Bangladesh suffers 2.2 bln USD economic loss from political unrest in 3 months of 2015: World Bank

The World Bank Sunday said the Bangladeshi economy has suffered a heavy loss from the prolonged political unrest.

The Washington-based lender in an updated report revealed that the country has suffered a financial loss of around 2.2 billion U. S. dollars in the last three months of political turmoil.

"Bangladesh suffered a financial loss of some 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in January, February and March this year from the prolonged political unrest," Zahid Hossain, lead economist of the World Bank's Dhaka office, told a press conference on Sunday in the city where the Bangladesh Development Update Report 2015 was launched.

He said Bangladesh's economic growth would have between 6.4 percent and 6.6 percent in the current 2014-15 fiscal (July 2014- June 2015) unless the country suffers further shocks due to political unrest.

Political tension in Bangladesh heightened in January after ex- Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's opposition alliance geared up anti- government agitation programs, demanding fresh elections under a non-party caretaker government system.

Khaleda's BNP and its allies have observed nonstop blockade across the country since Jan. 5 demanding fresh elections under a non-party caretaker government system.

On top of its blockade campaign, BNP and its 19 allies including key Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party have observed strike at regular intervals in the last three months.

The fresh wave of violence has left scores of people dead and hundreds injured. Endi