DHAKA, May 11, 2022 (BSS) - A court here today set May 26 for holding hearing 
on charge framing in two cases-- observing fake birthday on National Mourning 
Day and stigmatizing the War of Liberation-- lodged against BNP Chairperson 
Begum Khaleda Zia.

Today was fixed for holding the indictment hearings in the two cases, but 
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Noor reset the date, 
allowing a time plea of the defence.

Khaleda Zia's counsel Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder filed the time plea, 
saying his client could not appear before the court due to her illness.

Journalist Gazi Jahirul Islam lodged the fake birthday case against Khaleda 
Zia on August 30, 2016.

According to the complainant, Khaleda from 1996 was celebrating her fake 
birthday on August 15, the day when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh 
Mujibur Rahman was martyred along with most of his family members. She is 
doing this on purpose only to dishonour the Father of the Nation.

The complainant also submitted copies of different newspaper reports on 
Khaleda's birthday, copies of her passport, marriage certificate and mark 
sheets, which indicates August 15 is not her birthday in anyway. 

Jananetri Parishad President AB Siddiqui filed the other case on November 3, 
2016 against Khaleda Zia and her late husband Ziaur Rahman for stigmatizing 
the War of Liberation by rehabilitating anti-Liberation War elements.

The BNP chief is on bail in both the cases as Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions 
Judge KM Imrul Qayesh granted her bail on July 31, 2018.