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Bangladeshis offer Eid prayers for political stability
Real estate news By AFP
Oct 13, 2007
Muslims prayed for political stability in emergency-ruled Bangladesh as the country celebrated the Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. "We pray for the peace and prosperity of the country. Let us forget enmity in politics and give us strength to go forward to make a good nation," a cleric told a 50,000-strong congregation at Dhaka's national mosque. Bangladesh has been under emergency rule since January when a state of emergency was imposed and elections were cancelled over vote-rigging allegations.
A military-backed government took power on January 12 and has pledged to hold fresh polls after completing a massive corruption crackdown that has seen more than 150 prominent figures detained. Those arrested include the country's two most recent prime ministers, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina Wajed, who lead the two main political parties. Bangladesh marked the festival -- the biggest in the Islamic calendar -- after most other Muslim countries as the new crescent moon was not sighted until Saturday night.
Cities across the country were almost deserted after a mass exodus of people who travelled to their home villages to spend the holiday with their families. An estimated six million people -- half the capital's population -- left Dhaka over the past few days with most travelling by dangerously-overcrowded buses, ferries and trains. The government has announced a two-day public holiday for Sunday and Monday.
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