Rajshahi University gun wielders given immunityn RU Correspondent

None of the Chhatra League activists, who openly toted guns during Sun-day’s skirmish on the Rajshahi Univer-sity campus, has been made accused in any of the cases � led so far.

Police on Sunday arrested a protest-er named Sajeeb Ahmed, fourth year student of the Finance and Banking De-partment. He was sent to jail following a court order.

On Sunday, Chhatra League activists and police attacked a group ofagitating students in front of Prolay Chisym, deputy commissioner of police of Rajshahi east region, on the university campus. The attack leftat least 100 injured including 20bullet hit.

Prolay Chisym told the Dhaka Tri-bune that police had gone on action just to take the situation under control as the students went on rampage.

When asked why police opened � re on the students, proctor Prof Tariqul

Hasan said the law enforcers had done exactly what was needed.

Some six cases were � led against 964 students, but no Chhatra League men were included in the list of 224 students whose names were men-tioned in the statements of the cases � led with the Motihar police station.

The university authority and police � led four cases in total, each nam-ing accusing 400 and mentioning the names of 100.

The university unit Chhatra League � les two cases against 140 students, naming 24.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Commissioner Shahid arrested with armsn Mohammad Jamil Khan

RAB personnel early yesterday arrested notorious criminal Saidur Rahman Sha-hid alias Shahid Commissioner from his Gandaria residence in the capital.

Shahid, a former ward commission-er from Gandaria area, contested the January 5 parliament election as an independent candidate from the same constituency.

The elite force on information raid-ed his house on Satish Sarker Lane be-tween 3am and 4am and arrested him, Sharif Mohammad Farhad Hossain, executive magistrate of RAB 10 told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Three pistols, a revolver and 62 rounds of ammunition were recovered from his house,” he said adding that Shahid Commissioner was handed over to Gandaria police. Later he was shown arrested in an arms case � led against him with the same police station.

Khandokar Golam Sarowar, command-er of Rab 10, said they had information that Shahid had been conspiring with seven other associates at his residence to “carry out sabotage.” “But sensing presence of the RAB members, others � ed the building through the back door climbing down a rope.”

He said they had to face obstacles at the main gate and the staircase of the � ve-storey building. During that time, Shahid Commissioner who was on the second � oor also tried to escape but the RAB members caught him.

“We did not � nd any of his family members at the house,” said Sarowar. “Only security guards and some crim-inals of the area used to live in the house,” he added.

Shahid has over a dozen cases of murder and extortion against him with di� erent police stations.

The group of Shahid Commissioner, largely known as Shahid Bahini, used to commit di� erent criminal activities in the area including murder, extor-tion, snatching and grabbing. Shahid, who sometimes identi� ed himself as an Awami League supporter and some-time Jatiya Party, did not use any mo-bile phone by his own.

On January 2, three days before the national election, law enforcers arrest-ed Shahid’s accomplice Ha� zur Rah-man from the same house with a re-volver, a pistol and a shotgun. Shahid,

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Court � nds Khaleda’s role mysterious in 10-truck arms hauln Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

The role of former prime minister Be-gum Khaleda Zia in the sensational 10-truck arms haul in April, 2004 in Chittagong was found mysterious by the court which delivered the verdict on the two cases in the incident on Jan-uary 30.

SM Mojibur Rahman, judge of Chit-tagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal 1, who pronounced a short version of the verdict in the cases on January 30 gave this observation in the full copy of the judgment that was released yesterday.

The judge observed that it was a conspiracy to destroy the good rela-tions of brotherly countries Bangla-desh and India.

In the arms case, the court released a 214-page judgment that awarded life term imprisonment to 14 accused and 260-page judgment in the smuggling case that awarded death sentence to the same 14 including two former min-isters, some military o� cials in intelli-gence agencies and a leader of Indian separatist group Ulfa.

The judge in his judgment observed that convicted o� cials of National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Direc-torate of General Forces Intelligence (DGFI) involved themselves with the arms smuggling incident maintaining

relations with Indian separatist group Ulfa.

The convicted NSI and DGFI o� -cials along with Indian separatist group Ulfa, Pakistani intelligence ISI and Du-bai-based company ARY hatched a con-spiracy to destroy the diplomatic and friendly relations between Bangladesh and India.

Indian separatist group United Lib-eration Front of Assam (Ulfa) was the intended recipient of the illicit arms

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yester-day alleged that 300 activists of the opposition had either been abducted or killed in between December 26 and January 27.

She urged the right bodies including the United Nations to intervene to stop such “enforced disappearance and kill-ings.”

Issuing a note of warning she said they cannot go on urging the govern-ment for talks and compromise for an inde� nite period. However, she said they would take some time to reorgan-ise the party as many leaders and ac-tivists were either in jail or on the run while many were killed.

The former premier said the � gure of 300 “killed or disappeared” activists were collected by the BNP o� ce. She mentioned another � gure of “killed” activists quoting media reports.

“According to di� erent media sta-tistics, since the start of the opposi-tion movement against the farcical election, 276 opposition leaders and activists were killed, 34 fell victim to extrajudicial killings after they were detained and 29,262 were arrested,” she claimed.

“I am drawing the attention of all

the human rights organisations includ-ing the United Nations to the poor state of human rights and also urging them to take e� ective steps,” she said.

Addressing a press conference at a city hotel Khaleda reiterated her call to the government to initiate a dialogue immediately to � nd out an amicable way out of the political stando� .

On the movement strategy Khaleda said BNP knows when to take a deci-sion. “There is no reason to think that we will urge for dialogue and compro-

mise for an inde� nite period. So take necessary steps keeping time in hand,” she warned.

Accusing the government of “re-

sorting to various conspiracy” to pro-long its “autocratic tenure” Khaleda said people of the country would not accept and tolerate the “autocracy and authoritarianism” for a long time.

The BNP chief alleged that not only the law enforcers or “state sponsored terrorism”, Awami League’s associat-ed bodies have also been resorting to armed attack publicly in the country.

“The illegal government has resort-ed to the path of political repression, killing, abduction and arrest,” she ob-served.

Terming the January 5 election far-cical the former premier alleged 153 were elected uncontested through “distribution” and they also wanted to give a share to the BNP. “We did not want seat sharing rather wanted a free, fair, neutral and competitive elec-tions.”

Khaleda said they formed the Rap-id Action Battalion to curb militancy and criminal activities but (the govern-ment) ruined its image and turned it into a dreadful force.

Soon after the formation of the RAB the then ruling BNP launched “Opera-tion Clean Heart” drive in which many opposition men were killed drawing � ak from both home and abroad.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

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7 | THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF 2013Treehouse | MICKEY MOUSE THE ARTIST

BusinessB1 Fitch Ratings to provide sovereign credit rating of Bangladesh

Nation6 Crops on about 2,500 bighas of land have been damaged for lack of irrigation as an in� uential leader of the ruling party has built a dam on a canal at Potibari village in Barisal.

Op-Ed11 The unifying thread running through Bangladesh’s 65-year existence is the frustrated aspiration to establish a democracy of the people, by the people, for the people.

INSIDE

8 | OBAMA TO FACE BLUNT TALK IN KSA 13 | LATE BLOWS KEEP HOSTS ALIVE

PROFILEP2

‘The illegal government has resorted to the path of political repression, killing, abduction and arrest’

Police and university authorities have not � led any case against the gun-toting Chhatra League activists

Khaleda seeks UN intervention tostop ‘forced disappearance, killings‘ Says 300 opposition activists were either abducted or murdered

A man dips dried � sh, a traditional Bangalee delicacy known as shutki, in phenyl, a household cleaning stu� considered hazardous to health, at Shutkipolli in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday. He does this to wash the � sh and also to keep insects away DHAKA TRIBUNE

10-TRUCK ARMS SMUGGLING

Government to probe Khaleda’s role n Kamran Reza Chowdhury and

Emran Hossain Shaikh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yester-day told parliament that her govern-ment would carry out a fresh investi-gation to unearth whether BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rah-man had been involved in the conspir-acy for smuggling 10-truckload arms through Bangladesh territory, mainly to try them, if proved.

“None will be spared,” she said during an unscheduled discussion initiated by her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, the prime minister said her government must not allow anyone to use Bangladesh territory against oth-er countries.

Taking part in the same discussion, Sheikh Selim, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Ma-tia Chowdhury, Mayeen Uddin Khan, Abdul Mannan and Jahangir Kabir Nanak demanded trial of Khaleda for her alleged involvement in the arms smuggling case.

Hasina took � oor and said the trial of the 10-truck arms haul cases had been done, but there could be fresh investi-gation on the conspiracy on this issue.

“In the reference of witnesses, the involvement of the BNP leader and the Hawa Bhaban has come. The trial is over. This is necessary to investigate whether the BNP leader and her son were involved in the conspiracy for the smuggling,” the premier told the un-scheduled discussion that went on for around one and a half hours, with dep-uty speaker Fazle Rabbi in the chair.

“It must be done.”Hasina in the last part of her speech

said: “We will carry out a fresh in-vestigation to � nd out whether the BNP leader and the Hawa Bhaban are involved in the conspiracy. We will hand down punishment; none will be spared.”

Earlier, Latif Siddiqui said Khaleda had known about the arms smuggling beforehand. He said the BNP chief

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Hasina: Not all of them were Chhatra Leaguen Kamran Reza Chowdhury and

Emran Hossain Shaikh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yes-terday said in parliament that not all of the cadres seen carrying � rearms on Rajshahi University campus were activists of her party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League.

She announced that legal actions would be taken against the attackers of students and warned that her govern-ment would not allow the Islami Chha-tra Shibir to occupy the campus and carry out violence there.

During an unscheduled discussion initiated by Opposition Chief Whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury, the premier said the Chhatra League leaders under attack had the right to defend them-selves.

Tajul had demanded tough actions against the armed persons carrying out the attack on general students.

“The students of Rajshahi Univer-sity had been waging an agitation, de-

manding reduction of fees and other issues. Chhatra League brought out a victory procession when the author-ities met the demands; they were at-tacked,” Hasina said.

“Then they protested and resisted [the attacks]. All of the cadres seen with arms were not activists of Chhatra League. We have already expelled the Chhatra League activists involved. Le-gal actions will follow,” said Hasina.

The prime minister said she had already instructed the home minis-ter and the inspector general of police to investigate the incident to � nd out those involved in the attacks.

She urged the left-leaning student bodies at Rajshahi University to remain alert so that Shibir cadres could not in-trude their agitation.

“It is not acceptable that Shibir will in� ltrate into their agitation pro-gramme, occupy the campus and carry out criminal activities; we have to see to it,” said Hasina.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

TWO SIDES TO THE STORY

• Plot to destroy good relation with neighboring country

• Smuggling arms for Ulfa as a ‘national interest’ is unintelligible

• 10-truck arms case not comparable with ordinary arms case

• Seized arms’ value was several thousand crore taka

• A mini cantonment can be operated by the seized arms

• Smuggling of huge weaponries was impossible without government backing

• Convicted Intelligence o� cials got lucrative bene� t from Ulfa

HIGHLIGHTS

News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

5 including a minor killed in two daysn Tribune Report

A man was killed allegedly by his neighbours in Papua village under Sonaimuri upazila of Noakhali on Monday following a feud over cable connection.

The victim Abul Khair 45, hailed from the same village.

Abdus Samad, OC of Sonaimuri po-lice station said cable operators cut o� cable connection of Sahid and Tanvir, neighbours of the deceased. In the move, cable connection of Abul Khair also went o� .

Around 9pm they engaged in a quarrel. At one stage, Sahid and Tan-vir started beating Khair leaving him unconscious. He was admitted to the Sonaimuri upazila health complex where the on-duty doctor announced him dead.

Police recovered body of a truck driver from Gaoarier area under Dakh-inkhan police station in the capital in the early hours of yesterday.

The deceased was identi� ed as Anowar Hossain, 30, hailing from Ara-

ihazar, Narayanganj. The body was recovered from a

house located in Miabox road, said Sayed Ali, sub-inspector of Dakhinkhan police station.

Abu Bakkar Siddique, deceased’s pa-ternal uncle, said Anowar had commit-ted suicide by hanging himself.

Limi Akhter, a class � ve student died in a mysterious manner while sleeping beside her father on Monday at Ba-ranagar village of Shahjahanpur upazila under Bogra. Limi’s father Md Shahin said some miscreants entered the house at night and strangulated Limi.

However, police suspected that Sha-hin might have killed his daughter.

Shahabar Ali, 45 was stabbed to death over a land dispute in Charshitai village under Kurigram sadar upazila on Monday.

Locals and police sources said he was in a state of rivalry with Khalilur Rahman of the same village over a piece of land that he had acquired through in-heritance. On Thursday morning when he went to plough the land, seven men of Khalilur attacked him with lethal

weapons leaving him critically injured.He was admitted to Kurigram sa-

dar hospital and later transferred to Rangpur Doctor’s Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday night.

The deceased’s brother Shamsur Rahman had � led case against seven- Khalil, Atikur, Bacchu, Amrul, Lokman, Ayub and Aminul-in this connection with Kurigram sadar police station, of whom, police had detained Atikur, said Investigation O� cer Azibur Rahman.

Idris Ali, 35, a sanitary mechanic was killed in Dighirchala area of Gazipur town yesterday.

He was son of a local resident Ramiz Uddin.

Police recovered his body with marks of injury on head and broken hands from a lane behind City Model School in the area, being tipped o� by locals.

O� cer-in-Charge of Joydebpur tha-na S M Kamruzzaman said Idris did not return to his home after getting out on Monday evening. His body was sent to Gazipur sadar hospital morgue. l

In 30 years, Shahid vies for MP postn Ashif Islam Shaon

Saidur Rahman Shahid alias Shahid Commissioner had been a porter at CSB warehouse of Mill Barrack in the capi-tal’s Gendaria in mid 1980s. Occasional-ly, he also worked as a small � sh trader that time.

He could not complete primary ed-ucation because of � nancial crisis. But his children now study abroad. Shahid gradually earned huge property using arms. He owns several residential hous-es in the capital; and bars and hotels abroad, say police.

Shahid operated several criminal gangs in Sutrapur, Gendaria and Shyampur areas. During the late 90’s, he become godfather of the gangs. Rumours are there that listed criminals Kala Jahangir and Pichchi Hannan were patronised by Shahid Commissioner.

Once a ward-level leader of the Awa-mi League, he was accused in a number of cases � led for murder, extortion, ab-duction and conspiracy against him. He was convicted in some of the cases and later secured bail from the High Court against the verdicts.

He had been a councillor for the DCC South’s ward 47 (ward 84 of the undi-vided DCC).

After 2001, he went into hiding; and re-sumed his activities around � ve years ago.

Shahid was sentenced to death on May 29, 2003 on charges of shooting lawyer Habibur Rahman Mandal on Chandra Mohan Basak Lane at Bano-gram of Old Dhaka on August 20, 2000.

A speedy trial tribunal in Dhaka also awarded death sentence to Kala Jahan-gir and life imprisonment to 10 other accused including Tanoy Mollah in the murder case. But after serving 10 years

in prison, Shahid was acquitted by the High Court. Verdict against the other ac-cused were upheld.

Shahid was also made accused in the murder of Shahadat Hossain Sikder, commissioner of ward 90, on Septem-ber 29, 2003, and Jubo Dal leader Sujan in Sutrapur on May 4, 1999.

Verdict in the two cases have been pending with the High Court, police said.

Shahid was also accused in the kill-ing of Dhalka Nagar’s Selim, Mahbub of Bhattikhana, Bunga Babu of Mill Barrack, Anu and Sentu of Faridabad, Sumon and Mikel of Mill Barrack and Selim from KB Road of Old Dhaka. He served several years in jail in these cases.

There are six murder cases against Shahid and many other cases � led with several police stations of Old Dhaka.

Besides the allegations, top listed terrors Kala Jahangir, Dakat Shahid, and Pichchi Hannan, who was killed in a RAB cross� re, and a number of listed criminals are the co-accused of the Sha-hid in various cases.

But there has been no murder cases against Shahid after 2003.

In the January 5 general election, Shahid Commissioner contested as an independent candidate from Dhaka 6 constituency even though he is a con-victed criminal. He also tried to manage ticket of the Awami League, but failed.

In this constituency, Awami League nominated candidate Mizanur Rahman Dipu died of cardiac arrest a week before the election. HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party leader Kazi Feroz Rashid was a contes-tant in the same constituency.

However, Shahid lost to Feroz by around 38,000 votes though, earlier he had rejected the election only an hour after the voting started alleging rigging against his rival candidate.

Asked, how a listed criminal could take part in the national poll, Golam Sar-war, commanding o� cer of RAB 10 said: “The Election Commission decides on this. We could not arrest him as RAB has no authority to nab an aspirant.”

“We will examine exactly how many cases he has currently been facing. He will be show arrested in the cases,” he said. l

Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested Saidur Rahman alias Shahid Commissioner with � rearms and ammunition after conducting drive at his Gendaria residence in the early hours of yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Saarc ministers to discuss strengthening regional body n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Foreign ministers of Saarc countries are set to discuss strengthening the mech-anisms and the secretariat of the re-gional body at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The new Saarc secretary general is also likely to be formally endorsed in the meeting, said a diplomat.

The Maldives, the current chair, will host the meeting on February 20 and also foreign secretary-level meetings on February 18-19.

“The tenure of the current secretary general, Ahmed Saleem, will expire on February 28 and he will be replaced by former Nepali foreign secretary Arjun Bahadur Thapa,” the diplomat said.

Nepal is likely to announce the date of the 18th summit at the meeting, which will also discuss making the Saarc observers more involved in the mechanism of the regional body, the diplomat said. l

Khaleda seeks UN intervention PAGE 1 COLUMN 4The BNP chief said the BGB was being misused to uproot political opponents keeping the border insecure.

Replying to a query she said the party’s decision to boycott the January 5 poll was right. Asked why they were

contesting the upazila polls now, Khale-da said: “Upazila election is a local body election and anyone can participate in the polls.”

On the ruling party’s call to quit the Ja-maat, Khaleda said: “We will decide on it ourselves. Who are they to dictate us?”l

Government to probe Khaleda’s role PAGE 1 COLUMN 2could be tried in the case, if parliament adopted a resolution on her trial.

Kazi Feroz Rashid of the Jatiya Par-ty opposed the idea of going against Khaleda since the court had already given judgement in the two cases � led over the incident of April 2, 2004.

Feroz termed Selim’s statement

“cheap speech” and urged the prime minister to remain vigilant so that par-liament did not turn into a “sanctuary of the sycophants.”

Hasina reiterated her stance on sep-aratist groups. “This is [my] � nal posi-tion; we will in no way tolerate terrorist activities in any of its form on the soil of Bangladesh.”

After the assassination of Bangaband-hu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, she said: “Bangladesh turned into a sanctuary of the Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

“Why should we allow our land to be used in the � ght between India and Pa-kistan? Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign nation. Why should it be a route for arms smuggling?”

The premier said the previous gov-ernments used to nurture the separatist groups in the neighbouring countries by providing them with trainings and arms.

She said Khaleda in the past had termed the separatism in India’s north-eastern states “freedom strug-gle.” Her party MPs in parliament too spoke supporting the separatists. l

Commissioner Shahid arrested PAGE 1 COLUMN 6however, was not arrested at that time, though he was at home during the raid.

After 10 years in prison, the High Court acquitted Shahid in the lawyer Habibur Rahman Mandal murder case around � ve years ago. He had been sentenced to death by a lower court.

Five other murder charges against him are currently pending with the High Court.

Shahid went into hiding since his release but he came out again from hideout recently and took part as inde-pendent candidate in the 10th parlia-mentary election. l

Not all of them were Chhatra League PAGE 1 COLUMN 5Referring to the trial of the Biswasjit murder, the prime minister said her government had not endorsed crimi-nal activities. “We took actions against 22 Chhatra League activists in connec-tion with Biswasjit’s murder.”

Hasina said at least 16 activists of the Chhatra League had been mur-dered on Rajshahi University campus.

“Are the lives of our boys not im-portant? Are they not the children of their parents? Who stands by them when our boys are attacked? Why will we tolerate this? Criminals are crim-inals, but everybody has the right to defend themselves.”

Hasina said her government would try the criminals, no matter which par-ty they belonged to. l

Court � nds Khaleda’s role mysterious in 10-truck arms haul PAGE 1 COLUMN 6that landed at the jetty of state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) that night.

The court found that the convicted Bangladeshi intelligence o� cials had not only been bene� tted by Ulfa,but also took thousands of dollars and lucra-tive gifts from some foreign missions, agencies and business groups including Pakistani Inter-service Intelligence (ISI) and Dubai-based company ARY.

Omar Fuad, bench assistant of the court, told the Dhaka Tribune that the judge had signed the full text of the verdict and it would be forwarded to the High Court as early as possible.

In another observation, the judge said the arms were being smuggled through land and water territory of Bangladesh to strengthen Ulfa.

“The accused put no importance on the apprehension that such incident will hamper the friendly and helpful relation with the neighbouring coun-ty,” the court said.

This kind of conduct ascertained that the accused had ill-motive to de-stroy the relation between the two

countries; the court said adding that the accused had done it in collabora-tion with the Ulfa leader.

“The involved defence o� cials de-famed our foreign policy by implicat-ing themselves with the incident,” the court said.

“They also defamed our defence forces which achieved pride and hon-our in the world by working in peace-keeping missions of the United Na-tions,” the court added.

About Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister from home a� airs, the court said that he had tried to hide the misdeed using di� erent tricks instead of taking any legislative measure.

“It was proved that the accused and the government high-ups were informed about the matter and called it a matter of ‘national interest,’ but I cannot understand how an arms con-signment in our country for Ulfa leader Paresh Barua can be of national inter-est,” the court said.

It had been proved that the entire incident was pre-planned and they played an active role in collaboration with each other in this connection, the

court said.When prosecution witness Maj Gen

(retd) Sadik Hasan Rumi informed the matter to the then premier Khaleda Zia over the phone, she had no reac-tion and said she was aware of it and a probe committee would be formed.

“Such a silent role by the head of the government instead of expressing stern reaction after knowing about this very big incident seems mysterious,” the judge added.

In the same way, it was proved to the court that the then state minister for home a� airs Lutfozzaman Babar had tortured the eye witnesses of the incident. Prosecution witnesses police Sergeant Alauddin and Sergeant Helal Uddin were mentally and physically tortured as Babar implicated them in a fake arms case a year after the incident.

It was also proved that Babar was involved with the incident directly as he ordered to release � ve persons who were detained from the spot and had ordered the CMP commissioner and DC (Port) not to talk about the incident to journalists or to mention NSI’s in-volvement with the incident.

It was proved that the convicts had much knowledge and control over the arms and ammunition and no one could have brought such a large con-signment of weapons working alone.

“So the logic of the defence that the accused had no idea about the weap-ons is not acceptable,” the court obser-vation said.

Quoting section 197 of Criminal Pro-cedure Code, counsel for the accused Field O� cer Akbar Hossain Khan said his client could not be indicted in the cases while he was a government employee.

In reply, the judge said in his ob-servation that it was not necessary to take prior permission from the govern-ment to take action against any public servant when they were involved with any misdeed.

The weapons were made in China, said PW 55 Brig Gen Hasan Mahmud Taiyebur Rahman’s deposition.

The arms and ammunition seizure is not only the biggest ever in Bangla-desh, the judge said, the court could not � nd an incident of such a large-scale arms smuggling in the world.

“A small cantonment can be set up

with the seized weapons,” the court said, adding that the consignment was brought when Matiur Rahman Nizami was the industries minister and Lut-fuzzaman Babar was the state minister for home.

It can be said without any evidence or proof that bringing in such a huge consignment of arms and ammunition from abroad is not possible without the help of the government, the court added.

The court also said the NSI and DGFI o� cials committed a big crime by providing shelter to a foreignsepa-ratist leader.

International smugglers and terror-ists choose those countries for their terrorism and criminal activities in which they can convince the country’s high-ups by giving di� erent kinds of unethical facilities, said the court.

Ulfaleader Paresh also used the technique while the NSI and DGFI of-� cials took the illegal facilities with the collaboration of embassies of some other countries.

The NSI and DGFI o� cials also trav-elled abroad more than once and sat

in meeting with Ulfa, ISI and ARY, said the court.

All the activities of the accused proved that they had committed a se-vere crime by bringing 10truckloads of weapons with the collaboration of pol-iticians, government o� cials and local and international smuggling gangs.

They were involved with the con-spiracy to destroy the whole nation and to threatenthe existence of the country. So the court decided to award the highest punishment to the ac-cused. Otherwise it was not impossible that such incidentswould be repeated, the court observed.

On April 2, 2004, the police seized 4,930 types of sophisticated � rearms, 27,020 grenades, 840 rocket launchers, 300 rockets, 2,000 grenade launching tubes, 6,392 magazines and 11,40,520 bullets when they were being loaded on to 10 trucks from two engine-boats at the jetty of the CUFL.

A total 50 persons were sued in arms case and 52 persons in smuggling case lodged over the incident while the court acquitted a total 36 accused in arms case and 38 in smuggling case. l

Rajshahi University gun wielders given immunity PAGE 1 COLUMN 3In the cases, the leaders of the left-leaning students’ organisations, namely Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Somajtantrik Chhatra Front, Chhatra Federation and Biplobi Chhatra Moitree, were made accused.

The leftist student leaders were the � rst to raise a number of demands on behalf of the students and initiated the movement.

In all the cases, Ashraful Alam Emon, a � nal year student of history and president of the university unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student front of Jamaat-e-Islami, was made accused, Motihar police station sources said.

In a press release, RU unit Shibir Press Secretary Labib Abdullah protested the � ling of cases against

their leader and claimed that they had nothing to do with Sunday’s incidents.

However, police and university authorities have not � led any case against the gun-toting Chhatra League activists. The photographs and identities of the armed men were published in the newspapers on yesterday and the day before.

During Sunday’s attack, RU unit Chhatra League organising secretaries Shamsuzzaman Emon and Faisal Ahmed Runu, joint secretaries Nasim Ahmed Setu and Mahbubur Rahman Polash, environment a� airs secretary Mustakim Billah, Sudipta Salam, former joint-secretary and another outsider were seen brandishing funs at the students.

The law enforcers have not managed to arrest any of those Chhatra League men until yesterday evening, although a day before, State Minster for Home Asaduzzamn Khan told media that law enforcers had been directed to round them up.

On the same day, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said in a brie� ng: “None of the terrorists seen brandishing guns during the violence on RU campus will be spared.”

Motihar police station OC Shamsur Nur told reporters that drives were being conducted to arrest them.

On Monday night, Chhatra League central committee expelled RU unit joint secretary Nasim Ahmed Setu and organising secretary Shamsuzzaman Emon.

Neither of the vice-chancellor nor the pro-vice-chancellor nor the proctor could be reached for comments on legal actions being taken against the gun-toting Chhatra League men.

Acting registrar Prof Entajul Haque refused to make any comment on the issue when contacted.

Left leaning students’ platform “Progressive Students Union” held a rally at the Shaheb Bazar Zero point in Rajshahi city demanding exemplary punishment for the attackers, who they said belonged to Chhatra League.

Students had been staging a movement since January 16 under the banner of “Teachers-Students against increased fees and evening courses.” l

Commonwealth calls for ‘purposeful dialogue’ n Tribune Report

The Commonwealth has called upon the political parties in Bangladesh to hold a purposeful dialogue towards fu-ture elections.

“The Commonwealth remains ready to support a purposeful dialogue to-wards a framework for future elections that fully re� ect the will of the people and respect the principle of democrat-ic constitutionalism,” said Common-wealth Secretariat spokesperson Rich-ard Uku in a statement yesterday.

He said the Commonwealth was also willing to assist the Election Commis-sion of Bangladesh in further strength-ening its functions and e� ectiveness.

He added that the politically mo-tivated violence and loss of life and injuries incurred during the run-up to the elections was a matter of profound concern and a threat to the orderly con-duct of democratic elections. l

Once a ward-level leader of the Awami League, he was accused in a number of cases � led for murder, extortion, abduction and conspiracy against him

3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

‘Implement CHT accord at least this time’n Muktasree Chakma Sathi

Ruling alliances lawmakers, indige-nous peoples’ leaders and rights activ-ists yesterday urged the government to implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts accord in this tenure.

Speaking at the reception pro-gramme of Rangamati lawmaker Ush-atan Talukder at the Liberation War Museum premises in the capital, the speakers also observed that though the Awami League-led alliance was in pow-er when the accord was signed, it failed to ful� l its promises.

Speaking at the programme, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon of the ruling alliance said the indigenous people’s rights had not been established.

“I hope the government will take neces-sary steps regarding formation and ef-fectiveness of land commission which is a part of the promises made in the CHT Accord [of 1997],” Menon, chief of Workers Party of Bangladesh, added.

Echoing Menon’s observation, Ush-atan Talukder expressed hopes: “This time the government will be in a good sense to implement the CHT Accord and help establish peace in the Chit-tagong Hill Tracts.”

“As a lawmaker, I will work for peo-ple irrespective of caste, community and religion,” Ushatan added.

Pointing at previous indigenous law-makers who was elected under the ban-ner of the country’s major political par-ties, right activists Khushi Kabir said they could not hold on to their voices because of their a� liation with the major politi-cal parties. She also expressed hopes that Ushatan would not lose his voice like the other indigenous lawmakers.

