The Supreme Court ruling that rejected Khaleda Zia's appeals in two corruption cases, has reinforced the dominance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the UK-based The Economist reports.
The report claimed that Sheikh Hasina had put Khaleda Zia under house arrest and barred the BNP’s electoral ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, from running.
With no opposition, it was a shoo-in for Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, it says.
The Economist report also claimed that Sheikh Hasina’s government has continued to capture the courts, silence media critics and tinker with the constitution to perpetuate its rule.
It says Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad acts as the loyal opposition.
Terming the ruling government shrewd in some respects, the report said the government has kept pending the long-overdue verdicts by the war crimes tribunal.
Mentioning that all those charged for war crimes are members of Jamaat-e-Islami, it said the SC ruling on Sayedee's appeal verdict hints that Jamaat has outlived its usefulness as a political tool.
