Dhaka, Jan 16 (V7N)— Lutfuzzaman Babar, former State Minister for Home Affairs and a senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been released from Keraniganj Central Jail after 17 and a half years of imprisonment.

Babar was arrested on May 28, 2007, during the 11:00 a.m. curfew imposed by the caretaker government. His release today, Thursday, was met with jubilation as BNP leaders and activists gathered near the central jail from the morning to celebrate.

While in prison, Babar faced convictions in several high-profile cases, including the controversial 10-truck arms smuggling case in Chittagong. He was sentenced to death in one case and life imprisonment in another under the Arms Act. However, he was acquitted of these charges following appeal hearings after the fall of the Awami League government during the student uprising on August 5 last year.

Most recently, on Tuesday, the High Court bench comprising Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam and Justice Nasrin Akhter acquitted Babar of life imprisonment in a case related to the arms smuggling incident. This follows his earlier acquittal on December 18, 2024, in another case tied to the same incident.

The 10-truck arms smuggling case dates back to April 1, 2004, when a massive consignment of weapons was seized at CUFL Ghat in Chittagong. The trial court sentenced 14 individuals, including Babar, Matiur Rahman Nizami, and Paresh Barua, to death in the arms smuggling case and life imprisonment under the Arms Act in January 2014.

Babar, a three-time Member of Parliament, was first elected in 1991 from Netrokona-4 as an independent candidate. He later won in the 6th and 8th National Parliament elections as a BNP candidate and served as the State Minister for Home Affairs during the 8th Parliament.

Babar's release marks a significant moment in Bangladesh's political landscape, as the BNP prepares for upcoming political challenges with one of its prominent leaders back in action.

 END/MSS/AJ