Ushatan is the third indigenous lead-er in the 43-year history of the country, who is elected from the CHT region as a representative of the Parbatya Chat-tagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS). Earlier, Manabendra Narayan Larma, founder of the PCJSS, and Chai Thwai Roaza both won in the 1973 elections as independent candidates. l

Moudud, Mahbub, Ra� qul releasedon bailn Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Senior BNP leaders Moudud Ahmed, Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Ra� qul Islam Miah were released on bail yes-terday from Kashimpur Central Jail.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s ad-viser Khandker Mahbub Hossain, also vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council, and BNP standing committee member Barrister Ra� qul Islam Miah were released from Kashimpur Central Jail-2, con� rmed Jail Superintendent Jahangir Alam.

Meanwhile, BNP standing commit-tee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed was freed from Kashimpur Central Jail-1, as con� rmed by Jailor Abdul Kuddus.

Family members and party leaders greeted the senior leaders at the jail gates.

Khandker Mahbub received bail from the High Court on Monday, while the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court Sunday upheld the bail order of Ra� qul Islam Miah and Moudud Ahmed along with two other BNP lead-ers by dismissing the appeal by the state on January 21.

Ra� qul and Moudud were detained from in front of the Pan Paci� c Sonargaon Hotel on November 8 last year, while Mahbub was arrested from the capital’s National Press Club on January 7. l

Jatiya Sangsad starts businessn Kamran Reza Chowdhury

The second day of the 10th Jatiya Sang-sad, in practice the � rst day for parlia-mentary business, saw the absence of opposition leader Rawshan Ershad and front bench government ministers.

In the absence of Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, who was scheduled to answer MPs’ questions, his deputy Mashiur Rahman Ranga told lawmakers: “Please, come to my o� ce to have some tea; we will take the nec-essary measures.”

In reply Shamim Osman, an Awa-mi League MP, o� ered Local Govern-ment Minister Syed Ashraful Islam and Moshiur Rahman tea and co� ee in his constituency in Narayanganj, to witness the poor condition of the roads there.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the

Deputy Leader of the house Syeda Sa-jeda Chowdhury, and Begum Matia Chowdhury turned up in time for the House to start its business.

Two independent MPs spoke, praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for holding the January 5 poll. The House started its business at 4.37pm, with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Independent MP Rustom Ali Farazi was the � rst to raise a question for Lo-cal Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam. State Minister Mashiur Rahman Ranga took to the � oor to answer to the question on his behalf.

Instead of reading out the printed script, the state minister appealed to accept the script as “read out.” Speaker Chaudhury asked him to read it out.

As per the parliamentary rules, Fara-zi got a chance to ask a supplementary

question. He asked the minister wheth-er local government would take meas-ures to improve the roads in his constit-uency, Mothbaria, Pirojpur.

Awami League MPs Enamul Haque, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, Moslem Uddin, AKM Jahang-ir Hossain, Hazi Selim, Shawkat Chowd-hury, Yeasin Ali, Habibur Rahman Mollah and Shamim Osman also posed questions for the Local Government ministry.

Ranga answered most questions by urging the MPs to come to his o� ce with letters, and to have tea or co� ee, so that he could take any necessary meas-ures, in consultation with the minister.

Sitting just two metres away from Ranga, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon of the Workers’ Party started laughing at the way the state minister was answering the questions.

Ranga was also seen laughing.Before posing his question on the

poor condition of roads in his constit-uency of Ranga, Shamim Osman said: “I hope the (state) minister will not re-quest me to have a co� ee at his o� ce…rather I request the honourable minis-ter and him [Ranga] to come to my area to have tea or co� ee, or lunch, and wit-ness the condition of the roads.”

Ranga then said: “Maybe the hon-ourable member does not like tea or co� ee; I could instead entertain him with lachchhi. I will go to his area.”

Absence of senior MPsAt the beginning, out of the total 29 seats, 11 MPs, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, were present the front row. Kazi Feroz Rashid was the

only MP on the opposition benches. Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ziauddin

Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon, Anwar Hossain Manju, Tofail Ahmed, Rahmat Ali, AMA Muhith, Mohammad Nasim and Ruhul Amin Hawlader joined the House.

After the Maghrib prayer recess, many of the senior MPs left the House.

Twelve MPs including Prime Minis-ter Sheikh Hasina stayed at the assem-bly until the end of the sitting.

The House had a more than one-and-half-hour-long unscheduled discussion on the 10-truck arms case. The chair, Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi, suspended the scheduled notice of public impor-tance. At the direction of Chief Whip ASM Feroz, the House started the discussion on the president’s parliamentary address.

The House will resume at 4.30pm today. l

Stricter veri� cation likely to bar Rohingyas from getting passportsn Rabiul Islam

The home ministry is likely to issue an order for ensuring better veri� cation during the issuance of passports, in a bid to prevent Rohingya refugees from getting passports through illegal means.

The decision may come from a min-istry meeting, chaired by Senior Secre-tary CQK Mustaq Ahmed today, on My-anmar refugees and illegal intruders.

“It is our duty to protect the interest of the country and we would discuss various issues including checking ille-gal entrance of Rohingyas,” home min-istry Additional Secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune.

Seeking anonymity, a senior home ministry o� cial also said: “It may be decided that the agencies concerned would verify closely so that the Ro-hingyas do not get passports illegally.”

Although there is no o� cial � gure, a large number of Rohingyas are report-ed to have secured Bangladeshi pass-ports through di� erent methods.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner

Mohammad Nurul Amin told the Dha-ka Tribune that Rohingyas pretend to be relatives of local residents and mar-ry local women to get a permanent ad-dress. Through such techniques, they get passports, he admitted.

“Still we remain strict and try to check while issuing passports,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that very few such passports are issued from the district.

He also said Rohingyas get passports from Dinajpur and Panchagar.

Police Superintendent (immigra-tion) Na� ul Islam at Shahajalal Interna-tional Airport said: “We detect at least � ve passports of Rohingyas every day.”

He, however, said the number of such passports has decreased recently.

“We remain alert so that Rohingyas do not get passports,” Director Gener-al of Department of Immigration and Passports Abdul Mabud told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

Passports are not given to anyone other than Bangladeshi citizens, he added.

Meanwhile, o� cials claimed that many Rohingyas had stained the image of Bangladesh by going to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports and com-mitting crimes there.

Lt Col Abu Jar Al Zahid, command-ing o� cer of BGB 42 Battalion in Teknaf, said Rohingyas continue their attempts to intrude into Bangladesh.

“We have pushed back over 300 Ro-hingyas in January,” he said, adding that there was an in� ux of Rohingyas following recent violence in Myanmar.

O� cials of Border Guard Bangla-desh said the country faced multifari-ous problems because of illegal intru-sion of the Rohingyas.

“The Rohingyas commit serious crimes in Bangladesh which create social problems,” a senior BGB o� cial said, seeking anonymity.

Bangladesh currently has 30,000 registered refugees in two o� cial camps, while more than three lakh un-registered refugees from Myanmar re-portedly live in makeshift camps and in villages in Cox’s Bazar. l

PROBE INTO WEALTH OF MPS & MINISTERS

ACC seeks Cox’s Bazar MP Bodi’s statementRaids conducted in Patuakhali to collect info on Mahbubur Rahman’s wealth

n Tribune Report

The Anti-Corruption Commission yes-terday served a notice to Cox’s Bazar lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi, asking him to provide his wealth statements in connection with an inquiry into the accumulation of “illegal wealth.”

Signed by Deputy Director Ahsan Ali, the notice asked the lawmaker to be present at the commission headquar-ters at Segunbagicha in the capital on February 16, in order to give his state-ments related to the inquiry, con� rmed an o� cial.

Last week, Ahsan Ali, also the inves-tigating o� cer in the inquiry, went to Cox’s Bazar to collect documents and information. He visited a number of ad-ministrative o� ces to know more about the MP’s wealth, ACC sources said.

The o� cer took statements from various people, seized the lawmaker’s wealth and income tax return state-ments. The investigator also seized the income tax return statements of the lawmaker’s wife Shahina Akhter.

Cox’s Bazar MP Bodi’s earnings rose by an astronomical 500 times over the last � ve years. The lawmaker’s annual income was only Tk3.01 lakh in 2008. According to his a� davits placed at the EC, his income rose to Tk15.46 crore in 2013.

Meanwhile, another ACC Deputy Director Khairul Huda yesterday con-ducted drives at several � eld o� ces in Patuakhali, in order to collect doc-uments and information related to the inquiry into the wealth of former state minister for water resources, and Awa-mi League lawmaker from Patuakhali, Mahbubur Rahman.

Mahbubur Rahman now owns Tk5.25 crore in immovable property, which was worth Tk36.33 lakh in 2008. Five years ago, his annual income was Tk2.15 lakh. He now earns Tk1.50 crore.

The ACC, on January 22, initiated an inquiry against seven ruling party lawmakers, including two former min-isters, a state minister and four MPs – in a bid to trace the source of their phe-nomenal wealth increases. l

People try to rescue a wheat-laden truck which fell o� a pontoon into the river at Jailkhana Ghat in Khulna yesterday FOCUS BANGLA

Members of the Jatiya Garments Sramik Federation form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza disaster DHAKA TRIBUNE

First witness to give deposition in Yusuf case today n Udisa Islam

The war crimes tribunal will record the deposition of � rst defence witness in Jamaat-e-Islami leader AKM Yusuf case today.

Yesterday was � xed for pacing the witness, but the defence sought an ad-journment. The International Crimes Tribunal 2 allowed them one day.

Earlier, the tribunal accepted three defence witnesses out of a list of 56. The prosecution placed 27 witnesses.

Yusuf, Jamaat’s senior nayeb-e-ameer, was indicted on August 1, 2012 on 13 charges of crimes against humani-ty. The investigators have found Yusuf’s involvement in the murder of eight people and mass killing of 700 others, looting 300 houses and 400 shops, and forcing 200 Hindus to convert to Islam.

The Jamaat leader, who allegedly formed razakar and peace committees in Khulna region during the war, was reportedly arrested after the Collabora-tor Order 1972 was formulated but re-leased after cancellation of the law on December 31, 1975. l

CrPC ‘ignored’ in councillor arrest n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Bangladesh Minority Watch President and Supreme Court lawyer Rabindra Gosh yesterday alleged, that the Code of Criminal Procedure was violated in the arrest of Councillor Diba Rani Dey of Sylhet City Corporation by male po-lice members.

In a press brie� ng, the Supreme Court lawyer made the allegation.

While addressing the press brie� ng, Diba Rani Dey said police produced her before the court in a hurry, adding that some procedures needed to be main-tained in arresting her. Diba also alleged that she was arrested in a false case.

Kotwali police station OC Ataur Rah-man Babul said there were two female police o� cers present at the arrest.

Diba was arrested on February 2, and was produced before the court on the same day; she received bail on Feb-ruary 3, sources said. l

MP Bodi’s earnings rose by an astronomical 500 times over the last � ve years. The lawmaker’s annual income was only Tk3.01 lakh in 2008

‘I will work for people irrespective of caste, community and religion’

News4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

City High Low

PRAYER TIMESFajar 5:20am

Sunrise 6:37amZohr 12:12am

Asr 4:11pmMagrib 5:47pm

Esha 7:05pmSource: IslamicFinder.org

WEATHER

Dry weather likely n UNB

Weather may remain dry with tempo-rary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

Moderate to thick fog might occur over Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions and the river basins and light to moder-ate fog elsewhere over the country dur-ing midnight until morning, Met O� ce said.

Mild cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur division and the regions of Faridpur, Madaripur, Srimangal, Sita-kunda, Rajshahi, Pabna, Jessore and Kushtia and it may continue. Night and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:47pm today and rises at 6:37am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 29.2 degree Celsius was recorded in Cox’s Bazar and lowest 07.9 degrees in Sri-mangal yesterday.

Highest and lowest temperatures re-corded in some major cities yesterday were:

Dhaka 21.5 11.6 Chittagong 26.3 13.9Rajshahi 22.7 09.4 Rangpur 20.4 08.8 Khulna 25.5 11.6Barisal 24.8 10.6Sylhet 25.6 13.0 Cox’s Bazar 29.2 16.3

Upazila AL joint secretary, two others sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A Barguna court yesterday rejected the bail prayers of Patharghata upazila Awami League Joint Secretary Akon Mohammad Shaid, his brother and a school headmaster in a criminal case � led against them, and sent them to jail.Barguna District and Session Judg-es Court Judge Nazrul Islam gave the order after the accused surrendered be-fore the court and � led a bail petition.

According to the case � led, the rul-ing party leader, his brother and secre-tary of Natunbazar Merchants Associa-tion Nasiruddin Akon, and Patharghata model primary school headmaster Anwar Hossain assaulted one, Shahin Molla, during an arbitration meeting. l

SONALI BANK HEIST3-day remand for Sohel’s wife, truck helpern Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

A Kishoreganj court yesterday grant-ed a three-day remand for Mahima Akter, the second wife of Sohel, the mastermind of the Sonali Bank bur-glary, and truck helper Alamgir in a case filed for burgling Tk16.40 crore from the bank.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Hamidul Islam of Judicial Court 1 of Kishoreganj granted the remand.

On Saturday, police arrested Ma-hima in the capital’s Jatrabari area with Tk2.5 lakh. Mahima Aktar, 27, wife of

Sohel alias Yusuf Munshi, was detained by a team of police led by Abdul Malek, the case’s investigation o� cer and the o� cer-in-charge of Kishoreganj police station and a Dhaka detective branch team around 4:45pm.

Abdul Malek said they picked up Mahima Akter for interrogation. The OC said Mahima had been with him during the heist and helped him for two years.

He said they had recovered the money from a house on the � fth � oor of a building in Kadamtoli.

The 37-year-old Yusuf dug a tunnel

between his rented house and the main branch of Sonali Bank in Kishoreganj town to commit the burglary that he had been planning for two years.

On the other hand, on Sunday a truck which was used during the burglary was con� scated along with two helpers including Alamgir from Atharobari of Ishwarganj upazila, Mymensingh. The court granted a three-day remand for Alamgir yesterday.

A covered van was also recovered from Shyampur in Dhaka which was also used in the same criminal operation. l

Hearing in Parag abduction case deferredn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

The Kashimpur jail superintendent yesterday appeared before a tribunal to submit his written reply to a show cause notice issued on Monday in Parag Mandal abduction case.

Judge Sadikul Islam Talukdar of the Women and Children Repression (pre-vention) Tribunal 1 issued the notice asking why the jail authorities had not produced Mokter Hossain Amir, the main accused in the case, before the tribunal on Monday.

One of the accused Mamun Miah’s counsel Emanur Rahman yesterday � led a petition before the tribunal seeking time. In the petition, the coun-sel said the accused had appealed be-fore the High Court against the charge framing, and that it was pending for hearing.

So the tribunal yesterday adjourned all proceedings in the case until the hearing takes place. Yesterday was � xed for producing the � rst prosecu-tion witness in this case.

Three prosecution witnesses includ-ing Parag’s father Bimal Chandra Man-dal and his grandmother Sabittri Mon-dol were present before the tribunal.

On October 23 last year, the tribunal indicted the accused for their alleged

involvement in the incident. During yesterday’s hearing, all the accused were present before the tribunal. The key accused are Moktar Hossain Amir alias Lengra Amir, his wife Beauty Akhter, nephew Md Akash, brother-in-law Abul Kashem, and Md Kala Chand, Mohammad Ali Rifat, Zahidul Islam, Al Amin, Mamun Miah, Md Sakil, Md Sul-tan and Md Wasim.

Of them, accused Abul Kashem and Mohammed Akash got bail from this tribunal while Sultan and Wasim are on the run.

The investigation o� cer of the case submitted the charge sheet on March 23 last year, dropping the names of Jubo League leader Aminul Haque alias Jewel Mollah, the prime accused in the case, Alfas Hossain and Rizvi Ahmed Anik, as the charges brought against them were not proven.

Parag, a six-year-old KG I student of Heed International School in the capital’s Sadarghat, was picked up by a gang of four gunmen on the morning of November 11, 2012 in Keraniganj.

The kidnapers set Parag free report-edly after taking ransom worth Tk50 lakh on November 13. Parag’s grand-mother Sabitri Mandal � led a case with Dakkhin Keraniganj police station the same day accusing 10 people. l

Local BNP leader injured in ‘gun� ght’n Tribune Report

A local BNP leader received bullet in-jury in a “gun� ght” with police in Sat-khira yesterday.

Motshojibi Dal leader of Shamnagar upazila Jamal Hossain Faruk, 32, was shot during a gun� ght between police and his followers at Joynagar area yes-terday morning, said Sagar Mia, o� cer-in-charge of Shamnagar police station.

Jamal’s followers attacked the law en-forcers when he was arrested and was taken to custody, the OC said, adding that police also opened � re in retali-ation. During the clash, a bullet � red by his followers hit Jamal and he was undergoing treatment at Satkhira Hos-pital, he said.

OC Sagar also said eight cases were � led against Jamal, and he was arrested

for his alleged involvement in recent violence in the district.

Meanwhile, in a special raid in Shi-rajganj’s Ullapara area, police detained 10 activists of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, including BNP leader Azizul Is-lam and Jamaat leader Shirajul Islam, yesterday afternoon.

Moktar Hossain, additional police super of Shirajganj, said there had alle-gations of subversive, criminal and ter-rorists activists against the detainees. He, however, refused to provide details of the detainees.

On the other hand, members of Rap-id Action Battalion recovered 16 crude bombs and 4 petrol bombs in the capi-tal’s Mohammadpur area.

Senior Additional Superintendent of Police and operation o� cer of RAB 2 Raihanuddin Khan told the Dhaka Tri-bune: “Being tipped o� , a team of RAB 2 raided the Dhaka Udyan Housing and recovered the explosives at an aban-doned plot around 3pm.”

He also said: “Primarily we are suspect-ing that Jamaat-Shibir men might have brought the bombs and keep those at the abandoned plot to use it in the upcoming country wide hartal on Thursday.” l

Saraswati Puja celebrated n Mohammad Jamil Khan

With traditional gaiety and zeal, Saras-wati Puja, one of the main religious festivals of the Hindu community, was celebrated across the country yester-day. The puja is performed on Vasant Panchami every year with believers seeking blessings of Saraswati, the god-dess of knowledge.“According to Hindu myth, Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning, rides a swan or a peacock, or is seated on a lotus,” Sadhan Chakrabarty, priest at the Ramna Kali temple, told the Dha-ka Tribune.

“This year the puja is being celebrat-ed at over 100,000 mondops across the country at the temples and educational institutions,” Puja Udjapan Parishad President Sunil Chandra Majumder said.

The puja was celebrated at Dhakeswari temple, Siddheswari tem-ple, Ram-Krishna Mission, Supreme Court premises, Jagannath Hall of Dha-ka University (DU), Jagannath Univer-sity (JnU), Dhaka College, Eden Girls’ College and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology inside the capital. Like previous years, the Jagan-nath Hall premises became the centre of attraction with a number of idols being placed by di� erent departments of DU.

Students from 52 departments of the university put up colourful canopies giving the whole area a festive look.

The puja was also celebrated in Ku-wait Moitri Hall, Rokeya Hall, Shamsun Nahar Hall and Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall inside the campus. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Tra� c Department took special steps to control the tra� c situation. No vehicles were allowed to

enter the road along Jagannath Hall to facilitate easy movement of visitors in the area.

Nowadays, Jagannath University has become another favorite spot of the devotees in Saraswati. Students from more than 28 departments of JnU put up mondops at the science faculty, and arts faculty playground this year.

Dr Ashok Kumar Saha, proctor of the university, said students had put up nearly 26 mondops on the university premises. He said the puja started at 1am yesterday while the “Bani Archa-na” was performed at 8.30am.

At 9am “pushpanjali” was o� ered while Prasad (food o� ered to the god-dess) was distributed at 11am. “Arati (special prayer) was held at 6.30 pm and a cultural programme started at 7pm which continued until 10pm,” Dr Ashok said. l

Sunamganj boat � re death toll rises to 11Most passengers burnt inside the boat, says � re service

n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

The death toll from a boat that capsized after it caught � re in the Surma River in Sunamganj rose to 11 as � ve more bod-ies were recovered yesterday morning.

Most of the victims were stone quar-ry workers. Of them, four were women and two children. The police could identify four of them as Rokeya, 30, Kohinur Mia, 12, Rahman Mia, 12 and Sakib, 7, of Panchhata area in Khaliajuri upazila, Netrakona.

Superintendent of Police in Suna-mganj Harunur Rashid told the Dhaka Tribune: “The � re service stopped res-cue drives temporarily on 1.30pm after recovering bodies of 11 persons.”

He also said 10 other deceased could not be identi� ed as they were complete-ly burnt. Bangladesh Inland Water Trans-port Authority (BIWTA) called in a rescue team from Dhaka but it had not reached the place till the report was written.

An engine-run boat carrying over 150 labourers was heading towards Mithamain and Khaliajuri from Kera-niganj upazila, Sylhet when its engine caught � re and sank in Surma River on Monday evening.

Around 50-60 passengers man-aged to swim ashore but the rest could not. On information, locals and police rushed to the spot to start rescue drives.

In the beginning, locals and police recovered three bodies including one woman and later � re � ghters recovered three more bodies.

The � re � ghters are conducting res-cue operation. About 60 persons have

been rescued so far, said the SP.Senior Station O� cer of Sylhet Fire

Service Station Jabed Ahmed Moham-mad Tarek said: “Among the 11 bod-ies recovered, � ve were children aged between 3-8 years and the rest were adults.”

He said the bodies were burnt com-pletely so they were impossible to identify. Around 10 � re-� ghters and locals have been conducting the rescue drive. Police have been making inquest reports and the identities might be known through DNA tests.

The team delayed the rescue drive due to dense fog in the morning but some hours later they resumed the res-cue operation, the station o� cer said. The operation was stopped temporarily as BIWTA divers would conduct a joint operation with � re-� ghters, he added.

Jahed Mia, a passenger who sur-vived the accident, said: “I was sit-ting on the boat when the � re raged through the boat with a big explosion. The boat sank as passengers were mov-ing around in panic.”

He added that passengers who were sitting over the boat managed to save their lives but the rest of the travellers including women and children could not manage to get out of the boat.

Another passenger Amena Begum said: “Cooks were preparing meals for passengers on gas stoves and the pas-sengers were sleeping at that time. Suddenly the gas stove exploded and � re spread through the boat.”

“I saved my life but could not � nd my younger sister,” she said. Amena

could not identify his sister as the re-covered bodies were burnt completely.

Yet other witnesses said the silenc-er of the boat had caught � re around 8:30pm and the � re had quickly en-gulfed the entire boat.

About 50 remained missing, said witnesses.

Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Yamin Chowdhury and Police Super Harunur Rashid visited the spot on yesterday noon. The administrative of-� cers have announced that a Tk25,000 grant would be given to the families of the deceased and Tk10,000 to other victims.

Assistant Manager of Chatak Fire Service Jahirul Islam said: “Most of the passengers died inside the boat.”

Yamin Chowdhury said: “Adminis-tration has been providing � nancial as-sistance to the victim’s family. We will investigate the matter.”

No one could give an accurate num-ber for the missing people. Chatak Upazila Executive O� cer Ainur Akter Panna said: “Many were sent to the hospitals and others went home, so it is hard to � nd out the total number of missing people. We have informed BI-WTA in this regard.”

Doarabazar police station O� cer-in-Charge Selim Newaz said: “Fire burnt the boat completely. It was recovered in the morning.”

Chatak Thana O� cer-in-charge- Shahjalal Munshi said they would � le an unnatural death case with the police station. No one could give the exact � g-ure of missing people, he added. l

Rapid Action Battalion recovers 16 crude bombs and 4 petrol bombs in the capital’s Mohammadpur area

A priest introduces a boy to alphabets through ‘Hate Khori’ ceremony, a tradition way of staring education, during the Saraswati Puja at Jagannah Hall of Dhaka University yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Fire� ghters search for victims who went missing after jumping o� a trawler which caught � re in the Surma river Monday evening. At least 11 people have died in the � re incident DHAKA TRIBUNE

News 5DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Renamed city streets slip under radarDSCC e� orts to establish new names for roads and avenues go unheededn Abu Hayat Mahmud

The name of di� erent streets in the capital was changed a decade ago but the new name is used hardly by the city dwellers.

The government took steps to re-name of 85 roads and 12 establishments in 2004.

According to locals, people ignore the names as the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) did not take enough steps of publicity.

It is di� cult to � nd out the exact location as many organisations, shops owners and holding owners use both names and numbers.

At the time of giving trade license and holding numbers, the two city cor-porations give direction to the markets, shopping malls, shops owners and holding owners to use the new name.

But the new names are still un-known to the city dwellers as most of the residential and commercial build-ing owners are not using the name properly.

According to the DSCC sources, the new name of Elephant Road is Dr Kudrat-e Khuda but city dwellers do not know it.

Ahad Rahaman, a resident of Ele-phant Road said; “I never have been informed of the new name of the road.”

Afroza Chowdhury, a resident of of Bir Uttam Shamsul Alam Sarak, which was previously called New Circular road, said; “I know this road’s name as New Circular road,” adding that there was no sign for the new name of the road.

However, it was found that the name plaque of the road, which was inaugurated in 2010, has gone obscure.

Besides, the new name of Gulshan-1

road is AK Khandokar road, Gulshan-2 road is Bir Uttam Mir Shawkat Ali road, New Air Port road is Shahid Ziaur Rahaman road, Phulbaria road is Major MM Jalil road, Green road is Shahid Minir Chowdhury road, Purana Paltan is Comrade Moni Shingh road, Dainik Bangla road is Bir Uttam Ashfakus Samad road, Shantinagar road is Shilpacharja Joynul Abedin road, Shyamoli road is Bir Uttam ANM Nuruzzaman road, Pragati Sarani is Bir Uttam Ra� qul Islam Avenue, Mogbazar road is Rashed Khan Menon road, RK Mishon road is Muktijoddha Sadek Hossain Khoka road.

While visiting di� erent areas, it was found that the business organisations and holding owners have not yet used the new names.

Mahbub Alam, a shop owner of Purana Paltan, said; “I have never heard the new name of Purana Paltan.

For this reason I have used the old name.”

“The city corporation should take steps to publicise the new names, oth-erwise there’s no point,” he added.

Contacted Mohammad Sirajul Islam, chief urban planner of the DSCC, who was also the chief of the same post of the DNCC told the Dhaka Tribune that he was not the responsible person to talk about the matter.

Md Eusuf Ali, revenue o� cer of the DSCC, said; “I have not heard about the matter. The � ve tax o� cers of � ve zon-al o� cers can say more about this.”

Md Fasi Ullah, acting chief revenue o� cer of the DNCC, said; “We have asked the businessmen and holding owners to use the new name.”

Fasi Ullah also admitted to the alle-gation of the city corporation’s negli-gence and said; “In our next meeting I will place the matter.” l

BCC ward councilor sent to jailn Our Correspondent, Barisal

A Barisal court rejecting bail prayer in a case of explosion yesterday ordered to send a ward councilor of Barisal City Corporation to jail.

Court sources said Ward Councilor Ra� kul Islam Tipu, who is also joint secretary of the city unit BNP, was ar-rested with seven crude bombs on No-vember 9. On the same day, a case was � led against him under explosive act.

During interrogation, Tipu has disclosed that Ziauddin Shikdar, city unit BNP joint convener, also coun-cilor of ward 25, and Syed Akbar Hos-sain, councilor of ward 7, supplied the hand-made bombs for exploding them during political programmes.

Police arrested Syed Akbar, who granted bail after some days, the fol-lowing day.

However, Zia Shikdar had remained absconding for some days after the ar-rest.

He had recently returned to the city and become active in party pro-grammes.

Surrendering before Metropolitan Magistrate Court yesterday, Zia Shikdar also appealed for bail.

Ra� kul Islam, magistrate of the court, rejecting bail prayer also ordered police to send him to jail. l

Kolkata Book Fair launches biography of Bangabandhun Tribune Report

A biography on the life and career of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was launched at the Kolkata Book Fair on Monday.

The book, “From Rebel to Founding Father: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” features historic events associated with the political birth of Bangladesh under Bangabandhu’s leadership. Written by Syed Badrul Ahsan, the book has been published by leading Indian Publisher Niyogi Books.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Education Minister of West Bengal Bratya Basu said the book on the life and career of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is a crucial document to enlighten today’s generation about Bangabandhu’s contribution in the

politics of South Asia.Renowned author and actor Barun

Chanda said the book not only re� ected on the rise of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but also the history of Bangladesh that he led towards freedom.

The story of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Shakespearean tragedy, he said.

The book highlights the journey of father of the nation from a fervent worker of the All-India Muslim League before the partition in 1947 to a far-sighted secular politician and eventually statesman by the mid-1960s.

Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata Abida Islam, scholar Krishna Bose and writer and historian Sugata Bose also attended the launching ceremony among others. l

Muggers snatch Tk17 lakh n Tribune Report

A gang muggers snatched Tk17 lakh from a sta� of a private business house in Gabtoli area under the capital yester-day afternoon.

Trader manager, accountant and a peon of the business house Erphan were going to deposit Tk17 lakh to IFIC bank in Baghbari area.

Four unidenti� ed youths snatched the money at gunpoint when the sta� s reached near the bank at 12:30pm.

Ra� qul Islam, o� cer-in-charge of Darus Salam police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were inter-rogating the o� cials of the business house and trying to recover the money. A case was � led in this connection. l

Ganajagaran Mancha to celebrate � rst anniversaryn Arif Ahmed

The youth led platform “Ganajagaran Mancha” that commenced its move-ment at Shahbagh intersection on February 5 in 2013, protesting an Inter-national Crimes Tribunal verdict that sentenced war criminal Quader Molla life term imprisonment, is set to cele-brate its � rst anniversary today.

