Bangladesh Attorney-General resigns

Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNI) Attorney-General of Bangladesh AJ Mohammad Ali resigned today, apparently following political pressure from opposition and Supreme Court bar members' demand.

The chief law officer's resignation coincides with the present caretaker government's 'depoliticization' recipe aimed at creating a clean field for national elections, now stalled following the declaration of a state of emergency in the country.

Ali sent his resignation letter addressed to President Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban "by a special messenger".

But he declined to make any comment on what led him to quit.

A close aide to Ali, requesting not to be named, said that he had tendered resignation "on personal grounds".

Ali, widely believed to be a loyalist to the former ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP)-led four party alliance, took the office of top government law officer following resignation of A F Hasan Ariff on April 30, 2005.

Ariff, who was made Attorney General on October 10, 2001 after the BNP-led four party alliance returned to power, quit the office following dissentions with the government.

UNI