After finding Ershad's mobile phone switched off, the party's Presidium member Kazi Firoz Rashid told bdnews24.com, when approached, that the former military dictator had been arrested – a claim RAB refuted within minutes.
RAB media wing Director Habibur Rahman told bdnews24.com the former President was at home when he fell sick. “The personnel guarding his residence took him to CMH after they were told of his feeling sick.”
Later around 2:15am Friday, Jatiya Party Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader told a press briefing at his residence that Ershad was undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital.
"He'll return to home after he gets better."
He said he had accompanied Ershad to hospital before adding, "It didn’t appear to me that he was arrested," Howlader added.
Regarding the RAB 'escort', he said, "He was the army chief and President. He always gets protocol. He went to CMH with his protocol tonight as well."
"He has always been getting protocol. What's wrong with getting protocol tonight?"
Responding to queries made citing other party leaders' remarks, Howlader reiterated that the Jatiya Party chief was not arrested.
However, a Jatiya Party leader, who was unwilling to be identified, had told bdnews24.com that Ershad was being taken to RAB-1 office at Uttara after detention.
Howlader, with his wife Nasrin Jahan Ratna beside him at the briefing, looked gloomy.
Kazi Zafar Ahmed, the Presidium member who was expelled from the party, recently had said that he had information from credible sources that Ershad would resign his post and Raushan Ershad would be made acting Chairman.
But the Secretary General said, "He [Ershad] was and still is the Jatiya Party Chairman."
Asked who would take the helm of the party until Ershad is released from the hospital, Howlader said, "Party Presidium members will discuss and decide on that."
Earlier on Thursday night, a Jatiya Party delegation had gone to the Ganabhaban, the Prime Minister's official residence, to meet Sheikh Hasina.
Assistant Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Asif Kabir told bdnews24.com Ruhul Amin Howlader, Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ziauddin Bablu and Salma Islam had been to the Ganabhaban.
Another official at the Prime Minister's residence confirmed that Ershad's wife Roushan Ershad had also been there.
Wracked with infighting and factional clashes, Jatiya Party has been one of the key allies of the ruling Grand Alliance led by the Awami League.
Ershad had more recently indicated that he might not take part in the elections scheduled for Jan 5 next year.
Jatiya Party aspirants had submitted nomination papers by Dec 2 to contest the Jan 5 elections after the Election Commission had announced the schedule.
Three nominations were also filed on Ershad's behalf for Dhaka-17, Lalmonirhat-1, and Rangpur-3 constituencies.
But, a day later, Ershad announced boycotting the parliamentary polls and directed his candidates to withdraw their nominations.
He, however, allowed seven of his party leaders to get on the cabinet of a 'multi-party' interim government, designed to supervise the polls.
On Dec 4, the former strongman ordered his party members to resign from the cabinet.
All Jatiya Party candidates have reportedly applied to withdraw their nominations for which Friday is the last day.
Ershad's 'hospitalisation' comes a day after the Awami League set aside 60 constituencies for his party in the next elections.
Ershad’s party was allotted 60 seats in the districts including Rangpur, Patuakhali, Noakhali, Chittagong, Khulna, Satkhira, Bogra and Habiganj.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission rejected Ershad’s application for withdrawing his candidature from the Dhaka-17 constituency citing that the letter was dated Dec 5.
However, his nomination withdrawal applications for Rangpur and Lalmonirhat constituencies were accepted. On Thursday, the Commission accepted his withdrawal from Dhaka-17 seat.
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