Military-backed Bangla cracks down on politicians

Dhaka, May 28: The military-backed interim caretaker government of Bangladesh today cracked down on the country's senior politicians including former Commerce Minister and Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil and former State Minister for Home Affairs Luthfozzaman Babar.

Reasons behind the fresh round of arrests could not be ascertained immediately.

It was not known whether the latest politicians to be arrested face any charge of corruption. The government, since assumption of power in January, has continued war on corruption in Bangladesh, a country top of the list of most corrupt nations by Berlin-based Transparency International for last few years.

Alongside the fight against corruption, the caretaker government is also engaged in political reforms to clean up ''seemingly polluted'' domestic politics in a bid to clear the way for honest people to join politics and contest in the next general elections likely to be held before the end of 2008.

Earlier, the caretaker government initiated a move to send into political exile the country's two former Prime Ministers-- chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Khaleda Zia and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina. But the move failed, as both the top leaders are now in Dhaka but their movement is restricted by the authorities.

Today's crackdown came as both Khaleda's BNP and Hasina's Awami League have been demanding lifting the ban on politics and calling for immediate elections.

Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil recently became vocal about the withdrawal of ban and handing over of power to an elected government by holding elections. He was also bit critical of the government's political reform plans.

He was picked up by a team of the army-led joint forces from his Mercantile Bank head office in the capital this afternoon. Former State Minister for Home Affairs Luthfozzaman babar was picked from his Gulshan residence while a leading businessman and former member of parliament M A Hashem was taken from his business office.

Political observers here said the fresh arrest of politicians might delay the possible withdrawal of ban on political activities.

UNI