Sheikh Hasina makes deal with army-backed govt

Dhaka, Apr 12: Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, facing criminal charges of extortion and murder, cut a deal with the army-backed government that changed her plan to return to Dhaka from the US, sources said today.

Hasina, who is now on a family tour to the United States, was outraged at the filing of cases against her and wanted to fly back home on April 14 to face the charges legally, they informed.

But in a dramatic move, an advisor of the current interim government made a phone call to Hasina in Virginia and requested her not to return early. The advisor, whose name was not disclosed, reportedly assured that the government would take all measures to protect her image and prestige, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil told reporters last night that party president Sheikh Hasina would not return on April 14.

''Sheikh Hasina will not return on April 14. She will return later,'' he said.

Jalil said a responsible person of the caretaker government phoned Sheikh Hasina yesterday and requested her to come back as per her previous schedule of return on April 23 instead of April 14.

''The official also has assured that the caretaker government will take steps so that Sheikh Hasina's image is not tarnished,'' he added.

However, Jalil did not mention the details of the tacit understanding between Hasina and the government.

A top executive of Malaysia-based power company Westmont sued Hasina of alleged extortion of Tk 3 crore from him for operating the company's 90-MW power plant at Pabna in northern Bangladesh.

Yesterday, police filed charges accusing Hasina and her allies for murdering five activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, an ally of ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's four-party alliance, during the political turmoil here in last October.

Jalil termed the murder and extortion cases filed against his party President ''false and conspiratorial'', and said Hasina would return to the country to face such ''false cases''.

Political anaylysts said it is too early to comment if Hasina will be able to return home at all as local press reports said the military-backed administration wants to send both the former Prime Ministers, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, into political exile abroad.

Khaleda Zia, chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whose eldest son is in jail on count of extortion of Tk one crore, reportedly refused to leave the country under pressure. She is now staying in her residence of Dhaka Cantonment under strict surveillance of the intelligence agencies. Restriction was imposed on her visitors and her movement.

UNI