February 27, 2016

Tigers bowlers sink hapless UAE

n Mazhar Uddin

An all-round performance by Mahmudullah in all the three de-partments guided Bangladesh to a convincing 51-run win over the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup Twenty20 at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Following a face-saving unbeat-en 27-ball 36, Mahmudullah, who also grabbed a magni� cent catch to dismiss Shaiman Anwar, picked up two wickets as the UAE, chasing 134, were skittled out for 82.

The Bangladesh bowlers did everything right with pace bowl-

ing sensation Musta� zur Rahman (2/13) returning to his usual bril-liant self after disappointing in the tournament opener against India.

Skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Shakib al Hasan shared four scalps between themselves while Al Amin Hossain and Taskin Ahmed notched one each in what was a commanding bowling display.

Earlier, the Bangladesh bats-men were found wanting against the UAE bowlers under the Mirpur � oodlights.

The UAE bowling attack start-ed from where they had left o� against Sri Lanka in their tourna-ment opener, restricting Bangla-desh to 133/8 in 20 overs.

Asked to bat � rst, Bangladesh opening batsmen Mohammad Mithun (47) and Soumya Sarkar (21) made a cautious start, adding 46 runs before the latter found the

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

n Asif Showkat Kallol andAbu Bakar Siddique

A strange decision to let the private sector import huge amounts of rice despite near self-su� ciency in pro-duction has destabilised the staple food grain’s local market.

As a result, with just about two months to go for another Boro har-vest, the government is starting yet another bout of popular open mar-ket sale (OMS) of rice to clear the stocks.

And the government does not want any publicity.

Over the last few years, the av-erage annual demand for rice in Bangladesh has been around 36.5 million tonnes, Food Ministry data shows. Average production has been there and there about – 36.06 million tonnes in 2014-15 � scal year.

Theoretically, therefore, the small gap – of around 440,000 tonnes in this case – between de-mand and production should be met by import.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SECOND EDITION

INSIDEJoggeshwar murder mastermind heldPolice claim to have arrested three members of banned militant out� t Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh including the mastermind of the killing of a Hindu priest in Panchagarh on February 21. PAGE 3

Bigshots involved in ATM skimming scamMany more in� uential persons were involved in the recent ATM booth skimming scam than initially anticipat-ed, investigators have found.

PAGE 4

Two die as � ve of a family burnt in gas explosionTwo members of a family died and three others were severely burnt in an explosion caused by gas leak in their � at in Uttara, Dhaka yesterday.

PAGE 32

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016 | Falgun 15, 1422, Jamadiul Awal 17, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 312 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Strange policies makerice market volatile

The government is letting private sector import around 700,000 tonnes of rice this � scal year despite near self-su� ciency in rice production. This photo of a rice warehouse at Mohammadpur Krishi Market was taken recently SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

RMG fate uncertain after Obama signsbill against forced labourn Tribune Desk

The fate of Bangladeshi RMG ex-ports to the US seems uncertain, after US President Barack Obama signed a bill on Wednesday bar-ring the import of goods produced by forced labour from entering the United States.

Shipments derived from slavery will be kept out of the country un-der the new law that closes a legal loophole that allowed import of such goods if US demand exceeded domestic production.

Although there was no o� cial remark on whether Bangladeshi goods would be a� ected by the re-strictions, the US government lists garment products from Bangladesh among goods that are produced by child or forced labour.

According to a 2014 assessment by the United States Department of Labour, the other goods produced by child or forced labour in Bang-ladesh are bidis, bricks, dried � sh, footwear, steel furniture, glass, leather, jute textiles, matches,

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah plays a shot during his match-saving 27-ball 36 against the UAE in the Asia Cup T20 in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

News2DTSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

RMG fate uncertain after Obama signs bill against forced labourpoultry, salt, shrimp, soap and tex-tiles.

When contacted, Senior Com-merce Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that there was no scope to include Bangladesh in the pro-vision of forced labour or workers’ abuse, as “forced labour is com-pletely banned by the constitution and there is no such abuse of wom-en in the country.”

