Khaleda Zia's son freed in exile deal

Dhaka (Bangladesh): One of the detained sons of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia was released early on Tuesday as part of a deal with the army-backed government that her family go into exile, newspapers reported.

Both of Khaleda's sons have been arrested since the interim government's crackdown on corruption began following imposition of emergency law on January 11.

Khaleda's youngest son, Arafat Rahman, was arrested by army-led joint forces early on Monday following the arrest of her elder son and political heir apparent Tareque Rahman last month.

Leading English-language newspapers, the Daily Star and the New Age, reported that Arafat's release was part of a "negotiated deal" with the government. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

"Her younger son Arafat Rahman will be going with her and the elder son Tareque Rahman will join them later on," the Daily Star said.

"She will be leaving the country for Saudi Arabia in a couple of days. Initially she will be leaving with a one-month visa to perform Umrah (a minor pilgrimage to Mecca) and her permanent residence there will be finalised upon reaching the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the paper said, quoting a senior government source.

"Everything has been finalised. Now only the formalities including getting a visa remain to be completed," the Star added.

Several Bengali newspapers also reported Khaleda's possible departure soon for a long exile abroad.

The forces dropped Arafat at Khaleda's home in Dhaka at about 12:45 am on Tuesday. Arafat, a businessman, was not involved in politics.

Khaleda herself has been under virtual confinement at her home for more than a week.

Over 160 senior politicians have been arrested on charges of graft and abuse of power since the government imposed the state of emergency and postponed an election scheduled for January 22 in the wake of widespread violence between political factions.

National politics has been polarised in the past decade between Khaleda's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League headed by Sheikh Hasina. Hasina, who began a private visit to the United States in early April, has since been charged at home with murder and corruption.

In an interview with Reuters in Washington on Monday, she vowed to return to Bangladesh next week to contest what she called the false and fake charges against her.