DHAKA, 6 November 2007 — Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, in detention on corruption charges, has been dealt a fresh blow after the Election Commission invited rebels in her party to discuss preparations for upcoming polls.
“The commission has invited the new leadership which emerged in the BNP recently to a dialogue due on Nov. 22,” Humayun Kabir, secretary of the Election Commission, told reporters, referring to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
He said it had been decided by the commission that acting party President Saifur Rahman and Secretary-General Hafizuddin Ahmed were now running the party.
Saif and Hafizuddin are the former finance minister and commerce minister respectively. They were also among Khaleda’s trusted lieutenants.
“By this unfair invitation the Election Commission has dragged itself into controversy,” said party Office Secretary Rizvi Ahmed, who remains loyal to Khaleda.
EC Secretary Humayun Kabir said the commission took the decision after examining two letters — one on the appointment of Khandaker Delwar Hossain as acting secretary-general and the other on the expulsion of Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan from the BNP.
BNP chairperson Khaleda expelled Bhuiyan from the party as secretary-general and Ashraf Hossain as joint secretary-general on Sept. 3. She subsequently appointed Delwar as secretary-general.
On Oct. 29, seven members of the BNP standing committee held a meeting where Delwar was relieved of his responsibilities and BNP Vice President Hafizuddin Ahmed was appointed to his post. The meeting also appointed Saif as the party acting chairman.
The country’s army-backed interim authority plans parliamentary elections before the end of next year and the commission is holding talks with different parties on the best way to achieve a free and fair vote.