However, he added that an of-� cial statement would be made after a US statement reaches the Bangladeshi government and dis-cussions are held with authorities concerned following a review.

Meanwhile, BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said: “There is no

slavery, child labour, forced labour or abuse of RMG women workers [in Bangladesh].”

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune over phone from Singapore, he claimed that such allegations of forced labour were totally absent in other industrial sectors too.

Bangladesh is an International Labour Organisation-rati� ed country and follows the labour act and the ILO standards to ensure workers’ rights, the BGMEA chief added.

Musta� zur Rahman, executive director of Centre for Policy Dia-logue, also said that allegations of abuse on female workers in the RMG sector did not re� ect the real-ity and were unjusti� ed.

Even in the 16 conditions out-lined by the US government after the suspension of GSP, the Obama administration did not mention this issue of forced labour, he add-ed.

Sirajul Islam Rony, president of pro-government Bangladesh Na-tional Garment Workers-Employ-ees League, said that any allegation about abusing women in the RMG sector was insulting for the tens of thousands of workers as they were aware of their own rights through trade unions.

After the 2013 Rana Plaza inci-dent, the level of compliance, safe-ty, and workers’ rights had reached such great heights that there could be no abuse of women workers in

the country, Rony claimed.US Democrat Senator Sherrod

Brown from Ohio, who sponsored the amendment, said Wednesday that his o� ce was already asking the US Customs and Border Protec-tion to ensure they begin enforcing the new rules when the law takes e� ect in 15 days.

“It is embarrassing that for 85 years, the US let products made with forced labour into this coun-try, and closing this loophole gives the US an important tool to � ght global slavery,” he said.

The ILO estimates that 20.9m people are victims of forced labour globally and the illegal industry is estimated to generate $150bn in pro� ts per year. l

Strange policies make rice market volatileDuring the ongoing � scal year, around 393,000 tonnes of rice have been already imported – mostly from India. Interestingly, letters of credit (L/Cs) have been opened for another 322,000 tonnes of rice, which add up to around 700,000 tonnes.

The quantity alone is not big enough to destabilise the local market. But, what has made the situation a total hodge-podge for the government is the staggering amount of rice – nearly 1.5 million tonnes – that was imported in the previous � scal year.

A near self-su� ciency means that Bangladesh produces enough rice to feed everyone. Therefore, the huge quantity imported the previous year should theoretically remain unsold. Again people often prefer imported rice over local rice.

Whichever way it is, a huge amount of rice has remained un-sold from the previous � scal year and this is now exerting a pressure on the market.

Add to that an estimated Tk300 crore that the government will have to pay as subsidy for selling rice and � our at reduced prices, sector insiders say.

Local rice merchants had been trying to pursue the government

to impose duty to discourage im-porters. Early last year, months after the proposal was raised from local merchants, the government imposed a 10% duty on rice import. In December, that was increased to 20%.

But by that time, most of the im-ported rice was either brought into the country or L/Cs were opened.

As a result of the high duty, however, the import of rice has re-mained low this year.

A stock-take The government’s current stock of rice is now nearly 1.11 million tonnes. Almost entire of this is the coarse rice made from Boro paddy. At this time one year ago, just be-fore the Boro harvest, the govern-ment had a little over 1.13 million tonnes of rice in stock.

So, the scenario of the govern-ment’s collection and stock has not changed very much. The gov-ernment usually uses this stock as security for future events such as major � ood, cyclone or drought.

According to Nirod Boron Saha, chairman of the Husking Mill Owners’ Association, the country is headed for yet another bump-er harvest of Boro in a couple of months’ time if the weather does

not go haywire.Therefore, an open market

sale of rice – in which the gov-ernment sells stocked rice at a lower-than-market price to help people with low incomes – is a perfectly rational decision at this moment. Because the government needs to clear its stocks to make room for the upcoming bumper Boro harvest.

Earlier this month, the Food Ministry proposed selling 1.5 mil-lion tonnes of rice and � our in stock at reduced prices.

