Dhaka: A Dhaka court on Sunday directed the jail authorities to provide the facilities of first class division to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia who was sentenced to five years jail in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

Earlier in the morning, Advocate Sanaullah Miah filed a petition to the court seeking its directives in this regard.

After hearing the petition, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the special court-5 passed the order around 11:30am.

On Thursday, Khaleda, a 73-year-old former prime minister, was taken to the old central jail after a special court sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

Five other accused in the case, including her son and BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment each.

Accusing the government of keeping its chairperson Khaleda Zia in solitary confinement at the abandoned old Dhaka central jail, BNP on Saturday demanded that she be given division immediately.

Or else, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, the government will be held responsible if anything bad happens to Khaleda Zia.

‘Our five senior lawyers met Khaleda Zia today (Saturday). You’ll get astonished to know that she has been kept in solitary confinement at the worn-out Dhaka central jail,’ he said at a press briefing after a meeting of BNP Standing Committee members with party senior leaders at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office.

The BNP leader alleged that Khaleda Zia has been kept lonely as a prisoner at the abandoned central jail. ‘She (Khaleda) has not yet been given division. We demand our chairperson be immediately given division, due honour and all other facilities.’

As per the jail code, a former prime minister or an opposition leader is entitled to enjoy division facilities immediately after being taken to the court, he said, adding that no court order is required to give the division. ‘But she has been denied it. We ask the government to immediately provide her division. Or else, the government will be held responsible for violating the jail code.’

According to the jail code, Fakhrul said, their 73-year old leader can keep a domestic help to look after her round the clock. ‘But, the government denied it. It’s an inhuman attitude.’