June 25, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1423

DHAKA, June 24: Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the Awami League, on Monday ended its eight-month-old boycott of parliament and entered the house amid applause from ruling party MPs.

Awami League chief and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed led her party’s deputies to the house shortly after its regular evening session was convened.

Acting Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui made a brief statement welcoming them.

The Awami League had stayed away from parliament since it was ousted in a general election in October, alleging the polls were rigged.

Taking the floor immediately after entering, Sheikh Hasina blasted the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for what she said was the deteriorating law and order situation since the new alliance government came to power in October.

She claimed that some 7,000 people were killed during the past eight months.—AFP