Bangla army arrests politicians, former ministers

Dhaka, May 29: In a pre-dawn swoop, the Bangladesh army-led joint forces today arrested senior politicians, former ministers and leading businessmen from their houses in the capital, family sources said.

The authorities did not reveal the reasons for the arrests of nearly a dozen senior politicians and scores of mid-ranking leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of immediate past Prime Minister Khaldea Zia and the Bangladesh Awami League of former Prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The latest arrests include former Home and Commerce Minister Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury of BNP, former Health Minister and Awami League presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Sylhet Metropolitan City Mayor Badrul Ahmed Kamran and former President of Federation of Bangladesh Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Awal Mintoo.

They were arrested from their houses in the posh Gulshan and Banani areas early today.

Yesterday, the armed forces arrested Awami League general secretary and former Commerce Minister Abdul Jalil, former State minister for Home Affairs Luthfozzaman Babar, former State Minister for Youth and Sports Fazlur Rahman Patal and former BNP MP and industrialist MA Hashem.

Awami League president Sheikh Hasina alleged that the current drive by the interim government of chief advisor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is aimed not at arresting corrupt people but politicians.

Demanding the immediate release of her party leaders, Hasina questioned the legitimacy of the government and the state of emergency.

On January 11, emergency was imposed in the country to quell political riots over the now postponed general elections. The next day, the interim caretaker government was installed with the backing of the armed forces.

Since assuming office, the government has launched a war on corruption and has rounded up more than 50 senior ministers and MPs on charges of corruption.

UNI

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