The military-backed caretaker government of Bangladesh has exiled Awami League President Hasina Wajed in yet another step toward purging the country of corrupt political leaders. The decision to bar Hasina from returning to the country, stating that her return might jeopardize law and order, stability, public security and economic life, came a day after it was announced that Bangladesh’s last prime minister and Hasina’s archrival Khaleda Zia, had been told to pack her bags and go into exile. Khaleda has complied. “The government has taken special security measures regarding Hasina’s return to the country,” a Home Ministry statement said. Hasina, who heads the main opposition Awami League, is on holiday in the United States and has vowed to return home on April 23. “I will call everyone: Be ready, God willing I am returning home on April 23. I will return home no matter what happens to my fate,” Hasina told BBC Bengali Service Radio from Washington DC. “I will request the caretaker government that they do not put any bar on my return to the country. If they bar my return, they will be responsible for any consequences,” she said.