The army-backed interim Government of Bangladesh has effectively exiled Sheikh Hasina Wajed, one of the two “battling begums” who have dominated the country’s politics since 1991.

It is also negotiating with Khaleda Zia, Mrs Wajed’s arch rival, for her to leave Bangladesh in exchange for lenient treatment of her eldest son, who has been arrested for corruption.

These are the clearest signs to date that the Government is determined to rid Bangladesh of the two women whose bitter rivalry turned democratic politics into a corrupt and violent confrontation. The interim administration took power in January after the country’s top generals persuaded the President to cancel scheduled parliamentary elections and declare a state of emergency.

The decision was prompted by weeks of violent clashes between supporters of Mrs Zia, the outgoing Prime Minister, and Mrs Wajed, a former Prime Minister who became opposition leader.

The administration has promised to clean up politics, crack down on crime and introduce badly needed electoral and economic reforms before organising new polls by the end of next year. It also now appears determined to make sure that neither Mrs Zia nor Mrs Wajed ever take power again in Bangladesh — which, with more than 144 million people, is the world’s third-largest Muslim-majority country.

The Government announced yesterday that it would not permit Mrs Wajed, the head of the Awami League, to return to Bangladesh from the United States, where she has been visiting relatives. She had been due to fly home on Monday to defend herself against charges of murder and extortion.

A statement from the Home Ministry said that police, diplomats and immigration and civil aviation officials had been ordered to stop her reentering the country. “Her irresponsible leadership caused serious lawlessness that destabilised public order and discipline, disrupted national security and economic activities in the country,” it said.

“In this context, if she returns to the country it is feared that she will again jeopardise discipline and economic activities in the country through provocative statements.” The statement said that the move was temporary but did not say how long it would be in force.

Bangladeshi officials have also said that Mrs Zia, who has been under virtual house arrest since last week, would go into exile in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in exchange for lenient treatment of her two sons.

Authorities detained Tarique Rahman, her elder son and joint head of her Bangladesh National Party, on corruption charges last month. Arafat Rahman, her younger son, was detained on Sunday night but released the next day.

Leading Bangladeshi newspapers said yesterday that his release was part of the exile deal and that he and his brother would travel to Saudi Arabia later. There were rumours that Mrs Zia was still resisting pressure to go into exile and trying to negotiate a new deal with the Government.

Mrs Zia, 61, and Mrs Wajed, 59, have served alternately as prime minister and opposition leader ever since they joined briefly to topple the country’s last military dictator in 1991.

Mrs Zia’s husband and Mrs Wajed’s father were national leaders who were assassinated in the bloody cycle of coups and counter-coups that followed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.

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