DHAKA, April 17: Bangladesh ex-prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia may head into exile in the latest political twist since an army-backed government began a drive against corruption and the country’s entrenched power elite.

One of Khaleda’s detained sons was released early on Tuesday as part of a deal with the government for her family to go abroad, Bangladeshi newspapers reported on Tuesday.

A close associate of Khaleda confirmed to Reuters that her “departure is imminent” and said she made the deal with the government out of frustration over lack of support from top officials of her political party.

But another former prime minister, Khaleda’s rival Sheikh Hasina, who has been charged with murder and extortion, has separately vowed to return home from the United States to contest what she called the “false and fake cases” against her.

Authorities arrested both of Khaleda’s sons as part of a crackdown on corruption by the interim government which followed imposition of emergency law in the politically unstable country on Jan 11.

Elder son and political heir apparent Tareque Rahman was detained last month and the younger son, businessman Arafat Rahman, was taken by army-led joint forces early on Monday. Leading newspapers said Arafat’s release was part of a deal with the government for Khaleda’s family to go into exile in Saudi Arabia.

The interim government’s acting law and information ministry chief Mainul Husein did not comment directly on the reports but said on Tuesday: “We will not obstruct anyone who wants to go abroad.”

On Arafat’s release, he told reporters: “Law enforcers can release anyone if charges are not strong enough against him. Just taking him away for interrogation does not necessarily mean he will be jailed.”

Meanwhile, Khaleda’s close associate, who declined to be identified, quoted her as saying: “I am frustrated as I have not received desired support and sympathy from my party while I myself and my family are going through a disastrous time.”

The associate said that Khaleda added: “So I have decided to go, as the government wants.”

Khaleda had talked to several followers — who were not among the high-ups of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — by telephone and “she even wept”, another associate said.

The government’s Husein in his remarks blasted the persistence of traditional family politics in a democratic system. “We must get rid of family politics, this is the root of bad politics which leads to corruption,” he said.

Khaleda — who has been under virtual confinement at her home for more than a week — ended a five-year term as prime minister last October, handing power to a pre-election interim authority. More than 160 senior politicians have been arrested on charges of graft and abuse of power since the government imposed a state of emergency and postponed an election scheduled for Jan 22 after widespread violence between political factions. —Reuters