The 17-day house arrest of Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia was on Monday lifted unexpectedly by authorities, but the defiant former premier vowed to continue nationwide blockade and demanded an inclusive poll, dashing hopes of finding a solution to the deadly political violence.
The additional police and barricade around the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief’s upmarket Gulshan district office here was removed around 3 am local time. “They (police) first removed their vans at around 2.30 am and afterwards they left the scene along with water cannons,” a BNP official told reporters.