Bangladesh restored power to the office of opposition leader Khaleda Zia, an official said Sunday, nearly a day after it was cut in an apparent bid to force her to call off crippling protests.
A spokesman for Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said power was restored some 20 hours after a technician of the state-run power agency cut the lines, sparking a hail of criticism.
Internet, satellite television and mobile phone network at the office, where Zia has been holed up since she launched a nationwide transport blockade early January, remained severed.
“We got back power late Saturday night. But other lines including broadband internet, fax, cable televisions and mobile phone remained snapped,” BNP spokesman Shamsuddin Dider said.
The power line was cut after a government minister reportedly threatened to sever the office’s electrical supply and force Zia to starve to death if she did not call off the nationwide transport blockade.
Zia has been confined to her office in Dhaka’s upmarket Gulshan district since threatening to rally her supporters against the government of bitter rival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on January 5, the first anniversary of a disputed general election.
