(Adds army chief's comments)

DHAKA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Security forces led by the army have detained another former minister as Bangladesh's interim government pushes ahead with a crackdown on corrupt politicians ahead of elections, police said on Friday.

They said Mosharraf Hossain, former state minister for energy and power in the government of immediate past prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, was held on Thursday night at his home in northern Mymensingh town.

Like other ex-ministers and senior politicians detained since Sunday, Hossain would be sent to a court for a preliminary hearing and is likely to be detained for a month while charges are framed.

The army-backed interim government headed by former central bank chief Fakhruddin Ahmed has launched a major crackdown on corruption, arresting nearly 60 politicians -- including 10 former ministers.

The army, which has been widely praised for international peacekeeping, has defended its role in the crackdown but officers insist they have no interest in taking power.

"We are not even running the government," army chief Lt.-Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed told a meeting of government and non-government officials on Thursday at southeastern Bandarban hill district.

"But we'd like to see the interim government succeed in putting the country back on the right track and that the country is eventually governed by honest politicians," the he said.

LASHED OUT

Newspapers on Friday said the general had lashed out the country's current political leadership, accusing them of self-interest and failing to provide efficient leadership.

The country's last army ruler, Hossain Mohammad Ershad, was toppled in a people's revolt in 1990 led jointly by then opposition leaders Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

The politicians detained in the crackdown belong to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Khaleda as well as the Awami League of her main rival, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The drive to clean up politics and the administration ahead of elections -- for which no date has yet been set -- has been praised by Bangladeshis and the country's donors and investors.

Bangladesh's High Court asked the government on Thursday to explain within two weeks why it had detained the political leaders, lawyers and court officials said.

"The court has ruled on the interim government to show cause by next two weeks why the detentions will not be declared illegal," a registrar of the court said.

Hasina has hailed the drive, saying corrupt politicians must be brought to justice. Khaleda has made no comment, but her BNP has expressed concern at the "indiscriminate" arrest of members and demanded their immediate release. (Additional reporting by Nizam Ahmed)

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