State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam yesterday said a notice will be served on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia through the Cantonment Board within a week, asking her to leave her Cantonment house.
In the notice, which is now being prepared in line with the decision of the cabinet, Khaleda will be given enough time to leave the house, he said at a weekly press briefing at the conference room of the law ministry. After Khaleda Zia returns the Cantonment house, the government will take steps to construct apartment buildings on that land for the families of army officers killed inside the BDR headquarters, the state minister said.
The cabinet decided to cancel the lease of the Khaleda's Cantonment house at a meeting on April 8.
About the trial of war criminals, Qamrul Islam said the government would appoint an investigation agency and form a prosecution cell next week for holding the trial.
The government is now examining various aspects of the laws, so that the trial is held in a transparent manner, he said, adding that the list of war criminals will be published on time.
About the Cantonment house, the state minister said that if Khaleda does not leave the house after receiving the notice, the government will take legal action.
A land of one and a half bigahs at Gulshan was allocated for Khaleda as per the decision of the Cabinet division held on June 12, 1981, and in July of the same year, a military estate officer on behalf of the then president had allocated nine bighas of land in the Cantonment area without any decision of the cabinet, he said.
He also said the office of the military estate cannot allocate any land in the cantonment area for any private citizen as per the Cantonment Act 1924.
Replying to another question, he said the government has not taken any decision to evict BNP from its central office at Naya Paltan.
The government is not going slow in issuing the notice to Khaleda or in appointing investigation agency and prosecutor to start the process of trial of war criminals, he said, adding that the government is taking time to examine the laws concerned.
In reply to another question, Qamrul said the government is looking into the allegations of funding the militants against some NGOs and banks.
The government will take action against these organisations if the allegations are proved true, he said.
Additional Attorney General M Enayetur Rahim was present at the press briefing.