B’desh bans all political activity as graft crackdown intensifies

BANGLADESH: Bangladesh imposed a complete ban on political activity late Thursday as the outgoing prime minister’s son was remanded in custody after his arrest in an intensified anti-graft crackdown.

The military-backed interim government had outlawed all street protests, meetings or gatherings when emergency rule was imposed on January 11, but stopped short of banning so-called “indoor” political activities.”

“But recently it has been observed that some political parties have been misusing this flexibility,” the government’s home ministry said in a statement.

“Therefore, until further order, all political activities including indoor politics, all kinds of rallies, meetings and gatherings have been banned across the country,” it said.

“The government will take stern action against anyone who breaches this order,” it added.

The order was the latest tough move by the interim government which has also launched an anti-graft drive in a bid to clean up politics and hold free and fair elections.

It took power in January after scheduled polls were cancelled and emergency rule imposed amid violent street protests between feuding political parties.

Amid massive security a magistrate in the capital Dhaka gave police four days to question Tareque Rahman, son of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia and slain former president Ziaur Rahman, in a 145,000 dollar extortion case, police officer Obaidul Haque said.

Rahman, dubbed the “crown prince” by the media, has been widely accused of graft. He was described by one critic as “the epicentre of crime and corruption” during his mother’s five-year premiership.

He was detained early Thursday as part of a string of detentions in overnight raids which also saw the residence of Sheikh Hasina Wajed, leader of the main opposition Awami League, searched.

“We sought five-day remand but the court granted four days,” said Haque.

Rahman, who was taken to court wearing a helmet and bullet-proof vest, had been tipped as a successor to Zia, whose party led a coalition government until last October, when it handed power to an interim government tasked with holding elections.

He holds the position of BNP senior joint secretary and analysts have said he was being groomed for the leadership.

The current interim government was also preparing to make more arrests as part of its anti-graft drive, a senior security official told AFP, adding that a second list of 50 high-profile corruption suspects headed by Rahman had been drawn up.

“There are specific charges of corruption against them and they will be arrested to face charges,” he said.

Most of the suspects named on an earlier list of 50, with links to both the main parties, are now in custody.

As well as Rahman, four other politicians and a national newspaper editor were arrested in the overnight raids, according to officials, family members and media reports.

The five were remanded in custody by the court for one month, officials said.

The interim government took over on January 12, a day after president Iajuddin Ahmed stepped down as head of the previous caretaker government, cancelled disputed polls slated for January 22 and imposed a state of emergency.

The elections were cancelled amid violent protests and Awami League allegations of vote-rigging by the BNP.

Analyst Zafar Sobhan said Rahman’s arrest showed that the caretaker government was fulfilling its pledge to spare no one in the anti-graft campaign.

“The arrest of Tareque Rahman was long overdue. For the last five years, he has been the epicentre of crime and corruption in Bangladesh,” Sobhan said.

“His arrest will boost people’s confidence in the caretaker government,” he added.

Dhaka, Friday, AFP