DHAKA, Oct 28: Twelve people were killed in Bangladesh on Saturday when the country’s two main political parties clashed over who should head the interim government to oversee the January elections after the government’s nominee withdrew.

Amid violence, the government postponed handing over power to the caretaker administration, officials said.

The clashes between activists of the outgoing ruling alliance and the opposition and the police firing left about 1,000 other people injured in Dhaka and elsewhere.

The violence ensued as soon as the outgoing Prime Minister Khaleda Zia appointed in her valedictory address on Friday a former chief justice as head of the interim caretaker government.

Justice K.M. Hasan was supposed to take over according to the constitution. But the opposition Awami League (AL) refused to accept him, claiming that he was pro-BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party).

On Saturday, Justice Hasan communicated to President Iajuddin Ahmed that he would not take over in the interest of peace and stability.

The president then called secretaries of the ruling BNP and Awami League at his residence and offered to discharge the additional responsibility of the chief of the caretaker government.

The AL rejected the proposal while BNP is yet to decide on it.

A BNP leader was killed in Brahmanbaria, a Jamaat-i-Islami leader in Gazipur and a government employee in Dhaka.

Five people were killed in Dhaka. A union council chairman and his brother were killed in Narsingdi. Reports of violence were also received from Chittagong, Kurigram, Bagerhat, Moulvibazar and other towns. Police firing left one person dead in Meherpur.

Road communications between Dhaka and other areas remained disrupted. Shops and business establishments were closed. Streets in towns and cities were deserted.

Railway traffic was also disrupted in many places.

More than 175 people, 75 with bullet wounds, were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Three bodies were sent to the DMCH morgue. A Shibir activist lay dead in Islami Bank Hospital till 8pm local time.

AFP adds: Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury announced the government had postponed handing over power to a caretaker administration.

“The date and the timing of the swearing in will be announced later. But it will take time,” he said.

The government has up to 15 days from midnight Friday to hold the ceremony, although officials said earlier this week it would probably take place on Friday or Saturday.

Besides, President Ahmed was attempting to broker an agreement between the ruling BNP and the main opposition.

Reacting to the president’s offer to take the job himself, AL secretary-general Abdul Jalil said: “The president himself proposed to head the caretaker administration. I told him if my party accepted the proposal the caretaker government would take the oath by Sunday. I took the proposal to my party and they have rejected it.”

The Awami League had threatened to paralyse the country with protests if Justice Hasan headed the interim administration that would oversee elections within 90 days.

Mr Jalil made his comments after the meeting with President Ahmed and BNP secretary-general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.

At the meeting, Mr Jalil said his party would “accept anyone as head other than K.M. Hasan and chief election commissioner M.A. Aziz.”

The opposition also accuses Mr Aziz of being pro-government and says the election commission under him has drawn up a voter list that includes millions of ghost voters and excludes many opposition supporters.

The AL secretary-general did not explain why they objected to President Ahmed heading the interim administration. But Mr Ahmed was elected president as a candidate of Ms Zia’s party.