Dhaka, Feb. 24 -- The government has approved the withdrawal of 1,202 more cases filed during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina's administration, marking the second phase of its move to scrap what it describes as "politically motivated" prosecutions.

With this, a total of 2,008 cases have been dropped since the BNP government led by Tarique Rahman assumed office.

A statement from the home ministry on Tuesday quoted Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed as saying: "Approval has been given to withdraw more politically motivated harassment cases filed against leaders and activists of opposition parties over the 17 years of the previous 'fascist' government."

This follows a Feb 22 announcement approving the withdrawal of 1,006 "politically motivated" c...