&nbsp; 
A Dhaka court issued a warrant Thursday for the arrest of Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief and former prime minister Khaleda Zia for celebrating her birthday on August 15.

August 15 is observed as National Mourning Day in Bangladesh and is the day&nbsp;the country&rsquo;s&nbsp;founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and his family were assassinated, PTI reported.

Bangladesh&#39;s current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is Sheikh Mujibur Rehman&#39;s daughter.

An official told PTI it was Zia&rsquo;s &quot;defiance&quot; that prompted the prosecution to ask the court to issue the warrant.

&ldquo;(Zia) was summoned by the court but she did not appear during three previous hearings&hellip; So the magistrate issued the arrest warrant in line with legal procedure,&rdquo; the official said. &nbsp;

Zia&rsquo;s birthday?

On August 31, journalist Gazi Zahir filed a case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, alleging that Zia&rsquo;s marriage certificate said her date of birth was August 9, 1944, but that she chose to celebrate her birthday on August 15 to mock the &ldquo;father of the nation&rdquo;.

Zia&#39;s other documents, PTI reported, including her first passport and her official biography published in 1991, say Zia&rsquo;s date of birth are August 5 and August 19 respectively.

&ldquo;I have submitted copies of all these documents before the court as none of those suggest that she was born on August 15,&rdquo; PTI quoted Zahir as saying.

Zia&rsquo;s birthday celebrations on August 15 -- they started in 1996 -- have been a source of much vexation for the ruling Awami League which incidentally returned to power that same year.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The country observes August 15 as National Mourning Day to mark the assassination of founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

A Dhaka court issued a warrant Thursday for the arrest of Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief and former prime minister Khaleda Zia for celebrating her birthday on August 15. August 15 is observed as National Mourning Day in Bangladesh and is the day the country’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and his family were assassinated, PTI reported. Bangladesh's current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's daughter. An official told PTI it was Zia’s "defiance" that prompted the prosecution to ask the court to issue the warrant. “(Zia) was summoned by the court but she did not appear during three previous hearings… So the magistrate issued the arrest warrant in line with legal procedure,” the official said. Zia’s birthday? On August 31, journalist Gazi Zahir filed a case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, alleging that Zia’s marriage certificate said her date of birth was August 9, 1944, but that she chose to celebrate her birthday on August 15 to mock the “father of the nation”. Zia's other documents, PTI reported, including her first passport and her official biography published in 1991, say Zia’s date of birth are August 5 and August 19 respectively. “I have submitted copies of all these documents before the court as none of those suggest that she was born on August 15,” PTI quoted Zahir as saying. Zia’s birthday celebrations on August 15 -- they started in 1996 -- have been a source of much vexation for the ruling Awami League which incidentally returned to power that same year. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Bangladesh: Arrest warrant against former PM Khaleda Zia for celebrating birthday on August 15

A Bangladeshi court today issued arrest warrants against 67 BNP leaders and activists, including top aides of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, in a case related to last year&#39;s violent campaign spearheaded by the opposition party in which more than 100 people died. 
 
&quot;The court issued the warrant taking into cognizance a case against them under the (tough) Special Powers Act,&quot; an official of Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court said.&nbsp;Justice Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order after accepting the charges pressed against 93 people but issued the warrants against 67 people, including BNP&#39;s vice chairman and former minister Selima Rahman, Zia&#39;s press secretary Maruf Kamal Sohel and her special aide Shimul Biswas.&nbsp; 
 
The court directed the police to submit a report on October 10 on the execution of the warrants.&nbsp;Legal experts, however, said the accused might seek the reversal of the order by a High Court. 
 
Police earlier said that the 67 people were accused of attacking and damaging buses and cars and obstructing police in discharging duties in a particular incident at Mugda area of the capital in February last year.&nbsp;More than 100 people died in arson attacks on vehicles. 
 
The BNP-led four-party alliance boycotted the January 2014 general elections, saying polls with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s government in power would not be credible.&nbsp;And the main opposition party outside the Parliament waged a protracted and violent street campaign, coinciding with the first anniversary of the second consecutive term of the incumbent regime. 
 
BNP and its right-wing allies had enforced a nationwide blockade last year. Zia and 50 other leaders and activists of her party were charged earlier in a Dhaka court in two cases over the violence. Police accused her of instigating party activists to torch buses and trigger explosions. 
 
(PTI)

Police said thoe accused attacked buses and cars, and obstructed police, in an incident which killed more than 100 people

A Bangladeshi court today issued arrest warrants against 67 BNP leaders and activists, including top aides of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, in a case related to last year's violent campaign spearheaded by the opposition party in which more than 100 people died. "The court issued the warrant taking into cognizance a case against them under the (tough) Special Powers Act," an official of Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court said. Justice Kamrul Hossain Mollah passed the order after accepting the charges pressed against 93 people but issued the warrants against 67 people, including BNP's vice chairman and former minister Selima Rahman, Zia's press secretary Maruf Kamal Sohel and her special aide Shimul Biswas. The court directed the police to submit a report on October 10 on the execution of the warrants. Legal experts, however, said the accused might seek the reversal of the order by a High Court. Police earlier said that the 67 people were accused of attacking and damaging buses and cars and obstructing police in discharging duties in a particular incident at Mugda area of the capital in February last year. More than 100 people died in arson attacks on vehicles. The BNP-led four-party alliance boycotted the January 2014 general elections, saying polls with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in power would not be credible. And the main opposition party outside the Parliament waged a protracted and violent street campaign, coinciding with the first anniversary of the second consecutive term of the incumbent regime. BNP and its right-wing allies had enforced a nationwide blockade last year. Zia and 50 other leaders and activists of her party were charged earlier in a Dhaka court in two cases over the violence. Police accused her of instigating party activists to torch buses and trigger explosions. (PTI)

Bangladesh court issues arrest warrants for 67 opposition leaders and activists

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Bangladesh: Arrest warrant against former PM Khaleda Zia for celebrating birthday on August 15

Bangladesh court issues arrest warrants for 67 opposition leaders and activists