South Asian Media.Net
Friday, November 24, 2006

DHAKA: The Awami League and its allies Thursday lifted the four-day old transport blockade in a sign of easing political tensions.

"From today, we postpone our blockade programme," AL chief Sheikh Hasina told journalists at a press conference at her Dhanmondi office at 5pm in the afternoon.

The decision brings to an end the third round, in as many weeks, of the countrywide lockdown that snapped Dhaka from the rest of the country.

She declared a fresh agitation programme: sit-ins in front of the Bangabhaban on November 27 and the Election Commission the next day. The protests will take place from 10.00am and run through to 2.00pm.

The 14-party called off the blockade after President Iajuddin Ahmed confirmed Chief Election Commissioner MA Aziz's three-month leave with pay and perks.

"With Aziz's exit, we have foiled another election engineering plan of the BNP-Jamaat alliance," Hasina said.

She described Aziz's going on leave as "people's victory".

She repeated the demand for an overhaul of the Election Commission putting 'acceptable' people in key positions.

The former prime minister charged the president with violating the constitution, referring to his "unilateral" decision to appoint two more commissioners.

"The decision should have been approved by the council of advisors," she argued.

On Mahfuzur Rahman's taking over at the helm of the Commission, Hasina told bdnews24.com: "He is acting chief election commissioner. There is no point of accepting or rejecting him."

Hasina said illegal arms were found at the house of Mahfuzur Rahman during the army's Operation Clean Heart.

"How safe is the election commission with someone from whose home illegal arms were seized?"

She took a dig at President Iajuddin Ahmed, who heads the caretaker government, for what she said was his implementing the agenda of the previous BNP-Jamaat government.

"The president is repeatedly violating the constitution. By terming the caretaker government 'his government' in his address to the nation, the president has trampled the spirit of the non-party caretaker government," the Awami League chief said.

She asked the president to appoint a non-partisan person as chief adviser to the caretaker government.

"Do not announce polls schedule before updating the voters roll, just to serve the interest of a particular political party," Hasina said.

"It is a matter of two weeks to update the voters' list," she said.