Very recent Political happenings of Bangladesh pushed the country few steps ahead to the government-politician dialogue and the election process which have been started with four city corporations and nine municipalities. On August 28, 2008, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has got bail from two corruption cases and expecting high court will grant bail from two other similar cases.
Tareque Rahman, elder son of Zia and the first joint secretary of BNP, who was termed as a symbol of corruption and treated as alternative center of power also granted bail from all 13 cases framed against him. When the legal process was going on the court, Khaleda Zia nominated secretary general Khondakar Delower Hossain and Jamate Islami, the main political partner of BNP, secretary general Ali Ahasan Mujahidi meet Khaleda Zia in jail, but Delower Hossain was refused to meet Khaleda Zia in jail earlier as her personal lawyer. Political observers are seeing these happenings as an understanding between the military backed interim government and BNP, especially with the Chairperson of the party.
Meanwhile, DIG-prison informed the press that jail authority did not get any official directives to release Tareque Rahman. Completion of the release process of Tareque Rahman may take 2-3 days more he further informed. While the legal process was going on, one of the Advisors of interim government said to the press that Bangladesh is running on the right track and the nation will see a democratic political government on or before the first day of year 2009.
Political observers and Analysts are taking this remark as a reflection of an understanding among government and major political parties on dialogue and election, especially with BNP. Similar reflection also came out from the remark of Delower Hossain that he has done after the meeting with Khaleda Zia. Delower Hossain mentioned that if Khaleda Zia and other party leaders are released from imprisonment, BNP will consider sitting with the government for dialogue on election issues. On the other hand Election Commission (EC) also stated recently that Commission prepared to sit with both of the factions of BNP though they were unwilling to sit with Delower Hossain, the general secretary of Khaleda loyalist BNP.
Political observers said government and BNP reached in an understanding that Khaleda Zia and Tareque Rahman will be freed if BNP commits to join in all local and national polls and help interim government in holding elections. As high court went for a long vacation the bail process of Khaleda Zia slowed down that would be in process under Chamber Judges or any other scheduled for the vacation.
After release, Tareque Rahman may stay in the country or go abroad. Analysts said that Tareque will go abroad for medical treatment as there were repeated demands from BNP to send Tareque abroad for better treatment. Further news reports appeared in press hinted that Tareque Rahman trying to obtain VISA for KSA. This initiative of the government was appreciated and criticised by the political Analysts.
While the government and the politicians are involved on the board of chase, the EC announced the time line for the registration of political parties and said that commission will announce election schedule for 250-270 Upazila (sub district) council and for Dhaka City Corporation, though earlier EC told to the press that they are preparing for 350 Upazila election out of 482 in first phase.
Observers said that government and politicians are engaged in a nerve-game on the issues related to local polls, parliamentary election, release of jailed leaders and total withdrawal of emergency. This nerve-game is giving an impression of confusion in the mind of people that the parliamentary election may not be hold in the time line told in the EC road map and in the speech of Chief Advisor, which was addressed to the nation. It is the time to see that how government and politicians act to remove the confusion.
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