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The government has decided to withdraw one case against Tarique Rahman, amid criticism by the main opposition that the government was following 'one-eyed policy' in dropping cases filed for political persecution.

This is the second case to be dropped against a BNP leader, after the scrutiny committee in its sixth meeting decided to cancel a case against BNP MP Moudud Ahmed for keeping foreign alcohol.

The decision was made at the eighth meeting of the scrutiny committee for recommendation, Quamrul Islam, the committee's chairman, told reporters on Tuesday.

On the cancellation of case against Tarique, also senior joint secretary general of BNP, he said: "We have got the application to drop the case. We have decided to withdraw the case considering that it was filed for political harassment."

The case to be dropped against the elder son of BNP chief Khaleda Zia was mainly filed against his friend and business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun.

Tarique was shown arrested in the case filed by Syed Abu Shahed Sohel with Gulshan Police Station.

Quamrul, also the state minister for law, after the seventh meeting said the committee would make a positive decision if Khaleda and her two sons Tarique and Arafat Rahman Coco applied for withdrawal of their cases provided they are "really politically harassed".

The BNP alleged that the committee seemed eager to drop cases against the ruling party leaders and MPs including prime minister Sheikh Hasina, but reluctant to withdraw cases against the main opposition chief and other leaders.

Tarique was arrested on March 8, 2007. He also faced some other cases.

After securing bail in all cases he went to the United Kingdom for medical treatment in Sept, 2008.

His younger brother, Coco, was also an accused in several cases. He is currently staying in Thailand on parole.

Of the total 297 cases dropped on Tuesday, 270 were filed under the penal code and 27 by the Anticorruption Commission, Islam said on Tuesday.

The Awami League-led government, soon after assuming office in January, announced that it would look into cases filed under past administrations against politicians and others for "political harassment only".

The government invited applications seeking cancellation of such cases from February, forming district-level vetting committees and a central scrutiny committee under the home ministry.

The deadline for applications was extended three times up to July 12.

Its first meeting, on June 10, recommended withdrawal of 62 cases, including 12 against prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

On June 21, it approved another 46 cases to be cancelled.

In its third meeting on July 1, the committee recommended quashing another 66 cases.

On July 15 it recommended 69 cases be cancelled. On Aug 5, in its fifth meeting, the committee recommended cancellation of 121 cases, on Aug 26 in its sixth meeting, it recommended withdrawal of 105 cases and on Sept 16 in its seventh meeting, it recommended another 123 cases.

Most of the cases to be quashed were filed against leaders of the ruling Awami League and its associate organisations.

The scrutiny committee received a total of 4,433 applications from district-level committees.