Usually, the government goes for massive publicity every time it launches an OMS of rice. So, why does the government not want publicity for an OMS now?

The Aman adversityBefore going to the USA last week, Finance Minister AMA Muhith wrote to Food Minister Quamrul Is-lam, asking him to stay low pro� le with this OMS.

The letter that the Dhaka Trib-une has seen reads that rice would be sold at Tk15 per kilogram in the OMS. Food Ministry’s latest data from February 18 shows that the lowest market price of coarse rice was Tk24.

For several decades, the Boro

paddy has been the biggest contrib-utor to Bangladesh’s near self-su� -ciency in food.

Boro is processed to make cheap coarse rice. This, of course, caters to the needs of the lower-middle and lower income people, who comprise a majority of the popula-tion.

Aman, on the other hand, is an-other popular rice but it is a � ner and relatively expensive variety. So, naturally, Aman does not fea-ture very prominently in the gov-ernment’s stock.

According to market experts, the imported Indian rice is slight-ly better in quality than the coarse rice produced from Boro paddy. So, the imported rice competes with Aman and reduces its price.

Last year, the production of Aman was healthy. This year, the government is yet to release the Aman production � gure but pro-ducers say the amount has re-mained almost the same although there has been two moderate � oods.

Ministry sources said that the � nance minister has probably asked the Food Ministry to not go for broad publicity for the OMS because it might a� ect the price of Aman, which is already reeling

from the competition with import-ed rice.

So, the Aman growers are likely to be the worst su� erers as their produce may remain unsold be-cause of the excess imported rice in the market coupled with the low OMS price.

“Even the growers of coarse rice will be a� ected by the low OMS price. Needless to say, Aman grow-ers would also su� er heavily,” said SK Murshid, director general of Bangladesh Institute of Develop-ment Studies.

Food Minister Quamrul Islam, however, does not quite agree. He said the fear of a negative impact on the price of rice is not logical. “The low price of OMS will only serve the poorer section of people,” he said.

The way outNirod Boron Saha, an in� uential merchant from the north, the hub of domestic rice supply in the country, said that the market could be stablised if the government starts exporting the excess rice.

Bangladesh usually does not ex-port rice. Last � scal year, however, around 50,000 tonnes of rice was exported to Sri Lanka experimen-tally. l

Tigers bowlers� elder at mid-on. Mithun on the other hand looked rusty and was eventually dismissed in a rather comical way.

Following the openers’ depar-ture, Bangladesh plunged into further trouble as Sabbir Rahman (six), Mush� qur Rahim (four) and Shakib (13) all departed cheaply. However, Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 36 o� 27 balls, blasting 17 runs in the 20th over to give the Ti-gers some sort of a � ghting total.

The UAE bowlers bowled su-perbly and kept the Bangladesh batsmen quiet for the most part of the innings. In what was a dis-ciplined bowling performance, Mohammad Naveed picked up two wickets while captain Amjad Javed bagged as many. l

BNP: Election irregularity to trigger protestsn UNB

BNP chairperson’s adviser Khanda-ker Mahbub Hossain yesterday warned that the consequences will be dire if the government inter-venes in the upcoming Union Pari-shad (UP) polls.

Speaking at a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club, he also urged BNP leaders and activists to get ready to take to the streets defying bullets to restore democracy and

people’s voting rights.“The grassroots leaders and

activists will wage a strong move-ment if the ruling party cadres or law enforcers intervene in the Un-ion Parishad polls, and the govern-ment won’t be able to tackle it,” the BNP leader said.

Mahbub alleged that the govern-ment has decided to arrange the UP polls along party line as part of its conspiracy to show people its arti-� cial popularity by manipulating

the election. “But, the government won’t be able to make the country’s people and international commu-nity fool with its trick.”

The BNP leader claimed that around their 5 million leaders and activists are being harassed and tortured across the country facing “false cases.”

To get rid of it, he said, all will have to get united to oust the current regime. “No movementin the past became successful

without sacri� ces and shedding blood.”

