Narayanganj: Mentioning that there are two Supreme Court verdicts on whether Khaleda Zia can participate in the next general election or not, Law Minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday said the court will now decide the fate of the BNP chairperson, reports the UNB.

‘As per the Constitution, if a person is sentenced for more than two years for moral turpitude, he/she can’t contest the national election in five years after serving the jail term,’ he said.

The Law Minister came up with the remarks after inaugurating a four-storey District Registration Complex at Kayempur in the city.

The minister continued: ‘It was mentioned in one of the Supreme Court verdicts that she (Khaleda) can join the polls if the sentence is suspended in appeal while in another split verdict, one judge said she can take part in the election and the other said no. So, the court will finally decide it.’

Earlier in the day, the High Court extended the jail term of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case to 10 years from five years. 

Besides, a Dhaka court on Monday sentenced her and three others to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment each in the much-talked-about Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Replying to a query about the dialogue between Awami League and Jatiya Oikyafront leaders, the Law Minister said, ‘The Prime Minister has taken a positive decision for the continuation of democracy and there’s no international pressure in this regard.’

On Monday, the ruling party agreed to sit in dialogue with Jatiya Oikyafront over the next general election.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the President of Awami League, invited Jatiya Oikyafront to join the dialogue with her party at 7pm on Thursday at Ganobhaban.