Ruling party central leaders have vowed to curb crime and violence, amid concerns that the rising acts of terrorism could "outshine the government's achievements in the past three years”.

The resolve came yesterday from a daylong meeting of the Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC). chaired by party chief and prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Responding to the concern expressed by party colleagues. Hasina asked her new home minister "to go to any extent" in dealing with offenders causing unrest in public life.

The meeting of 67-strong ALCWC. also joined by entire cabinet of Hasina's 33-month old government, took note of tile recent incidents of violence, notably those in Kushtia. Jes-sore. Chhatak and Narail.

Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, who is not a member of the Awami League, was also present and spoke at the meeting-

According to party sources.

the prime minister told the meeting that there was no reason to fail to deal with the law and order situation for the Awami League government that faced the 1998 floods, the worse in a century, effectively.

She assured the party men thal she would personally take care of the issues involving the recent killings in Jessore. Kushtia and Chhatak. Mohammad Nasim, the new home minister and the party's organising secretary. said he would “do his level best to rid the country of the curse of vio-

The ruling party leaders also discussed the opposition threat to launch an oust-government movement and gave no signs of change in party position.

The meeting brushed aside demands for holding upcoming Upazila and City Corporations polls under a neutral caretaker government and resolved that the party's position in this respect would be made clear to aid-giving countries' diplomats, who are seeking a peaceful

resolution to the political conflicts.

It. however, resolved that government s dialogue offer for the agitating Opposition would remain valid if the latter was willing to talk without any precondition.

Nasim, who replaced Rafiqul Islam as home minister on March 11 in the backdrop of worsening law and order in the country, said there would be an immediate need for strengthening the police force with adequate logistic support.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, the minister said he had also raised such issues as reforming and modernising the law enforcing agencies to deal with the changing nature of crime and violence.

Several ALCWC members noted with regret that there had been "criminal tendencies" among a section of the law enforcing agency men and that law enforcers themselves were turning into law breakers. "Police must be able to treat

suspects with a human heart." one member was quoted as saying.

They said elements ol corruption had penetrated into the law enforcing agencies because of long years of neglect and abuse by political authorities. They hoped that "Hasina’s government" would be able to make a difference in this regard.

'We'll not show mercy to criminals whoever they may be." Hasina said, in response.

The ALCWC expressed deep concern at the growing number of the accused criminals being bailed out through the legal loopholes.

As the prime minister is meeting the representatives of the aid-giving countries, the ALCWC members spoke in favour the party's present position of "an open-agenda dialogue with the main opposition BNP if the latter wanted it."

Hasina is hosting a dinner tonight for the diplomats, who have already met with the Opposition leader Khaleda Zia on March 25 last.

Discussing the incident of deaths of two persons in bomb blasts inside the Chhatak residence of a ruling party MP. an angry presidium member described the "lawlessness in Sunamganj" as a result of in-tra-party rivalry.

The presidium member from the greater Sylhet region.

Suranjit Sengupta, also demanded an investigation into the incident by a party committee.

The home minister said he had order police probe into the Chhatak incident impartially, "no matter whether or not ruling party men were Involved".

The meeting, from 10:30am to late afternoon with a launch break, also heard foreign minister Abdus Samad Azad, LGRD

and cooperatives minister and AL general secretary Zillur Rahman, senior members of AL presidium including Amir Hossain Amu. commerce and industries minister Tofail Ahmed, food and agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, forest and environment minister Sajeda Chowdhury and finance minister SAMS Kibria.

Sources said the finance minister gave a briefing on the current state of the economy, which he described as satisfactory. especially after the prolonged flooding last year.

the food and agriculture minister also came up with words of relief, saying there would be no food shortages.

A number of ALCWC members expressed dismay over the power supply situation, which they said was affecting public life and the economy.

"If needed. I will bring in ready-made power plants from abroad to install here." sources quoted Hasina as telling the party members.

As many of the party colleagues criticised Abdul Kader Siddiqui for his meeting with the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on the Eid day, the celebrated freedom fighter retorted by saying that he saw nothing wrong in sharing Eld greetings with her as a citizen of the country.

The meeting decided that the golden jubilee of the founding of the Awami League would be celebrated on June 23 this year. In May. it was decided, the party would organise big public meetings in all divisional headquarters except Dhaka.

The meeting agreed with Dhaka mayor and ALCWC member Mohammad Hanif as he proposed to host a civic reception in honour of the prime minister for her winning a prestigious UNESCO award.