A Dhaka court yesterday issued a warrant allowing police to search Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office for communication devices allegedly being used for carrying out subversive activities across the country.

The warrant also authorises police to look for suspects in a case filed for carrying out a crude bomb attack on a procession led by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan on February 16 in Gulshan.

Labour leader Ismail Hossain Bachchu filed the case with Gulshan Police Station on February 17 accusing Khaleda and 13 other BNP leaders and activists of attacking the procession. 

The procession was against the blockade and hartals being enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

The BNP chief was accused of masterminding the attack while Mohila Dal General Secretary Shirin Sultana, Khaleda's Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan, and BNP chief's Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas were among the accused.

In a petition before a metropolitan magistrate yesterday, Sub-Inspector Sohel Rana of Gulshan Police station, also the investigation officer of the case, said 13 suspects, excluding Khaleda Zia, were hiding in the BNP chief's office.

Khaleda has been staying at the office since January 3.

The SI claimed that the suspects had been communicating with their men across the country and instructing them to carry out subversive activities using communication devices.

"It is necessary to carry out a search in the Gulshan office to seize the devices and arrest the suspects," he told the court.

Nurul Alam, assistant commissioner of Gulshan zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, last night said they received the warrant from the court.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Khandker Mahbub Hossain, also adviser to the BNP chief, yesterday demanded that the authorities ensure the presence of Khaleda's lawyers during the search.

"We fear those who will go to carry out search may take grenades, bombs or firearms with them. Therefore, those who will go there to carry out the search must be thoroughly checked by neutral individuals," he said at a press conference in his chamber.

He termed the search warrant "politically motivated".

The latest development comes at a time when the country is going through a political turmoil. The BNP-led alliance launched a non-stop blockade on January 6 and called a series of shutdowns to put pressure on the government for an early parliamentary election under a caretaker government.

As the opposition's agitation turned violent, ministers and leaders of the Awami League-led alliance accused Khaleda of instigating violence. They also demanded her arrest.

Yesterday's search warrant came four days after issuance of arrest warrants by another Dhaka court against BNP chief Khaleda for skipping court hearings on four consecutive dates in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

NO CONFIDENCE IN JUDGE

Khaleda's counsel yesterday placed two petitions before the High Court, expressing no-confidence in a trial court judge, who is dealing with Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

Khaleda filed the petitions on January 28, expressing her apprehension that she would not get justice from Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3, as he had not allowed her prayer for adjourning the case proceedings.

Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon on behalf of Khaleda placed the petitions before an HC bench for hearing yesterday.

The bench told the lawyer that it would hold hearing on the petitions later on.

In the petitions, Khaleda prayed to the HC to direct the government to transfer the corruption cases to the court of another judge.

Judge Jamadar was appointed to the court on December 18 last year. He replaced Judge Bashudev Roy, who had been holding trial of the cases since the charges were framed against Khaleda on March 19 last year.

The next hearing of the two graft cases is scheduled for March 4.

The BNP chief is unlikely to appear before the trial court on that day, said staff in Khaleda's Gulshan office.

They said they fear if Khaleda Zia left her office, she might not be allowed to return to the office. She was determined to stay at her office until the movement took its final shape, they added.

POLICE WITHDRAWN

A seven-member team of police deployed at Khaleda's Gulshan-2 home was withdrawn around 9:00pm yesterday.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Zahirul Islam, a member of the team, told The Daily Star that their high-ups around 8:00pm had asked them to go back to Rajarbagh Police Lines.