DHAKA, 17 April 2007 — Bangladesh security forces arrested the youngest son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, officials said yesterday, as the military-backed interim government stepped up its anti-corruption drive.
Army-led security forces arrested Arafat Rahman Coco in the capital Dhaka early yesterday, a senior police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Arafat was in his mother’s home at the Dhaka Cantonment when he was arrested.
Authorities refused to say what were the charges against Arafat or where he was taken after his arrest.
A few hours before Arafat was arrested, top security officials had a meeting with Khaleda during which she was asked to leave the country.
She reportedly told them she was ready to face charges but would not leave the country. Arafat’s arrest came just a month after Khaleda’s influential eldest son, Tareque Rahman, was arrested on charges of extortion.
While Tareque had been groomed as his mother’s political successor, Arafat has maintained a low profile. He owns several companies and ferries that carry goods and passengers on the delta nation’s river network and was a patron of the country’s cricket board.
The military-backed government has so far arrested more than 50 top politicians since launching its anti-graft drive in February.
Khaleda, who was prime minister until her five-year term ended in October, has been under virtual house arrest since last week. A source close to the former premier yesterday accused the government of trying to “blackmail” Khaleda into self-imposed exile abroad.
“They arrested Arafat Rahman to blackmail her so that she leaves the country,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Her aides said she had not been allowed out of her house since last week and that only four people were allowed to meet her at her residence.
Meanwhile, Hasina Wajed, another former prime minister and Awami League president, now on a private visit to the United States, will come back on April 23, a party leader said yesterday.
Abdus Sobhan Golap, who is with Hasina in the US, told Bangladeshi newspapers on phone she will reach Dhaka on April 23.
“I’m going on April 23,” Hasina told CNN in an interview.
She described the murder charges against her as politically motivated. Hasina has also been charged with extortion.
Police said Hasina faces arrest if she returns home. She has vowed to fight the charges.
Local newspapers have reported that the government is seeking to force both Khaleda and Hasina into exile in a bid to give the country a new start.
