The Proshika president has asked die ruling BNP secretary general to produce acceptable evidences in a week in support of the allegations that his NGO was aiding main opposition Awami League (AL) to unseat the government.

In a statement yesterday, Qazi Faruque Ahmed challenged Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, also local government, rural development and cooperatives minister, to prove the allegations Bhuiyan had made at a press conference on April 30.

Faruque however said evidences gadiercd by torturing and threatening Proshika staffs will not be acceptable. The government is cooking up these imaginary stories of Proshika's aiding the AL, he said. "The allegations levelled against Proshika by Bhuiyan are false," Faruque said and advised the government to stop defaming Proshika, one of the largest nongovernmental organisations (NGO) in the country.

The allegations are part of a move by the BNP secretary general and the government to justify the recent 'illegal and human-rights violating' mass arrests before the High Court. Proshika's 'success in spreading the spirit of Liberation War and secular ideals, in poverty alleviation, and in women empowerment' has irked the 'anti-people and anti-independence' leaders, the statement said.

Faruque warned that Proshika reserves the right to take legal action against the coalition government for inciting its adherents to attack Proshika headquarters and for defaming the NGO.

The statement added that a non-Proshika leader of Oikyabaddha Nagorik Andolon (ONA), Harun-ur-Rashid, was taken into custody by intelligence officials without a warrant and forced to provide a false statement against the Proshika president. The government then provided the recorded message for private TV channels to air in their news bulletins.

The Proshika chief praised Proshika Deputy Director Abdur Rab and Harun-ur-Rashid for their honesty, courage and determination and said their immediate retraction of judicial statements revealed the government's conspiracy against Proshika.

Rashid had recorded another statement saying that they were forced to provide statements on camera to the intelligence officials, but the government barred private TV channels from airing them, he said.

Proshika has been the victim of attacks by Islamic fanatics and two of their officials were falsely charged with sedition during the rule of this government, but were freed after an investigation, Faruquesaid.

"The main crime is not the relationship with AL, but the position (it has) taken against the government's anti-poor, anti-women and communal stance. This is why progressive journalists, litterateurs, lawyers and freedom fighters are the targets of their attacks," the Proshika statement said.