No surrender until army recalled: BDR...............

Nearly 12 hours into a mutiny to seek better pay and break army control, the paramilitary BDR said Wednesday night they would not surrender arms until the army was fully withdrawn from 46 BDR units countrywide and the headquarters of the border guards.

Heavy gunfire again rocked the compound around 9:25pm.

The BDR mutineers agreed to surrender their arms after a two-hour meeting with the prime minister at her official residence Jamuna, state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak told reporters.

The army needed to be withdrawn from all BDR units because, otherwise, they could 'finish' them any time, the members said through loudspeaker from inside the BDR Headquarters at Dhanmondi around 9pm.

They said they would not surrender arms for the security of all the members.

They agreed to talk to the prime minister in a video conference.

Nanak and Awami League MP Mirza Azam were told of the BDR position when they had gone to the Jigatola access to the headquarters at 8:25pm.

Azam and the police officials present there urged the paramilitary personnel to let go of the women and children. The BDR men said they could not do that and would act on the situation.

The BDR mutineers had been negotiating with their comrades at the BDR headquarters since late afternoon as a local MP gave them half-hour to say when they would surrender arms.

Ruling Awami League MP Fazle Noor Tapas along with inspector general of police Noor Mohammad went to the Jhigatala gate to the headquarters around 7:50pm.

He asked the BDR leaders about the surrender of arms, which they had agreed to in the meeting with the prime minister.

One BDR member told the MP they had been trying to talk the other members into laying down arms.

The MP told them he would be waiting at the entrance to know know their decision.

One BDR member asked the MP if the army would storm the compound or any measures would be taken against the rebels.

He assured them that nothing of that sorts would happen to them.

Earlier, Nanak briefed reporters at around 5:45pm on the outcome of the meeting between the prime minister and the BDR mutineers.

After the announcement, the chiefs of the army, navy and air force, the director general of Rapid Action Battalion and the inspector general of police came out of the prime minister's Hare Road residence at around 6:20pm.

The BDR representative team, which went to meet the prime minister, came out of the residence in three cars behind the car of home minister Sahara Khatun at 6:30pm.

The prime minister has pledged to meet "our just demands", the BDR team announced through loudspeaker after returning to the headquarters around 6:40pm.

The prime minister announced general amnesty to the rebels and no case will be filed for the incident, they told their expectant comrades.

The representatives added that the home minister would visit them and they would surrender arms to her.

They further said they talked to the army chief and he assured them that the army members, who had been sent to the headquarters, will get back to barracks.

"And we will also get back to barracks surrendering our arms," a member of the team said.

They also said the army officers living inside the headquarters would be allowed to leave with their families.

Some 25 gunshots fired when the meeting outcome was being announced.