August 13, 2008	Wednesday	Sha’aban 10, 1429

DHAKA, Aug 12: Bangladesh’s ex-premier Khaleda Zia, detained on corruption charges against her since last September, has refused to register as a voter in upcoming elections, an official said on Tuesday.

The country’s caretaker government is keen to ensure the participation of Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the rival Awami League in the crucial polls to prove the results are credible.

Deputy prisons chief Shamsul Haider Siddiqui said Zia had been warned that Monday was the last day to register.

“We told her several times that she might not be able to contest the next general elections in December if she does not become a voter by August 11 But she refused,” he said.—AFP