A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants for 16 BNP leaders and activists, including its standing committee member Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah, in an arson case.

fudge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka passed the order after accepting charges against 21 BNP leaders and activists, including the 16.

Former BNP lawmaker Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Habibunnabi Khan Sohel, and Maruf Kamal Khan are also facing the arrest warrant.

Of the 21 accused, BNP leaders Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed and former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel are now in jail while three other low

profile BNP leaders are on bail.

The court asked the officer-in-charge of Pallabi Police Station to submit by August 6 a report on execution of the arrest warrants. The case was filed with the police station against the 21 others after a vehicle was set on fire at Pallabi in the capital on January 26 this year. On April 30, police pressed charges against them. Earlier the same court issued arrest warrants against Rafiq and 27 others in connection with two other arson cases filed with Mirpur Police Station.