Dhaka: Though BNP on Monday night alleged that there was no internet access in and around their chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan political office, its acting chairman Tarique Rahman joined the party nomination board on Tuesday availing of the internet service.

However, BNP party senior leaders declined to make any comment as to how Tarique is taking interview of their nomination seekers if there no internet connection at Khaleda’s office, reports the UNB.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Monday night, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claimed that all the internet-based services have been shut down in their party chairperson’s Gulshan office so that their party acting chairman cannot talk to their party’s nomination seekers through Skype.

Talking to reporters after facing the interview, BNP ex-assistant office secretary Abdul Latif Jony, who wants to get party ticket to contest the election from Feni-3 seat, on Tuesday morning said Tarique is taking interview through videoconferencing using another app.

BNP publicity affairs secretary Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Anne also said Tarique talked to them through suing a telecommunication application.

The party nomination board, comprising BNP standing committee members, resumed the interview with those who bought party nomination forms for Chattogram division at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office at 10 am on Tuesday.

A BNP senior leader, wishing anonymity, told UNB that their party is using Virtual Private Network (VPN) in their chairperson’s Gulshan office to operate another video calling app.

According to ICT experts, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides a secure, encrypted tunnel to transmit the data between a remote user and any company network.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) reportedly blocked telecommunication application Skype across the country on Monday evening.

Emdadul Haque, secretary general of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), told UNB that they received a letter from the BTRC asking them to keep all kinds of communication from home and abroad via Skype suspended.

However, acting BTRC chairman Jahurul Haque said there was no instruction from the telecom regulator about blocking Skype.