The Mancha Convener Dr Imran H Sarkar yesterday read out a written statement containing the programme details at Shahbagh intersection, known as “Shahbagh Projonmo Chattar.”

The platform announced February 5 as “Ganajagaran Day” and decided to stage several programmes on February 5, 6 and 7 across the country.

Imran said: “With a view to gener-ating our movement to the next gener-ation, we have declared the three-day programme.”

The Mancha will pay homage at the Central Shaheed Minar in the morning, all Ganajagaran Mancha activists will

take oath at 3:30pm, a procession titled “Jagaran Jatra” will be brought out at 4pm, “Open Reminisce” at 6pm-7pm and a cultural programme from 7pm-10pm will also be held today.

On the second day, a cultural pro-gramme from 3-6pm will be held with participation of famous cultural organi-sations of the country, reminisce for the media workers at 6pm-8pm and libera-tions poetry recitation at 8pm-10pm.

And on February 7, a drawing com-petition would be held in the morning, a mass rally titled “Jagaran Rally” will be held at 3pm at Projonmo Chattar and a cultural programme at a later part of the day.

The Mancha also arranged an essay completion on “Shahbagh Andolon and Bhabishyat Bangladesh” marking the � rst anniversary.

Imran H Sarkar also thanked the journalists for covering their pro-grammes from the beginning, and urged them to be with them in coming days too. l

Election Commission to make a� davit of upazila polls public n Mohammad Zakaria

The Election Commission has asked concerned o� cials to make public the a� davits of the candidates in the upa-zila parishad polls.

The EC yesterday issued a circular signed by Deputy Secretary of the com-mission Mihir Sarwar Morshed asking the returning o� cers and district elec-tion o� cers to take steps in this regard.

According to the circular, the com-mission asked the returning o� cers to send the a� davit copies of candidates through its content management sys-tem as soon as possible. The EC also asked them to make the a� davits available to anyone.

A photocopy of the a� davit will be given to anyone who asks for it.

When asked whether the commis-sion would upload the a� davits to the EC’s website, a senior assistant secre-

tary of EC told the Dhaka Tribune that the commission did not upload the a� -davits in the last upazila polls.

“Right now the commission has no plan to upload the a� davits from upazila parishad polls to its website,” he said.

However, the senior o� cial said the a� davits would be made public from the returning o� cer’s o� ce at the re-spective upazilas. The commission had asked the returning o� cers to send the a� davits through the CMS for preser-vation, he added.

The EC started publishing the a� -davits from ninth parliamentary poll in 2008. The commission also published

the a� davits of third upazila parishad polls held in 2009.

But in the 10th parliament poll, the commission published the candidates’ a� davits which included their wealth statements. Several reports were pub-lished in the media on the unnatu-ral increases in the wealth of cabinet members and ruling party MPs by com-paring the a� davits of ninth and 10th parliamentary polls.

Now the Anti-Corruption Commis-sion is investigating six Awami League candidates’ wealth statements in 10th parliament. It has sought the copies of their a� davits from the EC. The commission has asked the concerned returning o� cers to send two certi� ed copies of each candidate’s a� davit by February 5. Before the 10th parliamen-tary poll, Awami League had requested the commission to stop publishing the a� davits. l

Nomination papers scrutinised n Tribune Report

Scrutiny of nomination papers and al-locating symbols for February 27 Up-azila Parishad Polls were completed yesterday.

Our Chandpur correspondent re-ports, the election commission can-celled � ve chairmen and two vice chairmen’s nomination form for some irregularities. Among the cancelled candidates, there was Faridganj’s out-going Chairman Hazi Mozammel.

The nomination papers were de-clared illegal as the candidates could not submit necessary papers and doc-uments.

These candidates were asked to ap-peal against the decision by February 10 to get their candidature back.

Meanwhile, to select candidate for the upcoming upazila polls grassroots leaders and activists of Gazipur Awami League voted yesterday.

The voting was arranged to select single candidate for the polls.

At least 33 candidates withdrew nomination papers in six upazilas in Khagrachhari district.

Among 33 candidates, 14 were chair-man aspirants, 7 were vice chairman aspirants and 2 were vice chairman (fe-male) aspirants.

In Kurigram, the district returning of-� cer distributed symbols to 19 chairman spirants, 11 vice chairmen (male) and 10 vice chairmen (female) for polls in three upazila to be held on February 19. Ten aspirants withdrew their candidature.

Local Awami League of at Kalkini of Madaripur district expelled its joint general secretary Tow� quzzaman as he violated party discipline for the chair-man post.

Two leaders of the AL in Jhenaidah were expelled as they participated in the scheduled upazila polls violating party discipline.

The expelled activists are-AL Sailku-pa upazila unit member and joint con-vener of the Juba League Jahidunnabi Kalu and Upazila Mahila AL president Sultana Bulbul.

Symbols were distributed among the candidates at Ashashuni upazila in Satkhira and Kishoreganj districts.

In Sylhet, symbols were allocated among the aspirants in four upazilas. l

Abducted boy rescued in Chittagong, four held n CU Correspondent

Police rescued a small boy nearly 12 hours after his abduction and arrested four suspected kidnappers from Amba-gan in Chittagong city’s Tiger Pass area early yesterday.

The boy, two-and-half-year-old Taz-war Moktasin Tasbi, son of business-man Mosarraf Hossen, was picked up by two men from his Halishahar resi-dence around 3pm on Monday.

Later, the abductors called his fam-ily and demanded Tk � ve lakh as ran-som, Shahjahan Kabir, o� cer in charge (OC) of Halishahar police station, said quoting family sources.

Police arrested four people, includ-ing a cousin sister of the abducted child,

in connection with the kidnapping.Police identi� ed the suspects as

Faria Tasnim Shuchona, 19, Parvin Aktar, 30, Al Amin, 21, and Md Al Mamun, 22.

“After receiving a complaint from the victim’s family, police detained the boy’s cousin, Faria, and con� rmed her involvement in the kidnapping after interrogation,” OC Kabir said.

Based on Faria’s confession, police conducted a drive at the Ambagan rail-way colony and rescued the boy from Parvin’s house around 3am yesterday.

Faria was allegedly having an a� air with Al Amin, and the couple planned the kidnapping, the police o� cer said.

A case was � led with Halishahar po-lice station, he added. l

The Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and the Rajshahi Raksha Sangram Parishad form a human chain at Saheb Bazar Zero point in Rajshahi city yesterday, protesting the move of the Rajshahi Unnayan Kartripakkha to establish a residential project in Raipara area after cutting a large number of mango trees DHAKA TRIBUNE

A photocopy of the a� davit will be given to anyone who asks for it

The Work for Better Bangladesh and anti-narcotics organisation the Prattasha form a human chain in front of the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, yesterday with a call to stop usages of tobacco DHAKA TRIBUNE

AL leader muscles his way over farmlandIllegally built dam encroaching on canal at minority-dominated Potibari village in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Crops on about 2,500 bighas of land have been damaged for lack of irrigation as an in� uential leader of the ruling party has built a dam on a canal at Potibari village under Satla union of Ujirpur upazila in Barisal.

Moreover, local people could not net � sh in the canal fearing retaliation by musclemen of the leader.

Local people said Abdul Khalek Azad, former president of the Awami League, union unit, had built the dam on Muribari-Potibari canal to make a portion of the canal as a shrimp enclosure which is not only hampering irrigation, but also barring normal � ow of water.

Talking with locals, it was learnt that saplings of boro paddy have already dried for want of water, putting farmers in grave concern.

Inhabitants of Satla-Bagdha, a Hindu-dominated area, depend on � shing and farming to maintain their livelihood.

Locals alleged that if anyone raises voice against the Awami League, his musclemen assault them and ultimately force them to leave the area.

Mahendra Mandal, a farmer of the area, said: “Crops on 600 bighas of my land have been damaged after

Khalek’s men built the dam. “We do not have enough courage to

raise voice against Khalek,” said Rani Biswas, who is also a farm labourer.

Joymala Mandal alleged that cadres of Khalek had beaten her son Nitai and damaged his boats as he tried to net � sh on the canal.

Later, Nitai was forced to leave his native area and he is now working as a farm labour in Noakhali, said Joymala breaking down into tears.

Manindra Mandal, another resident of the area, said he had cultivated boro on his 30 bighas of land.

“Now my paddy land dried up and saplings of paddy have started turning reddish for lack of water,” he said.

Md Nipun Sardar, a local youth, told the Dhaka Tribune that Khalek using the name of the ruling party had created panic among minority people of the locality.

Khairul Bashar, upazila Jubo League organising secretary, acknowledging the facts said all should be vocal against the activities of Khalek.

Faruk Sardar, former UP member of the area, said Khalek should be punished for his misdeed.

Ujirpur Upazila Nirbahi O� cer Sohrab Hossain said Khalek could not build dam on government canal.

Action will be taken if anyone � le allegation against him, said the UNO.

However, Khalek denied the allegation and said all allegations brought against him were baseless.

“I am farming � sh on 1,000 bighas of my own land collecting water from the canal and it would also give

bene� ts to the local people.”After netting the cultivated � shes,

water will be released soon, he said. l

6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Professors play hooky at DjMCH n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

Dinajpur Medical College Hospital (DjMCH) authorities have decided to take immediate actions against 12 fac-ulty members for negligence on duty.

According to the hospital sources, the accused teachers have remained absent from work for several days.

Although authorities of the hospi-tal had issued a notice to them, asking them to attend work without any delay, they did not pay heed to the directive.

Principal of the hospital Dr Kamrul Ahsan said they would take stern ac-tions against the teachers soon.

“The managing committee mem-bers have decided to take disciplinary actions against the teachers to main-tain discipline at the hospital.”

Of the faculties, Assistant Profes-sor Jasim Uddin of biochemistry de-partment has been staying in Dhaka for long. He visits the hospital once in every two months just for putting at-tendance signatures on register book,

hospital sources said. Similarly, pharmacology Professor

Abul Hasnat Khan has been residing in Dhaka and he comes to the hospital four times a month to take classes.

Respiratory department professor Atiqur Rahman, medicine department Assistant Professor Abdul Latif and as-sistant professor Amiruzzaman, urol-ogy department Assistant Professor Jabid Hassan also remain absent in the hospital.

Moreover, Assistant Professor AKM Samsuddin and Assistant Professor Dr Md Sa� ullah have been staying else-where.

As they have not been seen at the hospital for couple of weeks, hospital

authorities issued a show-cause notice against them.

The committee members will send a letter to Health Ministry and Directo-rate General of Health Services seeking appropriate measures against the 12 teachers, said the sources.

The 250-bed hospital was estab-lished in 1992. But, it only went into operation on Mach 17, 2010. A total of 53 posts out of 152 are lying vacant.

Now, the hospital is providing treat-ment to around 500 patients.

The medical college hospital has all the major branches of medical including, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, community medicine, pharmacology, forensic medicine, pathology, microbiology, medicine, surgery, cardiology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, dentistry, blood transfusion, radiology, obstetrics, gynecology, radiotherapy and neuromedicine.

The hospital is equipped with mod-ern technologies for di� erent units. l

Arms dealer arrested from Natoren Our Correspondent, Natore

Police yesterday arrested an arms dealer from a Dhaka-bound bus at Ban-belghoria bypass in Sadar upazila and recovered a pistol, � ve bullets and two magazines from his person.

The arrestee was Tohidul Islam, 22, hailing from the village of Barkalupur in Rajshahi’s Shibgonj upazila.

“Acting on a tip-o� , a sadar police team raided the bypass area at noon and arrested an arms dealer with arms and ammunitions from the spot,” said Sadar police station O� cer-in-charge Aslam Uddin.

An arms case has been � led with sa-dar police in connection to the arrest. l

AL leader accused of slapping teacher gets bailn Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

Sirajganj district unit of Secchwasebok League Vice-President Abdul Halim Dulal, who was accused of slapping the headmaster of a school, was released on bail yesterday.

According to sources, on Monday, Du-lal slapped the headmaster of Chandai-kona Bohumukhi High School in Raiganj upazila of the district in presence of hun-dreds of students and teachers.

Dulal is also president of Raiganj Upa-zila Bazar Banik Committee and president of the school’s managing committee.

After the incident, teachers and stu-dents of the school brought out a pro-cession and blocked the house of Upa-zila Nirbahi O� cer (UNO) protesting the incident. They gave an ultimatum to the UNO for the punishment of Dulal. Police arrested Dulal as AL men blocked the po-lice station.

Later, the accused was sent to the Sa-dar police station and later to Sirajganj district jail. According to court sources, Dulal was released on bail after staying one night inside the lockup and jail.

Anis Ahmed, o� cer-in-charge of Raiganj police station said Dulal had slapped the headmaster due to delays in holding a meeting of managing com-mittee. The headmaster � led a case in this connection.

ASI Nizam Uddin said Senior Judicial Magistrate-Supria Rahman had granted the bail as the defense lawyer Din Amin Dinu applied for bail. l

Rivers lost navigability in Narsingdin Tribune Report

The rivers of Narsingdi are facing po-tential threat of their existence as most of the rivers have lost their normal � ow and navigability.

Once there were boats, launches and steamers in the rivers carrying goods and passengers from one district to an-other district.

Continuing dumping of garbage, waste of local industries and absence of dredging operation are responsible for � lling river beds with silt day by day which obstruct movement of water transports.

Besides, a group of land grabbers occupied the wet beds of the rivers by building unauthorised structures, re-ports BSS.

During the winter season the water of the rivers fall drastically and some places of the rivers turn into dead canal.

Once the river of the Kalagasia at

Shibpur upazila, the old Brahamapur-tra in Madhobdi area of Sadar upazila, Haridoa river at Shibpur upazilas, Arial Kha river at Raipura and Belabo upazila were very busy with water transports. Now those rivers have lost their exist-ence.

Particularly in the winter season, movements of boats and launches be-come totally stopped due to lack of navigability of the rivers.

The rivers have also lost their � shing resources because of scarcity of water � ow for continuous dumping of the waste of local factories.

The river sides are now under the possession of land grabbers in the name of markets, schools and madra-sas.

Local people demanded of the gov-ernment to save those rivers for greater interest of the people by recovering the occupied lands from grabbers as well as massive dredging operation. l

Jamaat relaxes hartal for Chapainawabganjn Manik Miazee

The Jamaat-e-Islami has announced to keep Chapainawabganj district out of their nationwide hartal scheduled Thursday due to a religious festival of the Hindu community.

In a statement released yesterday, Jamaat said the general strike would be relaxed in the district as members of the Hindu community will be making a pilgrimage to the Ganges to bathe in its holy waters. Issues by Jamaat-e-Islami acting Secretary General Sha� qur Rah-man and signed by its Publicity Secre-tary Mohammad Ibrahim, the state-ment also noted the decision came upon a request from the community.

However, the shutdown will con-tinue in other parts of the country, the statement added.

Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami’s nation-wide hartal, protesting the death ver-dict of their chief Motiur Rahman Niza-mi in the 10-truck arms haul case, was deferred a day for Saraswati Puja of the country’s Hindu community. l

Beekeeping creating a buzz in Gopalganj n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

Farmers in Gopalganj are busy in oil-seed � elds as apiculture has become a lucrative occupation for many people in the district.

Aiming to collect honey that could generate a Tk2 crore busi-ness, hundreds of farmers of the district have set up wooden hives in oil seeds � elds.

Farmers of Gopalganj sadar, Kashiani, Muksudpur, Tungipara and Kotalipara upazilas of the dis-trict have been collecting honey since January 1 by setting up 2,000 wooden hives in mustard, sun� ow-er and other oil seeds � elds.

The farmers said they had col-lected honey worth Tk1 crore so far.

“We have to stay in � elds till the end of the month to collect more honey,” said a farmer.

Usually, farmers of the dis-trict collect honeybunch for two months (January to February) in a year.

Farmers of the district have been collecting honey for almost 20 years, said SM Zakirul Hasan Titu of Gopinathpur village under Gopalganj sadar, adding: “As api-culture is pro� table, most of the people of our locality have become self-reliant through beekeeping.

“A determined entrepreneur can make pro� t in the � rst year of apiculture by little investment through hard work.”

Md Ilias, who works as a farm la-

bourer, said he had su� ered a lot as he could not get job in agriculture � elds round the year.

“Sometimes I even had to starve for couple of days with my family.”

He said: “I am working in oil-seed � elds and getting Tk5,000 monthly.”

The number of apiculturists is increasing day by day in the district as it is pro� table.

Apiculturist Md Redwan Hos-sain said 100 tonnes of honey will be produced this year and it’s mar-ket price would exceed Tk2 crore.

“We sell one kilogram of honey at Tk200,” he said.

It was also learnt that 10,000 workers are directly and indirectly involved with beekeeping. l

Three arrested for rape and murdern Our correspondent, Dinajpur

Three was arrested in connection with rape and murder of a woman in Biram-pur upazila of Dinajpur.

The arrested are Rayhan, Uzzal and Babu. Police arrested them from Fulbari town in connection with the murder on Monday. Earlier on January 30, police recovered body of the victim, Asmani Begum, 25, from a Shal tree garden in Dhanjuri Mission Hospital area. The next day police � led a case in this connection.

Upon being produced before the court, Rayhan and Uzzal gave confessional statements. Magistrate of Judicial Court 5 granted three days remand for Babu.

Quoting the detainees, Investigative O� cer (IO) of the case Bazlur Rashid, also Deputy Inspector of Birampur po-lice station said the killers were hired by Asmani’s former husband Ziaur Rahman.

Resident of Kalupara in Parbotipur, Zia had recently divorced Asmani for lack of understanding between them by giving Tk150,000 as alimony. After divorcing Asmani he got married again. However, for unknown reasons he want-ed to kill Asmani and he hired them with Tk8000 each, said the IO. l

A local Awami League leader has built a dam on a canal, which is hampering irrigation and breeding of � sh resources DHAKA TRIBUNE

Continued absence of key faculty members draw ire of authorities

Labourers take care of wooded hives boxes at a village under Gopalganj Sadar upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE

Offi ce of the Executive EngineerJhalakathi W.D. Division

BWDB, Jhalakathi.Phone: 0498-63440

e-mail: xen.jhalakathi@gmail.com

Invitation for e-Tender1. Invitation Ref. No. : Tender No. 6/2013-2014

Memo No.: EE/Jhal/Da-1/e-GP/894(100) Date: 03/02/2014

2. Tender ID(from e-GP portal)

: i) 6128 ii) 6134 & iii) 6136

3. Name of the Works : i) ID-6128 (Package No.: e-TENDER:JKWD/BWDB/W 18) – Construction of Dogonar Hat Closure at KM. 16.300 over Talgachia Khal under Project for construction of Embankment and infrastructure in Bishkhali Project: Polder-5 in upazilla Kathalia of district Jhalakathi under Jhalakathi WD Division, BWDB, Jhalakathi During th FY 2013-2014

ii) ID-6134 (Package No.: e-TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-07) – Re-sectioning/Repair of embankment from km. 25.000 to km. 26.000 = 1.000 km. in BIP Polder No-13 for mitigation of adverse impact of Climate Change under Jhalakathi Sadar upazila of Jhalakathi District under Jhalakathi WD Division, BWDB, Jhalakathi during FY 2013-2014

iii) ID-6136 (Package No.: e_TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-08) – Re-sectioning/Repair of embankment from km. 26.000 to km. 27.000 = 1.500 km. in BIP Polder No-13 for mitigation of adverse impact of Climate Change under Jhalakathi Sadar upazila of Jhalakathi District under Jhalakathi WD Division, BWDB, Jhalakathi during FY 2013-2014

4. This is an online tender where only e-tenders will be accepted in e-GP portal and no offl ine and hard copy will be accepted. To submit e-tender please resister on e-GP system (http://www.eprocure.gov.bd). For more details please contract Support Desk contract number (01762625528-31) from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

5. Last Selling Date : 26/02/2014

6. Closing Date : 27/02/2014 Time: 03:00 PM

7. Publication Date : 03/02/2014

8. Tender Document price (non-refundable)

: i) Tk.-1000 (for e-TENDER:JKWD/BWDB/W 18)ii) Tk.-1000 (for e-TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-07)iIi) Tk.-2000 (for e-TENDER:JKWD/Emb/W-08)

9. a. The Procuring Entity reserves the right to accept or reject all or any tenders without assigning any reason.

b. NOA will be issued after getting Approval from the Competent Authority. For this no claim will be accepted.

c. The corrigendum (if any) will be the part of this tender.

(Md. Harunur Rashid) Executive EngineerPani – 495/13-14 Jhalakathi W.D. DivisionDG – 13/14 (8 inch x 3 cols) BWDB, Jhalakathi

Wednesday, February 5, 2014DHAKA TRIBUNE InternationalDHAKA TRIBUNE8

Georgia’s march towards EU ‘irreversible’: PMn AFP, Brussels

Georgia’s march towards the European Union is “irreversible” and “the only way forward” for the ex-Soviet state, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibash-vili told AFP in an interview Tuesday.

Unlike Ukraine, which under Rus-sian pressure walked away from a key trade and political pact with the EU, sparking mass protests, Georgia is keen to sign an Association Agreement with the EU by August this year, he said.

Garibashvili said that by agreeing to initial the EU pact late November just as Ukraine reneged on its deal years in the making, “we made this European integration process irreversible.”

“Europe is the only way forwards for our country,” he said, adding that he had received assurance from the EU’s top o� cials in talks in Brussels that the bloc would not let Georgia down.

While he admitted he could not ex-clude pressure from Moscow to stop Tbilisi strengthening its ties with the West, Garibashvili said his country was less reliant on Russia than Ukraine as the Russians “don’t have too much po-litical or economic leverage” in Georgia.

“Ukraine is a di� erent story. It is more dependent on Russia, therefore we can’t compare the two.” Georgia is one of six former Soviet states on Europe’s eastern � ank to be o� ered an EU agreement that includes a major free trade deal. l

Obama to face blunt talk in Saudi ArabiaAmerican president likely to face questions over Irann AFP, Washington

Blunt talk over the US opening to Iran and reticence in Syria will be on the menu when President Barack Obama travels to Saudi Arabia next month to meet King Abdullah.

Obama’s White House years have caused frustration and incomprehen-sion in Riyadh and a rocky ride for Washington’s key strategic relationship with the Gulf kingdom.

His nuclear diplomacy with Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia’s Shiite-led foe in a swirling regional proxy war, and his last gasp reversal on striking Syria last year infuriated the Saudi court.

Since then, Saudi princes, mouth-pieces for the aged monarch, have vented in opinion pieces for US news-papers, comparing Washington to a “big bear” reluctant to show its claws and branding an interim nuclear deal with Iran a “dangerous gamble.

”Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, is said to have discovered in recent audiences that the king’s wits and tongue are as sharp as ever, despite

his approaching 90th birthday.Obama’s upcoming visit to Saudi

Arabia was � rst reported Saturday by the Wall Street Journal quoting Arab of-� cials — who appeared to catch Wash-ington o� guard.

The White House waited until Mon-day to con� rm that Obama would in-deed add an unexpected stop in Saudi Arabia onto a previously announced

tour of the Netherlands, Brussels and Vatican City in March.

US o� cials would not say which part-ner in the tempestuous marriage of po-litical convenience initiated the summit.

Simon Henderson, of the Washing-ton Institute for Near East Policy, said that while the Saudis did not want to humiliate Obama, they would not hide their frustration. l

Rwanda says genocide trial in France ‘late’ but a ‘good sign’n AFP, Kigali

The trial in France of a former Rwandan army captain charged with complicity in the 1994 genocide was greeted inRwanda  as a belated but “good sign”.

“It is history being made. We have

always wondered why it has taken 20 years... it is late, but it is a good sign,” Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye said of the trial of Pascal Sim-bikangwa, a former army captain who went on trial in Paris Tuesday.

“It is not time to celebrate, it is still the beginning, the first in 20

years. We will watch it with a lot of interest, we will be very supportive of the process, we will cooperate,” the minister said.

But he added that “France has a big amount of suspects in its territory” who should be either extradited back to Rwanda or tried in France.

The landmark case is being closely watched, with France long accused of failing to rein in the Rwandan regime at the time of the genocide and of later dragging its feet over the repatriation or prosecution of individuals suspect-ed of involvement in crimes against humanity. l

South African police disperse 3,000 ‘violent’ minersn AFP, Johannesburg

South African police said they used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse about 3,000 “violent” striking miners Tuesday in the country’s restive platinum belt.

Strikers “carrying dangerous weap-ons, such as knobkerries and sticks, blocked the road and were threatening to remove non-striking workers at the shaft,” police said in a statement.

The incident occurred at Anglo American Platinum’s Khuseleka 1 fa-cility in the country’s north. It marks the � rst instance of major unrest in the sector-wide strike, now in its second week.

“Police were forced to use stun gre-nades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd,” the force said, adding that two protesters aged 52 and 47 were ar-rested.

They face charges of public violence.The incident will raise fears of a re-

turn to violent strikes that have seen dozens of workers killed at the hands of rival unions and the police.

Around 80,000 members of the rad-ical Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) downed tools on January 23 calling for a min-

imum monthly wage of 12,500-rand ($1,100) -- almost double their current pay.

Last Thursday the union rejected a three-year deal from Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lon-min that o� ered a roughly seven per-cent annual increase.

South Africa produces 80 percent of the world’s platinum and around 134,000 people are employed in the sector.

Platinum group metals are vital in products such as catalytic converters, computer hard disks and dental � ll-ings.

Government-brokered talks to end the strike -- which � rms say is costing them as much as $36 million a day -- re-started on Tuesday.

But AMCU has threatened the strike could go on for a month if no agree-ment is reached.

Companies, which have seen their revenues plummet in recent years, are looking for a long-term agreement in the hope of preventing what have be-come regular stoppages.

But they insist drastic wage increas-es are impossible and claim that the current pay package is more than a ba-sic entry-level wage. l

Ugandan army winning hearts, minds and foreskinsn AFP, Kampala

Ugandan troops have been marking national army week celebrations with a public health drive that includes dis-tributing condoms and circumcising men as part of e� orts to battle AIDS.

“There are several activities that we are doing. Among them is medical outreach. The UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Force) is a unique army. It is unique is many respects,” army spokes-man Paddy Ankunda said on Tuesday.

“Circumcision is a proven method to reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS and we think that by doing that our people will reduce the risk of infection,” he told AFP, adding that army doctors have in recent days carried out 330 circum-cisions, 630 HIV tests and distributed 43,500 condoms.

Scientists have found that male cir-cumcision can signi� cantly reduce the chances of HIV infection because the foreskin has a higher concentration of HIV-receptors than the rest of the pe-nis and is prone to tears during inter-course, providing for a HIV entry point.

“We are taking care of the entire procedure. We have installed ourselves in already existing health centres and constructed appropriate facilities,” Ankunda said.

“But that is just one activity. We are distributing mosquito nets, we are treating malaria, treating eye infec-tions, dental complications, all sorts of things,” he added.

Ugandan army week leads up to the February 6 anniversary of a 1981 attack against an army barracks by rebel forc-es � ghting then-president Apolo Milton Obote, which heralded the start of a war that ended in 1986 with current Presi-dent Yoweri Museveni taking o� ce.

Each year the army marks the anni-versary with public service activities in designated areas of the country. This year operations are taking place in the west of the country, although Ankunda said Ugandan troops across the country and those based in South Sudan and Somalia were also active.

“We do so many things. We do medi-cal outreach, we work with other agen-cies, we redo roads that are broken in the countryside of the region we se-lect. We do mobilisation for the people against disease and poverty,” he said.

Uganda was once heralded as a suc-cess story in the � ght against HIV, with Museveni among the � rst African lead-ers to speak openly about AIDS and the government mounting a highly suc-cessful public awareness campaign in the late 1980s and 1990s. l

Lost at sea for 13 months!n AP, Wellington

It’s a story that almost de� es belief: A man leaves Mexico in December 2012 for a day of shark � shing and ends up surviv-ing 13 months on � sh, birds and turtles before washing ashore on the remote Marshall Islands thousands of miles (kilo-metres) away.

But that’s what a man identifying him-self as 37-year-old Jose Salvador Alvarenga told the US ambassador in the Marshall Islands and the nation’s o� cials during a 30-minute meeting Monday before he was taken to a local hospital for monitoring. Alvarenga washed ashore on the tiny atoll of Ebon in the Paci� c Ocean last week before being taken to the capital, Majuro, on Monday. “It’s hard for me to imagine someone surviving 13 months at sea,” said Ambassador Tom Armbruster in Majuro. “But it’s also hard to imagine how someone might arrive on Ebon out of the blue. Certainly this guy has had an ordeal, and has been at sea for some time.”

Other o� cials were reacting cautiously to the Spanish-speaking man’s story while they try to piece together more information.

If true, the man’s ordeal would rank among the greatest tales ever of sur-vival at sea. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department says the man told Mexico’s am-bassador to the Philippines, Julio Camarena, that he set out from an area near the coastal town of Tonala in southern Chiapas state, which would mean his journey covered a distance of more than 6,500 miles (10,460 kilometers), if he drifted in a straight line.

