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| Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Khaleda Zia speaks at a press conference in Dhaka on Feb. 7. She proclaimed her innocence of corruption ahead of a court verdict that authorities fear could spark violence. (Photo by Munir Uz Zaman/AFP) |
February is one of the most pleasant months in Bangladesh. Besides enjoyable weather, it features a month-long book fair and a commemoration program dedicated to Language Movement heroes of Feb. 21, 1952. It also showcases the colorful spring festival, Valentine's Day and many other cultural feasts.
But this year, February has come to make Bangladeshis visibly tense and scared.
After a few years of relative peace and stability, Bangladesh is bracing for a political storm poised to hit the entire Muslim-majority nation of 160 million.
A Dhaka court is due to deliver a verdict on Feb. 8 in a corruption case against Khaleda Zia, chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the second largest political party.
