleda continued to live in that house.
Later as BNP chairperson in the late 80s, Khaleda led the movement against Ershad's military rule alongside the Awami League from that house.
Khaleda chose not to move to a government residence even after elected prime minister in 1991.
She also decided not to leave the house after she lost power in the 1996 polls and became the opposition leader and continued to live there after she was reelected prime minister for the second time in 2001.
During the last military-installed interim government, Khaleda was arrested from her cantonment home placed in a special jail at Shere-Bangla Nagar. She, however, went back after she was freed.
In April 8, 2009, a cabinet meeting, presided over by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, decided to cancel the lease of the house, which was followed by a notice to vacate the house issued by the cantonment authorities on April 20 the same year.
The notice was reissued twice on May 7 and May 24 last year.
On May 3, 2009, Khaleda filed a petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the notice.
The High Court on Oct 13, 2010, rejected the petition and ordered her to vacate the house by Nov 12.
The court declared that the house was illegally leased in Khaleda's favour.
On Nov 8, Khaleda filed a leave to appeal with the Appellate Division in a bid to overturn the High Court verdict.
Hearing of the appeal was adjourned until Nov 29 by a regular bench of the Appellate Division, headed by chief justice A B M Khairul Haque, on Nov 10.
However, the bench did not put a stay order on the High Court ruling.
Several ruling party lawyers and the attorney general made contradictory comments following the decision of the bench.
The Inter Services Public Relations in a statement on Saturday said Khaleda was leaving the cantonment residence willingly after several days of preparations, which was claimed as "a total lie" by the BNP chairperson at a press briefing in the evening.
Awami League leaders and several independent analysts critisised her living in the cantonment area as a politician, which made it difficult for her party leaders and supporters to reach her during times of crisis.
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury recently told reporters that he does not want the party chief living in a place, where it is hard for the party activists to reach her.
Several BNP leaders, however, said that they think that the decision to cancel the lease was motivated by Hasina's personal vendetta against her political nemesis.
During the last Awami League term, the Ganabhaban and a Dhanmondi house were allotted to Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, respectively as the only surviving children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The BNP-led government cancelled the allotments when it assumed power in 2001.
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