Armbruster said the soft-spo-ken man complained of joint pain Monday and had a limp but was able to walk. He had long hair and a beard, the ambassador said, and rather than appearing emaciated he looked pu� y in places, including around his ankles. Otherwise, he added, Alvarenga seemed in reasonable health. Armbruster, who speaks Spanish, said the survivor told the following story: He’s a native of El Salvador but had lived in Mexico for 15 years and � shes for a man he knows as Willie, catching sharks for 25 pesos ($1.90) per pound. On Dec. 21, 2012, Alvarenga left Mexico in his 23-foot (7-meter) � berglass boat for a day’s � shing, accompanied by a teen he knew only as Ezekiel, who was between 15 and 18. A storm blew the � sh-ermen o� course, and soon they were lost and adrift. After about a month, Ezekiel died, the survivor told o� cials.

“He thanked God, initially, that he had survived,” the ambassador said. “He’s very anxious to get back in touch with his employer, and also with the family of Ezekiel. That’s his driving motivation at the moment.” l

Jail terms for Saudis who join foreign � ghtsn Agencies

Citizens of Saudi Arabia who � ght in con� icts outside the kingdom could receive prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years in jail.

Saudi king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz issued a royal decree on Monday, which says that any Saudi citizen who joins extremist terrorist groups or supports them materially or through incitement would face the punishment.

The decree appeared aimed at stem-ming the � ow of Saudi � ghters going to Syria, which is believed to have drawn hundreds of young Saudis, and has worried some in the kingdom that � ghters could return radicalised.

The decree said it is the Saudi gov-ernment’s duty to block actions and language that harm public security and stability by exposing the nation to danger and “damaging the status of the kingdom” Islamically, internationally and among Arabs.

The jail terms increase to � ve to 30 years for members of militaries who serve as o� cers.

Many young Saudi men appear to have been encouraged to join the � ght

in Syria. The uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has transformed into a regional proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which support opposing sides. Foreign � ghters have in� ltrated the opposition, triggering in� ghting that has undermined the rebellion.

Saudi o� cials and key high-level Mus-lim leaders have largely spoken out against young Saudis joining the � ght. While the Saudi government backs some rebel opposition groups in Syr-ia with weapons and aid, o� cials say Riyadh does not fund al-Qaida-linked groups.

The royal decree was issued only two days after a sweeping new anti-ter-rorism law went into e� ect. l

Most Americans see war in Afghanistan as failuren Agencies

Winning the Afghan war depended on getting at least two foreign govern-ments “to play ball,” those of Afghan-istan and Pakistan, but the United States failed to do so, says a Foreign Policy magazine report published on Monday.

Also, an opinion poll released on Monday, showed that for the � rst time, the majority of people in the United States view war e� orts in Iraq and Af-ghanistan as failures.

The survey by the Pew Research Centre, Washington, found that, in all, 52 per cent of Americans feel the na-tion’s military has “mostly failed” in achieving their goals in both embattled nations. Less than 40 per cent felt ei-ther mission had been successful.

The FP report observed that US leaders never fully appreciated that the war could not be won if they didn’t get more cooperation from the two allies, and that they wouldn’t get that support as long as Islamabad and Kabul were convinced that Washington “would never call their blu� .” l

Landmark Rwanda  genocide trial opens in Francen AFP, Paris

The landmark trial of a former Rwan-dan army captain charged with com-plicity in the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 dead opened Tuesday in Paris, the � rst of its kind in France.

Pascal Simbikangwa, who denies the accusations against him, appeared in court in a wheelchair after a 1986 car accident that left him paraplegic. He faces life in prison.

The 54-year-old was arrested in 2008 on the French Indian Ocean is-land of Mayotte, where he had been living in hiding for three years.

“I was a captain in the Rwandan army then in the intelligence services,” Sim-bikangwa, a small, bald man wearing a brown jacket and white tracksuit bottoms, told the court in an opening statement.

He is accused of inciting, organising and aiding massacres during the geno-cide, particularly by supplying arms, instructions and encouragement to Interahamwe Hutu militia who were manning road blocks and killing Tutsi men, women and children.

He is being tried under laws adopted

in 1996 and 2010 that allow French courts to consider cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes com-mitted in Rwanda and other countries.

The historic case is being watched closely in France, which was accused of failing to rein in the Rwandan regime at the time of the genocide and of later

dragging its feet over the repatriation or prosecution of individuals suspect-ed of involvement in crimes against humanity. l

Court sketch made on February 4, 2014 in Paris of Pascal Simbikangwa , a former Rwandan army captain charged with complicity in the genocide that left 800,000 dead AFP

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili speaks during a press conference with the European Commission President AFP

The decree said it is the Saudi government’s duty to block actions and language that harm public security and stability by exposing the nation to danger

9Wednesday, February 5, 2014DHAKA TRIBUNE International

Pakistan-Taliban peace talks delayedn Agencies

Negotiators representing the Pakistani government and Taliban will not meet for preliminary peace talks that were meant to be taking place following a spate of killings.

Two teams, nominated by the gov-ernment and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were due to gather in Islamabad at 2:00pm (0900 GMT) to chart a preliminary “roadmap” for the talks on Tuesday. This was meant to pave the way for the beginnings of the peace talks. 

However, Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the meeting was unlikely to go ahead as

scheduled.“This morning it was a done deal but

now we are told the government com-mittee wants clari� cation from the Tal-iban committee on certain issues so the formal meeting is not going to happen today,” he said.

Irfan Siddiqui, the co-ordinator of the government’s committee on peace talks, told Al Jazeera that his group was seeking clari� cation from the TTP’s own committee regarding that body’s role and mandate.

Speci� cally, the government wants to know the nature of the relationship between the TTP-appointed committee and the TTP’s own leadership council.

The Taliban responded to the gov-

ernment’s request for clari� cation by saying its committee  will have the three members all of whom are ready for the talks. It is now up to the govern-ment to respond.

Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif named a team to begin dialogue with the Taliban, who have been wag-ing a violent campaign against the state since 2007.

Many observers had been antici-pating a military o� ensive against TTP strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal areas, following a bloody start to the year on both sides, with the government re-sponding to Taliban violence with raids on Waziristan strongholds.

More than 110 people were killed in

attacks in January, many of them mili-tary personnel.

Critics have accused Sharif’s gov-ernment of dithering in response to the violence.

The TTP has said in the past that it opposes democracy and wants Islamic sharia imposed throughout Pakistan, while the government has stressed the country’s constitution must remain paramount.

The TTP had asked cricket-er-turned-politician Imran Khan to be part of their team but he declined.

The two sides held separate meet-ings in Islamabad on Monday and later decided to talk each other on Tuesday, Khan said. l

Sri Lanka bars US women’s rights envoy: o� cialn AFP, Colombo

Sri Lanka has refused a top US women’s rights o� cial entry to the country, just days after another senior envoy alleged Colombo’s rights record was deteriorating, the US embassy said Tuesday.

US ambassador at large for women’s issues Catherine Russell was due to visit  Sri  Lanka  ahead of a UN Human Rights Council meeting next month at which Colombo is due to face fresh censure.

A US embassy spokesman said it was “regrettable” Colombo had refused to grant Russell a visa for the planned vis-it this month.

“Ambassador Russell’s mandate is to promote stability, peace, and develop-ment by empowering women political-ly, socially, and economically around the world,” the spokesman said.

The refusal came after Nisha Biswal, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, told report-ers on Saturday the US was concerned about the worsening human rights sit-uation, during her visit to the island.

At the end of the two-day trip, Biswal also said the US was worried about a weakening of the rule of law and an increase in corruption levels and impunity in  Sri  Lanka  since a 37-year con� ict ended in May 2009.

Sri Lanka rejected the comments as “patently unfair” and accused Biswal of wanting to believe the worst about the island.

Another US envoy, war crimes in-vestigator Stephen Rapp, stirred con-troversy in Sri Lanka last month by vis-iting a former battleground.

There was no immediate comment from Colombo over the refusal to grant Russell a visa. l

Thai opposition seeks to challenge polls results in courtn AP, Bangkok

Thailand’s main opposition party pe-titioned a court Tuesday to annul last weekend’s disrupted national election, launching a legal challenge that could prolong the deeply divided country’s political paralysis.

The Democrat Party’s petition to the Constitutional Court also urges the dissolution of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ruling party, which called Sunday’s  elections  in a bid to defuse anti-government protests that started three months ago.

Wiratana Kalayasiri, a former oppo-sition lawmaker and head of the Demo-crat Party’s legal team, said the petition argues the polls violated the constitu-tion on several grounds, including that they were not completed in one day.

Critics call the Democrats’ argument counterintuitive, saying the reason the  election  could not be � nished in one day is because anti-government protesters backed by the party sabo-taged the vote.

The Democrat Party boycotted the election, and the protesters aligned with it forced the closure of hundreds of polling stations in Bangkok and the south, preventing millions of people from voting.

As a result, a series of special  elec-tions  are required to complete the balloting.  Election  results cannot be announced until all areas have success-fully voted.

“This election has violated the con-stitution on several counts, but mainly it was not a fair one,” Wiratana said. “The election was not held on the same

day ... that is why we are seeking to nul-lify it.”

Prompong Nopparit, spokesman for Yingluck’s Pheu  Thai  party, said the Democrats “are initiating another front of attack to help the street protesters.”

“They are the ones who did not even participate in the  election. They are more likely the ones who are trying to overthrow democracy through uncon-stitutional means,” he said.

Despite fears of violence, the voting proceeded peacefully in 90 percent of polling stations.

The struggle to hold the balloting was part of a 3-month-old con� ict that has split the country between support-ers of Yingluck and opponents, who allege her government is too corrupt to rule, and that she is a puppet of her brother, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin

Shinawatra.Thaksin, a billionaire businessman

who is the most divisive � gure in mod-ern Thai history, � ed into exile to avoid a corruption conviction after being de-posed in a 2006 military coup.

The demonstrators have occupied major intersections in Bangkok and forced government ministries to shut down and work elsewhere.

The protesters are demanding the elected government be replaced by an unelected “people’s council” to en-act reforms ahead of new elections and remove the Shinawatra family’s in� u-ence from politics.

Yingluck has refused to step down, arguing she was elected by a large ma-jority and is open to reform, but that such a council would be unconstitu-tional and undemocratic. l

UK admits role in Golden Temple assaultForeign Secretary insists British advice had only a ‘limited impact’n AFP, London

British military advice had a “very limited” impact on  India’s 1984 Am-ritsar Golden Temple assault that left 500 dead, a government investigation found on Tuesday.

Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament that the probe, or-dered after newly-released documents revealed an elite British o� cer had advised New Delhi on plans for the raid, had concluded that the British advice had “limited impact on the trag-ic events that unfolded at the temple three months later”.

The probe was ordered after previ-ously top secret documents showed British elite forces played an adviso-ry role following a request from New Delhi over a plan to � ush out militants who had occupied the temple in north-west India -- considered Sikhdom’s ho-liest shrine.

“The UK’s assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage,” Hague said as he presented the report to parliament.

The report says that three months before the June 1984 assault, the o� -cer from Britain’s elite Special Air Ser-vice (SAS) advised the Indian military to launch a surprise helicopter attack to � ush out militants who had occupied the temple in northwest India -- con-sidered Sikhdom’s holiest shrine.

With the approval of then prime minister Margaret Thatcher, an o� cer from the elite Special Air Service (SAS) travelled to  India  and drew up a plan which was approved by  India’s prime minister Indira Gandhi.

But the eventual assault, code-named Operation Blue Star, “was a ground assault without the element of surprise and without a helicop-ter-borne element”, Hague told parlia-ment.

British advice therefore had only a “limited impact on Operation Blue Star”, Hague said.

The raid on the militants, who were demanding an independent Sikh homeland, left at least 500 people dead and triggered a cycle of bloody revenge attacks.

India’s then-prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated four months later by two Sikh bodyguards, spark-ing anti-Sikh riots in which thousands of people were killed, mostly in New Delhi.

Two letters, both marked “top se-cret and personal”, reveal details about the SAS advice.

One of the documents, a letter from foreign secretary Geo� rey Howe’s pri-vate secretary to his counterpart in the Home O� ce interior ministry, warned that the operation could trigger tensions in Britain’s Indian community, “particu-larly if knowledge of the SAS involve-ment were to become public”. l

US regrets many Thais prevented from voting n AP, Washington

The US has expressed regret that many Thais were prevented from voting at the weekend but says it isn’t taking sides in the nation’s political disputes.

Anti-government protesters pre-vented millions of people from voting in  elections  Sunday that were boycot-ted by the main opposition party. Spe-cial  elections  will be required to com-plete the balloting.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday the US remains concerned that political tensions in Thailand are posing challenges to its democratic institutions and processes.

She told reporters the US doesn’t want to see a military coup or recourse to violence, and is urging all sides to commit to dialogue and “resolve polit-ical di� erences peacefully and demo-cratically.” l

In this June 6, 1984 � le photo, Indian troops take up positions around the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, India AP

Sindh seeks return of Moenjodaro’s Dancing Girl from India

As Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Sindh Festival has turned people’s attention towards the culture and civilisation of Sindh, the provincial government is sending a request to Islamabad for asking India to return the famous statue of the Dancing Girl, which is in possession of the Indian authorities since 1946.

“We are writing to the federal govern-ment to help us repatriate our exiled hero-ine back to us from India,” a member of the Sindh cabinet told Dawn Newspaper.

The two most famous artefacts belong-ing to Moenjodaro, regarded as one of the world’s most ancient planned cities, are the King Priest and the Dancing Girl.

O� cials said the two relics had been transported by British archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler to Delhi in 1946 to be put in an exhibition and had remained there since then.

In 1947 after the partition of the sub-continent, the Pakistani authorities asked New Delhi to return the two relics along with several others including the Fasting Buddha.

A Pakistani o� cial had visited Delhi and succeeded in getting hold of the King Priest and the Fasting Buddha. But the Indians re-fused to hand over the 10.8cm dark bronze statuette of the Dancing Girl. It has inspired many explorers to write over the decades dossiers on the history it was a witness to and re� ections it o� ered about the role of women in the society millennia ago when it was not under patriarchal dominance.

There is a popular legend which said the Indian authorities had refused to hand over both the Moenjodaro relics and o� ered the

Pakistani authorities to choose from the King Priest and the Dancing Girl.

“The Pakistanis chose the King Priest made up of soapstone. Perhaps they were hesitant to get hold of a naked teenager to avoid a possible backlash from religious quarters,” an o� cial observed.

The King Priest — a bearded man wearing an Ajrak-like cloth with hair neatly combed back — is widely speculated to be the ruler of the city.

Experts said they had repeatedly requested previous governments to try to take possession of the Dancing Girl, but no one took any interest.

“It is good to see the government is seriously pursuing this matter,” said a pro-vincial government o� cial who previously worked in the archaeology division.

Archaeologists said under the UNESCO Convention of 1972, the original owner of any artefact is the country where the relic was found.

Qasim Ali Qasim, director of the provin-cial archaeology department, said since the federal government was a signatory to the UNESCO convention, the Sindh govern-ment would have to ask Islamabad, which could send a request to the world cultural organisation to get the things rolling.

He said Islamabad’s e� orts in 2009 brought back 13 artefacts belonging to the Gandhara civilization from several countries and same could be done for the � gurine wearing bangles all the way up in one of her arms, which is still a common sight in Thar Desert.

“The Dancing Girl belongs to us and everyone knows it.” lAnti-government protesters raise their hands to show that they have no weapons during a rally outside the o� ce of the permanent

secretary for defense AP

Bangladesh ninth-most polluted countryJanuary 29

Probir Bidhan Thanks to God! That we are not the first!

Adriano Zahid New Delhi is the #1 polluted city in the world. Bangladesh needs to place more importance on environmental issues.

Is Awami League the answer?January 28

SamIt is a well written piece of commentary, perhaps the best argued one in favour of the ruling regime so far. The comedy in this, however, is that the author claims that the AL is less corrupt when it is the AL which (in October 2013) destroyed the independ-ence of the Anti Corruption Commission so that its ministers could be shielded and pro-AL civil servants could be protected. The result is on a front-page photo of the Tribune: an AL minister, knowing his impunity from the law of the land, is smoking at a public event in full view of the police, army, BGB, and young children.

And before you pro-AL types go berserk, here is my challenge to you: Stick to the issue at hand which is the ACC’s destruction by the AL regime in October 2013 rather than bring up the “they did it too,” or some trope about all non-AL people being razakars or that kind BS.

Rage Sam: And ACC has also received a directive from the EC that the EC won’t share the details of corrupt AL politicians with the ACC!! Besides, it was during

Hasina’s rule, when Bangladesh had become labeled as TIB’s number 1 corrupt country. So, AL is as corrupt as anyone else, if not more.

M AliGreat points. However, why is there no mention of Awami League’s violence against the people of Bangladesh? People have been killed by police without any judicial prosecution. and how about all the ministers that stole national wealth while in power? How about corruption, murder, destruction of democracy, one party rule, dictatorial approach to politics, no opposition party in parliament?

The AL is the best option (in the author’s opinion) because they have acted like bullies, not because they are a political party. They will have to face punishment, sooner or later.

Ehsan AbdullahExcellent article!! If only people would wake up without their prejudged, preconceived support, if only they would independently look at the current situation and the road we took to come here. This article is a must read!!

Smoking minister on stageJanuary 28

kabdullahThis bloke, whatever his name is, looks more like a thug than a minister!

MosheWho does he think he is?!? Absurd! Nonsense.

WaliulHaqueKhondkerThe best anti-smoking campaign would be to relieve the minister of his portfolio.

BinodbangaliUnbelievable. The PM must admonish him. An unconditional apology is warranted.

Bring new life to our rivers

Rivers are an integral part of Bangladesh’s culture, com-merce and transportation. We must do more to protect them from the environmental neglect which threaten

their well being.Over the years, the navigability of many rivers, which are

a key part of the country’s inland transport system, has been dramatically reduced by changes in water � ow. These changes have been greatly exacerbated by barrages and dams upstream and by authorities doing little to control sand extraction and land-grabbing.

Encroachments on rivers, such as the Turag, not only create eyesores but add to the problem of reduced nav-igability. They not only a� ect their immediate riverbanks but increase the risk of erosion elsewhere, potentially impacting thousands of others people by dis-placing them from their homes and destroying livelihoods.

We hope that the prime minister’s call on the shipping min-ister to restore navigability of silted rivers by increasing regular dredging and maintenance can have some positive impact.

The government must also do more to stop rivers being pol-luted. The water itself and life within it are also under severe threat from the unregulated disposal of industrial and munici-pal waste. It is the responsibility of all citizens and municipal-ities to work together on reducing waste dumping as everyone will bene� t from creating a better river environment.

It is high time for progress to speeded up in protecting and preserving this most vital resource. Ensuring proper mainte-nance of riverbeds and punishing culprits who illegally grab or pollute rivers is the right way to start.

Ensure speedy compensation for victims

The High Court is currently considering proposed com-pensation schemes for victims of the catastrophic � re at Tazreen garments in November 2012.

As there is inevitably legal debate about the extent of liabili-ty, it is right for the government and courts to take all necessary steps to ensure that compensation agreements are in line with international standards.

However, it is important that debate on issues not be pro-longed. The sooner they can be settled, the quicker focus can be given to ensuring payments are delivered to victims and their families.

Recent research conducted by the CPD shows that the deliv-ery of timely � nancial compensation can be hampered by many practical factors, includ-ing a lack of availabil-ity of concrete data and agreed lists of the names of all the victims. The disbursement of � nancial assistance would be greatly helped if information sharing between the various stakeholders was enabled.

We hope the ongoing compensation case can proceed smoothly in swiftly delivering much-needed recompense and support to victims and their families.

All parties involved should also look to the Rana Plaza Ar-rangement established last year by four of the brands sourcing from the site. The compensation agreement brings together Bangladeshi stakeholders and the ILO to provide a framework for making payments, which are due to start this month. Its structure is commendable as it is built on a concrete timetable for making payments to victims, so that assistance can be given sooner rather than being delayed by legal complications.

Editorial10

www.dhakatribune.com

DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

LETTER OF THE DAY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

Letters to the Editor

Focus must be given to ensuring timely � nancial compensation payments are delivered to victims and their families

Ensure proper maintenance of riverbeds and punish culprits who illegally grab or pollute rivers

Last wordFebruary 3

Saif Kamal’s account in the Weekend Tribune on January 17 was of a long, tension-� lled but luckily safe journey. It ended with two very pertinent questions: “Is this civil war? How will we ever undo this?” I frankly do not know the answers, but one thing is sure. It is an evil war, and the root of it is the new breed of wrongly-motivated terrorists, tagged on to the “uncivil” opposition, who burnt to death well over 50 innocent people, and shattered their families too.

Su� ering citizen

BNP: Fears over ‘cross� re’ killing have come trueJanuary 29

How can you tell apart a cross� re killing from others? Are these only cases where an opposi-tion party member died? I disagree with this. It is nothing more than a planning game.

Md Habibur Rahman

Two siblings sentenced to death for murderJanuary 29

Are they mad? Can anyone kill their own sister and nieces just for property??

Sheikh Jinat Mahmid

Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace PrizeJanuary 29

He should be awarded with the Nobel prize.Farid Md Nasir

Flying with broken wingsJanuary 28

Dhaka Tribune does its best when it publishes works of individuals who we are less familiar with but whose creations are worth publishing. When we see the word blogger as the identity of a writer, well, it signals a change in Bangladeshi media.

Mahmudul Islam

How to solve Sudoku:Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no num-ber repeating.

CROSSWORD YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS1 Exhibit (4)3 Absent (4)7 Beverage (3) 8 Ward o� (5)11 Periods of time (4)12 Long for (5)13 Wedge (5)15 Precious stones (4)18 Brick carriers (4)19 Primary (5)20 Sheeplike (5)21 Caution (4)23 Happen again (5)24 Greek letter (3)25 Curve (4)26 Enquires (4)

DOWN1 Laundry item (6)2 Followed orders (6)4 Armed con� ict (3)5 Danger signals (6)6 Word of acceptance (3)9 Sanity (6)10 Make lace (3)11 Locomotive (6)14 Find the place of (6)16 Builds (6)17 Commences (6)19 Tree (3)21 Fly trap (3)22 Moved quickly (3)

Crossword

Code-Cracker

SUDOKU

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11Op-Ed Wednesday, February 5, 2014DHAKA TRIBUNE

Chhatra League once againn Syed Ishtiaque Reza

Violent images from Rajshahi University � lled television screens and newspapers’ front

pages on Sunday and Monday. Around 100 students of the university and eight journalists were wounded, as armed Bangladesh Chhatra League men backed by police attacked the stu-dents protesting fee hikes and evening shift master’s courses on the campus.

The BCL activists opened � re on the agitating students, while police dis-charged tear shells and rubber bullets. Conditions of some of the bullet-hit students are reportedly critical.

This is not the � rst time BCL has gone against a popular student movement. All the TV channels and newspapers aired and published the picture of the BCL goons brandishing � rearms on the campus.

Questions come to mind: What’s going on? Where will all this lead to? And, what can be done about it?

The answer to the � rst question can be the same cynical response: This is what student politics is in Bangladesh. The party in power becomes the owner of everything. Everybody knows what’s going on, but the reaction is: “Who cares?”

After the Bishwajit murder by Dhaka’s Jagannath College BCL cadres, one of the senior leaders of the AL said a surgical operation was required to control BCL.

But how can they go for surgery without a diagnosis of the problem? The party high-ups must take a closer look into the Chhatra League activi-ties. The AL leadership must think of doing a thorough diagnosis to make the student wing really pro-student. The nation has to care.

The fact is, BCL activists have been found involved in campus violence, intra-group � ghting, the admission business, forcible occupation of stu-dent dormitories, vandalising academ-ic institutions, tender-snatching, and extortion since the AL-led alliance was elected to power in January, 2009.

The unruly BCL members some-

times even assaulted senior Juba League and AL leaders. They even vandalised police stations to force the release of their comrades.

The Rajshahi University incident is the � rst one since the AL came to pow-er through the January 5 elections for a consecutive second term. But during the previous � ve years, almost every day, BCL captured media headlines because of unruly actions.

There were hundreds of incidents of intra-group clashes in di� erent educa-tional institutions including the Dhaka, Chittgaong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Jahang-irnagar, and Jagannath Universities.

Bangladesh has a long and often proud history of student politics. But now, in the public universities, everything from getting a dorm bed to enrolling in a decent course is con-trolled by student political bodies.

Student politics has become so pol-luted in Bangladesh that it is working against the students’ interests. There is no idealism, everything is about greed. Student political leaders make money from extortion, and from selling tenders. They control student accommodation, the canteen, and have shops on the campuses.

All three of Bangladesh’s main polit-ical parties have strong student wings, which they fund and allegedly arm with guns and other lethal weapons.

In return for providing a ready reserve of young rioters when needed, the political parties allow their respec-tive student wings to make money from their control of the university

education system. Ruling party student organisations,

especially the armed cadres, act like gangsters on campuses. They eat at campus canteens for free, keep the best student accommodations for themselves, and harass professors or students who oppose them.

Civil society members debate endlessly on whether the police are adequate to the � ght the thugs on campuses. It is clear as daylight that until the major political parties stop using their student wings as mus-clemen to do their dirty work, the violence will not stop.

The ugly incidents by BCL are frequently happening due to factional in� ghting and inaction on part of the government. A group of fortune seek-ers are also allegedly using BCL leaders and activists for their own interests.

The last question – what can be done about it? – is what the govern-ment needs to spend most of their time on. The AL top brass must answer why, with each passing day, BCL cadres are wrecking the educational institutions.

Despite repeated warnings and threats from the prime minister and other in� uential AL leaders, no e� ec-tive action was taken during the last � ve years to contain the unruly activ-ities of the student wing of the party, which has emerged as the main factor for widespread violence and unrest in di� erent educational institutions across the country.

Seeing inaction in the face of grow-ing misdeeds of errant students, the public is sure to suspect that feuding politicians are themselves nurturing support groups among students.

Already, there are widespread alle-gations that a section of former student leaders who are not inducted in AL key positions are patronising factions in BCL.

No one knows where the solution lies. But these activities will take the government’s credibility to a new low, and some of its good work will get overshadowed in the process. l

Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director, News and Current A� airs, Ekattor Television.

n Rehman Sobhan

The unifying thread running through Bangladesh’s 65-year existence since the end of British rule in India is the frustrated aspiration

to establish a democracy of the people, by the people, for the people. This aspiration of the Bengalis remained frustrated during the entire tenure of Pakistani rule because its ruling elite recognised that democracy would relocate the balance of power in the hands of the people, of whom Bengalis constituted the electoral majority.

The consequential exposure to a decade of martial rule under Ayub Khan was purposely built to frustrate rule by and hence for the people which accounts for the widening economic divide between the East and West Wings of Pakistan. When after 22 years Pakistan’s � rst national election held out prospect of rule by the people, the rulers could not come to terms with the possibility that a regime of the people may pursue an agenda for the people which would prejudice the monopoly of resources captured by the elite.

The people of Bangladesh paid a heavy price for their democratic aspi-rations which could only be realised outside the state of Pakistan through a bloody war of national liberation with a massive cost in lives.

Tragically, after 42 years as an inde-pendent nation state, our democratic aspirations still remain frustrated. I will identify, rather synoptically, the principal sources of our frustration and conclude with some suggestions about where both political scientists and our political leaders may engage in some rethinking about our democratic practices and prospects:

1. We have yet to work out a univer-sally acceptable arrangement for the conduct of elections. l Whilst our constitution man-

dates that we must always be ruled by elected people we have established, right down to the present day, a con-sistent record where no incumbent

government has ever been displaced through an election overseen by an incumbent regime.l This suggests that no precedents

have emerged on how the integrity of the electoral process can be assured under a regime whose continuation in o� ce is at stake.l Our melancholy experience

from the 1960s up to the end of 1990 inspired the quest for elections su-pervised by a non-partisan caretaker regime which, by de� nition, was une-lected. By chance, coincidence, or per-haps design, four such elections held in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008 under a non-partisan caretaker government resulted in the incumbent regime being displaced by a party previously in opposition.l Regrettably, revealed experi-

ence could not be reconciled with the interpretation of our constitution by the judiciary so we returned to square one through enacting the 15th amend-ment to the constitution, abolishing the caretaker system of supervising national elections. Unsurprisingly, on January 5 of this year, the electoral outcome of the national elections remained consistent with the pre-1990 historical experience by once again re-turning an incumbent regime to o� ce.l Today, 65 years after British rule

and 43 years after independence, we remain compelled to rethink an appro-priate format for overseeing elections which can reconcile constitutional law with historical experience. Any such rethinking will also have to take cognisance of our practice of caretaker governance and the various ways in which our fertile political minds can misuse the system for political gain.

2. Ensuring a government “by the people” through a system of free and

fair elections does not ensure that the elected government will be made up “of the people.” We have much research evidence emerging from Rounaq Jahan’s recent work at CPD on the state of democracy in Bangladesh and indeed by other political scien-tists, that our parliaments are increas-

ingly dominated by business people who buy their way into parliament or use their tenure in parliament to transform themselves into business persons. Consequently, parliamentary politics has assumed an instrumental character where government for the people is superseded by government by and for the few as was the practice under Pakistan rule.

l Within such an exclusionary political landscape the weak, whether de� ned by income, gender, religion, or ethnicity who constitute the numerical voting majority, remain severely un-derrepresented in parliament which, by de� nition, can no longer ensure government by the people. A govern-ment of the elite can therefore hardly be expected to prioritise policies “for the people.”l What political scientists may

therefore attempt to rethink is how, even where we can ensure a genu-inely fair and participatory electoral process, a parliament which is more representative of the democratic ma-jority can be established through the electoral process. This quest will not

be unique to Bangladesh but may ex-tend across South Asia and even into the United States where government of the a� uent, by the a� uent, in the name of the people, remains alive and protected by its Supreme Court.