Mahbub said the nationalist forces must carry out a movement in a democratic way to ensure the fall of the despotic regime. “Let us get united and take to the streets together defying bullets. If we can take to the streets braving all obstacles, lakhs of people will join us under Khaleda Zia’s lead-ership, to force the government to quit.” l

PM to inaugurate Mohila Samity complex todayn UNB

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the new complex build-ing of Bangladesh Mohila Samity at the city’s New Bailey Road today.

Under the Tk35.44 crore project, a � ve-storey complex with two au-ditoriums have been constructed alongside a 45-seat conference room and two basements for parking. l

Speakers: Without freedom of expression, other rights failn Tribune Report

Where freedom of expression does not exist, the public essentially have no rights, Pro-fessor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, father of slain publisher Faisal Are� n Dipan, yesterday said.

He alleged that the government was try-ing to establish an autocracy by suppressing freedom of expression.

The government was taking away democratic rights in the name of development, Prof Faz-lul Haque said at a discussion titled “Taking Away Rights of Thought and Freedom of Ex-pression” organised by the Bangladesh Au-thor Camp and the National Mukti Council at the National Press Club.

“Di� erent people may have di� erent opin-ions – this needs to be respected,” he said, adding: “A just society cannot be created if the right to free thought is infringed upon.”

Speaking at the discussion, Professor Dr Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University’s law depart-ment said: “The government’s hands are tied and they can at any time bind the public’s hands.”

He said the government was using the law to suppress freedom of expression. “The government’s strategy for success consist-ed of conducting mass arrests and crushing freedom of expression.”

Professor Anu Muhammad of Jahangirna-gar University, emeritus professor Serajul Is-lam Chowdhury and National Mukti Council President Badruddin Umar were among the attendees at the discussion presided over by Professor Fazlul Haque.

Calling freedom of expression a serious issue, Anu said: “People of all walks of life, including writers, singers and politicians, must stand together to raise awareness about it.” l

News 3D

TSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

Mastermind, 2 others held in Joggeshwar murdern Mohammad Jamil Khan in

Dhaka and Sazzadur Rahman Sazzad in Panchagarh

Police claim to have arrested three members of banned militant out-� t Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangla-desh including the mastermind of the killing of a Hindu priest in Panchagarh on February 21.

The trio – all suspected members of JMB that eyes establishing Shari-ah law in the country – were arrest-ed in separate drives conducted in Panchagarh and Nilphamari early yesterday, Humayun Kabir, DIG of Rangpur range police, told report-ers at Debiganj police station. He did not disclose their identities.

Dhaka Tribune, however, man-aged to identify the three arrestees. They are Abdul Hares, 32, of Kalir-

danga village; and Ramzan Ali, 25, of Pronabad village in Debiganj; and Rabiul of Nilphamari, who al-legedly collected arms and shared plans with Hares.

Police sources claimed that rickshaw-puller Hares had master-minded the attack.

The wife of Hares, Momiron Khatun, claimed that her hus-band had been working as a rick-shaw-puller in the area for the last seven years. Earlier they used to live in Tangail. She claimed that Hares had never been involved with any militant group.

Neighbours Abdus Shahid and Mosta� zur Rahman also claimed that they had not heard of Hares’ in-volvement in any criminal activities.

Joggeshwar Roy, 50, the prin-cipal of Sonto Gaurio Temple in

Debiganj, was slaughtered on the verandah of his house by two assailants on February 21 while neighbour Gopal Chandra Roy, 35, received bullet injuries as he tried to save the priest.

Three killers took part in the op-eration while � ve others kept the crime scene under surveillance, police claimed.

Earlier, the law enforcers arrest-ed three suspected JMB men in the case. The latest drive was conduct-ed based on information given by Khalil, Babul and Jahangir, who are now on a 15-day police remand.

DIG Humayun Kabir yesterday also said that they had recovered all the weapons used in the killing. A machete, two pistols, three maga-zines, � ve rounds of bullets, three knives and three crude bombs were

recovered from a house in Debiganj.A bicycle used in the murder

was also recovered. But the motor-cycle, on which the killers had left the scene, is yet to be traced.

