Zia's son Tarique Rahman has sought political asylum in UK: BNP

The "fugitive" son of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman has "temporarily" sought political asylum in the UK, his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said today, triggering a political uproar in the country.

Refuting junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam's claim that the BNP acting chief has abandoned his Bangladeshi citizenship, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said "he has temporarily sought asylum in London".

Alam had yesterday alleged that Rahman, 53, along with his wife and daughter, has handed over the passports to the British Home Office four years ago, and the surrendered travel documents were with the Bangladesh authorities at the country's mission in London.

"He (Rahman) has temporarily sought political asylum like political leaders and anti-government eminent persons of other countries, Alamgir told a reporters at a media briefing here.

The BNP secretary general also said that statements by the government and the ruling Awami League "clearly indicate that Rahman's life is at stake in Bangladesh, (and) under these circumstances, he has temporarily sought political asylum."
Alam had also posted the copy of the British Home Office letter regarding Rahman's passport transfer on his Facebook profile. In his latest comments, today he wrote "My Facebook went through torture the whole night. Hacking. Post disappeared. You can understand who has invested in it."