3. We need to rethink the impli-cations of constructing a democratic society where our principal political parties remain undemocratic in their representation, leadership, and prac-tices. While it is convenient to fault the leaders for their undemocratic practic-es, the critical issue to be investigated is why and how second tier political leaders, party workers, many with long exposure to politics so readily abdicate their democratic responsibilities and remain slavishly bonded within an elective monarchy.

4. We � nally need to rethink one of the more unique features of Bangla-desh politics, the tribalisation of our political society where the � ssures run as deep as the divide between the Hu-tus and Tutsis of Rwanda. This divide has led to the breakdown of normal dialogue between the parties. The perpetuation of the culture of boycott

by the parliamentary opposition, has rendered parliament dysfunctional over the life of four elected parlia-ments. Above all it has established and sustained the winner take all culture where winning and losing elections has become an existential concern in terms of livelihood, personal security, and even life and death. The exponen-tial increase in violence in our political life is the immediate manifestation of this form of tribalised politics.

5. Finally we need to address a question which has surfaced more re-cently in Bangladesh but which has be-deviled most of the countries of South Asia, the emergence of violence as an instrument of political expression, particularly in the service of party, identity, religion, and ideology. Here we need to learn not just from regional experience but from the experiences around the world as to whether such violence can be ameliorated through a more inclusive political process or has to be fought to a bloody end.

None of the fundamental problems which have compromised the practices of democracy and are now emerging as

profound structural weaknesses which threaten the very foundations of our democratic order, are unique to Bangla-desh and infect the political cultures of most of our South Asian neighbours. A regional conversation on the rethinking of democracy across South Asia may prove to be an educational experience for scholars as well as practitioners. However, as a Bangladeshi who has invested � ve decades of my life partic-ipating in the elusive quest for a more democratic political order, my primary concern is to seek redress to the mal-function of politics in my own country.

I, or my generation, have obviously not been overly successful in estab-lishing a government of the people, for the people, by the people. I hope that within your dialogue, you could con-tribute serviceable answers to the un-resolved questions of our generation, which could ensure that Bangladesh’s imperiled democracy should not perish from our soil which has been fertilised with the blood of the many who have already perished in its quest. l

Rehman Sobhan is the Chairman of CPD.

Until the major political parties stop using their student wings as musclemen, the violence will not stop

Tragically, after 42 years as an independentnation state, our democratic aspirationsstill remain frustrated

Rethinking democratic practice in Bangladesh

Fix the upazila systemn M Abdul Latif Mondal

The Election Commission has decided for the � rst time to hold polls to upazila parishads

(sub-district councils) in phases. Media reports suggest that the EC will hold polls to more than 480 upazila pari-shads (UP) across the country in six phases. The EC has so far announced the schedule for the � rst and second phases.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has explained the reason for holding polls to UPs in phases. He has said that the current UPs have di� erent expiry dates and so, they will have to hold the elections in phases.

Section 7 of the amended Upazila Parishad Act 1998 says the � ve-year tenure of a UP begins from the day the � rst meeting of the UP is held after the election. Although the last UP election was held on January 22, 2009, � rst meetings were held on di� erent dates. That is why they have di� erent expiry dates.

The upazila system has a chequered history. Created in the early 80s during the rule of HM Ershad, the UP had their � rst election in 1985. Headed by a directly elected chairman, a UP soon became the focal point of a local administration.

With various government o� ces, courts, and other establishments, the upazila headquarters also became the hub of economic activities. The second election to the UPs was held in 1990. Out of political animosity, the BNP government that came to power in 1991 with the reintroduction of parliamentary democracy abolished the UPs. It is not that the upazila sys-tem was � awless, but the system was abolished before its teething troubles were over.

The functions and responsibilities of a UP include maintenance of law and order, communicational and infrastructural development, develop-ment of agriculture, � sheries, livestock and irrigation, rural development and cooperatives, education, upgradation

and expansion of health and family planning activities, monitoring and controlling market prices, and matters relating to � nance, budget, planning and local revenue collection.

Past experience shows that UPs have not been able to discharge their responsibilities successfully due to a number of factors, the most important of which is the MPs’ interference and control over the activities of the UPs. The con� ict between upazila chairmen and local MPs was noticed to some extent even during the time of Ershad.

The abolition of the UPs by the BNP government, in particular the exit of the directly elected chairmen, paved the way for the entry of the MPs to the stage. Section 25 of the act made the MPs advisers to UPs and made it oblig-atory for them to accept the advice of the MPs.

The Upazila Parishad Ordinance 2008 abolished the advisory role of the MPs. In April 2009, the AL-led grand alliance government reintroduced the Upazila Parishad Act 1998 by super-seding the Upazila Parishad Ordinance 2008.

Some amendments to the 1998 act were also made. The amendment to section 25 of the act not only reintro-duced the advisory role of the local MP, but made it obligatory for a UP to keep the local MP informed of each and every correspondence it made with the government.

As a result, the UPs have come under the full control of the MPs. An MP must have the last say in all

matters, developmental or otherwise. Constitutional experts have

said that granting power to MPs to control the activities of the UPs goes against Article 59 of the constitution. It says that local government in every administrative unit of the republic shall be entrusted to bodies composed of persons elected in accordance with law, and it will perform such functions as shall be prescribed by law.

Besides the undue in� uence of the MPs, bureaucratic control is equally

responsible for making UPs ine� ec-tive. Available reports suggest that the relationship between the chairmen and upazila nirbahi o� cers (UNOs) is far from satisfactory. The Upazila Parishad Association has called on the government to free UPs from interfer-ence of MPs and UNOs to make them e� ective.

All this suggests that the ensuring elections will not be enough to make the UPs e� ective. The need of the hour is to fully empower the UPs, so that they can determine their own course of action. The advisory role of the MPs must come to an end. The local bureaucracy should be made fully answerable to the UPs. Emphasis has to be made on the maximum mobilisation of funds from local sources. The UP laws have to be appropriately amended to meet these requirements. l

M Abdul Latif Mondal is a former government secretary.

Ensuring elections will not be enough. The need of the hour is to fully empower the UPs, so that they can determine their own course of action

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

EntertainmentDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014 12

Film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Thor: The Dark World, Paci� c Rim in 3D, The Conjuring, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Escape PlanTime: 10am – 10pmStar Cineplex, Level 8Bashundhara City Panthapath

ExhibitionLife and Struggle of Padma By Sumon Yusuf Time: 3pm – 9pmLa Galerie, Alliance Francaise de DhakaDhanmondi

Ways of SeeingTime: 12pm – 8pmBengal Art Lounge, 60 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan 1

TODAY IN DHAKA

DRAMA9:30pm SonyNandini11:00pm Star PlusVeera

MOVIE7:30pmHBOHappy Feet Two8:45pmFox Movies PremiumIron Man 3

ON TV

COMEDY 11:30am Z CafeThe Big Bang Theory8:00pm FXThe Simpsons

MISC11:30am TLCHere Comes Honey Boo Boo9:30pm FTVDesigners

n Shadma Malik

A group photography exhibition titled Open Enquiry is on at the Drik gallery and will continue until February 7. The display showcases photographs of the students of Pathshala and Edith Cowan University (ECW) and is the outcome of a one month long workshop of Pathshala-ECU students, which was held in Bangladesh. Rajib Matin coordinated the workshop. As many as thirty � ve Bangladeshi and Australian students took photos in Sylhet, Old Dhaka and Cox’s Bazaar. Moreover, these diverse group represented the lifestyle of Bangladesh through their lens.

Participant Kaisar Ahmed’s Little Conqueror re� ects the story of a young boy. Kaisar said: “The photo is of a twelve years old boy named Mejba, who I met in Cox’s Bazaar. I was curious and enthusiastic to capture his life, as he is fascinated by the horses living in the beach. Everyday, he pretends to go to school, but instead, he tries to earn some money from the tourist and spends his days with the horses.”

Dipta Prakash Das’s Stateless Community address the crises issues of the Rahingya community. His portrait of mother and children depicts the harsh reality and lack of protection from their host country, Bangladesh. About his photographs Dipta said: “ I wanted to convey the message to the people that Rahingyas residing in this country are living a cruel life in the refugee camps. My photo shows that the deprived community wants to return to Arakan, when they feel that it is safe for them.”

Julian Tennant from Australia perceives the exoticness of Bangladeshi life and culture. He said: “I set out to explore the art and artworks that adorned these unique vehicles, Rickshaw. I discovered that this rapid growing city, Dhaka, is struggling to cope up with the changes and so are the rickshaw artists and the rickshaw pullers.”

Samantha Dillon captured the girls from the orphanage ShishuPoribar located in Sylhet. “The girls from the orphanage have hopes and dreams for their future. In the orphanage, the girls are living as a family, treating each other like siblings, facing struggles and triumphs together, instead of being alone.” l

Open Enquiry on display at DrikPHOTO BY JULIAN TENANT

PHOTO BY SHAH M AZHARUL HAQUE SYMON

Symon and Bobby pair up againn Entertainment Desk

Dhallywood heartthrob Bobby and new comer Symon are paired up again for Debashish Biswas’s new � lm Mon Jole.

Shooting of the � lm will start from May 10 this year.

Recently, the dynamic duo was

busy shooting for Iftakar Chowdhury’s Action Jasmin. About the � lm Symon said: “I am working with Debashish for the � rst time. I hope my fans will con-tinue to accept my work and bestow their love and best wishes to me.”

Bobby said: “I love to work in this kind of � lms. I am happy for the op-portunity to work in a romantic mov-

ie. I really like the storyline and hope that the audience will accept and en-joy our on-screen chemistry.”

About the � lm, director Debashish said: “Both of my previous � lms have stories set against an urban backdrop. In this � lm, I am working on a rural story. I have tried my best to add dif-ferent dimensions to the � lm.” l

National Street Theatre Festival continues to entertainn Hasan Mansoor Chatak

The current political situation of the country is perhaps the reason why the assembly of street plays is a hit with the audience, not to mention the free source of entertainment by highly acclaimed theatre troupes. The schedule of today’s National Street Theatre Festival is comprised of � ve plays, Padmo Parer Gadya Kotha, Dewal, Chharpatro, Pocket-marer Panchali and Khabishnama will be staged at the Shaheed Minar premises.

On February 3, the third day of the festival, � ve plays were staged that portrayed contemporary so-cio-political issues like the injustice in society, war criminals’ turning into powerful entities, religious fallacy and despoiled socio-political norms.

The show began with a play named Sunagorik-er Sandhaney, staged by the troupe Ensemble Theatre (Mymensingh). Written by Malay Bhoumik and directed by Shybal Das Bappi, the storyline of the play highlights the value of high moral standards.

The play was followed by Janoni Janmobhumi, written and directed by Asma Akter Liza and was staged by Nat Nandan. The mono-drama symbolically portrayed a woman as the mother of the nation, who urges the civilian to stop injustice. She cries and puts forward a heart-

felt plea to her nation to stop the despicable people who are envious-ly trying to destroy her pride and reputation.

Shadhinota Tumi Phirey Esho is a play written by eminent playwright Abdullah Al-Mamun. Directed by Said Ahmed, Nagorik Natyangan En-semble brought the play to the stage. The story showcased how a war criminal becomes a powerful leader in the aftermath of the war and then tries to halt the progressive advance-ment and growing of liberalism in the society.

Theatre troupe Padatik Natya Sangshad (TSC) staged eminent playwright Mamotazuddin Ahmed’s Shadhinotar Sangram directed by Hamidur Rahman Pappu. Then, Jege Otho, written and directed by Faisal Ahmed was brought to the stage by Natyajoddha.

Bangladesh Group Theatre Fed-eration has organised the National Street-theatre Festival 2014, to mark the International Mother Language Day and Martyrs’ Day. The pro-gramme began on February 1 and will continue until February 7. The slogan of the festival is “Culture against violence.” Around 35 theatre troupes from all over the country in-cluding Udichi, Dhaka Sanskritic Dol, Mahakal Natya Sampraday, Opera, Muktangan Natyalay, Brahmanbaria Shahitya Academy, Drishtipat, Bono-lota and others are taking part at the seven-day long festival. l

Agun Khela airs from today

n Entertainment Desk

A new drama series titles Agun Khela will start airing from today 7:50pm on Channel i. Written by Sharifur Rahman Shantanu, the drama is directed by Imran Halder. One of the most popular soap actors of the country, Zahid Hasan, plays a leading role in the drama, along with Mir Sabbir, Abid Rehan, Tariq Swapan, Mitanur, Bonna Mirza, Ali Raj, Tofa Ahsan and many others. The drama will be showcased every Wednesday and Thursday.

Fatu is a simple rural man. The villagers call him Kufa (bad omen) Fatu. Anyone who starts his/her day by seeing Fatu’s face is bound to come across bad luck. One bad thing or another must happen if one meets him. One day, the ag-itated villagers throw him out of the village after a through beating. Fatu has no family and he starts an aimless journey, determined to move away from place where he is unwanted to such an extent. On the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, he is hit by a car whose owner is an a� uent businessman. The dis-tressed businessman on the brink of an attack from passerby’spromise to get Fatu medical help. The story of the drama be-gins as the businessman takes Fatu in his car and heads to-wards Dhaka. l

A scene from Agun Khela

Cultural organisation Lokrong perform on the second day of the three-day Comilla Sangskritik Utshab which ended recently

Rituparna in Bollywood once againn Entertainment Desk

Rituparna Sengupta, who is currently busy shooting for Sunanda Shyamal Mitra’s Ex-traordi-Naari, is already part of another Hindi � lm.

It is an urban thriller di-rected by Hasnain Hyder-abadwala, who made The Train with Emraan Hashmi and Sayali Bhagat.

The � lm is titled Dannk. It revolves around a handful of people involved in a game of money. Apart from Ritupar-na, the cast also includes Ev-elyn Sharma, Ronit Roy and Amit Purohit.

A source close to the unit said: “It is a racy thriller,

which has everyone trying to dupe the other to gain some bene� t out of the situation

they are in. There’s no char-acter that can be de� ned as black or white. All those in-volved in the game have a facet to them which the world isn’t aware of. Shooting will begin in April.”

Rituparna, on her part, said: “Abhishek Mishra from the production house has ap-proached me with a role that has loads of shades. I had worked with him in Aalaap. The script is interesting and I’m thinking of doing this movie.”

Previously she worked in a number of Bollywood � lms such as Akrosh, Dil Toh Bach-cha Hai Ji, Main Meri Patni Aur Woh and others. l

Hasee Toh Phasee is a middle class Bombay story: Sidharthn Entertainment Desk

Sidharth who made a successful debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year will be next seen in Hasee Toh Phasee with Parineeti Chopra.

Encapsulating the idea of the title he says: “It is not easy to impress any girl in any � eld. For boys there is a lot of work. If a girl smiles, that does not mean she is impressed, need to do oth-er things as well. The trick is for the guy to know what the girl likes and dis-likes.”

“It is up to you how you gauge that. Some boys have good instincts, while some are dumb and stupid. Every girl is di� erent, there is no one formula for it,” he said.

The model-actor was � ooded with lot of o� ers, post his debut, but he

chose Hasee Toh Phasee as his second � lm as he found it quirky.

“I found this � lm interesting be-cause of its quirkiness, there is not much glitz and glamour. It is a middle class Bombay story. It is a dark, intense and edgy � lm. It has action but it is emotionally driven. I read the script and found it very quirky and funny. Vinil Mathew (director) is technically sound,” Siddharth said.

For the � lm, Siddharth had to work on his look – he had to gain some weight and colour his hair.

“The character is aggressive. It re-quires some amount of conviction to play this role. It is a risk, as the role that I play in the � lm is that of an older man,” the 29-year-old adds.

The � lm produced by Johar and An-urag Kashyap releases on February 7. l

QUAMRUL ABEDIN

13DHAKA TRIBUNEWednesday, February 5, 2014

SportDid you know?

Man City’s run of scoring in consecutive Premier League home

games ends at 61, � ve short of Man United’s record

14 The Special One is back, Chelsea close gap

15 Tendulkar receives India’s highest civilian awardDAYS TO GO

0 3 9

Sri Lanka pair Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene run for a single while Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque looks on during the 1st day of their second Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

‘We have to bowl better line and length’n Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

A couple more wickets on the day would have suited them thought Ban-gladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah who returned to the playing eleven for the second Test that began yesterday. The home side bowlers strayed down the leg-side while they also bowled half trackers which made runs come easy for the Sri Lankans.

The birthday boy claimed the im-portant wicket of Mahela Jayawardene or else the total score could have gone higher, but despite that the former Ti-gers vice-captain thinks they still need to pick quick wickets today.

“I would have been happier if two more wickets had fallen. We have to bowl better line and length,” said Mahmudullah after the � rst day at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

“There were times when we did miss the length. Sometimes when the ball

doesn’t turn, spinners get frustrated. We did bowl a few bad balls but when we regrouped, the discussion was to contain the runs. We came back well at the end of the day,” said Mahmudullah.

The decision of playing three fast bolwers in the � rst Test was heavily criticised while taking the � eld with just one fast bowler this time also raised questions. Mahmudullah de-fended the decision and said, “I think the team management – coach and captain – did what they thought would be good for the team. There is no swing or bounce so rather we thought we should use an extra spinner.

“We have thought about the match. There was a lot of talk on why we picked three seamers, and now it is about one seamer. We have to execute how we planned,” he added.

The o� -spinner hoped for turn in the wicket and said it was hard to predict the behaviour. “This morning

it spun for a while with the new ball while it didn’t during the middle peri-od and then later with the new ball. We have to work hard tomorrow (today) so we have to start well. If we can take two early wickets, we can capitalise on that,” he said while he also informed they will get an update on Abdur Raz-zak’s injury today.

Mahmudullah was honest in admit-ting the batting approach of Sri Lanka’s Mahela and Sangakkara and said they should be positive but careful when they come on to bat.

“Our batting approach should be positive but we have to choose care-fully. We played some expensive shots in the last game, there were mistakes. If we can cross the crunch moments, our batsmen can get big scores.

“We always talk about their (Mahela and Sangakkara) controlled batting. We keep an eye on their approach, and how they control their shots,” he said. l

Late blows keep hosts in the huntn Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

Bangladesh should be content with the way they ended the � rst day of their

second Test match though Sri Lanka are still looking to pile up a massive � rst in-nings total at the Zahur Ahmed Chow-dhury Stadium in Chittagong. The home team selection was once again a surprise to all as the Tigers, for the � rst time in their 81-match Test history, opted just one fast bowler in the side leaving out both Robiul Islam and Ru-bel Hossain from the previous match.

Spinners Abdur Razzak and Mahmudullah’s return to the playing eleven indicated they planned their attack around spinners, but the plan failed to break the Sri Lankan wall made up of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

Though Mahela, who scored 200 in the � rst Test, was out on 72 Sangakkara carried on in rock slid form and remained unbeaten on 160. The classy left-hander on his way to his 34th Test ton dispatched the bad balls with immense power and smashed 19 fours and three sixes.

The start was positive from the hosts as Sohag Gazi trapped Kaushal Silva to produce the � rst breakthrough

before his new ball partner Al Amin had Dimuth Karunaratne caught at point leaving the score on 49 for two. Raz-zak’s return to the Test fold was short lived as the left-arm spinner pulled up a muscle strain on his left leg and could bowl just four overs before heading back to the dressing room.

However, the familiar pair of the ex-perienced Mahela and Sangakkara sim-ply eased through the sessions as they dominated most of the day’s play in their 178-run third wicket stand. Once they both settled in it was easy pick-ings and the boundaries started � ow-ing as the home side spinners continu-ously bowled short and wide.

Mahela was heading towards an-other hundred before a soft dismissal ended his innings. Trying to glide the ball to the leg side, the former Sri Lankan captain was struck on the pads, plumb in front, o� a low delivery from Mahmudullah. But it hardly made any impact on Sangakkara as he continued to dominate and this time he added 67 runs with Dinesh Candimal.

The bowlers looked tired while the painful gestures of Tamim Iqbal and Mush� qur Rahim, who picked niggles during � elding, also did not leave a good mark on the � eld until Shakib al Hasan struck twice with the second new ball.

It was late in the day with only six overs left when Mush� q took the new ball and handed it to Shakib and the leading all-rounder struck immediately to bring some relief in the Bangladesh tent. Chandimal, who earlier survived a catch at long leg as Gazi caught him on the boundary but went o� -balance to end up behind the ropes, tried to heave it over long-on but only ended up edging a dolly to point.

It was the 90th over of the day and with couple balls left visiting skip-per Angelo Mathews decided to take on Shakib and fell in the same trap as Chandimal, only Mathews did not con-nect at all and was clean bowled.

The three wickets in the last session summed up the day and kept the home side in the game, but Bangladesh need to dismiss Sangakkara as early today or else the visitors, at 314 for � ve, might anchor another massive total. l

Mohammedan drop pointsn Shishir Hoque

Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited continued their struggle in the Ban-gladesh Premier League as the trad itional Black and Whites were held to a 1-1 draw by Brothers Union at the Bangaband-

hu National Stadium yesterday.Zahid Hasan Emily scored in his

third consecutive start as his spec-tacular goal put Mohammedan ahead two minutes before the � rst-half ended before Ghanaian defender Is-sah Yousuf cancelled out the lead from a penalty in the second-half.

With their � fth draw in their eighth league appearance, more than any other club, Mohammedan sit at fourth place with 11 points, six behind table toppers Abahani Limited. Brothers re-mained at sixth with nine points.

Mohammedan was close to open the scoring with nine minutes on the clock but Egyptian forward Mostafa Seddik’s close-range header on a Jahid Hossain cross � ew wide.

The Black and Whites drew the � rst blood in the 43rd minute. The national striker Emily showed great technique and control to receive Towhidul Alam Sabuj’s lobbed pass on his chest before chipping it over the onrushing goal-keeper for a cool � nish.

Meanwhile the Orange out� ts had their � rst attempt wasted six minutes into the second-half. Breaking into the penalty area, Faisal Mahmud used all his power to take an angular shot which was � sted away for a corner by Mohammedan goalkeeper Titumir Titu.

Yousuf restored the parity for Broth-ers in the 77th minute from the spot after Tapu Barman brought down Nigerian striker Kester Akon at the right corner inside the penalty area.Mohammedan’s Portuguese coach Rui Capela Batista blamed the refereeing once again for their draw while Broth-ers coach Syeed Naeemuddin remained content with his side’s progress. l

A chat with Tony Sanneh n Raihan Mahmood

Tony Sanneh would be a wonderful role model for budding footballers, as the former US international player showed how determination and hard work can make a man turn his dreams into reality.

The former Hertha Berlin and Nuremberg mid� elder, whose precise cross from the right � ank paved the way to Brian McBride’s goal in USA’s stunning 3-2 win over Portugal in the 2002 World Cup, shared his feelings with the Dhaka Tribune (DT) at the BFF House yesterday.

What drove you to be a footballer?Sanneh- In America as the sports are made, a player has to give up all to at-tain success, it needs devotion. I loved football, you see in football the stars have come from the lower social eco-nomic class. When I took up football it was not as prizing as nowadays but it has changed now, I loved football and it drove me to be a footballer.

What was the most memorable moment in your career?Sanneh-The World Cup of 1994 in US inspired me to set a target and I realized it in 2002. The 2002 World Cup was a special one, the World Cup is such an occasion that is watched around the world and when a player represents his country at the top of the world, he should feel proud. I thought we were a little unlucky there and I hope US team will do well in the future.

It was the most memorable moment for me, when the national anthem was � nished I started to run in the � eld against Portugal I thought it was the moment you live your life. You know an injury can ruin all the dreams and it was important to remain � t ahead of the meet.

Who was your favourite player?Sanneh- I grew up admiring Maradona and Ruud Gullit. Gullit’s � gure was similar to me and he played in various positions and I also followed it in my playing career, Maradona was the best ever and he is a phenomenon.

Whose company in the field you recall most?Sanneh- In my club career I relish the memory of playing alongside Sebastian Diesler in Hertha Berlin, he was a thor-oughly brilliant player but did not ful� l the promise he possessed and I also rel-ish the recall playing with Cacau, the Brazil born forward who made his way through to German team during my stay at Nuremberg. I also played beside David Beckham. l

Sri Lanka 1st inningsKarunaratne c Mahmudullah b Al-Amin 31Silva lbw b Gazi 11Sangakkara not out 160Jayawardene lbw b Mahmudullah 72Chandimal c Kayes b Shakib 27Mathews b Shakib 5Vithanage not out 0Extras: (b5, lb2, nb1) 8

Total (for � ve wickets, 92 overs) 314

Fall of wickets1-39 (Silva), 2-49 (Karunaratne), 3-227 (Jayawardene), 4-294 (Chandimal), 5-312 (Mathews).

BowlingAl-Amin 19-4-56-1 (nb1), Gazi 30-4-98-1, Razzak 4-1-6-0, Shakib 15-1-70-2, Mahmudullah 22-2-70-1, Nasir 1-0-2-0, Shamsur 1-0-5-0

SCORECARD, DAY 1

Mahela, Sangakkara are wily old foxes: Chandimaln Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

Sri Lanka vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal besides expressing their

shock over the selection of one pace bowler in the Bangladesh line-up in-formed yesterday that they are looking forward to add another couple hun-dred runs to their � rst innings total when they resume today.

“Yes we were all surprised with one seamer. Normally in Test cricket, in any conditions, any team will bowl two seamers,” said Chandimal  at the

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

“It was not easy to bat in these conditions. The ball came on to the bat really slow. When you get set, you de� nitely have to bat throughout the innings. Sangakkara did that.

Now we are at 314 for 5, so we’ll have to take runs as much as possible. We’ll keep our � ngers crossed for that. Di� cult to bat in these conditions, but we’ll hope for 200 runs – that might be a good total,” said Chandimal.

Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother when they were reduced to 49 for two

but the deputy hailed the partnership of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in the team and said they, “They are wily old foxes. We have to learn a lot from them. They work hard in the practices and they always talk about cricket even when they are o� the � eld.”

He was disappointed over his dismissal from a rash shot while his captain Angelo Mathews also did the same, but he had faith in Kithuruwan and Dilruwan and said, “They are going to get more runs tomorrow.”

The 24-year-old struck his last Test hundred against Bangladesh last year

but hasn’t been amongst the runs since then. “I’m disappointed. As a cricketer, we have some bad patches in our career, but at practices I’m working hard. I’m waiting for a big one,” he said.

The visitors are playing the Test without their spin wizard Rangana Herath and spearhead Shaminda Eranga, but Chandimal informed, “Mendis and Dilruwan are the spinners we have, but we also have two seamers. As a player, I feel that it’s hard to get runs o� the seamers. So we’re looking forward to doing the basics with the ball.” l

Mohammedan’s Zahid Hasan Emily celebrates a goal at BNS yesterday

Sohag Gazi jumps on Mahmudullah’s back after a Sri Lankan wicket at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

SportDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014 14

Saint-Etienne coach KO by goal frameSaint-Etienne manager Christophe Galtier was knocked out in a freak ac-cident on Tuesday when he slipped carrying a goal net at the end of a training session. The 47-year-old banged his head on the goal frame, brie� y losing consciousness and su� ering a deep cut to his right cheek bone. He was taken to hospital where tests detected no serious damage. The former Marseille defender is due to return to work on Wednesday to supervise his side’s next training session, a club spokesman indicated. –AFP

'Fulham need 7 wins to stay up'Fulham will likely have to win half of their remaining Premier League games to survive in the top � ight this season, manager Rene Meulensteen told a news conference on Monday. “I think from the 14 games, we should probably have to win half of them,” he said, with Fulham four points from the safety zone ahead of Tuesday’s FA Cup fourth round replay at home to She� eld United before a visit to Manchester United on Sunday. A depressing 3-0 home league defeat by Southampton on Saturday left them bottom of the table. –Reuters

Gomez back for FiorentinaGermany striker Mario Gomez is returning to � rst team training with Serie A side Fiorentina � ve months after injuring his right knee, the club announced on Monday. “Mario Gomez has completed his rehabilitation and can resume training on Wednesday with the rest of the team,” Fiorentina announced on their o� cial website. Gomez su� ered his injury in mid-September in only his third game for the club with initial predictions suggesting he would only be out for a matter of weeks. –AFP

Team P W D L GD PTS1 Arsenal 24 17 4 3 26 552 Man City 24 17 2 5 41 533 Chelsea 24 16 5 3 24 534 Liverpool 24 14 5 5 29 475 Everton 24 12 9 3 12 456 Tottenham 24 13 5 6 -1 447 Man United 24 12 4 8 10 408 Newcastle 24 11 4 9 1 379 Southampton 24 9 8 7 7 3510 Aston Villa 24 7 6 11 -7 2711 Stoke City 24 6 7 11 -14 2512 Swansea City 24 6 6 12 -6 2413 Hull City 24 6 6 12 -7 2414 Sunderland 24 6 6 12 -11 2415 Norwich City 24 6 6 12 -18 2416 West Brom 24 4 11 9 -6 2317 Crystal Palace 24 7 2 15 -18 2318 West Ham 24 5 7 12 -9 2219 Cardi� City 24 5 6 13 -22 2120 Fulham 24 6 1 17 -31 19

POINTS TABLE

Atletico riding high before Cup derbyn Reuters, Madrid

Three points clear at the top of La Liga, a shrewd-looking sign-ing in the bag and soar-ing optimism among

their fans, Atletico Madrid are on could nine ahead of Wednesday’s King’s Cup semi-� nal clash against Real.

