Dhaka: As part of its countrywide programme, BNP on Sunday submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka, demanding the release of its chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

A BNP delegation, led by its Dhaka district unit president Dewan Mohammad Salauddin Ahmed and party’s central organising secretary Fazlul Haue Milon, submitted the memorandum to DC Mohammad Salauddin around 11:00am at his office at the old part of the city.

Later, BNP leaders and activists staged a demonstration in front of the DC office, and chanted various slogans demanding Khaleda’s release.

Earlier, several hundred BNP leaders and activists gathered near Victoria Park from 10:00am amid the presence of huge security personnel.

BNP chairperson’s adviser Barrister Ziaur Rahman, its assistant organising secretary Abdus Salam Azad, Dhaka north unit BNP senior vice President Munshi Bazlul Basit Anju, Dhaka district unit general secretary Ahsanullah Hasan, Dhaka district unit BNP general secretary Khondaker Abu Ashfak, organising secretary Rezaul Karim Paul and joint secretary Badiuzzazamn Badi were, among others, present.

BNP leaders and activists in every district across the country were scheduled to submit their memorandums to the DC offices at their convenient time between 9am to 5pm.

BNP on Thursday announced a fresh round of peaceful countrywide protest programmes, including collecting signatures from mass people across the country on Saturday, submitting memorandums to all the deputy commissioner offices on Sunday and staging demonstrations in all the district towns and metropolitan cities, except Dhaka, on Tuesday.

A special court convicted former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on February 8 last. She was then sent to the old central jail at Nazimuddin Road in Old Dhaka.

Earlier, the party observed a token hunger strike on Wednesday while formed a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Monday and staged a sit-in programme in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday.