Khaleda under pressure from govt, partymen

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) seems to have plunged into deeper crisis amid growing demands for internal reforms even as her adviser alleged that she was still under pressure to leave the country.

Veteran BNP leader and Bangladesh’s longest serving former finance minister Saifur Rahman joined the intra-party campaign on Saturday to clip Zia’s “unlimited power”.

He said the party must be freed of “family influence”, in an indirect reference to Zia’s decision to appoint her younger brother Sayeed Eskandar as vice chairman of BNP.

BNP Chairperson’s adviser Brigadier (Retd) Hannan Shah alleged that she was still under pressure to leave the country despite government’s denial.