One of Spanish soccer’s poorer rela-tions, under inspirational coach Diego Simeone, Atletico are mounting a gen-uine challenge this term to bitter city rivals Real and Barcelona, the world’s two richest clubs by income.

A former Argentina mid� elder who played for Atletico when they won a La Liga and Cup double in 1996, Simeone

has moulded his unpretentious but tal-ented and hard-working squad into a formidable unit.

They were further boosted on Fri-day by the return of Diego on loan until the end of the season.

The stage is set for Atletico to in� ict more Cup pain on their detested neigh-bours, who they beat 2-1 in last year’s � nal held at Real’s own Bernabeu sta-dium.

It was the � rst time they had got the better of Real in 14 years in any com-petition and they built on that success with a 1-0 La Liga win, again at the Ber-nabeu, at the end of September.

“We have the players to compete,” Simeone told a news conference after the Sociedad game.

“Diego’s arrival will give us what you saw tonight,” added the 43-year-old.

“A player with attacking ability, per-sonality, aggression in his play. When-ever he gets the ball dangerous things can happen.”

One of the doubts surrounding At-letico was that possibly they did not have enough depth in their squad to challenge on three fronts.

They are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will play struggling Italian side AC Milan.

Ronaldo should be available to face Atletico in the Cup as he will serve the suspension that comes with his red card in La Liga, while coach Carlo An-celotti also hopes to have record sign-ing Gareth Bale back from injury. l

Bologna suspend sta� after new signing left at airportn Reuters

Serie A strugglers Bologna have sus-pended four members of their techni-cal sta� after they apparently forgot to collect new signing Ibson from the airport, Italian media said on Monday.

Club president Albano Guaraldi was reportedly furious after the Brazilian ar-rived on Sunday, only to � nd there was nobody to greet him or pick up him.

Bologna are 17th in Serie A with 18 points, one point and one place above the relegation zone.

Former Porto and Spartak Moscow mid� elder Ibson, 30, has joined Bolo-gna from Brazilian club Corinthians. l

British pubs should open late for World Cup: Cameronn AFP, London

British pubs should stay open late to screen matches in the upcoming foot-ball World Cup � nals in Brazil, Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday.

“I have ordered a rethink on pub opening times for England’s World Cup games -- will consult with pub trade, police and councils,” Cameron wrote on his Twitter account.

The British Beer and Pubs Associa-tion (BBPA) had asked the interior min-istry to push back closing time from 11.00pm to 01.00am to take account of the time di� erence for England’s open-ing game against Italy on June 14.

It also asked for an extra two hours on July 11 and 12, the weekend of the � nal.

But the department rejected the re-quest, instead leaving individual pubs to apply for a one-o� late licence at a cost of £21 (26 euros, $35 dollars). l

The Special One is backIvanovic blasts open title race as Chelsea rob City of home comforts

n AFP, Manchester

Chelsea de� ed Man-chester City’s scintil-lating home form with a superb 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on

Monday that injected fresh intrigue into the Premier League title race.

Imperious in recent weeks, City were looking to reclaim top spot from Arsenal and move six points above Chelsea, but it was the visitors who prevailed thanks to a 32nd-minute bul-let by Branislav Ivanovic.

City had won all 11 of their previous home league games this season, losing only to European champions Bayern Mu-nich on home turf, while it was the � rst time they had failed to score at the Etihad in the league since November 2010.

The hosts had been seeking a ninth successive league win, but instead Jose

Mourinho’s Chelsea were left to cel-ebrate a home-and-away double, hav-ing beaten City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in October’s reverse � xture.

City were without top scorer Ser-gio Aguero due to injury, while Martin Demichelis had to � ll in for the injured Fernandinho in central mid� eld, but the hosts attacked with their usual abandon nonetheless.

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was obliged to race to the edge of his area to clear inside the � rst minute, before Alvaro Negredo rolled Gary Cahill and shot over.

Aleksandar Kolarov whipped in a cross that narrowly eluded Yaya Toure, who then clipped a shot just over from the edge of the box before striding to the byline and teeing up David Silva to sweep an e� ort narrowly wide.

With City rattled, the irrepressible Hazard worked Hart with a low strike before skipping past Pablo Zabaleta

and crossing for Samuel Eto’o, who could only slam against the crossbar from a narrow angle.

An exchange of chances saw both sides go close early in the second half, with Toure drilling a shot a whisker wide at one end before Nemanja Matic clipped the post with a 30-yard thun-derbolt at the other.

Pellegrini sent on Stevan Jovetic for Negredo in the 56th minute, but Chel-sea continued to threaten, with Cahill heading against the post from an in-swinging Willian corner. Forced deeper and deeper as the game wore on, Chel-sea were incensed when City defender Matija Nastasic was only shown a yel-low card for a last-man foul on substi-tute Oscar on the halfway line.

Jovetic then forced Cech into anoth-er eye-catching save with a shot from range in injury time, but Chelsea were to have the last laugh. l

Lazio president received over 50 death threats!n Reuters

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has received more than 50 death threats since the club sold mid� elder Hernanes to Inter Milan at the end of the January transfer window, he said on Monday.

“Yesterday, I received between 50 to 70 to 80 telephone calls from pseudo-fans, in which they asked me to leave Lazio and made death threats against me,” he told reporters.

“I live under escort,” he added. “The supporters are part of the club but now they have overstepped the mark.”

During the news conference, Lotito took a phone call which he said was from another angry Lazio supporter. Lotito said there was nothing Lazio could have done to hold on to Brazil’s Hernanes, a gifted but inconsistent mid� elder. l

Lopez marks return to Sampdoria with derby winnern AFP, Genoa

Argentinian Maxi Lopez made a stunning return to the colours of Serie A side Sampdoria on Mon-day by scoring a super goal to secure his side a

1-0 victory over city rivals Genoa.The 29-year-old’s goal – his � rst since

returning from a disappointing spell with Serie A rivals Catania – saw the victors move further away from the relegation zone and towards mid-table security.

They are eight points clear of third from bottom Livorno and the win con-tinued their revival since Serbian Sinisa

Mihailovic took over as coach in late No-vember. Lopez’ goal helped Sampdoria avenge the 3-0 defeat in the � rst Genoa derby earlier in the season and moved them to within two points of the losers.

Lopez, who has found it hard to settle at the one club since he moved to Europe after leaving River Plate, scored the only goal of the encounter in the 24th minute, playing a delightful 1-2 with Eder before � ring the ball home.

Lopez, who has also played for Barce-lona, Mallorca, FC Moscow, Gremio and Catania in the past nine years, celebrated his goal in front of the fanatical section of fans the ‘Doriani’ pointing his two index � ngers to the ground to say ‘I am here’. l

Mexico forward Vela rules himself out of World Cupn Reuters

Mexico forward Carlos Vela has said he is “not mentally and emotionally” ready to play in this year’s World Cup and has told the Mexican FA not to se-lect him for the tournament in Brazil.

Vela’s statement was carried on the Mexico FA’s website (www.femexfut.org.mx) on Tuesday after the 24-year-old, who plays for Real Sociedad in Spain, told them he would not be avail-able for selection.

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera, na-tional team director Hector Gonzalez Inarritu and other FA o� cials met with the player in Madrid on Monday to discuss his availability but he was ada-mant he would not change his mind.

Vela, who has played for Arsenal and West Brom in England as well as Salamanca and Osasuna in Spain, has scored nine times in 35 internationals.l

Mourinho talks down ‘little horse’ Chelsean AFP, Manchester

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho de-scribed his side as “the little horse” in the Premier League title race despite their impressive success over Man-chester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea travelled to Manchester on Monday knowing that defeat would leave them six points behind City, but they won 1-0 through Branislav Iva-novic’s � rst-half strike to draw level on points with their rivals.

The two clubs now trail leaders Ar-senal by two points with 14 matches of the season remaining, but Mourinho is insistent that his team remain a work in progress.

Asked if the duel for the title was a three-horse race, he replied: “Two horses and a little horse, that still needs milk and to learn how to jump. A horse that next season can race.”

When it was put to him that Chel-sea at the very least stood a chance of winning the league, he replied: “I don’t agree.

“We lost points at home against West Brom, against West Ham, we lost at Stoke, we lost at Newcastle.

“We are a team in evolution, but this is the kind of performance that helps the team to grow up a lot. Tactically, mentally, I think it was fantastic.”

City’s preparations were upset by the loss of Brazilian holding mid� elder Fernandinho to injury, with Argentine centre-back Martin Demichelis proving an unsteady replacement.

The hosts were also without mid-� elders Samir Nasri and Javi Garcia and top scorer Sergio Aguero due to injury, and manager Manuel Pellegrini felt that their absences were telling.

“Of course, (Fernandinho) is a very important player for us,” he said.

“Not only Fernandinho; you must add Samir Nasri, Aguero, Javi Garcia, because (if) Fernandinho can’t play, Javi Garcia can play in his position.

“(James) Milner was not 100 per-cent, neither was Alvaro Negredo. And it’s too much advantage for a team as important as Chelsea.” l Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, left, celebrates after scoring the winning goal during their EPL match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Monday AP

Villarreal's forward Jonathan Pereira (L) vies with Osasuna defender Jordan Loties during their La Liga match at El Madrigal stadium in Villareal on Monday. Villareal won 3-1 AFP

IFAB to discuss sin bins, replaysn Reuters, Berne

Soccer’s rule-making body, the Inter-national Football Association Board (IFAB), is to hold preliminary discus-sions at its next meeting on the use of sin bins and video replays to help refer-ees, FIFA said on Monday.

FIFA emphasised that both propos-als were included for discussion only and could be submitted for further ex-aminations to IFAB’s two new advisory panels. The items were “not yet at the stage of being considered...for decision in terms of alterations to the existing laws of the game,” world soccer’s gov-erning body said.

The controversial “triple punish-ment”, where a player concedes a pen-alty, is sent o� and then has to serve an automatic suspension, will also be on the agenda as a discussion item at the meeting in Zurich on March 1.

IFAB will also decide whether to al-

low male players to use headgear on religious grounds and permit so-called “rolling substitutions” in amateur and recreational football.

These would allow players who had been substituted to return to the pitch later in the match, a move designed to bring greater � exibility and maintain in-terest in grass-roots football.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have both advocated the use of sin bins, in which players would sit out for � ve to ten minutes for certain o� ences.

SURPRISE INCLUSIONThe inclusion of video replays, which

are used in other sports such as rugby and cricket, on the agenda is something of a surprise, however, as football has in general been wary of using any form of technology to help match o� cials.

It took years of debate for the sport to accept the use of goal-line technology, which was � nally approved in 2012 af-

ter a series of controversies where goals were shown to have been wrongly disal-lowed because o� cials had not seen the ball cross the line.

Platini remained opposed to goal-line technology all along, saying it would open the way for the use of other technology, and said in August that FIFA had opened a “Pandora’s box” of technology by allowing it.

IFAB has recently been reformed and two new advisory panels, one rep-resenting players and coaches and the other representing referees, will now examine proposed changes and provide suggestions to the eight-man board.

The new structure is expected to give IFAB more freedom to experiment with proposed changes.

The use of headgear for men appears set to be approved following a two-year trial period. Women Muslim players were given permission to wear heads-carves two years ago. l

SportDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014 15

Zia draws againBangladesh Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman drew with Norwegian GM Agdestein Simen in the 7th round in the Masters event of the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in British Island Gibraltar, UK on Monday. Zia now has 4.5 points. He played with black pieces against Irregular opening of Agdestein and drew after 53 moves.

–Tribune Desk

Sk Jamal face United Sikkim todaySheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will � ght for their survival in the 118th IFA Shield when they take on United Sikkim in their second match of the tournament at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata today at 7pm. After losing to Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting Club 2-1 in their � rst game, it is a must-win game for the Bangladesh Premier League side as they currently sit behind Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan in the Group B points table. Two teams out of four will qualify for the semi� nals. The Dhanmondi out� ts will be looking forward to their Haitian international striker Sony Norde to shine against a side who lost both their ga mes against Mohammedan and Mohun Bagan.

–Tribune Desk

Vettel’s dominance turns o� TV viewersGerman Formula One superstar Sebastian Vettel’s coasting to a fourth successive world drivers title last year had an adverse e� ect on global TV audi-ences according to � gures revealed by the Autosport website on Monday. The 26-year-old Red Bull driver won 13 of the 19 races in easing to the title. However, it wasn’t to television spectators liking as the total slumped from 500million in 2012 – when Vettel and Ferrari’s Fer-nando Alonso battled it out to the � nal race – to 450million according to Global Media Report which was published by Formula One Management, who hold the commercial rights to Formula One and produce the images used by broad-casters. While Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone put the reason for the fall partly down to last season having one race less than the previous year he conceded that Vettel’s dominance, es-pecially in the second part of the season when he won nine successive races, as also turning people o� .

–AFP

Federer to play in Davis Cup quarter-� nal tieFormer tennis men’s world number one Roger Federer tweeted on Monday he would play for Switzerland in their Davis Cup quarter-� nal with Kazakhstan in early April. The 32-year-old, for whom the Davis Cup remains one of the few major titles to elude him, played in last weekend’s 3-2 victory over last year’s � nalists Serbia. “I will line up with my friends, captain Seve and STAN against KazakhSTAN in April,” tweeted Federer, referring to non-playing skipper Severin Lüthi and his team-mate and recent Aus-tralian Open champion Stanislas Wawrin-ka. Federer, ranked eighth in the world, and Wawrinka, ranked third, should have more than enough � repower to beat Kazakhstan, who edged Belgium in their � rst round tie, in the quarter-� nal.

–AFP

QUICK BYTES

BTV & Maasranga TV9:30AMBangladesh v Sri Lanka2nd Test, Day 2 Sony SixNBA 2013-147:00AMMinnesota v LA Lakers9:30AM Golden State v Charlotte3:30AM (Thursday)India’s Tour of New Zealand 1st Test, Day 1 Star Sports HD12:40PMBig Bash T20Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers8:30PMHockey India LeagueTen HD10:00PM Ram Slam T20 Challenge 2014Semi: Dolphins v Titans 02:30AM Copa del Rey 2013/14Semi-� nal, 1st LegReal Madrid v Atletico MadridTen Sports01:10 AM Coppa Italia 2013/14Semi� nal 2: Roma v Napoli

DAY’S WATCH

US stars advise local bootersn Raihan Mahmood

Tonny Sanneh and Linda Hamilton, two renowned United States players who represented their country in the World Cup will share give tips and share their experience with local play-ers in a four day program at the BFF arti� cial turf.

The two former professional foot-ballers arrived in the country under the Sports United program, run by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Edu-cational Cultural A� airs. Bangladesh Football Federation welcomed the re-nowned footballers at a presser held at the BFF House yesterday.

Sanneh played in the 2002 World Cup and played club football for Hertha Berlin and Los Angeles Galaxy. He played 43 internationals. Linda Hamilton played for the United States women’s national soccer team from 1987-1995. In 1991, she was part of the team that won the � rst Women’s World Cup in China.

Sanneh hoped the youngsters would be bene� t from the program. “Throughout the world football has one language and it is the same all over the world, apart from the skill and tactics and technics the basics are same, we will try to share our experiences towards growing leadership qualities

and the to inspire them to put the best in the � eld. We hope Bangladesh football grows and reaches the top,” said Sanneh.

Linda Hamilton said football has provided her a lot and it was time for her to give something back. “As a foot-baller I have been to places that I have never anticipated and I feel a  football can take a girl to a higher position and we will try to inspire the girls to take an inspirational role in society,” she said.

Viraj M. Lebailly, the director of Public A� airs US Embassy, Dhaka hoped these kind of programs would help strengthen the relationship be-tween the two countries. l

ULAB FAIR PLAY T20 CUP

ULAB, Manarat � nal todayn Raihan Mahmood

University for Liberal Arts will face Manarat International University in the � nal of the ULAB Fair Play T20 Cup at 1:00 pm at the ULAB play ground at Ramchandrapur, Mohammadpur today.

In the morning,  North South University will face Independent University Bangladesh in the third

place decider at 9:30am.University of Liberal Arts Bangla-

desh earlier cruised to the � nal beating Independent University Bangladesh by 10 wickets while Manarat overpowered North South University by six wickets in the second semi.

Mahbub Anam Director, Bangladesh Cricket Board will be the chief guest on the day and will distribute the prizes. l

Woods arrives in India for exhibition roundn AFP, New Delhi

Tiger Woods arrived in New Delhi on Monday for his � rst visit to India, where he will play a round with special guests at a private event organised by a motorcycle company.

The world number one arrived from the United Arab Emirates where he had competed in the Dubai Desert Classic, and was whisked from the VIP area at the airport under tight security.

Woods is expected to play an 18-hole round with special invitees at the heav-ily guarded Delhi Golf Club on Tuesday morning, an event that is closed to the public and the media.

“I am afraid this is a strictly private a� air,” a club o� cial told AFP. “Even regular members will not be allowed in unless they have been invited.”

The 14-time Major winner will play alongside Hero Motors boss Pawan Munjal and his guests that include two renowned Indian golfers, Shiv Kapur and Arjun Atwal.

Kapur, a member of the upscale Delhi Golf Club, is a regular on the European and Asian tour. Atwal is a long-time friend and PGA Tour colleague of Woods.

Media reports speculated that Woods could be earning an appearance fee worth a seven-� gure dollar sum for his short trip.

Despite the public and media being excluded from the event, Kapur said Woods’s presence would boost golf’s image in the cricket-mad nation.

“Tiger’s visit to India is going to make a huge impact and there is a big buzz al-ready not only in Delhi but the whole country,” Kapur said on the sidelines of the Dubai Desert Classic last week.

“I know the members at my club are very excited and there is going to be people climbing all over the walls just to get a glimpse of Tiger.

“As everyone knows, cricket domi-nates sport in India. So for at least one day the world’s top golfer is going to steal all the attention away from the Sachin Tendulkars and Virender Sehwags.” l

Tonny Sanneh (2L) and Linda Hamilton (L) attend a press conference at the BFF House yesterday COURTESY

India's cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar (L) receives the "Bharat Ratna" award from President Pranab Mukherjee during an awards ceremony at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India yesterday AP

New Zealand favourites for India Tests: Hadleen AFP, Wellington

New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee has declared the Black Caps slight fa-vourites for the two-Test series against India beginning this week, despite the gulf in the teams’ world rankings.

Hadlee, New Zealand’s best-ever cricketer with 431 Test wickets and 3,124 runs, said the home side would take enormous con� dence from their shock 4-0 one-day series win over India.

He said while India, second in the Test rankings, could not be underes-timated, the eighth-ranked New Zea-

landers had all the momentum heading into the series.

“Let’s face it, they’re a very, very good side, but at the moment we might go in a little bit as favourites because we’ve got a roll on at the moment,” he told Radio Sport.

New Zealand have already de� ed the rankings with their one-day series win, in the process sending India from � rst to second in the ODI standings and lifting their own ranking from eighth to seventh. Hadlee said replicating that success in the Test arena would be a di� cult feat for the Black Caps. l

PCB appoints Aamir Sohail as chief selectorn AFP, Lahore

Former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail was Tuesday appointed chief selector of the national cricket team and also tasked with developing the game in the country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the 47-year-old will act as the head of a four-man selection panel besides being the director of game development. The director role encompasses everything from grassroots to � rst-class cricket.

Pakistan has not had a chief selec-tor since the Islamabad high court last month suspended all decisions taken by interim cricket board chief Najam Sethi, whose tenure began in July 2013.Sethi had appointed former captain and wick-etkeeper Moin Khan as chief selector.

Sohail’s appointment is the � rst ma-jor decision by Zaka Ashraf who was reinstated as PCB chairman in January, eight months after being suspended by the court over dubious elections.

Sohail, an attacking left-handed batsman who played 47 Tests and 156 one-day internationals for Pakistan and was a major part of the World Cup winning team in 1992 said he will do his best to lift the team.

“Pakistan team is doing well in one-day matches and Twenty20 and I will try to further lift that as well as our showings in the Test matches,” Sohail told reporters.

Aamir’s � rst task will be to select the national squad for the Asia Cup to be held in Bangladesh from February 25 - March 8. Sohail backed Test and

one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq.“Misbah has led the team well and I

don’t need to defend him,” said Sohail of the 39-year-old Misbah. “We have to work together and powers matter much less to me than solving problems.”

This will be Aamir’s second ten-ure as chief selector, having held the post in 2003. l

Tendulkar receives India’s highest civilian awardn AFP, New Delhi

Retired cricketing legend Sachin Ten-dulkar was awarded India’s highest civilian award on Tuesday, the Bharat Ratna, making him the � rst Indian sportsperson to receive the honour.

Tendulkar, who at 40 is the young-est-ever recipient, was congratulated by President Pranab Mukherjee during a brief ceremony that saw thunderous applause at the presidential palace.

The cricketer announced his retire-ment from the game in November, ending his 24-year career during which he became the world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket.

In retirement, he has begun promot-

ing social causes such as sanitation and has been named a member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament, lead-ing to speculation he might one day en-ter active politics. In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.

At the ceremony Tuesday, he walked up to the dais with folded hands, greeted the president and accepted the award amid a din of camera � ash-lights and applause from the audience, which included his family.

C.N.R. Rao, 79, who heads the prime minister’s scienti� c advisory council, was the other civilian who received the Bharat Ratna this year for his contribu-tion in the � eld of science. l

Test of character and determinationn Mazhar Uddin from Chittagong

Test cricket is all about mental approach, patience and temperament which the Bangladesh batsmen are yet to adapt. The hosts � elded the whole � rst day yes-terday while they were also on the � eld majority of the � rst Test – all courtesy to some calm and composed batting from Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara.

The Sri Lankan pair showed great composure and their approach towards the game is something that the Bangla-deshis can learn from a very close range.

Bangladesh batsmen often fails to cope in di� cult conditions. Mahela and Sangakkara, who have achieved so many milestones in their career, are still cautious whenever they came out to bat. The best example would be yes-

terday’s partnership between the two Sri Lankans. After the loss of two wickets on 49 the experienced duo kept their heads down until they found themselves in their comfort zone. Despite several at-tempts the Bangladesh bowlers weren’t able to pull a rash shot out of these two instead they lashed out to score from loose deliveries.

Bangladesh batting depends a lot on Tamim Iqbal, Shakib al Hasan, Momi-nul Haque and Mush� qur Rahim. These top order batsmen must keep their head calm and bat throughout the sessions in order to take Bangladesh to a safe position. Irresponsible shots have ear-lier caused their downfall and with the expectations rising day by day, it’s high time for the Bangladesh batters to buckle up and show maturity in the Test level. l

Pakistani cricket fans shout slogans during a protest against the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its decision to restructure and hand power to India, Australia and England, in Karachi on Monday AFP

16 Back PageDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Saraswati Puja adds to festivitiesn Ahmed Zayeef

In the wake of Saraswati Puja, the Ekushey book fair gained momentum yesterday with a houseful of visitors on its fourth day.

The publishers expressed content as they racked up more sales. People from all religions poured in the fair as it was a public holiday as well.

Both the Bangla Academy and Suhrawardi Udyan premises were swarmed with visitors clad in traditional Bengali out� t creating a festive milieu.

Dhaka University professor and columnist Dr Kaberi Gayen said: “It seems most people coming to the fair had just � nished o� ering prayer to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge.”

“The presence of people of other religions marks a non-communal spirit of the Bangalees. This cultural bonding is the real power of our country,” she added.

Clad in a red sari and vermillion on forehead, Bijeta Bijen Shaha, a private university student, came to the fair with friends. She said: “I think these two events have synced perfectly as both resonate with knowledge.”

“We had planned to come here on this day to attend both the puja and the boi mela. It is a wonderful opportunity to get together with friends,” said Tofael Ahad, another visitor at the fair.

Milan Kanti Nath, proprietor of Anupam Prokashani, said: “I am happy because the sale has grown higher today from last three days.”

Fifty-seven new books came in yesterday, including Muhammed Zafar Iqbal’s “Tuntuni o chutachchu,” Anisul Haque’s “Hashte hashte khun,” Nirmalendu Goon’s “Ekusher ekush kobita” and “Roktojhora November, 1975.”

A discussion and a cultural programme were held at the central stage with the presence of Professor Syed Anwar Hossain, noted Rabindra Sangeet singer Lily Islam, among others. l

A M A R E K U S H E YB O O K FA I R 2 0 1 4

Dhaka Art Summit: Putting Bangladesh on the arts mapn By James Saville

Anyone who made it to the last Dha-ka Art Summit will be stunned by the scale of this year’s expansion.

Whereas the last event was fairly low-key, with only a single � oor of ex-hibition space, this time DAS is taking

over the entire four � oors of Shilpakala, the National Academy of Fine and Per-forming Arts, which boasts a total area of 120,000sqft.

There will be � ve exhibitions curat-ed by local and international curators, 14 solo art projects, screenings of ex-perimental � lms, performances, and

presentations by 33 local and interna-tional galleries, including over 250 art-ists from across South Asia. More than 75,000 visitors are expected to attend over the three days.

Showing me around the venue is Di-ana Betancourt, one of the two senior co-curators of the festival.

“It’s a government building, so we can’t paint on or drill holes in any of the structural walls ... so wherever we want to paint, hang works or add lights, we have to install stud-walls and false ceilings,” Diana explains.

The preparation of the building is a huge project in itself; looking about the cavernous space one week before the event, everything is still covered in dust as workmen toil away.

The entire venue is to be re-painted and carpeted, with windows and bal-conies being blocked o� to provide for more wall space.

From a gallery we look down into a room where men sit cross-legged on rugs, drinking tea as they sift through papers.

“An architects’ meeting,” Diana explains. The nature of some of the artworks is such that they require air conditioning, so we’ve had to bring in a whole load of ACs. Of course we don’t like the way they look, and so we’ve had to custom build boxes to hide them in.”

“If there are a certain type of light we want, we can’t rent them here, so we’ve had to go from market to market searching.”

Diana takes me through to a central atrium, where a room-sized box is en-cased in sca� olding; laborers hang per-ilously o� the side, as they put the � n-ishing touches to the structure’s roof.

“This is for Rashid Rana’s installation. Inside, it’s going to be wallpapered to look like an exhibition room at the Tate in London, but the thousands of pixels which comprise the image are actually

tiny photos of Pakistani road signs.”We step into another vast room that

has been painted entirely grey-black, for Shazia Sikhander’s Parallax. “This is another insane project. It’s going to be a 60ft long, three-channel HD video projection. The projectors are ridicu-lously expensive and being lent to us by the Sheikh of Sharjah, and the tech team to install and operate them are coming from Germany.”

On my way out, I cross a room where baskets lie strewn around the � oor. I spot Rana Begum, the Bangla-deshi-British artist. Apparently her in-stallation consists of 1,600 had woven baskets that will hang from the ceiling like clusters of petals, “referencing light in the Quran, and immersing the viewer in an innovative play between light and shadow.”

Diana, who spends much time in Hyderabad working for the Creative In-dia Foundation, says the space is one of the best she’s worked in South Aisa,

“The space is so much better than anywhere I’ve had access to in India, and the team is great. There’s no one like Rajeeb [Samdani] in India either, not only in terms of � nancing but also with regard to his willingness to get involved in the organising; without Ra-jeeb, none of this would be possible.”

Given the sheer inventiveness – not to mention scale – of some of these projects, I’m sure the overall e� ect will be awe-inspiring. The summit looks set to be a hugely important step for Ban-gladesh’s standing in the international arts scene. Not one to be missed. l

Dhaka plans to rewrite Guinness record on national anthemn Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Bangladesh is planning to rewrite another Guinness world record by attempting to organise the largest number of people to simultaneously sing the national anthem to mark Independence Day on March 26, sources at di� erent wings of the government have said.

Bangladesh Army will be coordinat-ing the world record attempt, with as-sistance from the government.

According to the organisers, an at-tempt will be made to gather at least three lakh people at the National Pa-rade Ground in Agargaon on Indepen-dence Day.

Earlier on December 16, Bangladesh entered the record books by forming the largest human � ag made by 27,000 participants.

The existing record for the largest ensemble to sing a national or regional anthem is 121,653 participants, a record set by the Sahara India Pariwar in In-dia’s Lucknow on May 6, 2013.

Sahara India Pariwar is considered the second largest employer in India with over 1,100,000 employees.

The number was veri� ed by profes-sional audit � rms, with two Guinness World Record adjudicators present.

Before that, the record was held by Pakistan who set it on October 2012 with only 44,200 participants.

The Guinness World Records media committee held a meeting in this re-gard yesterday, con� rmed a senior of-� cial of the information ministry who was also present at the meeting.

Seeking anonymity, the o� cial add-ed that the plan was to make a new record that would bring pride to the country.

Inter Services Public Relations  Di-rectorate (ISPR)  Director Shahinul Is-lam acknowledged the plans but de-clined to comment further on the issue.

Although telecom operator Robi had sponsored the human � ag record attempt in December, sources said no sponsor has been � xed so far for the latest attempt.

Another source said: “It needs a huge investment and mobile operators are also interested in funding it.”

If achieved, it will be the seventh Guin-ness World Record from Bangladesh.

Zobera Rahman Linu, a table tennis player, became the � rst Bangladeshi to enter the Guinness Book of World Re-cords in 2002.

Mak Yuree, a Bangladeshi martial artist, holds the world record for break-ing three wooden baseball bats with a single shin-kick.

Wasik Farhan Roopkotha, a 7-year old Bangladeshi child, was recently named the world’s youngest IT expert.

