Conciliatory moves cool things down in Bangladesh

Dhaka -- After weeks of political turmoil and street violence, the situation in Bangladesh held out promise of normalcy with the interim government announcing that it would act to meet demands of the 14-party alliance.

Reacting to the declaration Monday, the alliance in turn suspended its indefinite blockade programme though its Awami League leader, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, said she would "watch" the government.

With the government set to act, things could fall in place for the parliamentary elections scheduled for Jan 21.

The Election Commission also set its machinery in full gear with only six days to go before the nominations open next Sunday.

The government added that it had decided to reconstitute the Election Commission. After sending controversial Chief Election Commissioner M.A. Aziz "on leave", two more Election Commissioners, whose appointments had been objected to by the 14-party alliance, would also proceed on leave.

"The president/chief adviser (Iajuddin Ahmed) himself will initiate the move to send two controversial election commissioners - S.M. Zakaria and Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury -- on leave until the next parliamentary election is over," The Daily Star said, quoting unnamed sources who attended the meeting.

The government would also be transferring seven or eight top civil servants as well as secretaries of some ministries "that are considered to have an important bearing on the conduct of elections", the newspaper said.

Information Advisor Mahbubul Alam said the government had already asked the Election Commission to rearrange the election schedule and correct the voter list so all parties take part in the polls.

"We are postponing our non-stop blockade. People will go back to normal work from tomorrow [Tuesday]. We want to see now how the caretaker government acts in meeting our demands, as assured by the advisers," Sheikh Hasina, coming out of an emergency meeting, told the media late Monday evening.

With several of its major demands likely to be met, it was a tactical victory for the alliance, analysts said.

The process was set in motion over the weekend as the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alliance led by another former prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, agreed to a revamp of the Election Commission.

But Zia insisted on Monday that her side would not allow anything "outside" the constitution.

The government showed its earnestness by promoting 353 officials, including 10 to the rank of secretary, many of who had been deprived of their promotion during last few years.

More changes at the bureaucratic levels are in the offing in time for the polls, media reports said.

Significantly, analysts noted, the orders were announced in the name of the Council of Advisors and not Chief Advisor, a post President Iajuddin Ahmed has been holding.

Ahmed's handling of a difficult situation had brought him into controversy with the Awami League-led alliance questioning his neutrality and demanding that he step aside.

Ironically, the situation appears to be settling down even as the political violence of the last five weeks reached a crescendo Monday with the killing of three people in gunfights between Awami League and BNP cadres.