June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

DHAKA: Bangladesh's military backed ‘caretaker government’ of Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed has set free Sheikh Hasina Wajid on Wednesday for an interim period to facilitate her medical treatment abroad.

Hasian, president of Bangladesh Awami League and former Prime Minister, was arrested on July 16 last year on charges of corruption. She was later kept in a makeshift prison in parliament complex building.

However, Hasina was freed at about 1:50pm on Wednesday for eight weeks till August 6 under an executive order signed by chief adviser of the caretaker government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed on Tuesday night.

The chief adviser's executive order says that the ‘government has decided to release Sheikh Hasina for an interim period of two months from June 11 to August 6 for medical treatment abroad following recommendations by a medical board'.

The order also says that ‘the government can cancel the order any time without assigning any reason'.

The secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khandaker Delawar Hossain, told reporters that his party was ‘happy over Sheikh Hasina's release’, and observed that ‘Begum Khaleda Zia's two ailing sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman, should also be released for medical treatment abroad'.

However, after her release, Hasina's car slowly moved towards Bangabandhu Memorial Museum amidst hundreds of her party workers showering flower petals and welcome slogans.

Later, Hasina went to her Shudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi, where she met senior leaders of Awami League.

She is likely to fly for London on Thursday en route to America and Canada for treatment of her damaged ears and eyes, and to meet her son and daughter.

There are media speculations that Hasina has been released following certain backstage political negotiations between the government and the Awami League. But neither the government nor the Awami League has admitted any such clandestine deal.