BNP's Aslam on seven-day remand

A Dhaka court yesterday placed BNP Joint Secretary General Aslam Chowdhury on a seven-day remand for his alleged involvement in a plot to topple the government in support with Israel's spy agency Mossad. Metropolitan Magistrate Sarafuzzaman Ansari passed the order after the Detective Branch of police produced him before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.He came under the spotlight recently after a Bangladeshi daily ran a report on a meeting between him and Israel's ruling Likud party leader Mendi N Safadi in India along with a photo of the duo.The newly promoted BNP joint secretary was arrested on Sunday in Khilkhet area of the city on his way to Narayanganj. Aslam's driver and another person travelling with him were also detained at the time.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Media) Maruf Hossain Sardar said, "Apart from plotting against the government, he is accused in a number of cases in Chittagong. He has been arrested because of the charges." Aslam's arrest came hours after the authorities banned him from leaving the country.The ruling Awami League leaders alleged that the BNP in collusion with Israel and its spy agency Mossad was hatching a 'conspiracy' to overthrow the Sheikh Hasina government.On Monday morning, a six-member BNP delegation headed by Standing Committee member Abdul Moeen Khan attended the meeting that lasted for two hours.BNP leaders however did not make any comment on the meeting held a day after the arrest of Aslam Chowdhury for his suspected links with Israel over a 'conspiracy' to topple the government."The ambassador invited us to a breakfast meeting," a member of the BNP delegation told The Asian Age.
Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, BNP chief's advisers Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Inam Ahmed Chowdhury and Sabih Uddin Ahmed were the other members of hte delegation.The BNP leaders remained tight-lipped on whether the Aslam issue was discussed in the meeting. The US Department of State's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs William E Todd have been holding meetings with representatives of the government, business community and civil society since his arrival in Dhaka on Sunday.Asked, BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said such an incident may create another "Taiwan-like effect" for the BNP. Explaining the "Taiwan effect", the former army chief said the Chinese government got seriously displeased with the BNP after a leader of the party opined in favour of opening up a Taiwanese trade centre in Bangladesh.