Dhaka: Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday claimed that BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi is showing disrespect to court by urging Prime Minister Sheikh Hsaina to take steps to release their chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

‘…the Prime Minister has no jurisdiction to release Khaleda Zia or any other prisoner. It’s court’s authority to release anyone. Rizvi Ahmed is, in fact, disrespecting the court by making the call (to release Khaleda) again and again,’ he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat, reports the UNB.

The minister, however, said the President can take measures to release any prisoner if he/she seeks clemency confessing to the crime.

Rizvi and BNP will have to move on either with the legal process or seeking presidential clemency if they want to have Khaleda Zia released, he said. ‘There’s no other way (for her release).’

About the media reports that BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami are parting their ways, Hasan Mahmud said they heard that Jamaat is actually leaving BNP. ‘That means BNP doesn’t want to leave Jamaat. We’ll hail BNP if it severs its ties with Jamaat announcing that it has committed mistakes by joining elections together with Jamaat.’

Talking about the demand for installing polling centres of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) polls at the administrative buildings instead of residential halls, he said, ‘Voting centres have been being set up at halls since the start of the Dacsu elections as per its charter. But BNP’s student wing is demanding otherwise like the party which is contradictory to Ducsu charter.