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Mashiur asked to sit at party office

Hasan JahidTusher
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tasked her embattled Economic Affairs Adviser Mashiur Rahman to deal with the economic policies of the Awami League ahead of the next general elections.
To this effect, Hasina, who is AL president, directed Mashiur to sit regularly at her Dhanmondi political office and upgrade the AL's economic policy for the polls, a close aide to the AL chief, preferring not to be quoted, told The Daily Star.
The policies are to be incorporated in the election manifesto of the party that heads the ruling grand alliance government.
Mashiur last night met the prime minister at her Gono Bhaban residence
Mashiur
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and talked about whether he should go on leave or what exactly he needed to do under the present circumstances, added sources.
The directives came at a time when there is confusion as to whether Mashiur has gone on leave to fulfil the World Bank's last condition to pave the way for a revival of the loan for the much-talked about Padma bridge project.
The lender cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the project on June 29, saying it had evidence of a corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and private individuals.
Meanwhile, final negotiations between Bangladesh and the WB started last night at the global lender's Washington headquarters. The Prime Minister's Foreign Affair Adviser, Gowher Rizvi, and a few other high officials joined the talks.
About the meeting, it has been learnt from the information available in Dhaka that tire WB strongly seeks an approved leave letter of Mashiur for the revival of the loan deal. The WB does not agree with any other alternative proposals.
Sources told The Daily Star on Tuesday that the government had sent an alternative proposal to the lender to the effect that Mashiur would remain disengaged from government responsibilities instead of going on leave.
Meanwhile, finance ministry officials said the government may write to another co-financier, Jica, to extend its deadline, ending on September 21, if there was any positive signal following the Washington meeting.
Referring to Rizvi's current visit to Washington and AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam's Delhi visit, party insiders said that a decision about Mashiur's leave was supposed to have come from last night's meeting with Hasina.
But till the filing of this report at 10:00pm, The Daily Star could not reach the adviser over phone and know about the premier's decision.
The adviser has been staying away from his government office at the PMO since Monday. He did not take part in the weekly meetings of the cabinet and the purchase committee. These factors created the confusion over the adviser's "going on leave". Yesterday too, he did not sit at the PMO office, sources said.
On Monday, in his comments on the news carried in many online news versions, the adviser told BBC Bangla Service that he had neither resigned nor gone on leave as reported in the online media.
On Tuesday, Mashiur said he had not said that he would go on leave. "Those who will take the decision about my leave have also not said so."
He also brought allegations of spying against the WB, apparently in retaliation for the global lender's corruption charges against him and the government.
He said the work of the Padma bridge could not be started during the remaining tenure of the government with finance from the WB.