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Bangladesh emergency rule may be relaxed
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ASIANAGE on 09 October, 2008 04:12:28
 
Dhaka, Oct. 9: As former Premier Khaleda Zia’s party demanded withdrawal of
emergency rule calling it an obstacle to the planned December polls, Bangla-
desh’s military-backed caretaker government has said the tough measure could
be relaxed further if required.
"If necessary, the state of emergency will be relaxed further through
discussion with the political parties," chief adviser of the interim government
Fakhruddin Ahmed told a delegation of British parliamentarians.
Mr Ahmed said emergency rule was part of Bangladesh’s Constitution, not any
extra-constitutional measure and "it is not affecting the common people,"
according to his spokesperson. A senior adviser of the interim Cab- inet earlier
said the government wanted to continue with the Emergency Power Rules.
Meanwhile, a quasi-judicial panel constituted for the quick disposal of graft
cases in Bangladesh has said it planned to summon top officials suspected of
involvement in corruption, saying these "big fishes" had earlier evaded its
calls to confess their crime.
—PTI
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Zardari may seek N-deal on China visit
Beijing, Oct. 9: Amid indications that Pakistan was seeking a atomic agreement
with China on the lines of the Indo-US nuclear pact, President Asif Ali Zardari
will visit Beijing next week for talks with the Chinese leadership to strengthen
their "all-weather" bilateral ties.
"As a guest of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Mr Zardari will pay a state visit
to China from October 14 to 17," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Qin Gang
announced here.
"China is looking forward to and welcomes Mr Zardari’s visit," Mr Gang said.
During his stay, Mr Zardari is expected to hold talks with Hu and meet with
other Chinese leaders, including top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen
Jiabao. China expects Mr Zardari’s visit to deepen bilateral strategic and
cooperative partnership, Mr Gang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua
news agency. Earlier, soon after the US Senate overwhelmingly approved the
Indo-US nuclear deal on October 4, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani
had indicated that Islamabad may seek a similar arrangement with China after the
US repeatedly said no to Islamabad’s plea for a bilateral atomic pact.
—PTI