Hasina, a former prime minister, also alleged that her arrest was an abuse of the state of emergency, as there was neither a charge sheet nor a warrant of arrest against her and the case against her had not been brought under the emergency rules prior to the arrest, the AL chief's legal counsel, Abdul Matin Khasru, told The Daily Star after a meeting with her in the sub-jail.

Five days into Hasina's arrest, AL leader and former law minister Khasru was the first one to be allowed yesterday to meet the former prime minister, who told him that the country is heading towards a crisis, and urged her party leaders, activists and supporters to remain calm and united.

"I may not get justice, I have been arrested as a part of a conspiracy to eliminate me from politics. The caretaker government will punish me anyhow utilising the state of emergency," Khasru quoted Hasina to The Daily Star.

Hasina also told her lawyer that a conspiracy has been afoot so that she cannot participate in the upcoming election, and attempts have been simultaneously on to disqualify her from contesting the election.

Khasru said Hasina complained to him that she had been mistreated by the security personnel at the time of her arrest. She told Khasru that the security personnel cordoned off her residence in such a way to arrest her as if she was a top wanted criminal.

"I had never been mistreated in my life like the way they mistreated me. They can't mistreat the leader of a major political party and a former prime minister, like that," Khasru quoted Hasian as saying.

She told her lawyer that she felt unprotected as her police protection had been withdrawn three hours before her arrest.

Khasru entered the sub-jail around 3:00pm and stayed there till 4:10pm. He was allowed to talk to his party chief for only 25 minutes in presence of three to four plainclothes security personnel. Later, Hasina's tax lawyer Khandaker Moniruzzaman was also allowed to meet her.

Although, AL had sent a list of eight defence lawyers for meeting Hasina, the jail authorities allowed only Khasru. The authorities have yet to allow any of her relatives or personal staff to meet her, on 'security grounds'.

Khasru told journalists that the AL chief is physically well but she is quite annoyed by the behaviour of the military backed caretaker government.

Hasina alleged that the complainant of the extortion case, in connection of which she was arrested, had been missing for several days before filing of the case. "After torturing him physically and mentally he was forced to file the case against me," Hasina was quoted by Khasru as saying.