Dhaka: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AKM Nurul Huda on Monday said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia cannot participate in the upcoming general election in the present state.

‘In the current condition, Khaleda Zia can’t participate in the polls but if the High Court permits, she can contest it. And I hope Khaleda Zia will take part in the polls overcoming all the difficulties,’ he said while talking to reporters after meeting Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain at the Supreme Court, reports the UNB.

‘Khaleda is now considered as an accused as she’s yet to file an appeal to the High Court. So, she can’t take part in the polls now. We’ll take the decision after the court directive,’ he said.

Replying to queries from reporters about his meeting with the Chief Justice, Nurul Huda said, ‘It was a courtesy call on, no major issue came up for discussion at the meeting.’

On February 8, a special court convicted the former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

On the same day, BNP lawyers sought a certified copy of the verdict to file an appeal against the imprisonment.

Eleven days after the verdict, the lawyers of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia finally received its certified copy on Monday.