The government today decided to withdraw 66 more 'politically motivated' cases filed against Awami League (AL) leaders, State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam said today.

"We have decided to withdraw another 66 cases that were filed only to persecute politicians," state minister for law Kamrul Islam, also the committee chairman, told reporters. Of these, 11 were filed by the Anti-corruption Commission, Islam said after the committee's third meeting.

The committee has so far recommended for 174 cases to be quashed since its first sitting last month. Its first meeting on June 10 recommended 62 cases, including 12 against prime minister Sheikh Hasina, be dropped. On June 21 it approved another 46 cases to be cancelled.

Wednesday's meeting recommended quashing three cases against Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafarullah, two against Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, two against deputy speaker Shawkat Ali, two against Mohammad Nasim, one against AL general secretary Abdul Jalil, one against former minister Mozammel Hossain, one against Shecchasebok League president Bahauddin Nasim, one against former VC of Dhaka University Professor AK Azad Chowdhury, one against former state minister engineer Afsar Uddin and one against Lotus Kamal MP.

Letters have not been issued yet to legal authorities, including the ACC, to withdraw the cases but the process will start soon, said Islam. He said 1,842 applications for withdrawal cases have been submitted to the scrutiny committee based at the home ministry so far.

None of these include applications to withdraw cases by leaders of the BNP-led alliance, say officials. Islam said, "Cases against AL leaders are being withdrawn, but it is not right to hope that those of Tarique and Arafat, sons of Khaleda Zia, will also be withdrawn."

'No parallel'

He also said there was no reason to treat cases against Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia in parallel. "I don't think that Khaleda's cases have to be withdrawn just because Hasina's cases have been. The caretaker government dealt with them like this. Now there is no reason to treat them equally."

He, however, agreed that a narcotics case against BNP leader Moudud Ahmed was one of 'harassment'. "It is a harassment case. We will recommend its cancellation if any application is submitted to us," Islam said. He said the committee scrutinised a total of 162 cases on Wednesday, and a decision on the remainder would be made in the committee's next meeting on July 15.

The Awami League government, shortly after coming to power in January, spoke of moves to quash politically motivated cases filed under the past BNP and caretaker governments or any other past government.

The government formed the seven-member scrutiny committee on Feb 22 headed by the state minister for law, and formed four-member district level committees with district magistrates as chiefs to process petitions for withdrawal of politically motivated cases.

The offer to apply for having of political harassment cases quashed was open to all. The deadline for submitting applications, after several prior extensions, was stretched again last month to July 12.