Sheikh Hasina left London for Dhaka, where authorities have enforced tight security two weeks after lifting ban on her homecoming.
LONDON/DHAKA: Facing possible arrest on charges of extortion and abetting murder of six rival political activists, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday left the British capital for Dhaka, where authorities have enforced tight security two weeks after lifting ban on her homecoming.
The 60-year-old Hasina, President of Awami League party, left for Dhaka via Abu Dhabi by an Etihad Airways flight, pledging to fight for restoration of democracy in the emergency-ruled Bangladesh.
A fortnight ago the British Airways had declined to issue her a boarding pass despite holding a valid ticket and passport, prompting her to issue a legal notice to the company claiming over a million pounds in damages. She had said the episode left her mentally stressed, agonised and with loss of reputation.
"I am happy to be going back home and my immediate priority is to work for restoration of democracy in my country," Hasina, who was Bangladesh's Prime Minister between 1996 and 2001, told newsmen at the Heathrow airport shortly before checking-in on Sunday night.
She said "my people are eagerly awaiting my arrival in Dhaka but public meetings are banned there and the authorities may arrest me. I don't know."
The fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, a crucial ally of her arch-rival ex-Premier Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led four party combine, had filed a case charging her with abetting death of six of their activists during a political clash last year and a businessman accused her of 'extorting' three crore taka.
Hasina, the leader of the opposition in the last Bangladesh Parliament, and her party strongly denied the charges alleging they were fabricated to keep her out of the political process amid speculation that the interim government wanted to facilitate reforms also within the major parties keeping their top leaders abroad.
An arrest warrant was also issued against her but it was later suspended by a Dhaka court as police said they needed a re-investigation before filing a supplementary charge-sheet.
Hasina last night thanked Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon and other world leaders for extending support to her and pressing her country's caretaker government for restoration of democracy at the earliest.
In Dhaka, the interim government allowed 10 leaders of Hasina's Awami League party as against a list of 100 people to receive her at the Zia International Airport later in the day, when the Dhaka-bound flight of Etihad Airways from Heathrow is expected to land.
Party sources and media reports said Hasina plans for now to wait for the ban on political activities to go.
"It is not possible to begin the work on the much-talked about reforms of the political parties as long as the ban is in place," she told Bangladesh's 'Daily Star' on Sunday.
Hasina had been virtually stranded in Britain since April 19 when she stopped off there after a holiday in the United States, where she had gone to visit her son and his wife, and was barred from flying to Dhaka under a 'temporary restriction' as the interim government feared her 'provocative and inflammatory' comments could create unrest in the country.
The ban was lifted six days later under intense local and international pressure as a senior member of the interim Cabinet Mainul Hosein admitted it was a wrong decision on their part.
During her departure to the US last month, the Awami League chief told newsmen in Dhaka that if elected to power in the next general election, her government would legitimise the actions of the current administration as it launched a massive campaign to 'clean politics' eliminating corruption.
A Bangladesh government adviser earlier, without elaborating, said Hasina would face legal action once she returned.
The Awami League chief had also told a private television channel that she was ready to face all charges legally and
that "I am returning home to my people, I have my organisation and people in the country... I don't think the government will do anything to mess up the situation."
Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil on Sunday said they were concerned about safety of the former Prime Minister.
"We hope there will be no problem. If necessary the people will come forward to ensure her safety," he said, adding that it, however, still rests with the government to make the necessary security arrangements.
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