Bangladesh faces political storm over ex-PM's home

By Anis Ahmed

DHAKA (Reuters) - Leaders of Bangladesh's top political parties have warned of tough actions in a dispute over a home of ex-prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, a controversy analysts say may deal a fresh blow to the country's stability.

The rivals staged protests in the capital Dhaka and other main cities over the weekend, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government said it was determined to get Khaleda out of a sprawling house within the army barracks in the capital.

Khaleda, who leads the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has lived in the house since her general-turned-president husband Ziaur Rahman died in an abortive coup in 1981. The government revoked the lease of the house to her last week, saying she has another leased house in Dhaka.

"This indicates the frivolous and volatile nature of the country's politics, from which, unfortunately, the major parties have again failed to break out," Ataur Rahman, a Dhaka University professor and chairman of Bangladesh Political Science Association, said of the dispute.

"They are (fighting) each other on a largely non-political issue at a time when the country badly needs a new democratic structure and a sustainable administration," he told Reuters on Sunday.

Analysts say such disputes are a distraction when Bangladesh's government should be concentrating on measures to stem corruption and increase transparency, steps that would help attract much-needed investment and aid to the impoverished South Asian country of more than 140 million people.

Asif Nazrul, a law professor and analyst, said the government and opposition should go to court to resolve the dispute over Khaleda's residence.

"It could temporarily calm down the situation. But the mistrust created through this incident may manifest in various ways and impact future politics," he told Reuters on Sunday.