“We have found similarities between the recovered arms and those found after the killing of a Japanese citizen in Rangpur and the attack on a Christian priest in Dinajpur,” the o� cial added.

The trio confessed that at least eight people were involved in the murder of Joggeshwar. “We have arrested six of them. We are hope-ful that the two others will be ar-rested soon,” Humayun said.

IS claim made from a Patia madrasaThe tweet claiming responsibili-ty for the murder by Dae’sh men was uploaded from a madrasa in

Chittagong’s Patia area, said Tanvir Hassan Zoha, the focal person of the ICT Ministry’s Cyber Security Programme.

US-based jihadi activities mon-itoring website SITE Intelligence Group recognised the tweet as a claim made by Dae’sh.

“We are trying to trace the exact location of the computer and hope to arrest the culprit,” said Zoha, who is giving technological support to the Police Bureau of Investigation.

The account had remained inac-tive since the day of the murder, he added.

The law enforcers earlier found that al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcon-tinent had claimed responsibility for the murder of secularist Oyas-iqur Rahman Babu from a madrasa at Hathazari in Chittagong. l

AVIJIT KILLING

Moncho slams law enforcersn DU Correspondent

A faction of Gonojagoron Moncho has criti-cised the law enforcement agencies for fail-ing to arrest assailants who hacked to death writer-blogger Avijit Roy a year ago on the Dhaka University campus.

Speaking at a discussion yesterday, Mon-cho spokesperson Imran H Sarker said: "Police claimed several times that they have identi� ed the murderers, but they could not arrest any-one. Their insincerity is why they have failed.”

Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam on Thursday said police had found evidence of six people’s involvement in the killing and that banned mil-itant out� t Ansarullah Bangla Team was behind the attack.

Machete-wielding assailants attacked Avijit, an engineer and administrator of Mukto-Mona blog who wrote against reli-gious fundamentalism, and his wife Ra� da Ahmed Bonya,

both US citizens of Bangladesh origin, on Feb-ruary 26 last year when they were leaving Ek-ushey book fair.

Moncho activists took out a torchlight procession towards the TSC last evening and placed � oral wreath at the spot where Avijit was murdered.

Avijit’s father Prof Ajoy Roy said police told him that they identi� ed several killers and were running DNA tests and scrutinising evi-dence from the crime scene. l

Marxist politician Badruddin Umar addresses a meeting organised to protest the curb on freedom of expression and the right to think at National Press Club in the capital yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Ajoy Roy, father of slain blogger-writer Avijit Roy, lays � owers at the scene in Dhaka University's TSC area yesterday where his son was attacked a year ago RAJIB DHAR

'A just society cannot be created if the right to free thought is infringed upon'

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016News4DT

Bigshots involved in ATM skimming scamn Mohammad Jamil Khan

Many more in� uential persons were involved with the recent ATM booth skimming scam than initially antici-pated, investigators have found.

After analysing the mobile phone and laptop of the prime suspect, Piotr Szczepan Mazurek, detectives found that top business-men, hotel owners, bankers and other important personalities had close ties to members of the ATM scam, sources close to the investi-gation told the Dhaka Tribune.

A senior o� cial of the Detective Branch even expressed his con-cerns that the investigation might encounter obstructions as some of the names that came up during the probe were too much of a bigshot.

However, the o� cial refused to disclose names of the new suspects.

Seeking anonymity, the DB o� -cial said Piotr has been putting on a smile during interrogation. Piotr was quoted as saying: “Who do you think I am? I am not a street guy. I used to pay some of your top bosses.”

The involvement of the new

suspects came to light after police conducted a raid at Piotr’s Gulshan residence on Thursday night and seized the Polish national’s phone, laptop and car.

Monirul Islam, additional com-missioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they were now busy analysing the information provid-ed by Piotr and three other local bankers who were arrested in con-nection with the scam.

“Once the information is veri-� ed, actions will be taken against those responsible,” said Monirul,

also the chief of the Counterterror-ism and Transnational Crime Unit.

