Bangladesh provides lifelong protection to slain founder's family

Oct 13, 2009, 11:36 GMT

   Dhaka - Bangladesh's parliament on Tuesday enacted a law to provide lifelong state protection for relatives of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a military putsch 34 years ago.

   Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, her sister Sheikh Rehana and their children will get special security and safe accommodations whenever and wherever they want in any part of the globe, said the new law enacted by the 345-strong legislature over a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

   The House adopted the bill by voice vote amid huge applause by the treasury bench members. The State Ministry for Home Affairs drafted the legislation.

   'Several attempts have been made on the lives of the surviving members of Rahman's family as the defeated forces of the 1971 liberation war and their local and foreign collaborators are still hatching conspiracies to eliminate them,' a ministry statement said.

   A similar law was enacted by the previous Awami League government in June 2001, but it was scrapped by a new BNP-led government six months later.