Dhaka: Claiming that their party leaders had no involvement in the incident, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said Awami League is the ‘beneficiary’ of August-21 grenade attack cases.

‘The verdict in August-21 cases is likely to be pronounced tomorrow (Wednesday). Though there have been many talks over the verdict of the cases, there’s no effort to unearth the fact. I can firmly say no BNP leader, including Tarique Rahman, Abdus Salam Pintu and Lutfuzzaman Babar, had any involvement in it,’ he said, reports the UNB.

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader further said, ‘Every killing incident has its own motive. Who’s the beneficiary of the incident? It’s surely Awami League which is trying to destroy BNP making it an issue.’

Shaheed Jihad Smrity Parishad arranged the programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), marking the 28^th anniversary of martyrdom of Nazir Uddin Ahmed Jihad.

Jihad, a JCD activist of Ullapara upazila in Sirajganj, was shot dead in Dhaka on October 10, 1990 during the anti-Ershad movement.

Fakhrul claimed that proper investigation was not carried out into the August-21 cases to find out the real perpetrators and reveal the truth.

He claimed that the government has implicated BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman in the case with a political motive.

The BNP leader said the government has destroyed the country’s judiciary. ‘Ex-Chief Justice SK Sinha told the Voice of America today (Tuesday) that there’s now no rule of law in Bangladesh, and the lower judiciary has got affected seriously as the government is controlling everything.’

He also alleged that the August-21 grenade attack cases were taken to a different direction with a political motive after retired police officer Abdul Kahar Akanda had been given the charge for carrying out investigation into the cases.

On September 18, Judge Shahed Nuruddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 fixed October 10 to deliver its verdict in two cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital in 2004.

Mentioning that the nation is now facing a serious crisis, Fakhrul called on all to take to the streets to overcome it. ‘There’s no alternative to taking to the streets. Nobody will put us in power, and remove the current regime unless people come forward to do it.’

He called on BNP leaders and activists to organise and unite people for waging a movement to restore democracy. ‘There’s no shortcut way. Ousting a fascist regime is a very tough job, and we must do it together with people.’

The BNP leader said their party has been working to unite the political parties, individuals and the entire nation to ensure a fair election and restore people’s rights.