By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh’s interim government is not planning any political reconciliation like in Pakistan, says Law and Information Advisor Mainul Hosein, blaming politics and politicians for anarchy and corruption.
The government wanted to keep former prime ministers Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina out of the country. “But they did not cooperate,” Hosein told foreign media correspondents Sunday about the two women who have been jailed on corruption charges.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf last week signed the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that waives the prosecution of many politicians, particularly former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. But that was not about to happen in Bangladesh.
“We have no conflict or enmity with politicians, but the politicians who are responsible for this crisis need to learn a tough lesson,” United News of Bangladesh (UNB) quoted Hosein as saying.
The government has nabbed over 200,000 people in its anti-corruption drive, including former ministers, lawmakers, officials and businesspersons. However, it has mainly targeted politicians, after concerns that prosecuting businesspeople could hurt the country’s economy.
Among the measures being planned are a “truth commission” and “plea bargaining”.
Hosein told members of Overseas Correspondents Association of Bangladesh (OCAB) that it would be for the prosecution, meaning the government, to decide who among those charged could avail of the measures.
He added that the government was “specially thinking” of businesspeople in terms of dealing with corruption charges as they played an important role in the country’s economy.