BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia last night instructed the senior leaders to meet party grassroots and conduct mass campaigns during the Eid holidays so that the party can wage a strong anti-government movement.

"She directed us to visit our home districts during the Eid vacation as it is an opportunity to mobilise public opinion against the government's misrule," BNP chairperson's adviser Ahmed Aazam Khan told The Daily Star.

This was the first formal meeting of the BNP high-ups since January 5 when the party enforced an indefinite blockade demanding a midterm national election. The two-hour-long meeting started around 9:00pm at Khaleda's Gulshan office.

She asked the BNP leaders to convey her message to other senior leaders so that they could conduct campaigns in their constituencies.

The former prime minister told the meeting that the BNP would wage an

anti-government movement only after reorganising the party. But she did not mention any timeframe about launching the movement.

Khaleda said she already started reorganising the party. The new structure of the party would be evident after the release of party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam from jail, she added.

A meeting source said he hoped that the party's central council would be held by the end of this year.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said Khaleda Zia demanded the immediate release of BNP leaders and activists, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Mentioning about the deaths of party leaders Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and Mosleuddin behind bars, Khaleda demanded the government ensure proper treatment of the jailed party men. KHALEDA BLASTS ERSHAD The BNP chief yesterday blasted Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad for dishonouringwomen in the Jatiya Sangshad.

“Women are being dishonoured by the self-declared opposition party in parliament," Khaleda told an iftar programme hosted by Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh at city a hotel.

She said this referring to the incident of Prime Minister's Special Envoy HM Ershad terming women showpiece in the Jatiya Sangshad.

She called upon the people to get united for the greater interest of the country's development and democracy.

"If a free, fair, and inclusive general election is held, the country would moveforward," shesaid.

Taking part in the discussion on the national budget, Ershad on June 29 said, "We repeatedly say that our prime minister is a woman, Speaker is a woman, the deputy leader of the house and the opposition leader - all are women. But they are showpieces. It's not the same outside."

Meanwhile, BNP spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon yesterday at press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office claimed that his party men had no links with the acts of violence and subversive activities carried out during the anti-government movement.

He criticised the inspector general of police (IGP) over his comment on the violence. "There is certainly some genuine logic and observation behind the BNP chairperson's allegation against the police. But the police chiefs statement countering her remarks is completely unexpected and unbecoming to a cop."

Khaleda on Saturday at an iftar party said, "Police had set fire to and hurled petrol bombs at buses. They themselves admitted to doing it.... Our three-month long movement wouldn't have stopped, had police not killed people by hurling firebombs and torching buses."

IGP AKM Shahidul Haque on the following day said, “You [reporters] gather information from everywhere. Did you get any such information? This is a baseless allegation."