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Sheikh Hasina walks freedom PDF Print E-mail

She is due to fly for USA this morning

The government yesterday set former Prime Minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina at liberty to have treatment abroad. She is scheduled to leave the country early this morning for London en route to USA by a British Airways flight. Sheikh Hasina was set free at 1:50 PM after 329-day detention upon an executive order signed by Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed.

A notification issued by the government yesterday said that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been released for eight weeks from June 11 to August 6, 2008 under Section 401 (4A) of CrPC according to recommendation of a medical board. The government, however, reserved the right to revoke the order at any time without assigning any reason.
Sheikh Hasina's release yesterday from the sub-jail on Jatiya Sangsad complex where she had been lodged since her arrest on July 16 2007 added a new dimension to the political scenario of the country. Her temporary release brought to an end speculations centring her release and planned treatment abroad.
It also came as a great relief for those who had kept constant vigil near the jail gate day after day hoping to see an end to her incarceration. And when she actually left the sub-jail for her Sudha Sadan residence in Dhanmondi via Bangabandhu's residence at Road No-32, thousands of people greeted her with slogans and warmly waved at her.
She rode a jeep from the sub-jail to her residence where she found a huge crowd of supporters and well-wishers waiting to have a glimpse of the former Prime Minister.
It may be mentioned that concerned courts have already exempted Sheikh Hasina from personal appearance during the trial proceedings against her under Section 540 (A) of CrPC.
Immediately after her release from the sub-jail, Sheikh Hasina went straight to Bangabandhu Bhaban on Dhanmondi Road-32, where she placed wreaths in front of the portrait of her father and the country's supreme independence leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and offered Zohr prayers there.
Since early in the morning, thousands of leaders, workers and admirers of the Awami League president converged in front the sub-jail and at Bangabandhu Bhaban as well as at her Sudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi Road-5 to have a glimpse of their leader.
The joyous party workers also raised full-throated slogans like "Joi Bangla....Joi Bangabandhu", "Many greetings and welcome on your return among us Sheikh Hasina", and greeted their leader with cheers and showering of flower petals as soon as her jeep arrived at Sudha Sadan at about 2-40pm.
Earlier at noon, almost all the members of the party presidium and secretariat including Zillur Rahman, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury and Syed Ashraful Islam arrived at Sudha Sadan to receive their leader Sheikh Hasina who was arrested from the same house in the morning of July 16 last year.
Hundreds of leaders and workers as well as supporters of Awami League and its associate bodies took position on both sides of Road-5 at Dhanmondi stretching from the National Nutrition Programme office of the Health Ministry to Sudha Sadan with bouquets and sticks of Rajanigandha and assorted flowers to greet their leader on her return home from jail nearly 11 months after her arrest.
Many ardent party followers, some reporters and photographers even climbed on the boundary wall opposite Sudha Sadan to have a clear view of the Awami League president. Riot gear police and personnel of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) deployed well ahead of Sheikh Hasina's arrival at Sudha Sadan had to take great efforts to ensure a smooth arrival of the former Prime Minister at her residence.
Close relatives of Sheikh Hasina including her aunt Ms Abu Naser, sister-in-law Fatema Selim, wife of detained Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, sister-in-law Shahanara Abdullah, wife of Abul Hasnat Abdullah, cousin-sister Sheikh Sultana Rekha, nephew Sheikh Subhas, eldest son of Sheikh Selim, and cousin-sister Ms Ilyas Ahmed Chowdhury were standing on the balcony of Sudha Sadan for hours eagerly waiting to receive their dearest relative Sheikh Hasina.
Amid a heavy downpour and thunderous cheers and slogans from hundreds of party leaders, workers and admirers Sheikh Hasina's motorcade entered Sudha Sadan at about 2-40pm when she was waving to them and the party-men were showering flower petals.
It took at least 30 minutes for the motorcade of Sheikh Hasina to cross 500 yards from the checkpoint on Road-5 to the entrance of Sudha Sadan as the road was blocked by hundreds of people from all walks of life.
Only ten minutes after her arrival at Sudha Sadan, a smiling Sheikh Hasina attired in an off-white dotted Jamdani saree appeared before the huge crowd of party workers and cross sections of people on the balcony on the first floor. The Awami League president waved to the crowd amid cheers and the only one slogan "Sheikh Hasina.....Sheikh Hasina" raised by her party men.
 
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