Dhaka - Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, head of the Awami League party, Friday unveiled a "charter for change" to return the South Asian nation to democracy, ending two years of emergency rule.

"The country is now passing through a deep crisis. Our commitment is to build Bangladesh as a modern democracy, free from hunger, poverty and illiteracy," the party chief said, announcing the party's platform for the December 29 general elections.

She prioritized five major issues, including combating rising prices of essential commodities and securing economic stability amid the global financial turmoil, effective anti-corruption measures, more electricity generation for industrial development, poverty reduction by generating more jobs and ensuring good governance.

She also pledged to prosecute war criminals of the 1971 Bangladeshi liberation war and deal with the rise of any form of militancy with an iron hand.

Hasina called on Bangladeshi voters to bring her party - which ruled the country twice from 1971 to 1975 and from 1996 to 2001 - back into office to implement her agenda for change.

"By implementing this manifesto with the collective efforts of the entire nation, we will create a bright and successful future for the new generation," Hasina said at the manifesto presentation, which was aired live by almost all the country's private satellite television channels.

The Awami League's ambitious targets include the reduction of unemployment to 15 per cent from the existing 40 per cent, expansion of information technology to build a "digital Bangladesh," and ensuring proper nutrition for 85 per cent of the people.

The party has also pledged to reduce child mortality rates from 54 deaths per 1,000 to 15 and deaths of women in childbirth to 1.5 per cent from 3.8 per cent, and to increase life expectancy to 70 by 2021.

Hasina also promised to accelerate economic growth by 8 per cent by 2013 and by 10 per cent in 2017.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country's other major political force, led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is expected to announce its election agenda Saturday.

Zia was travelling to the north-eastern city of Sylhet to begin her formal campaign after offering prayers at the shrine of Shah Jalal, a 13th-century Muslim saint of Bengal. (dpa)