Bangladesh ex-PM barred from flight
Sheikh Hasina is blocked from boarding a flight home to Bangladesh from London.
| Bangladesh timeline |
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1947: It came into being as East Pakistan after Indian independence and partition. 1971: East Pakistan gained complete independence from Pakistan and the new country was called Bangladesh, with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman taking over as prime minister. 1982: General Hussain Mohammed Ershad came to power in an army coup, suspending the constitution and political parties but was forced to step down after massive demonstrations. 1991: Begum Khaleda Zia became the country’s first woman prime minister. 1996: Another woman, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was elected to power. 2001: The position of prime minister returned to Zia. 2006: Zia’s tenure ended in October and new elections were set for January 2007, but were called off when clashes between the rivals’ supporters left 45 people dead. |
British Airways said in a statement that it, along with other airlines, had been notified by the civil aviation authority in Bangladesh that a passenger had been banned from entering the country.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Hasina said she was prepared to die for her cause.
She said: “I know that I haven’t committed any such crime so I’m clear.
“When they put these charges, immediately after that, I decided to go back and face those cases. When I decided to go back to my country, then they put this ban.”
Hasina was also refused permission to board a British Airways flight to Dhaka last week.
Authorities are warning that Hasina’s attempted return to Bangladesh could trigger fresh violence in the country.
The arrest warrant was related to a case filed by a Jamaat-e-Islami official over street battles on October 28 that killed several people.
Rival faces exile
Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, her main political rival and also a former prime minister, have been blamed for many of the nation’s problems, including widespread corruption.
Khaleda’s close associates have said authorities want her to go into exile in Saudi Arabia.
But Khaleda, who ended her five-year tenure as prime minister in October, has vowed to fight all charges at home.
An election had been planned for January but was called off after rival followers fought street battles for weeks, killing at least 45 people and injuring others.
The interim authority has barred both women from returning but the two political leaders say the move is a denial of democracy.
So far, 160 senior politicians have been arrested in Bangladesh in the anti-corruption crackdown.
Hasina said if she has been accused then she must be given the right to answer the charges.