BangladeshÂ’s detained former prime ministers may be sent into exile as part of a deal to drop corruption charges against them, a leading newspaper said on Thursday. A proposal to this effect has apparently been sent to Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, the Amar Desh (My Country) daily reported. Other conditions stipulate that none of their immediate family members could be involved in active politics, said the daily known for its pro-Khaleda stance.
BangladeshÂ’s army-backed interim government, which took over in January following political violence, has put Hasina and her bitter rival Khaleda in jail pending trial for alleged graft and abuse of power when they alternated as prime minister from 1991 to 2006.
They have both denied the charges, which they say are meant to keep them from contesting elections planned for late next year.
The Amar Desh story followed reports in other media that the interim government, headed by former central bank chief Fakhruddin Ahmed, was seeking a deal with the two women to give them an honourable exit from politics and end their dynastic influence over millions of followers.
“If the two leaders agree with the latest proposals, maybe (they will be) freed with general amnesty,” Amar Desh said. “In that case they, along with their family members, may be sent to a foreign country of their choice with a monthly allowance for their livelihood.” Hasina’s Awami League and Khaleda’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had no comment on the reports. “We have not heard anything like this, nor do we know if there is anything cooking up,” said a BNP leader who asked not to be identified.