BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said Tarique Rahman is working to give something useful to the country, not to get anything.
She came up with the remarks while speaking at a programme to uncover three books on Tarique, who is also the senior vice-chairman of the party, at her Gulshan offices in Dhaka on Saturday night.
"The people of Bangladesh always love Ziaur Rahman (her husband and party founder) and his family. I am grateful to the people for this," she said.
"And the blood of Ziaur Rahman flows in Tarique Rahman; the same blood was in Arafat Rahman. They have worked and (Tarique) is working to elevate the honour of the country, to give something good to the people, not to gain anything," Khaleda said.
Khaleda's youngest son Arafat Rahman Coco died in January 2015 in Malaysia.
Tarique has been in London since 2008. Both are convicted of money laundering cases in Bangladesh.
Tarique is also accused in dozens of other cases, including one on charges of masterminding an attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's life when she was the opposition chief in 2004.
The other charges against him include corruption, treason and libel.
Khaleda said Tarique had 'much affection' for Bangladesh.
"He meets the leaders or activists who go to London, where he is undergoing treatment. He wants to know about the country from them," she said.
The High Court banned broadcast, publication and dissemination of speeches and statements of Tarique in 2015 following his controversial remarks on Bangladesh's history.
Slating the ban, Khaleda said, "You can understand from the speeches Tarique delivers truth in his speeches. The government has stopped broadcasting his statements to conceal the truth."
The former prime minister also alleged some newspapers were running a propaganda against Tarique, bdnews24.com said.
"Tarique is my son. He has nothing to gain, but to give something to the people. He is working. Please pray for him so that he can return to us, to the people after recovery from sickness," Khaleda added.
The three books uncovered in the programme are 'Tarique Rahman and Bangladesh', 'Tarique Rahman's Political Views and State Policy', and 'Diptiman Deshnayak', by Mahbubur Rahman, Saifur Rahman and Saiful Islam respectively.
Pro-BNP professionals' leader and former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Prof Emajuddin Ahamed and BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also spoke at the event.
