Dhaka: BNP on Tuesday briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka on the country's overall situation following the jailing of its chairperson Khaleda Zia by a lower court in a graft case.

A group of BNP leaders, led by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, apprised the diplomats of the party's observations about the court verdict and the government's attitude towards Khaleda in jail. Diplomats from around 15 countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, France, Spain, Turkey, India and Pakistan attended the nearly one-and-a-half-hour meeting that began around 4:05pm at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office.

However, there was no briefing from either side about the meeting outcome.

A BNP leader who was present at the meeting, wishing anonymity, said they told the diplomats how Khaleda was 'unfairly' convicted and bad manner to her in jail, the government's procrastination in giving her division and a certified copy of the verdict for filing an appeal, the arrest of around 4,500 BNP leaders and activists and some other issues.

Apart from Fakhrul, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Moshrraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed and Nazrul Islam Khan, chairperson's advisers Reaz Rahman, Sabihuddin Ahmed and party special secretary Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon were present.