Ex-premier now allowed to return

Bangladesh’s government said it had lifted a ban on the return of former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wajed from overseas, and denied that it was pressuring another former leader, Khaleda Zia, to go into exile.

The military-backed interim government issued an order April 18 that barred Wajed from returning. She was blocked Sunday from boarding a flight in London en route home from the United States.

The government did not give a reason for lifting the ban.

Wajed is facing a charge of abetting the killings of four activists during a political riot in October. She has denied the charge, saying she is determined to return to defend herself.