Singer Momtaz Begum, also a lawmaker, holds the record for the largest number of published music albums, with over 700 albums releasedso far. l

DPDC to buy powerfrom privatesolar project Signs agreement with Rahimafrooz,at higher raten Aminur Rahman Rasel

Considering environmental issues and primary fuel crisis, the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) is going to buy electricity from a private solar project at a higher price.

It signed an agreement with the Ra-himafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd yes-terday for the installation of the 50kilo-watt-peak (kWp) Grid Tied Solar Project on the rooftop of Bangladesh Secretariat.

This is the � rst power purchase con-tract through a solar plant and a mile-stone for rooftop solar applications in the country.

According to the agreement, under the project 50kWp will be directly added to the national grid through an inverter.

The DPDC will buy a unit for Tk19.95 for 20 years from the project.

Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd MD Munawar Misbah Moin said: “We will design, install, operate and main-tain the project with world class photo-voltaic materials and technology.

“The system will generate 75Mega-watt-hours of electricity a year and re-duce carbon emission of approximate-ly 50 tonnes annually, and  in 20 years 1,000 tonnes will be reduced.”

The company aims at implementing the project in six months from the date of contract signing.

DPDC’s Superintending Engineer of Contracts and Procurement Sanjit Kumar Ghose and Rahimafrooz’s Mun-awar Misbah Moin signed the contract.

DPDC Chairman and Additional Secretary Tapos Kumar Roy, DPDC MD Nazrul Hasan, Power Cell Director Gen-eral Mohammad Hossain, among oth-

ers, addressed the ceremony.At present, generation of a unit of

electricity at a gas-based plant costs an independent power producer less than Tk2 whereas the cost at a diesel- or fur-nace oil-run plant is Tk15.

On the other hand, generation of a unit of electricity costs a gas-based rental power plant less than average Tk2, whereas the cost at a diesel- or fur-nace oil-run rental plant is Tk17-Tk20.

On November 14 last year, the govern-ment approved a proposal for purchasing electricity from the consortium of PIA Group LCC and Bangladesh Alternative Energy Systems Limited, which will set up a wind-based project with a capacity of 100MW at Anwara in Chittagong.

The Power Development Board will buy a unit of electricity for $0.12 (Tk9.87) for 20 years from the plant.

The demand for electricity in the country has been forecast 24,000MW in 2021 and 40,000MW in 2030. Of the demands, the government has a plan to generate 10% of electricity from renew-able energy sources.

“Renewable energy generation should be encouraged but it should not go be-yond 2-3% of the total generation. The rate of Tk19.95 per unit is very high – it should be below Tk15,” Prof Ijaz Hossain of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The contract has been signed ac-cording to the government policy. The energy mix is essential to create diver-sity in the electricity generation. Pur-chasing electricity from private compa-nies should be monitored,” Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission mem-ber Md Delwar Hossain said. l

Families of Rana Plaza victims � nd solace in new school n Probir K Sarker

Razia Begum, who lost her daughter and son-in-law in the disastrous Rana Plaza collapse, seemed somewhat happy yes-terday when she along with her grandson, Bijoy, came to the newly-built premises of Songkolon Primary School, a charitable initiative, at Anandapur of Savar.

Bijoy was admitted to the special-ised school in class I early January when the Songkolon Bangladesh Trust authorities launched academic activ-ities under the open sky as the school had only one small room.

But yesterday, Bijoy and over hun-dred others were overwhelmed to see their new school building with � ve well-furnished class rooms. The pre-liminary facilities also include play-

ground and computer education.Jotsna Begum was relieved as she

was asked to enrol her two children – Siam and Sima–in the school where the children are o� ered education in non-traditional method under the su-pervision of teachers having university degrees. The headmaster is a doctorate from Old Dominion University in Nor-folk, Virginia, USA.

Shahidul Islam Khokan, father of the two children who lost his � ngers and had severe injuries to his head and legs during the fall of Rana Plaza, has been unable to work now. He was rescued on the fourth day of rescue operation.

Selina Akhter, mother of class I stu-dent Helal, said she had been rescued from under the rubbles two days after the collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24

last year.The three-member family is too poor to manage three meals a day as her day labourer husband earns very little money let alone has the ability to bear the cost of education for their child. After she survived, her husband and parents have been asking her not to join any other garment factory.

The multi-purpose school currently has classes from I-IV and seven teach-ers. The total number of students is 132, said Kazi Monir Hossain Rintu, secre-tary and executive director of the trust.

“We have started a huge task; now all of us will have to carry it forward through individual and other contribu-tions. We ask for donations and spon-sorship of the children to bear the op-erational costs every month.”

He said most of the families had

not paid Tk100 as admission fee or the monthly fee of Tk25. “But still, we have been providing the children with maxi-mum possible stationary items they need, and computer and internet facilities.”

Currently the school is being operat-ed in a single shift while adult educa-tion programme along with other activ-ities would be held in the evening. The governing body has plans to expand the operation up to secondary level.

The initial cost of the establishment was around Tk14 lakh while the au-thorities would need Tk1.5 lakh every month to bear the operational costs.

During the informal inauguration of the school compound yesterday, several donors and aid agency repre-sentatives were present. Members of voluntary organisation Amra, which

works in collaboration with MuktoTa-runnofounded by Rintu himself after the man-made disaster,and the teach-ers’ panel were also there.

The premises got a festive look in the morning because of their presence as well as the painters’ giving � nal touch on the walls. All the children and parents were served sweets.

Oporajeo expandedThe second project of Songkolon Ban-gladesh Trust is Oporajeo (undefeated), an export-oriented jute and cotton bag factory where around 35 men and wom-en work. All of them are either victims of the deadly incident or represent fam-ilies that lost the only earning members.

Yesterday, the factory was shifted to a new building in Anandapur area with

improved working environment and having more machines. It would create more jobs for the vulnerable families.

The factory having unique features was founded in mid 2013 and the au-thorities have plans to expand it into a 200-member factory soon – with the help of individual and organisational contributors – as part of the Trust’s re-habilitation programmes.

The workers of the factory own it and are given pro� t share, medical care and educational assistance by the Trust. Five percent of the total pro� t of Opora-jeo is meant for the school, said Rintu.

Trustee Board Chairman Sami Al Is-lam, Vice-Chairman Akku Chowdhury, Executive Member and also a worker of the factory Helena Parvin were present at the function. l

Bangladesh Army will coordinate the world record attempt, with assistance from the government. According to the organisers, an attempt will be made to gather at least three lakh people at the National Parade Ground on Independence Day

Visitors glance through books displayed at the fair yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Workers prepare a display of bamboo baskets by a British-born Bangladeshi at the art summit venue MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial O� ce: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

Continue to the Business section...

Business

www.dhakatribune.com/business WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014

Perceptions and attitudes in selected countries

How widespread do you thinkcorruption is in your country? 76%76%

99%99%

95%95%

20%20%

64%64%

59%59%

29%29%

95%95%

95%95%

68%68%

97%97%

EUaverage

EU average

If you want to get somethingfrom the public sector/ administrationis it acceptable to give a gift?

Source: Eurobarometer, AFP(Selected countries)

Corruption in the EU

+ 45%de 31 - 45%de 16 - 30%- 16%

6%

14%

23%

67%

60%

Latvia

Lithuania

50% Slovakia61%

47%

Luxembourg

CyprusMalta

Greece

Poland

CroatiaSlovenia

Estonia

Ireland GermanyGermany

Finland

NetherlandsUnitedKingdom

Sweden

Denmark

ItalyItaly

AustriaAustriaHungary

Belgium

France

SpainPortugal

Bulgaria

Czech Rep.

Romania

84

82

80

78

76

74

72

70

68

66

64

62

06-

01-

14

07-0

1-14

08-

01-

14

09-

01-

14

12-0

1-14

13-0

1-14

15-0

1-14

16-0

1-14

19-0

1-14

20-0

1-14

21-0

1-14

22-0

1-14

23-0

1-14

26-0

1-14

27-0

1-14

28-0

1-14

29-0

1-14

30-0

1-14

02-

02-

14

03-0

2-14

04-

02-

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ing

Pric

e

DESH GARMENTS

B3 Stock gains on H2 profi t B4 ‘Breathtaking’ EU corrup-ti on costs €120bn a year

S T O C K SDSEX 4809.55 -0.35% ▼

DSES 979.71 -0.18% ▼

DS30 1663.69 -0.46% ▼

DSE proposes 14 individuals to select7 independent directorsn Tribune Report

Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday sub-mitted a list of 14 individuals to the securities regulator as candidates for the seven independent directors of the demutualised bourse.

Bangladesh Securities and Ex-change Commission (BSEC) will select seven of them to be independent di-rectors of the premier bourse, said a DSE o� cial.

After necessary regulatory approv-al, the independent directors will be inducted into the bourse through the DSE’s annual general meeting sched-uled for February 13.

Earlier, DSE shortlisted the individ-uals from around 50 people, including university teachers, former and in-cumbent chief executives of di� erent institutions, former Bangladesh Bank governors, former BSEC chairmen and leaders of chambers and associations.

After the AGM, a 13-member new board will take charge as per ademutualisation scheme, which was approved by BSEC on September 26 last year.

The new board would consist of seven independent directors, � ve from DSE shareholders and the bourse’s chief executive o� cer, who would have voting rights. The tenure for each director and the chief executive o� cer will be three years.

Demutualisation is a way of separat-

ing management of the bourses from ownership. It transforms a stock ex-change into a pro� t-oriented company owned by shareholders, and ensures alternative business models and oper-ational e� ciency.

A law on demutualisation was

passed in parliament on April 29 last year with a promise to bring transpar-ency to the stock market.

Bangladesh’s stock exchanges were non-pro� t cooperative organizations, owned by the exchange members who are usually stockbrokers. l

New IPOs, rights issue to hit market soonn Tribune Report

The Peninsula Chittagong, a luxurious hotel in the port city, got green signal from the securities regulator to go pub-lic to expand its services.

Bangladesh Securities and Ex-change Commission (BSEC) approved the initial public o� ering of the hotel, said a statement yesterday.

It proposed to raise Tk165 crore by issuing 5.5 crore ordinary shares with an o� er value of Tk30, including a pre-mium of Tk20. The fund will be used to extend existing building and to build a new hotel near the Chittagong interna-tional airport.

Its earnings per share is Tk2.49 and net asset value, including revaluation, Tk32.73 each, according to the � nan-cial statement ended on June 30, 2013.

The regulator also approved the draft prospectus of an open-end mu-tual fund titled CAPM Unit Fund. The size of the fund is Tk10 crore with a face value of Tk100 a share.

Of the fund, Tk1 core has been kept for sponsors and rest amount for the

unit holders. This is the � rst open-end fund that will be traded through elec-tronic trading as electronic certi� cates will be given to the unit holders.

The BSEC also gave consent to the rights o� er of Generation Next Fash-ions Limited for its BMRE and loan re-payment.

The company will issue two rights shares for three existing shares by � oating more than 11.3 crore ordinary shares of Tk10 each totaling over Tk112 crore.

The BSEC also approved the bidding procedure of 3.3 crore of United Power Generation and Distribution Company under the book building method.

The book building method came since 2010 under which many issues hit the market overvalued.

Indicative price of the company has already been � xed at Tk60, including Tk50 premium. After the bidding, the company will � le an IPO prospectus to the commission. Its earnings per share is Tk10.21, according to the � nancial statement ended on December 31, 2012. l

RMG safety standards hard to implement n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said the draft building safety standards set by Accord and Alliance for the country’s readymade garment sector are “impractical and hard to be imple-mented.”

At a meeting with global retailers of Bangladesh’ RMG products in Dha-ka yesterday, BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said the standards looked pretty similar with that of National Action Plan (NAP).

“But Accord and Alliance standards are more complex than the NAP. They will be very di� cult to implement in Bangladesh context.”

BGMEA organised the meeting to present current state of the country’s business, also attended by the repre-sentatives from Accord and Alliance and buyers.

As per Alliance and Accord safety standards, the RMG factory buildings shall have sprinklers, � re escapes, � re walls, � re windows and setting worker hotlines etc.

According to Bangladesh Nation-al Building Code, sprinkler in factory building is not mandatory.

But the draft standards require fac-tory buildings of more than two � oors with 22,000 square feet and above area setting sprinkler in every � oor and ev-ery part of a building.

“This will be a hard thing for the fac-tories in terms of cost and installation. It is linked with possible post-installa-tion hazards also,” said Atiqul Islam.

Besides, if there will be a large num-ber of � re escapes, workers can con-fuse them with regular exits, he said.

“Clari� cation is needed on the number of � re escapes required in a building.”

On � re walls, he said � re walls can be set up in the buildings to be built in future, “but it is not practical to ful-� ll the requirement in the case of al-ready-constructed building.

The concept of workers’ empower-ment through introduction of hotline has a positive spirit, but this is also true that it may be misused in terms of making false reporting, BGMEA chief stated.

“One false call is good enough to destroy the business of a factory and it may cause severe harm to thebusiness and reputation of a facto-ry as the information will be quicklyshared with Accord and Alliance net-works,” ” said BGMEA president quot-ing the incident of Liberty and Patriot Garments.

“Is there any assurance that the hotline would not be misused against factories considering the labor inten-sity of the industry and any measures to prevent the misuse?” he questioned the buyers.

In the recent time some buyers are pulling out themselves from the shared building factories on the ground that the buildings have not been made for industrial purpose.

Atiqul Islam urged Alliance and Ac-cord members, and buyers to take a re-alistic approach on the shared building factories and refrain from withdrawing orders from the factories.

“Since ensuring safety is the ulti-mate goal of all of us, the issue of � -nancing is vital to carry out the reme-diation plan,” said Atiqul Islam. l

BSEC relaxes restriction on selling placement shares n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has lifted restric-tion on general shareholders to sell shares within 30 working days of allot-ment through private placement.

But the restriction will remain in force for the sponsor shareholders, directors and shareholders holding 5% or above shares allotted through private place-ment, said a statement issued yesterday.

Moreover, general shareholders who have already taken permission from the regulator, but failed to sell the private placement shares within the stipulated 30 days with declaration will also enjoy the facility.

Former � nance adviser and chair-man of the BSEC Mirza Azizul Islam said the exemption has both negative and positive sides.

“Positive side is that share supply will increase in the market. But the negative side might be that institution-al investors or high networking indi-viduals might feel discouraged to sub-scribe private placement shares.”

According to the securities rules, the lock-in-period for shares allotted for general shareholders through pri-vate placement of a listed company is one year. And for sponsor sharehold-ers, directors and shareholders holding 5% or above shares, it is three years. l

FBCCI urges to call o� hartal tomorrown Tribune Report

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to withdraw the dawn-to-dusk general strike called for tomorrow.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called the nationwide daylong hartal protest-ing the capital punishment against its ameer Moulana Matiur Rahman Ni-zami in the Chittagong 10-truck arms smuggling case.

“As the country’s economy is now under pressure due to political violence before and after the 10th general polls, calling fresh countrywide strike will lead the economy to further crisis,” said the FBCCI in a press statement yesterday.

“The fresh general strike is nothing but an attempt to destabilise the coun-try,” said the statement of the apex business body. “The general strike against the verdict of a lower court on the 10-truck arms haul case is con-temptuous,” it argued. l

Fitch Ratings to rate BangladeshGovernment approves BB proposal to go for agreement with the global rating agencyn Asif Showkat Kallol

Fitch Ratings would provide sovereign credit rating of Bangladesh as the gov-ernment yesterday allowed the central bank to sign agreement with the New York-based global rating agency.

They would work on the ratings for the country besides existing two agen-cies – Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s – which are providing the ratings since 2010.

“We’ve given permission to Bangla-desh Bank to go for the agreement with Fitch Ratings yesterday,” said a senior o� cial of the Banking and Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance.

It would facilitate the country to be rated by three di� erent agencies and thus increasing the credibility to make it easy getting foreign capital and cred-it, he said. Fitch Ratings would rate the country for the years 2014 and 2015 subject to signing of the agreement.

The ratings would be free of initial cost as proposed by the agency, but fees would be required if the country issues any bond rated by the company during the two-year period, accord-ing to a Bangladesh Bank letter to the banking division seeking permission for the agreement.

Expressing the interest, Fitch Rat-ings argued that 92% of the countries having GDP over US$50bn are rated by

three agencies.Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor

Abu Hena Mohammed Raji Hasan said the company had earlier showed inter-est to rate Bangladesh.

Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s in their latest reviews on Bangladesh rated the BB- and Ba3 respectively and kept its “stable outlook” for the fourth consecutive year.

Fitch Ratings is dual-headquartered in New York, USA and London, UK. It was one of the three nationally rec-

ognised statistical rating organisations (NRSRO) designated by the US Secu-rities and Exchange Commission in 1975, together with Moody’s and Stan-dard & Poor’s. The three are commonly known as the “Big Three credit rating agencies.”

Sources in the � nance division said the government revived its plan to issue a sovereign bond for raising funds from the international money market in less than 10 months into shelving a previous attempt in the face of criticisms.

O� cials, however, said the govern-ment revived the plan for taking loans from the international money market against the backdrop of a shrinking amount of soft loans handed out by multilateral lending agencies and a lower-than-expected foreign direct in-vestment.

Besides, the government failed to get released soft loans withUS$3bn freezing in the pipeline be-cause of stringent conditions by the donors. l

Private TV stations want their tax problems be removedn Tribune Report

Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) yesterday sought the government’s intervention to avoid taxation problems for them to help � ourish the media industry.

The ATCO leaders yesterday met with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his Secretariat o� ce in Dhaka and de-manded the government’s help relieve from various problems the country’s electronic media is now facing.

“We are su� ering from taxation problem in various ways,” said Shaikh Siraj, general secretary of the ATCO.

ATCO president Mosaddek Ali along with representatives from all private TV channels were also present.

Shaikh Siraj, also Channel i director, said the country’s electronic media has become an industry but it did not get any tangible facilities from the government.

“It is also fact that we never asked for facilities from the government.”

He said the revenue body consid-ered that the TV channel owners were making hefty pro� t and the customs department had imposed value added tax (VAT) at di� erent levels.

“TV channels are increasing facing discrimination in levying as the Indian TV channels are enjoying no-fee facili-ty in Bangladesh.”

“But Bangladeshi channels are not allowed in India,” he argued.

Mosaddek Ali, also the owner of NTV, said despite being of Large Tax-payers Unit (LTU), TV channels are paying VAT at di� erent levels for dif-ferent programmes.

Managing Director of Channel 24 AK Azad said double taxation for pro-grammes of the TV channels is a “ma-jor obstacle to the growth of media in-dustry” in Bangladesh. l

API Park project cost rises 55% due to delaysn Tribune Report

The revised cost of the API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) Park proj-ect has increased substantially from its original estimate due to extension of project duration owing to delay in land acquisition, re-estimation follow-ing new rate schedule and adding new component.

The cost now stands at Tk332 crore, an increase of more than 55% from origi-nal outlay of Tk213 crore. Its � rst revi-sion project cost was TK233 crore. The work on the project was scheduled to commence in January 2008 and com-plete by December 2012.

With this second revision of the in-dustrial park dedicated for pharmaceu-tical products, a total of � ve develop-ment projects worth Tk640 crore were approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Econom-ic Council (Ecnec) at NEC conference room yesterday, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Brie� ng reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said of the total expenditure, Tk558 crore will come from the government fund and the remaining Tk82 crore from own funds of the organisations.

The revision of the pharmaceu-tical park project was due to project time extension, delay in land acquisi-tion, re-estimation following new rate schedule and adding new component to the project, o� cials sources said.

Under this project, an API Park would be set up on a 200-acre area at Gazaria, Munshiganj district, with a capacity to accommodate industri-al units on 42 plots to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Replying to a question on possi-ble cut in the revised development budget for the current � scal year, the Planning Minister said they are tryingto increase the allocation, not curtail-ing it. He said the ministry would work on keeping close monitoring with the line ministries to increase implemen-tation of the ADP.

So far, some 157 projects in the cur-rent � scal year were approved at the Ecnec meeting, including 97 new proj-ects and 60 ongoing projects with an outlay of Tk95,829 crore.

Of the amount, Tk54,817 crore will come from the government fund and Tk38,237 crore as project assistance, apart from Tk2,775 crore from the or-ganisations. l

API Park to accommodate units on 42 plots to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients

University Grants Commission Member Professor Abul Hashem

Additional Secretary of Law Ministry Nasrin Begum

Additional Secretary of Commerce Minis-try Ruhul Amin

BUET Professor M Kaikobad

FBCCI Director Asif Ibrahim

Justice (retd) Siddiqur Rahman Mian

Ashraf Udddin Ahmed

Former Secretary Waliul Islam

Former Bangladesh Bank Governor Mohammad Farash Uddin

MCCI Executive Member Habibullah N Karim

CPD Executive Director Musta� zur Rahman

Brig General M Mujibur Rahman

FBCCI First Vice President Monowara Hakim Ali

FBCCI Vice President Helal Uddin

LIST OF CANDIDATES

A � ag is re� ected on the window of the Fitch Ratings headquarters in New York REUTERS

B2 Stock Wednesday, February 5, 2014DHAKA TRIBUNE

Pro� t booking edges stocks lower n Tribune Report

Stocks edged lower yesterday as investors went for booking pro� ts after four-day rally.

After rising more than 40 points, the benchmark DSEX index shed 17 points or 0.4% to end at 4,809.

Shariah-based DSES index edged almost 2 points or 0.2% higher to 980.The blue-chip comprising DS30 index, however, lost 7 points to 1,663.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, declined 39 points to close at 9,454.

The total turnover at DSE was Tk771 crore, a drop of 4% from the previous session.

After posting a four-day long up-trend, the market went for a natural correction, said Lanka Bangla Secu-rities in its market analysis.

It said following the daily mo-mentum, the market’s closing be-low the 10 days of moving average is an indication of the short-term trend remaining positive.

“Investors witnessed a cautious trading after crossing 4,800-mark for the � rst time in the history of the benchmark index.”

Zenith Investment said the pos-itivity of the index got disrupted clearly due to some pro� t taking

tendency of traders and hence dis-tracting the course of the bourse direction.

All the major sectors ended in red except food and allied that gained over 1%, driven by large cap BATBC that rose almost 2%.

Non-banking � nancial institu-tions lost the most declining 1.6%, followed by power, telecommu-nications, pharmaceuticals and banks.

Three mutual funds featured in the top ten gainers list with the overall sector going up by over 1%.

Out of 292 issues traded, 112 closed higher, 163 declined and 17 remained unchanged. l

News from trade serverARGONDENIM: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has recommended for raising paid up capital by issuing Rights Share @ 3R:10 (i.e. 3 Rights shares for every 10 shares) of Tk. 10.00 each at an issue price of Tk. 22.00 each (including premium of Tk. 12.00 each) on paid up capital subject to approval of EGM and the Regula-tory Authorities. Date of EGM: 15.04.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue of the EGM will be no-ti� ed later. Record Date for EGM: 27.03.2014. Another record date for entitlement of the proposed rights shares to be noti� ed later after obtaining approval from BSEC.RAKCERAMIC: The Board of Directors has recommended 15% cash dividend and 10% stock dividend for the year ended on De-cember 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 02.04.2014, Time: 10:00 AM, Venue: Bashundhara Convention Center, Block # C, Umme Kulsum Road, Bashundhara R/A, Dhaka-1229. Record date: 13.02.2014. The Company has also reported net pro� t after tax of Tk. 682.41

million, EPS of Tk. 2.23, NAV per share of Tk. 18.99 and NOCFPS of Tk. 2.92 for the year ended on December 31, 2013 as against Tk. 608.12 million, Tk. 1.99 (restated), Tk. 19.94 and Tk. 2.38 (restated) respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2012.HRTEX: The Company has further informed that the 29th AGM of the Company will now be held on April 21, 2014 instead of June 09, 2014. Other information of the AGM will remain unchanged.RIGHT SHARE: ARAMITCEM: Subscription 23.03.2014 to 17.04.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 09.01.2014. RUPALILIFE- Subscription 06.04.2014 to 05.05.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 16.01.2014. BRACBANK: Subscription 20.04.2014 to 15.05.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 10.02.2014.IPO Subscription: Matin Spinning Mills Lim-ited subscription date 26-30 January 2014, NRB upto 08 Feburay 2014. @ Tk. 37/-, face

value taka 10 and market lot 200. Hwa Well Textiles (BD) Limited subscription date 17-23 February 2014, NRB upto 04 March 2014. At per, face value taka 10 and market lot 500.Dividend/AGMSALAMCRST: 13% cash, AGM: 29.03.2014, Record date: 11.02.2014. 1STPRIMFMF: 10% cash, Record date: 11.02.2014.HRTEX: 15% cash, AGM: 21.04.2014, Record date: 20.02.2014. MAKSONSPIN: 5% stock, AGM: 13.03.2014, RD: 16.02.2014. GSPFINANCE: 12% stock, AGM: 20.02.2014, RD: 03.02.2014.ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 01.03.2014, RD: 29.12.2013. USMANIAGL: 11% Cash & 10% Stock, AGM: postponed, RD: 07.11.2013.SAVAREFR: No dividend, AGM: 30.01.2014, RD: 19.12.2013.PADMAOIL: 90% Cash, 10% Stock, AGM: 15.02.2014, RD: 23.12.2013.

