A few Jatiya Party (Ershad) lawmakers, a BNP lawmaker and a few other political leaders left their parties and floated the new party, ignoring criticisms over formation of new political parties with reported blessings of the administration during the state of emergency.

Asked if his party has the blessings of the government, Qureshi said, "It is a blessing for those who want to form new parties. Of course, we are taking the opportunity."

Qureshi's PDP is the second party to have been launched this month after former Jatiya Party (JP) leader Shawkat Hossain Nilu floated National People's Party on July 19. Police, however, barred Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from holding a views-exchange meeting on reforms on the same day.

Former JP leaders Kazi Firoz Rashid, Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Moshiur Rahman Ranga and Shamsunnahar Begum, former BNP lawmaker Nurul Islam Moni, former general secretary of Krishak Sramik Janata League Advocate Fazlur Rahman, LDP vice-president and former Jamaat-e-Islami leader Moulana Sakhawat Hossain are among others who joined the PDP.

Qureshi started his political career as a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League, student wing of the Awami League (AL), and later became a founder joint secretary of the BNP.

He was among the political figures who took initiatives to float Jatiya Janata Party during the first martial law in 1976. Later, he joined the move to float the BNP. He was first elected as a lawmaker in 1979 from BNP.

Announcing the name of the new party at a press conference, Qureshi said a convening committee of the party with representation from all districts will be formed soon. The constitution and manifesto of the party will be declared after discussions, he added.

On the ban on indoor politics, Qureshi, also editor of the daily Deshbangla, said there is no logic now to keep the ban. He urged the government to lift the ban on indoor politics "in phases, if necessary".

He claimed that in the changed situation thousands of leaders and workers of the BNP, Awami League and Jatiya Party frustrated with their leaderships contacted with them.

He said the PDP will contest all the 300 constituencies in the next general elections, which, he believes, will be held by the end of 2008.

"The country is on the right track...I hope a free, fair and credible election will be held in 2008," he said.

Asked what post he will hold in the PDP, Qureshi said he will remain as its coordinator until everything is finalised.

Kazi Firoz, who was a minister during military dictator HM Ershad's regime, said he and a few other JP leaders resigned from the party as they are now engaged with the new party.

On the ban on political activities, he said everybody is doing politics. The party's convening committee will be formed within a week, he added.

Meanwhile, AL Acting President Zillur Rahman questioned the procedure of floating the PDP amid the ban on political activities. "There are political parties that cannot hold any meeting while new parties are being floated...There cannot be double-standard policy in a country," he said.

Nirmal Sen, general secretary of Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal, yesterday in a press statement said the persons involved with the new political party are very familiar faces and not above controversy.

"People can understand that there is a link between the government and the new party as it was formed at a time when [AL President] Sheikh Hasina is under detention," he said.

At the press conference, Qureshi appreciated the caretaker government's ongoing drive against corruption and said the government should concentrate on serious crimes and corruption rather than going after petty criminals.

The two main political parties of the country had created a deadlock in the country and it is a blessing that the caretaker government has hit them hard with its anti-corruption drive, he said.

Arrests made only on the basis of complaints without proper investigations are, however, tarnishing the image of the government, he added.

"This government will have to succeed. It must have people's support and to get people's support, the fear among them will have to be removed," Qureshi said.