The conviction and arrest of some top leaders in separate cases at a time when the party is going to make its final push to force the government to resign for paving the way for the next general election to be held under a caretaker administration has sent a sense of fear among BNP leaders and activists.

The party high command has also found it under pressure and worried about ensuring maximum participation of leaders and activists in their next programmes to be observed as part of their one-point movement as the party men are scared of arrest, insiders said.

At the same time, a fear of conviction has now gripped a large number of party leaders as the trial proceedings of many cases have been ‘expedited’ and many have already been convicted in several cases.

BNP also fears that a number of their party’s potential MP candidates might be disqualified from contesting the election through conviction in cases and many other leaders from central to grass roots levels may be arrested and sent to jail.

“Like other people, party activists are definitely afraid of arrest or punishment. This will affect the movement as many leaders and activists will want to escape arrest during the movement and won’t want to join it actively,” a central BNP leader told the Daily Sun, wishing not to be named.

In the latest development, BNP Publicity Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station for obstructing police from carrying out their duties. He was put on a four-day remand in the case on the same day.

On October 9, a Dhaka court sentenced 15 leaders and activists of BNP, including its Vice-Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan and party chairperson's adviser Habibur Rahman Habib, to four years’ imprisonment each in two separate cases.

After these two incidents of arrest and conviction, fear has gripped BNP leaders and activists across the country as the party has planned to intensify its movement after Durga Puja to be celebrated on  20-24 October.

Briefing reporters on the resolution of the party’s Standing Committee meeting held on 9 October, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said their policy-making body strongly feels what the government is doing in the name of law ahead of the national election is illegal. “The meeting strongly demanded that the government stop this activity immediately.”

At another press conference recently, he alleged that the government has undertaken a master plan to create a leadership crisis in BNP before the polls. “This plan includes arrest and sentencing of BNP's popular leaders and former MPs on false charges and they’ve started this process.”

BNP sources said at least 20 top leaders, including Chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Standing Committee member Iqbal Hassan Mahmud Tuku, Vice-Chairman Abdus Salam Pintu, Dhaka North City unit convener Amanullah Aman, Publication Secretary Habibul Islam Habib and another leader Lutfuzzaman Babar, are already convicts in different cases.

According to the BNP office, over 1.40 lakh cases have been filed against over 49.30 lakh leaders and activists of the party since Awami League’s assumed power in 2009.

At the same time, the trial proceedings of many cases filed against the opposition senior leaders, including Khaleda Zia during the 1/11 changeover, are also running.      BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claimed that 343 cases were filed against 13,270 leaders and activists of their party and 2,250 of the party men were arrested across the country from 28 July to 12 October.

Talking to the Daily Sun, BNP Law Affairs Secretary Kaiser Kamal said ‘false’ cases have been filed against BNP leaders and activists for ‘political’ reasons.

“Some BNP leaders, including Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, are already convicts in some cases while the trial proceedings of cases filed against around 100 central leaders like Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been expedited ahead of the next general election,” he said.

A number of party leaders said they are now afraid of arrest and conviction as the party has planned to take their movement to the final stage to materialise their demand for resignation of the government.

BNP has planned to hold a rally in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the capital on 18 October from where it is expected to announce a few short but harsher programmes to compel to government to concede to their demand before the announcement of the election schedule.

From the rally, Mirza Fakhrul is likely to give an ultimatum to the government to meet their demand within a week, the party sources said.