Pro-BNP lawyers refute reports of Moudud being asked to step aside

Pro-BNP Supreme Court lawyers have condemned the news regarding Standing Committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, titled "Khaleda Zia asks Moudud to stand aside." According to them, the news of Khaleda Zia asking Moudud to leave her lawyers’ panel is untrue. The lawyers expressed their sentiments in a press conference held in the Supreme Court Bar Association office on Tuesday. Barrister Jamiruddin Sarkar, Zainul Abedin, AJ Md Ali, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Sanaullah Miah were present during the conference. Zainul Abedin said: "False news has been circulated regarding Barrister Moudud Ahmed. All of us went to visit Khaleda Zia in the Central Jail on March 25. However, Moudud Ahmed was unable to visit as he was attending a function. "Khaleda Zia welcomed us, and commended us on the way we are conducting her case," said Zainul. "She believes that without political interference, she will soon be released from jail. Did she tell that journalist at that time that Moudud has been removed?" Zainul claimed that the news was perpetrated to create confusion among BNP party members. President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and BNP Senior Leader Zainul Abedin further said: "This particular paper was creating political confusion. Madam [Khaleda Zia] told us no such thing. This type of news only hampers the true implementation of law and order." He requested all newspapers to refrain from publishing such news. When talking about Moudud Ahmed, Zainul said: "He is a senior lawyer. There is a lot to learn from him, and we are still learning. Why would Khaleda Zia ask such a lawyer to stand aside?" Another BNP lawyer for Khaleda Zia, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, said: "The government wanted to jail leader-members of BNP protesting Khaleda Zia's imprisonment. That is why they put her in jail. But since that did not work, they are circulating false news." Challenging the veracity of the news, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon said: "I was the only junior lawyer present during the visit on March 25. The others, who are all present today [during the press conference] are senior lawyers. I can guarantee Khaleda Zia did not say anything regarding Moudud Ahmed's resignation." The government is using different news agencies to spread false news, said Khokon. "But we, the lawyers, will stay united," assured Khokon. Former Speaker of the Parliament Jamiruddin Sarkar said: "The lawyers who are collectively involved in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against Khaleda Zia are conducting the case." Previously in conversation with journalists, Barrister Moudud Ahmed said that since he was a civil practitioner, he does not practice criminal cases such as Khaleda Zia's one. "I have not done it before, and I do not do it now either," said Moudud. On March 25, Khaleda Zia's lawyers went to visit her at Dhaka Central Jail, where Khaleda Zia has been incarcerated since the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case was declared. This article was first published on banglatribune.com