Zia Orphanage Trust verdict: Khaleda to sit with standing committee members tonight

A day after meeting with her party's national executive committee, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is going to sit with the party's standing committee members tonight (Sunday night) to work out its future course of action.

The meeting is scheduled to begin around 8:30pm at the BNP chief's Gulshan office, her media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan told news agency UNB.

A party standing committee member, wishing anonymity, said they will discuss the outcomes of the executive committee meeting and finalise their party's next course of action ahead of Thursday's verdict in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against Khaleda.

The Special Court-5 in Dhaka fixed February 8 to deliver its verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case filed against Khaleda and five others.

Khaleda Zia will be disqualified for the next general election if she is convicted in the case.

Ahead of the verdict, the party claimed that around 500 BNP leaders and activists have been arrested over the last five days.

On Saturday, a daylong meeting of BNP national executive committee was held at a city hotel where Khaleda called her party followers to stay united under any circumstances and face any upcoming danger together in a peaceful and democratic manner.