Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said BNP has secret ties with Israel and its intelligence agency. 

"The meeting of the Israeli intelligence agency with a senior leader of the BNP was reported in the media. BNP is always involved in such anti-national activities," Quader said in a statement on Sunday protesting BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul's remarks claiming "the government is using Israeli technology to hack the phones of opposition leaders".

The AL general secretary also condemned Fakhrul's remarks labelling it a false, baseless and fabricated statement.

He said, "BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir gave a fictitious statement, about phones of opposition leaders being hacked using Israeli technology, to create confusion. Such an irresponsible statement by a political leader is very shameful.

"However, he has not presented any concrete evidence to support these claims. Without evidence, these allegations are nothing more than unsubstantiated rumours."

Quader, also the roads and bridges minister, said all government agencies are ruled by specific laws and the ruling government respects all civil rights as per the constitution. 

"The Awami League government's brave and strong role in suppressing terrorism and militancy has been appreciated at home and abroad. Government agencies are always active in defeating anti-national, subversive activities and in ensuring peace and order," he added.

Mentioning that the recently held city corporation elections were peaceful and there was no violation in exercising the voting rights of people, Quader said this is a clear indication that the people of Bangladesh are committed to democracy and elections.

"Therefore, we call upon the BNP to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections. This is the only way for the BNP to regain people's trust and play a constructive role in national politics," he said.