Opposition vows to oust Hasina

Opposition vows to oust Hasina

DHAKA (Reuters): Bangladesh opposition party leaders, who once
had guns trained on each other, vowed on Wednesday to unite to
drive Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from office and form a
"national patriotic government".

The opposition has enforced nearly 50 days of strikes since
Hasina formed her 1996 government. About 25 people have died
during the crippling strikes, which have hurt industry and cost
the impoverished country hundreds of millions of dollars.

The leaders made their vow at a meeting on Tuesday night.

Begum Khaleda Zia, former prime minister and leader of the
main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and ex-
president Hossain Mohammad Ershad of the Jatiya Party, joined
Golam Azam of fundamentalist Jamaat-i-Islami and Moulana Azizul
Hoq of the Islami Oikya Front at the meeting.

The prime minister has rejected the opposition's demand for
early elections. Hasina said polls would take place in 2001 as
scheduled.