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BD parties for

immediate transfer

of Defence Ministry

DHAKA: Bangladesh's major political parties on Sunday demanded the immediate transfer of responsibility for the Defence Ministry to the chief adviser of the country's caretaker government.

"We have noticed with grave concern that the Defence Ministry has been assigned to the president instead of the chief adviser of the caretaker government," the parties -- Awami League, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami -- said in a joint statement.

They said the move, which took place just ahead of the transfer of power by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia on March 30 to former chief justice Habibur Rahman, had created confusion and doubt.

"This could be part of a plan to curb the effectiveness of the caretaker administration and influence the elections in favour of the fallen regime," they said.

The parties noted that President Abdur Rahman Biswas was appointed to his post by Khaleda and was still a member of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Biswas appointed Rahman to succeed Khaleda as head of an 11-member non-party caretaker authority.

Responsibility for the sensitive defence ministry was previously in the hands of the prime minister and had been expected to pass on to Khaleda's successor.

"We demand immediate transfer of the ministry to the chief adviser to make his administration strong and effective enough to be able to conduct a genuinely fair poll," the parties said.

Khaleda's BNP won overwhelmingly the elections held on February 15, which the opposition parties boycotted. President Biswas dissolved parliament on March 30 bowing to opposition pressure.

New elections must be held within 90 days or before the end of June, the election commission said.

Officials said law and order remained a big worry for the interim government. One BNP student activist was shot dead by his political rivals while addressing a rally at Jhikargacha in western Jessore district on Saturday, police said.

A police crackdown on illegal arms, ordered by caretaker ruler Rahman, has so far had only limited success, the BNP and other parties said.

Sheikh Hasina, chief of the Awami League and Khaleda's arch foe, said on Saturday no election would be free unless law and order was fully restored.

Rahman has meanwhile ordered sweeping changes in police and civil administration as part of his plans to hold unbiased elections.-Reuter