CSE LOSERS

Company Closing (% change)

Aver-age (%

change)

Closing average Closing Daily high Daily low Turnover

in millionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

7th ICB M F-A -27.31 -27.29 73.20 73.20 73.20 73.20 0.037 13.84 5.3GSP Finance-A -14.44 -11.46 31.74 30.80 33.40 30.50 2.540 1.34 23.7Brac B.C. Bond-A -6.23 -6.23 1,031.50 1,031.50 1,031.50 1,031.50 0.005 0.00 -B I F C -A -5.53 -4.92 20.69 20.50 21.00 20.50 0.189 0.13 159.2 Argon Denims Limited-A -4.67 -2.16 72.81 71.40 76.00 71.00 3.014 3.33 21.9Asia Insur. Ltd.-A -4.56 -4.46 31.50 31.40 32.50 31.00 1.041 1.56 20.2Islamic Finance-A -4.39 -3.41 22.12 21.80 23.10 21.60 2.478 0.87 25.4Appollo Ispat CL -N -4.32 -1.60 33.72 33.20 34.40 33.00 44.805 1.52 22.2Mercantile Insur -A -4.15 -3.74 30.10 30.00 31.00 30.00 0.166 1.49 20.2Ambee Pharma -A -4.12 -4.95 290.20 286.00 300.00 280.00 0.842 5.01 57.9

DSE LOSERS

Company Closing (% change)

Aver-age (%

change)

Closing average Closing Daily high Daily low Turnover

in millionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

GSP Finance-A -14.76 -11.77 31.57 30.60 34.00 29.90 45.016 1.34 23.6Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z -7.69 -12.09 8.00 8.40 8.50 8.40 0.008 -25.08 -veLibra Infusions-A -5.77 -5.72 511.79 511.60 550.00 502.20 1.433 3.04 168.4Samata LeatheR -Z -4.58 -4.17 23.00 22.90 23.00 22.90 0.023 -0.04 -ve Argon Denims Limited-A -4.58 -2.25 72.40 70.90 76.40 68.00 49.997 3.33 21.7Intl. Leasing-B -4.37 -2.84 17.81 17.50 18.50 17.50 12.451 -0.21 -veBay Leasing.-A -4.08 -2.50 41.02 40.00 42.40 39.60 26.387 1.56 26.3Fareast Finance-N -4.07 -2.22 16.76 16.50 17.20 16.40 15.201 -0.97 -veAppollo Ispat CL -N -4.03 -1.37 33.79 33.30 34.50 33.20 145.315 1.52 22.2Apex Tannery -A -3.81 -5.12 153.92 153.80 160.00 151.40 19.224 4.86 31.7

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume shares

Value in million

% of total turnover

Daily closing

Price change

Daily opening

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

Appollo Ispat CL -N 1,328,800 44.80 6.49 33.20 -4.32 34.70 34.40 33.00 33.72UNITED AIR-A 1,727,759 27.99 4.05 16.20 -1.82 16.50 16.50 16.00 16.20UCBL - A 813,187 25.43 3.68 30.70 -1.92 31.30 32.00 30.60 31.27National Bank - B 1,361,382 19.90 2.88 14.60 3.55 14.10 14.90 14.20 14.62IFIC Bank - A 432,900 16.80 2.43 38.10 1.60 37.50 39.50 37.50 38.81Mercantile Bank -A 766,686 15.91 2.30 20.40 0.99 20.20 21.20 20.20 20.75Shahjalal Islami -A 798,766 15.79 2.29 19.40 -1.52 19.70 20.10 19.20 19.77One Bank -A 787,259 15.19 2.20 18.90 0.53 18.80 19.70 18.80 19.29RAK Ceramics-A 227,773 13.54 1.96 60.00 7.14 56.00 61.20 55.00 59.46Keya Cosmetics -A 447,847 12.89 1.87 28.70 1.06 28.40 29.40 25.60 28.79Paramount Textile Ltd.-A 241,980 12.65 1.83 52.40 1.16 51.80 53.00 51.50 52.30LankaBangla Fin. -A 152,500 11.66 1.69 76.00 -1.04 76.80 78.00 75.80 76.47N C C Bank -A 759,660 11.61 1.68 15.00 0.00 15.00 15.50 13.50 15.28Premier Bank -A 895,221 11.44 1.66 12.60 1.61 12.40 13.10 12.50 12.78Orion Pharma-N 162,260 10.55 1.53 64.90 -0.31 65.10 65.50 64.80 65.04City Bank - A 460,530 10.55 1.53 22.30 0.00 22.30 23.50 22.20 22.92Southeast Bank-A 450,663 10.39 1.51 22.70 -1.30 23.00 23.50 22.60 23.07AB Bank - A 297,117 10.23 1.48 33.60 -2.33 34.40 35.30 33.30 34.43BD Submarine Cable-A 59,339 10.07 1.46 170.10 2.29 166.30 171.90 165.30 169.69

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume shares

Value in million

% of total turnover

Daily closing

Price change

Daily opening

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

Meghna Petroleum -A 1,069,496 298.53 3.87 276.80 1.35 273.10 284.30 250.00 279.13Mercantile Bank -A 10,453,016 216.90 2.81 20.50 1.49 20.20 22.20 18.50 20.75UCBL - A 5,492,743 171.29 2.22 30.50 -2.56 31.30 32.00 29.00 31.18Jamuna Oil -A 754,708 166.14 2.15 219.90 0.50 218.80 222.40 210.00 220.13IFIC Bank - A 3,983,970 154.08 2.00 38.00 1.60 37.40 39.30 35.00 38.67Appollo Ispat CL -N 4,300,400 145.32 1.88 33.30 -4.03 34.70 34.50 33.20 33.79UNITED AIR-A 8,894,961 143.56 1.86 16.10 -1.83 16.40 17.10 15.00 16.14Padma Oil Co. -A 370,175 124.99 1.62 332.70 -1.95 339.30 345.00 325.00 337.65Delta Life Insu. -A 454,200 123.25 1.60 269.20 -0.37 270.20 274.80 268.20 271.35National Bank - B 8,185,976 120.03 1.56 14.60 3.55 14.10 15.00 12.70 14.66One Bank -A 6,101,547 117.82 1.53 18.70 -0.53 18.80 20.00 17.00 19.31Olympic Ind. -A 640,925 116.17 1.51 181.40 -0.38 182.10 183.90 175.00 181.25Grameenphone-A 529,200 111.42 1.44 210.10 -0.99 212.20 211.90 209.80 210.55LankaBangla Fin. -A 1,445,542 110.16 1.43 75.90 -1.04 76.70 77.20 70.00 76.20Con� denceCement A 695,906 106.20 1.38 150.80 -0.46 151.50 154.40 145.00 152.61City Bank - A 4,589,758 104.97 1.36 22.20 0.00 22.20 23.50 20.00 22.87RAK Ceramics-A 1,720,324 102.33 1.33 60.00 7.33 55.90 61.30 51.00 59.48

CSE GAINERS

Company Closing (% change)

Aver-age (%

change)

Closing average Closing Daily high Daily low Turnover

in millionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Pragati Gen. I -A 7.93 7.94 70.85 70.80 72.10 68.00 0.106 4.19 16.9RAK Ceramics-A 7.14 5.02 59.46 60.00 61.20 55.00 13.543 2.23 26.7PragatiLife Insu. -A 5.17 5.17 250.30 250.30 258.00 235.00 0.375 2.38 105.2Standard Insurance-A 5.16 15.22 42.63 42.80 44.70 42.50 0.244 2.96 14.4Aziz PipesZ 5.00 5.00 23.10 23.10 23.20 23.00 0.005 0.59 39.2Nitol Insurance -A 4.75 4.65 41.86 41.90 42.00 41.50 0.293 2.75 15.2PHP 1st M. F.-A 4.69 3.45 6.60 6.70 6.70 6.50 2.937 0.40 16.5AMCL 2nd MF-A 4.41 4.42 7.08 7.10 7.30 7.00 0.092 0.88 8.01st Janata Bank MF-A 4.41 3.84 7.03 7.10 7.10 6.90 0.882 0.60 11.7IFIC 1st MF-A 4.17 3.61 7.46 7.50 7.50 7.20 0.176 0.42 17.8

DSE GAINERS

Company Closing (% change)

Aver-age (%

change)

Closing average Closing Daily high Daily low Turnover

in millionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Desh Garments -B 9.55 8.54 81.11 82.60 82.90 74.50 12.953 1.18 68.7RAK Ceramics-A 7.33 5.55 59.48 60.00 61.30 51.00 102.333 2.23 26.77th ICB M F-A 6.82 6.82 94.00 94.00 94.00 94.00 0.047 13.84 6.8Sa� o Spinning-A 4.78 3.32 30.47 30.70 31.00 28.00 30.800 1.12 27.2AMCL 2nd MF-A 4.41 3.05 7.09 7.10 7.20 6.90 1.390 0.88 8.11st Janata Bank MF-A 4.41 2.33 7.04 7.10 7.20 6.90 8.204 0.60 11.7Al-Haj Textile -A 3.78 5.12 84.33 85.20 87.40 78.00 20.088 2.06 40.9National Bank - B 3.55 3.82 14.66 14.60 15.00 12.70 120.026 -3.63 -veGolden Son -A 3.49 1.05 61.32 62.20 62.60 58.90 66.366 3.35 18.3Saiham Tex.A 3.33 3.92 33.97 34.10 34.70 32.70 52.056 3.04 11.2

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

Sector DSE CSE TotalMillion Taka % change Million Taka % change Million Taka % change

Bank 1904.16 24.68 212.54 30.79 2116.70 25.18NBFI 504.90 6.54 45.63 6.61 550.52 6.55Investment 272.48 3.53 19.04 2.76 291.52 3.47Engineering 571.46 7.41 88.42 12.81 659.88 7.85Food & Allied 290.40 3.76 22.09 3.20 312.49 3.72Fuel & Power 986.64 12.79 39.40 5.71 1026.04 12.20Jute 3.51 0.05 0.00 3.51 0.04Textile 753.21 9.76 68.57 9.93 821.78 9.77Pharma & Chemical 533.89 6.92 47.48 6.88 581.37 6.92Paper & Packaging 0.77 0.01 0.00 0.77 0.01Service 52.48 0.68 6.41 0.93 58.89 0.70Leather 67.76 0.88 3.05 0.44 70.81 0.84Ceramic 128.28 1.66 17.20 2.49 145.49 1.73Cement 280.40 3.63 12.25 1.77 292.65 3.48Information Technology 178.19 2.31 14.22 2.06 192.41 2.29General Insurance 332.48 4.31 11.75 1.70 344.23 4.09Life Insurance 350.37 4.54 15.08 2.18 365.45 4.35Telecom 192.34 2.49 17.40 2.52 209.74 2.49Travel & Leisure 207.21 2.69 31.91 4.62 239.12 2.84Miscellaneous 105.76 1.37 17.93 2.60 123.69 1.47Debenture 0.24 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.27 0.00

Daily capital market highlights

DSE Broad Index : 4809.54555 (-) 0.35% ▲

DSE Shariah Index : 979.71249 (-) 0.18% ▲

DSE - 30 Index : 1663.69363 (-) 0.46% ▲

CSE All Share Index: 14927.3897 (-) 0.37% ▲

CSE - 30 Index : 12505.8851 (-) 0.26% ▲

CSE Selected Index : 9454.5124 (-) 0.41% ▲

DSE key features February 4, 2014Turnover (Million Taka)

7,716.94

Turnover (Volume)

212,696,667

Number of Contract 159,958

Traded Issues 292

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

132

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

158

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,289.31

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.75

CSE key features February 4, 2014Turnover (Million Taka) 690.41

Turnover (Volume) 23,665,419

Number of Contract 26,735

Traded Issues 234

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

111

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

122

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

1

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,182.32

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.45

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

ANALYSTInvestors witnessed a cautious trading after crossing 4,800-mark for the � rst time in the history of the benchmark index

'Positivity of the index got disrupted clearly due to some pro� t taking tendency of traders and hence distracting the course of the bourse direction'

B3BusinessDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director of BRAC bank has been given Citi Distinguished Alumni award on Monday in an event held at Citi’s corporate o� ce in Bangladesh. Rashed Maqsood, managing director and Citi country o� cer for Bangladesh handed over the award for Syed Mahbubur’s special leadership last year

Grameenphone recently launched a combined promotion with RANGS Limited, Eastern Bank Limited and Intraco CNG limited o� ering special car scheme for its star subscribers. Ahmed Saquib, general manager, marketing of Grameenphone Ltd, Sabrina Chowdhury, director of RANGS Limited, M Khorshed Anowar, head of cards of Eastern Bank Limited and Mohammed Irad Ali, deputy managing director of Intraco CNG Limited signed an agreement in this regard on behalf of their respective organisations at a ceremony held at GP house Deputy managing director of Social Islami Bank Ltd (SIBL) AMM Farhad handed over

books to the head master of Galimpur Sonaban Girls High School for its students as a part of the bank’s ongoing campaign 'AlorThikana'

PRAN Dairy provided agri loans to its contractual dairy farmers setting up and developing dairy farms. Maj Gen Amjad Khan Chowdhury (retd), CEO of PRAN-RFL group recently handed over the loan amount to the dairy farmers at Chatmohor PRAN Dairy hub in Pabna

First Security Islami Bank Limited inaugurated school mobile banking and school banking at Dr Khastagir Government Girls’ High School in Chittagong on Monday. Quazi Osman Ali, deputy managing director of FSIBLwas present on the occasion among others

Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited held its 564th meeting of its executive committee recently at the bank’s head o� ce. The meeting was presided over by Alhaj Mohammad Younus, chairperson of the committee

n Tahmidur Rahman

Stocks of Desh Garments Limited reg-istered highest gains of 9.5% at Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday, with a trad-ed value totalling Tk1.3 crore.

The stock price ranged between Tk74.5 and Tk82.9 each during the trading session. Brokers said better pro� tability drove up the price to its high in the recent times.

On January 30, the company an-nounced its unaudited half yearly pro� t of Tk19.7 lakh after tax during the sec-ond half of 2013 against a pro� t of Tk5 lakh during the same period of 2012.

Most portion of the revenue was generated during the last three months of the period, as the management said pro� t after tax was Tk15.7 lakh during Q2 (Oct to Dec) 2013 while it was only Tk4.6 lakh during Q2 (Oct to Dec) 2012.

The garment factory previously re-ported annual pro� t after tax of Tk30

lakh on June 2013 while it was Tk24 lakh in 2012.

The increase in the annual pro� ts was the result of increased sales which was around Tk26 crore in 2013 against Tk24 crore in 2012. Direct cost of the goods sold roughly makes up 93% of the sales value.

However, the export-oriented com-pany still has an accumulated loss of Tk5.1 crore as of last year.

The loss was due to exceptional in-cident of a devastating cyclone on April 29, 1991, said the company’s audited annual report.

The company exports woven shirts to countries including USA, Canada along with European Union.

The “B” category stock has been giving out cash dividends as high as 7% consistently in the past years.

As on 2013 the stocks have a net as-set value of Tk12.16 each, according to Dhaka Stock Exchange. l

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DESH GARMENTS

Dollar rebounds from Wall St lossesn AFP, Tokyo

The dollar rose in Asian trade yesterday after su� ering a sell-o� in New York in response to unexpectedly weak US manufacturing data that raised con-cerns about the world’s number one economy.

The greenback bought 101.24 yen, up from 100.94 yen late in New York but well down from 102.31 yen in Tokyo earlier Monday. The euro was mixed at $1.3507 and 136.75 yen, from $1.3529 and 136.58 yen in US trade.

US currency markets were jolted after the Institute for Supply Manage-ment’s purchasing managers index sank to 51.3 in January from 56.5 in December. A � gure above 50 indicates growth and anything below points to contraction.

The latest � gures throw the focus on US employment � gures due this week as investors look to gauge the state of the economy as the Federal Reserve winds down its stimulus, citing a � rm-ing recovery.

The Fed announcement rattled emerging markets such as India, South Africa and Russia on fears of a capital � ight, which in turn sent their curren-cies diving.

Poor China data has also dampened investors’ spirits, dealers said.

“Investors should steer clear of risk assets over the short term as the tur-moil does not look like it will be over anytime soon,” Credit Agricole said.

The dollar has su� ered selling pres-sure after hitting a � ve-year high above 105 yen earlier this year.

“I don’t think the (dollar/yen) trend is downward for this year, but the 105 yen level looks far o� now,” Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp foreign-exchange trading head Masaru Ishibashi told Dow Jones Newswires. l

Internet titans shine light on secret US requestsn AFP, San Francisco

Internet titans eager to regain the trust of users for the � rst time on Monday provided insight into numbers of se-cret requests for user data made by the US government.

Disclosures from Google, Facebook and others came a week after US au-thorities agreed to give technology � rms the ability to publish broad de-tails of how their customer data has been targeted by US spy agencies.

The agreement came amid litigation from tech giants Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Yahoo.

The companies have been seeking the right to release � gures on vast sur-veillance of online and phone commu-nications, in the wake of leaked docu-ments from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden

US o� cials used the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to ask for information from between 9,000 and 10,000 Google user accounts in the � rst six months of 2013, and between 12,000 to 13,000 ac-counts in the six months prior to that, according to a blog post by Google.

Release of such data was subject to a six-month delay under the terms of an arrangement with the US Depart-ment of Justice letting Internet � rms be slightly more open about how much information is sought under authority of FISA court orders.

“Publishing these numbers is a step in the right direction, and speaks to the principles for reform that we an-nounced with other companies last December,” Google law enforcement and information security legal director Richard Salgado said in a blog post.

“But we still believe more transpar-ency is needed so everyone can bet-ter understand how surveillance laws work and decide whether or not they

serve the public interest.”Google included the FISA request

numbers in a routinely released Trans-parency Report about e� orts by gov-ernments to legally obtain data from the California-based Internet titan.

Facebook on Monday disclosed it received FISA requests for information from accounts of 5,000 to 6,000 of its

more than one billion members in the � rst six months of last year, and from the accounts of 4,000 to 6,000 of its users in the prior six months.

Meanwhile, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post that FISA orders were used to demand information from between 15,000 to 16,000 accounts of users in the � rst six months of last year.

Yahoo, meanwhile, revealed that in the same time period US o� cials wielding FISA court authority came

looking for information from 30,000 to 31,000 accounts.

The Sunnyvale, California-based company was quick to stress that while in the tens of thousands, the number of accounts targeted with FISA requests made up less than one-hundredth of one percent of its global user base.

Apple last week disclosed that in

the � rst half of last year it received 249 or fewer FISA or National Security Let-ter requests for information about us-ers of services provided by the maker of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macintosh computers.

Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a written post that information targeted in National Security Letters involved transactional data such as people’s contact information and not content.

Yahoo, Facebook, Google and oth-

ers promised to routinely update the FISA request � gures, and to continue pressing for legal reform to share more information with users.

Currently, Internet � rms are al-lowed only to provide ranges of FISA request numbers and barred from disclosing details regarding what was asked for or from whom.

“As we have said before, we believe that while governments have an impor-tant responsibility to keep people safe, it is possible to do so while also being transparent,” Facebook legal counsel Colin Stretch said in a blog post.

“We will continue to advocate for reform of government surveillance practices around the world, and for greater transparency about the degree to which governments seek access to data in connection with their e� orts to keep people safe.” l

India hopes to raise $1.8bn in mobile spectrum salen AFP, New Delhi

India’s cash-strapped government hoped Monday it would be third time lucky as it began an auction of mobile li-cences to try to raise money and increase investment in the struggling sector.

Authorities were obliged to hold the auction after the Supreme Court in February 2012 cancelled 122 mobile licences due to a scandal-tainted bid-ding process, creating turmoil in the sector and a major political scandal for the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The court order that the licences be resold prompted many players to exit the sector, nursing hefty losses.

The auction, which the government hopes will raise at least 113bn rupees ($1.8bn) to help bridge its � scal de� cit, marked the third attempt in 18 months to sell second-generation or 2G spec-trum which is used to provide basic voice and data services.

“We’re very con� dent these auc-

tions are going to be successful and we’re very con� dent all the spectrum to be auctioned will be sold,” Telecom Secretary MF Farooqui said before the auction opened.

Among the eight operators taking part were market leaders Bharti Airtel, the Indian unit of Britain’s Vodafone, the Indian arm of Norway-based Tele-nor and Reliance Jio, the mobile unit of Reliance Industries controlled by In-dia’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani.

The government was forced to scrap two earlier auctions - in March 2013 and in November 2012 - to sell the two frequency bands of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz - after companies boycotted the sales, complain-ing opening prices were too costly.

To stage this sale, the government cut the � oor price by 53% for the 900 MHz band from the March price and by 26% for the 1800 MHz band.

It also later said the annual spectrum usage charge should be capped at � ve percent of revenue, abandoning a previ-ous three-to-eight percent range. l

Oil prices rebound inAsian traden AFP, Singapore

Oil prices rebounded in Asian trade yesterday, clawing back some losses after weak manufacturing data in the United States and China fuelled con-cerns about demand in the world’s two biggest oil consumers.

US benchmark West Texas Inter-mediate (WTI) for delivery in March gained 16 cents in afternoon trade to $96.59 after falling more than one dol-lar in US closing deals Monday.

Brent North Sea crude for March was up three cents to $106.07 after shed-ding 36 cents a day earlier.

The Institute for Supply Manage-ment (ISM) on Monday reported a sharp slowdown in US manufacturing activity in January.

The ISM’s purchasing managers index (PMI) sank to 51.3 from 56.5 in December, with the new orders com-ponent almost stalling.

Any � gure above the 50 mark indi-cates expansion of manufacturing ac-tivity while anything below that signals contraction.

China said Saturday that manufac-turing activity slipped to a � ve-month low in January, con� rming a slowdown in the factory sector in the world’s top energy consumer.

Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC markets in Sydney, said WTI prices are now “fairly steady” after the initial reaction to the ISM reading.

Investors will also be keeping an eye on upcoming US jobs data for January, which is due out on Friday.

The US Labor Department last month said the economy added just 74,000 jobs in December, well below the 197,000 expected by analysts. l

DESH GARMENTS

Stock gains on H2 pro� t

OPINION

A well balanced MPSn Asif Khan, CFA

On January 27, the Bangladesh Bank announced monetary policy for Janu-ary-June 2014. It decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 7.25%, and saw no reason to change the reserve requirements either. The broad based monetary targets (M2, private sector credit growth, etc) did not see any ma-jor changes.

Before delving into the actually analysis of the monetary policy state-ment, I would � rst like to point out that the central bank has made remarkable improvements to the quality of the Monetary Policy statements. The artic-ulation, use of data, and logic behind the monetary policy has improved to considerable length. It is now a real treat to read the monetary policy state-ment. Even though I don’t have any concrete information, I am inclined to believe that the addition of Mr Hasan Zaman as the Chief Economist had a lot to do with it.

Now, let me go back to the analy-sis of the monetary policy. The MPS clearly highlights the central bank’s relatively cautious stance, as they feel that there are risks to in� ation (7.35% YoY at December 2013). The economic activity can revive on its own without any monetary stimulus, as there is more than enough liquidity in the economy, and some of the politi-cal noise (strikes and blockades) have actually dissipated. Furthermore, the

central bank has highlighted that they are proponents of more targeted in-centives instead of broader monetary stimulus) to industries that were hurt by the political troubles.

Prior to the announcement of the monetary policy, when the political outlook was a little uncertain, I was under the impression that Bangladesh Bank could go for a modest policy rate cut of 25bps. While I completely agree that the rate cut would not have any marginally incremental a� ect on credit growth, my call was that it would have a signalling e� ect.

With the central bank having a more dovish stance investor con� dence might go up just a bit. However, giv-en that the probability of continuous strikes and blockades has come down and EU has also cleared up their pres-ent position on the GSP facility it seems to me that maintenance of the status quo in the monetary policy tools was the perfect decision.

I continue to reiterate that the cen-tral bank’s decision on monetary poli-cy post 2010 was quite prudent, in my opinion. What is holding Bangladesh back cannot be solved by expansionary monetary policy (which would only create asset bubbles). The solution lies in solving the energy and infrastruc-tural bottlenecks. l

The writer is deputy head of equity research at BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage who writes on � nance and economics at www.asi� han.info

‘Breathtaking’ EU corruption costs €120bn a yearn AFP, Brussels

Corruption across the European Union’s 28 countries costs about 120bn euros ($162bn) per year - a “breathtak-ing” sum equal to the EU’s entire an-nual budget, EU Home A� airs Com-missioner Cecilia Malmstroem said Monday.

Malmstroem said the actual � gure could be even higher, despite the es-timate amounting to a little less than one percent of the bloc’s total econom-ic output.

“The extent of the problem in the EU is breathtaking,” Malmstroem wrote in an op-ed piece in Swedish newspaper Goeteborgs-Posten.

“Corruption undermines faith in democratic institutions, drains the legal economy of resources and is a breeding ground for organised crime.”

Presenting the European Commis-sion report, the bloc’s � rst, Malmstro-em emphasised the � gure was “an es-timation” and said the actual amount is “probably ... much higher.”

She called on member states to do more to stamp out the problem, say-ing: “The price of not acting is simply too high.”

The report does not rank the coun-tries as to the seriousness of the prob-lem nor suggest legal remedies, with Malmstroem saying that could follow after talks with member states.

But “one thing is very clear - there is no ‘corruption-free’ zone in Europe,” she said.

While Malmstroem refused to point the � nger at any particular country, the EU has had longstanding concerns about corruption in Bulgaria and Ro-mania, especially over their use of EU funds, and both were put under a spe-cial monitoring mechanism when they joined the bloc in 2007.

The report said that “� ghting cor-ruption has long been a priority for Bulgaria” but despite best e� orts, the problem “remains widespread”.

A poll found 84% of Bulgarians agreed corruption is prevalent while last year there were large demonstra-tions against the government’s ties with wealthy oligarchs.

Among possible steps, the Commis-sion “suggests that Bulgaria should shield anti-corruption institutions from political in� uence and appoint their management in a transparent, merit-based procedure”, it said.

In addition, the Commission “is sug-gesting that a code of ethics is adopted for members of the National Assembly”.

“In Romania, both petty and po-litical corruption remains a signi� cant problem,” the report said, adding that e� orts to address the issue have been inconsistent.

The Commission suggested Roma-nia should ensure truly independent corruption investigations and develop “comprehensive codes of conduct for elected o� cials”.

A poll showed “a full 93% of Roma-nians agree that corruption is wide-spread,” it said.

Finland, Denmark top of classAmong the other member states, the report named Denmark and Finland as top performers, while in France it said that “corruption-related risks in the public procurement sector and in in-ternational business transactions have not been addressed.”

Germany, the bloc’s largest econo-my, “is amongst the best countries of the EU. However, more can be done,” it said, suggesting it “would bene� t from the introduction of strict penalties for corruption of elected o� cials.”

Picking up on an issue attracting a

lot of domestic attention, it also sug-gested Germany should develop a pol-icy to deal with the “revolving door” phenomenon, where o� cials leave o� ce to work for companies they may have recently helped.

In her Swedish op-ed, Malmstroem said Sweden “is among the countries

with the least problems”.She said research showed that one

in 12 EU citizens had experienced cor-ruption in the past year, while four out of 10 companies regard it as “an obsta-cle for doing business within the EU”.

The report reviews how existing laws and policies work and suggests

what further e� ort could be made.Malmstroem singled out public

procurement, notably tenders for con-struction projects, as a major cause of concern. Graft watchdog Transparen-cy International welcomed the report, saying it marks “an important step in the EU’s collective e� ort to scale up its

anti-corruption e� orts”.“It is a stark warning against com-

placency about corruption in any EU country,” it added.

The report did not cover corruption in the EU’s own institutions, with the bloc’s � nances reviewed by the sepa-rate Court of Auditors. l

B4 BusinessDHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Global stocks sell-o� acceleratesThe � erce fall in global stocks showed no sign of abating on yesterday, with Europe slipping after falls on Wall Street and in Asia, as weak US data compounded worries about emerging markets. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.39% to 6,440.85 points in late morning deals, hit also by downbeat results from energy � rms BP and BG Group. – AFP

Toyota in high gear as it forecasts record pro� tToyota has shifted into high gear, with the world’s largest automaker tipping a record annual pro� t after more than doubling its nine-month earnings to $15bn thanks to the yen’s sharp decline and surging sedan sales. The buoyant results underscore a recovery not only for the Camry and Corolla maker but also for rival Japanese auto giants including Nissan and Honda.

– AFP

Asian shares followWall Street down after poor US data Asian markets slumped yesterday – led by a 4% fall in Tokyo – following a huge sell-o� on Wall Street as disappointing US manufacturing data compounded already deep fears about emerging markets. – AFP

Hong Kong stocksend 2.89% lowerHong Kong shares plunged 2.89% on yesterday, in line with a regional sell-o� after heavy losses on Wall Street sparked by weaker-than-expected US manufacturing data. The benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 637.65 points to end at 21,397.77 on turnover of HK$75.69bn ($9.75bn). – AFP

Euro recovers slightly after last week’s lossesThe euro rebounded slightly against the dollar Monday after sharp losses last week, helped by fresh data show-ing some unexpected weakness in the US economy. But the yen gained on both as continued global turbulence pushed traders to that safe haven. – AFP

NEWS IN BRIEF

Items Actual Jul'13 MPS Prog

Jan'14 MPS Prog

FY11 FY12 FY13 Jun 14 Jun 141. Net Foreign Assets 6.2 7.2 50.4 8.4 102. Net Domestic Assets 24.7 19.3 11 19 18.6 Domestic Credit 27.5 19.2 10.9 17.2 17.8 Credit to the public sector

(incld. Govt.)34.6 17.4 11.1 19.5 22.9

Credit to the private sector 25.8 19.7 10.8 16.5 16.53. Broad Money 21.4 17.4 16.7 17 174. Reserve Money 21 9 15 16.5 16.2

Perceptions and attitudes in selected countries

How widespread do you thinkcorruption is in your country? 76%76%

99%99%

95%95%

20%20%

64%64%

59%59%

29%29%

95%95%

95%95%

68%68%

97%97%

EUaverage

EU average

If you want to get somethingfrom the public sector/ administrationis it acceptable to give a gift?

Source: Eurobarometer, AFP(Selected countries)

Corruption in the EU

+ 45%de 31 - 45%de 16 - 30%- 16%

6%

14%

23%

67%

60%

Latvia

Lithuania

50% Slovakia61%

47%

Luxembourg

CyprusMalta

Greece

Poland

CroatiaSlovenia

Estonia

Ireland GermanyGermany

Finland

NetherlandsUnitedKingdom

Sweden

Denmark

ItalyItaly

AustriaAustriaHungary

Belgium

France

SpainPortugal

Bulgaria

Czech Rep.

Romania

0.00%

1.00%

2.00%

3.00%

4.00%

5.00%

6.00%

7.00%

8.00%

9.00%

May-12

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In ation (YoY) Repo rate

Chart showing in�ation and repo rates

UNITED STATES

‘Time is short’ for Congress to raise debt limit: Lewn AFP, Washington

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Monday that the United States will exhaust its borrowing authority on Friday without action by Congress to lift the debt limit.

“Time is short. Congress needs to act to extend the nation’s borrowing authority, and it needs to act now,” Lew said in prepared remarks at the Biparti-san Policy Centre, a Washington think tank.

“In just a matter of days, the tempo-rary suspension of the debt limit will end, and the Treasury Department will have to start using extraordinary mea-sures so the government can continue to meet its obligations,” he said.

Lew noted that the automatic rein-statement of the cap on borrowing af-ter February 7 comes at the beginning of tax � ling season, when tax refunds cause net cash out� ows “that deplete borrowing capacity very quickly.”

“We now forecast that we are likely to exhaust these measures by the end of this month.”

On the February 7 deadline the bor-rowing cap will be locked at the total amount borrowed at that date. US debt currently stands at $17.3tn.

The Treasury chief welcomed recent congressional compromises that � nally

delivered a government budget after political stalemate over the issue forced a 16-day partial government shutdown in October.

But he warned Congress against waiting to raise the debt limit at the 11th hour, highlighting that a delay can jeop-ardize the credibility of the world’s larg-est economy and roil � nancial markets.

He noted that in last year’s political gridlock, consumer and business con� -dence dropped and investors “publicly questioned whether it was too risky to hold certain types of US government debt.”

“It is important to remember that increasing the debt limit is Congress’s responsibility, and Congress’s alone.

That is because only Congress has the power to extend the nation’s borrowing authority. No Congress in the history of the United States has failed to meet this responsibility.”

The Treasury chief criticized a push by some lawmakers to tie spendingcuts to increasing the Treasury’s bor-rowing authority, noting that “raising the debt limit has nothing to do with new spending.

“It is about ful� lling spending obli-gations that Congress has already made and paying bills that have already been incurred.”

Opposition Republican lawmakers are considering policy riders to a debt ceiling bill that would help reduce the debt. President Barack Obama’s Demo-cratic administration has stood stead-fastly against the attachment of any conditions to the debt action.

Lew pressed Congress to avoid a self-in� icted wound to the US economy as it enters 2014 with momentum from ro-bust strength in the 2013 fourth quarter.

“This can and should be a break-through year for our economy,” he said.

“Congress should act quickly to re-solve the debt limit without unneces-sary delays or political posturing that could snowball into a manufactured cri-sis that the American people so clearly want us to avoid.” l

'It is important to remember that increasing the debt limit is Congress’s responsibility, and Congress’s alone. That is because only Congress has the power to extend the nation’s borrowing authority'

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testi� es before a Senate Banking hearing on ''The Financial Stability Oversight Council Annual Report to Congress'' on Capitol Hill in Washington last year REUTERS