Bangladesh has witnessed a series of dramatic developments ever since the caretaker government assumed office on January 12. On April 12, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, the chief of the military-backed government, assured the nation that the stalled parliamentary elections would be held before the end of 2008. "[W]e shall not stay in office a single day more than is necessary," he said.
Although he did not set a time frame, his announcement and the Election Commission's recent statement that at least 18 months would be required to prepare a fresh voters' list with photographs have been generally welcomed. Some key political leaders, however, preferred a specific time frame and quick restoration of political activities, now banned under the state of emergency.
A day before Fakhruddin Ahmed's announcement, Sheikh Hasina, the chief of the Awami League and the 14-party secular alliance, was charge-sheeted in a murder case filed by the Jamaat-e-Islami. The complainant did not name Hasina in the first information report (FIR), but she was included in the charge sheet as an abetter.
A total of 55 other political leaders and activists were also charge-sheeted in two separate murder cases. The police submitted charge sheets against the leaders in connection with the murder of six political activists, all belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami. They were killed in street fights between the Awami League-led alliance and the Jamaat-e-Islami, a major component of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP)-led alliance, in Dhaka on October 28 last year, a day after the BNP-led government headed by Khaleda Zia handed over power.
Among those charged were Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party; Hasanul Huq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal; and Abdul Jalil, the Awami League's general secretary. Murder charges were also brought against the Jamaat-e-Islami's chief, Matiur Rahman Nizami, and its secretary-general, Ali Ahsan Mujahid, in connection with the killing of an activist of the 14-party alliance.
Two days before the charge sheet was filed against Hasina, a businessman, Tajul Islam Faruque, chairman of Westmont Bangladesh Limited, filed a case against her under nonbailable sections of the penal code, accusing her of extorting Taka 3 crore from him. The charge was brought within 48 hours of Hasina's expressing her dismay over the "delay", on "different pretexts", in holding the next general elections. Her party asked why the graft case was being filed after nearly eight years. However, the caretaker government denied the administration's hand in the case. Meanwhile, Hasina, who is on a private tour in the United States, said she was cutting short her visit and returning home. But she changed her decision "at the government's request and its assurance that her honour and image would not be harmed". She will return on April 23 as scheduled.
"The high-up in the government contacted me and Sheikh Hasina and requested her not to change her tour schedule in the United States and Europe and gave an assurance they have taken measures to ensure that the honour and image of Hasina would not be harmed," Abdul Jalil told mediapersons.
The announcement came hours after Hasina's statement on BBC's Bangla Service, in which she said people who thought they could prevent her from returning home by filing cases against her were living in a fool's paradise. "None can stop me from getting back home by filing the cases. I have dedicated my life to the people of Bangladesh and I do not care about the threat of imprisonment, repression or killing," Hasina said. She left Dhaka for the U.S. on March 16.
The Awami League described the two cases as "false, fabricated, motivated and conspiratorial".
Haroon Habib in DhakaCOMMents
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