Bangladesh PM urges BDR rebels to surrender
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Feb 26, IRNA -- Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Thursday urged the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) rebels to surrender.
As the mutiny in Bangladesh by border guards spread to other parts of the country, Hasina asked the renegades to lay down arms, warning that their failure to return to the barracks will force her take"any step"in the interest of the nation.
"I have decided to pardon all mutineers. I have asked BDR soldiers not to take the law for granted. I appeal to them to withdraw their agitation, surrender and return to the barracks," Hasina said in a brief televised broadcast to the nation, said reports received from Dhaka.
The premier also urged all people to remain calm and not to indulge in violence.
Earlier in the day, mutinies by members of the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) broke out in various towns around the country even as BDR violence in the capital Dhaka was being contained, police and witnesses said.
Nearly 50 people were killed as BDR troops fought among themselves on Wednesday after shooting began in their headquarters over a pay dispute and other issues.
The mutiny broke out only a day after Hasina met senior BDR officers at an annual parade and told them her government would do its best to modernise the paramilitary forces.
Hasina won Parliamentary Elections in December that returned the impoverished country to democracy after nearly two years of Army-backed emergency rule, and the incident is a blow to her efforts to attract foreign investment and convince foreign aid donors the country is on a path to stability.
Bangladesh, home to more than 140 million people, has had several military coups since independence in 1971, but this week's mutinies do not appear to be politically motivated.
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