Home Minister Mohammad Nasim (old Parliament yesterday that legal action would betaken against Piof Shahidul Islam MPol BNPfor possessing illegal arms as well as the terrorists for violent acts in the name ol hartal.

"An MP should be called honourable. Bui Tm ashamed ol calling Shahidul Islam MP honourable as five illegal arms were recovered from under his bed at his village home", he said showing a video cassette documenting the sceneof recovery of arms by police.

I Ie quoted Ziaul I laq, arrested in connection with possessing illegal arms, as admitting Io police under Section 161 that they kept thearmsat the "direc-tion and order of shahidul Islam" now hiding abroad and his younger brothri, whoisalsoa BNPIeadei.

An MP cannot be spared from legal action only because ol his identity, he

added. Nasim referred to the incident of "stealing” cigarette by Prof Shahldu! Islam Ml’ in Dubai and said he was freed al the initiative of Deputy Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid, who tried his best for his release for t he sake of i mage of l he court l ry.

He bitterly criticised Opposition I eader Khaleda Zia for claiming her MP to be innocent and demanding release of the people arrested in this connection. "No arrested person will be released," he said.

The home minister informed the parliament that ">07 terrorists were arrested across the country for creating violence in the name of hartal, and action would be taken against them under the Arms and Explosives Act and Public Safe ty Act.

Asking the BNP-led opposition alliance to shun the path of hartal

and anarchy, Nasim said the tenure of current parliament would expire on July 13. "After that the power will be transferred and a caretaker government will be formed for holding general election."

T he minister, who earlier on the day visited the Dhaka Medical College Hospital to see the people injured by pro-hartal activists, said Khaleda failed to do anything by harial other than causing sufferings poor people, killing drivers and injuring rickshaw-pullers.

He said opposition leaders keep their industries open during hartals, but try to slop production by others. He specially named the industries owned by deputy leader of the opposition Prof B Chowdhury and Dandy Dying and motor launches run by Khaleda Zia's family.