Dhaka: BNP on Friday termed unexpected the court’s observations that the August 21 grenade attack was made with the help of state machinery as the party thinks it has similarity with the statement of Awami League.

‘Like people, we’ve also got surprised over the court’s observations that the August 21 grenade attack was carried out with the help of the state machinery as it has fully reflected the ruling party’s political statement. The observations are illogical and unaccepted,’ said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, reports the UNB.

He came up with the remarks while speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.

On Wednesday, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced 19 people to death, 19 others, including BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, to life imprisonment and eight more to different terms of jail in two cases filed over the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital in 2004.

In the observations of the verdict, Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Judge Shahed Nuruddin said it is utterly unacceptable that attempts will be made to make the opposition leaderless by carrying out such an attack with the help of state machinery.

Protesting the court observations, Fakhrul said if BNP has to take responsibility for killings in the August 21 grenade attack carried out during its rule, the current government also have to shoulder the responsibility for the carnage in BDR headquarters, killing of foreign diplomats, businessmen, NGO officials, university teachers, Imam-Muajjin, priests, bloggers and common people in Holey Artisan and other attacks by militants during its rule. ‘But these incidents were not mentioned in the observations of the verdict.’

About court’s observations on the ruling party’s responsibility to opposition parties, he said the killings of former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria and ex-MP Ahsanullah Master were mentioned, but the judge did not talk about the enforced disappearances of former State Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, ex-MPs M Ilias Ali and Saiful Islam Hiru, party leader Chowdhury Alam and many other political leaders and activists.

The BNP leader said the verdict can be put under questions as it did not say anything about the killings, enforced disappearances and repression on thousands of BNP leaders over the last 10 years.

Mentioning that various steps were taken by the then BNP-led government to ensure justice in the incident, he claimed that their government had no involvement in the incident.

The BNP leader said their party thinks their acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and other party leaders were convicted in the August 21 grenade attack cases based on the second and illegal deposition of executed militant leader Mufti Hannan. ‘We hope the apex court will consider it.’