Hasina talks to children in USA over phone

Dhaka, Oct 16 (UNI) Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina today had telephonic conversations with her son Sajeev Wajed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul who are in USA, DIG (Prison) Major Shamsul Haider said.

Major Haider said Sheikh Hasina sought to talk to her children on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr festival.

She was given permission from the higher authorities to talk to her children. She first talked to her daughter Putul in Florida at 1400 hrs and then she talked to Joy in Washington at 1700 hrs.

Both the conversations lasted for five minutes each.

The jail officials and intelligence agency people were present during the telephone conversation.

Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country as Prime Minister for five years from 1996, was arrested on July 16 in an "extortion" case.

She is detained in a makeshift jail in Parliament building complex.

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who was arrested on September 3, was also detained in a similar makeshift jail in the same complex in a graft case.

UNI