Bangladeshi politician announces retirement from politics

Dhaka, July 5 (UNI) Former ruling Bangladesh Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil today announced his retirement from politics under the military-backed emergency government and asked for his release from jail.

Jalil, commerce minister in the government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina during 1996-2001, was arrested on May 28 from his Mercantile Bank office under the Special Powers Act and put under detention.

The army-led joint forces arrested him for being critical of Chief Advisor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed's caretaker government for adopting the delaying tactics in holding the stalled general elections.

More than 200 politicians, former ministers, MPs, bureaucrats and businessmen were thrown behind bars on charges of corruption during the rule of two former Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina (1996-2001) and Begum Khaleda Zia (2001-2006).

Special courts have already awarded sentences to three junior ministers of Begum Khaleda Zia's government, their wives and sons for amassing wealth illegally and evading income tax.

Khaleda's detained son Tarique Rahman and scores of ministers and MPs of her governemnt are also facing the graft charges.

In a letter to the Chief Advisor, Jalil appealed for his release on critical health ground. He also promised to retire from politics.

Jalil accused his party leader and ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina for running Awami League in a dictatorial fashion without paying heed to the partymen, causing harm to the nation.

He called for removing Sheikh Hasina as Awami League president and making the party more democratic through reforms. ''It needs immediate change in the leadership. The way the party is run, has led to many wrongs, mistakes and harms. The Awami League has come under the dominance of inefficient, opportunist and selfish people,'' Jalil said in the letter.

Copies of the letter were circulated by his wife Rehana Jalil at a press conference at her Gulshan residence here today.

However, it is difficult to ascertain whether he wrote the letter under pressure or not.

On political changeover on January 11, with the installation of the army-backed interim government, Jalil said it was decided by the party that they would support the caretaker government to make the reforms of political party and electoral system a success.

''But,defying our intention, party chief Sheikh Hasina suddenly demanded election without giving time to the government. None in the party supported her decision,'' he added.

While staying abroad, Hasina had issued contradictory statements, causing immense harm to the party and the country, he said adding, the country would face immense loss if it could not be salvaged from current political situation.

Jalil letter apparently reflects the wish of the caretaker government that wanted reforms in the leadership of political parties, excluding Begum Khaleda Zia from Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Sheikh Hasina from Awami League, blamed for encouraging corruption and violent politics in Bangladesh.

Khaleda and Hasina, facing cases of extortion and thus restrictions on their free movements.

The interim government cancelled the abortive general elections, earlier set for January 22 and pledged to hold it before the end of 2008, after completing the reforms of political party and electoral rules and regulations to ensure a vote free from the influence of black money and terrorism.

UNI