Staff Correspondent

At a meeting at the party's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue Monday, the AL leaders said if Hasina was not immediately released from special jail a proposed hunger strike could turn into a mass movement.

The party leaders also claimed that Hasina had been forcibly returned to jail before her treatment was completed. The meeting was organised by the AL's Dhaka city unit to mark Independence Day.

"Sheikh Hasina must be released before the mass signature campaign. If the Awami League president is not released after this then a stronger movement will be announced," said party presidium member Amir Hossain Amu.

Another AL presidium member, Tofail Ahmed, said the party chief's voice could not be silenced through "death threats". "We have sowed the seeds of the movement by initiating the programme of mass hunger strikes," said Tofail.

Suranjit Sengupta, another presidium member, alleged that the caretaker government had been behaving vindictively towards Hasina. "I know what you (the caretaker government) can do after this. You will not allow us to hold meetings," said Suranjit. "Then meetings will be held house to house.

There will be no government in Bangladesh without an election," he said. AL joint general secretary Mukul Bose urged Dhaka city unit leaders and workers to realign the party: "We organised processions after August 15, 1975. We did not wait for anybody.

You should take the hint." A large number of AL leaders and workers stood on the road beside the party central office to listen to the speeches by the party leaders.