The DB o� cial, who preferred to stay anonymous, told the Dhaka Tribune that the police was try-ing to estimate exactly how much money was skimmed through the scam. A letter has been drafted to be sent to Bangladesh Bank seek-ing assistance of private banks in assessing the damages.

The o� cial added that a process is under way to seek Interpol’s help in arresting the suspects who had � ed the country. The police were also

keeping an eye on some suspects and activities in the business community.

Law enforcers are also reviewing the background of Piotr’s wife Meri-na, who used to work as a reception-ist at Hotel Holiday Planet, where Piotr stayed after coming to Dhaka.

Investigators said Merina was a student of University of Develop-ment Alternative who married Pi-otr to solve her monetary troubles.

She reportedly helped Piotr in the scam and hosted parties to entertain in� uential persons Piotr wanted to get close to. l

BD expresses concern over delay in Thai visa processingn Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh has expressed its concern over the recent trend of much longer processing time for Thai visa in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem expressed the concern during a meeting with Suvat Chirapant, deputy permanent secretary in charge of visa and consular matters in Thai foreign minis-try on Thursday.

“I met him expressing the gov-ernment’s concern, explained him the situation in Bangladesh where visa processing period has suddenly increased by 10 times,” she told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

A Ministry of Foreign A� airs o� cial, seeking anonymity, said Bangladesh has already submitted to the Thai foreign ministry some speci� c cas-es which showed unusually lengthy visa processing period.

“In one case, a visa seeker’s application was refused 50 days after the application was sub-mitted. All this time, the Thai embassy kept the passport,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

In another case, a man ap-plied for Thai visa for medical treatment. He was granted a visa, but his wife, who applied for the visa to accompany him, was rejected, he added.

Before, visa processing in Dhaka usually took three to four days, but since November the processing period has in-creased to 30-50 days.

He further said the visa pro-cessing period shot up to 30-40 days for many businessmen who have travelled to Thailand for many times in the past, and during that time the Thai em-bassy kept their passports.

The Thai Embassy in Dhaka receives 500 to 600 visa ap-

plications every day on an av-erage. Last year, over 110,000 Bangladeshis visited the coun-try, mostly for medical treat-ment and health services.

At the meeting with Depu-ty Permanent Secretary Suvat Chirapant, Muna Tasneem also said a large number of Bang-ladesh government o� cials, members of armed forces, busi-nessmen, investors and bona � de tourists visit Thailand fre-quently each year for multiple purposes and respect the local laws and norms, according to a press release issued by Bangla-desh Embassy in Thailand.

The ambassador requested Thai foreign ministry to further ease up Thai visa procedures for these credible visa seekers.

Responding to a query from Bangladesh ambassador on whether there has been any changes in Thai visa policy to-wards Bangladesh nationals, the Thai deputy permanent secretary categorically said no such policy changes have been undertaken and assured to look into the issue of pending visa applications in Dhaka.

He thanked the ambassador for the update and expressed Thailand’s appreciation to the people of Bangladesh for choosing Thailand as their “number one” destination for medical treatment, health ser-vices and tourism.

Stating that the Thai gov-ernment will always welcome more Bangladeshi tourists into Thailand, Chirapant also as-sured Tasneem that necessary e� orts will be taken to make the visa process smoother.

Earlier this week, Tasneem also met with the chief of Thai Immigration Bureau to address the visa and immigration chal-lenges of expatriate Bangladesh community in Thailand. l

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016News 5

DT

PRAYERTIMES

Cox’s Bazar 29 22Dhaka 31 19 Chittagong 29 22 Rajshahi 31 20 Rangpur 30 17 Khulna 29 20 Barisal 30 21 Sylhet 31 14T E M P E R AT U R E F O R E C A S T F O R TO DAY

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:00PM SUN RISES 6:22AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW32.1ºC 15.5ºC

Sitakunda RajarhatSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27Source: IslamicFinder.org

Fajr: 5:07am | Zohr: 12:12amAsr: 4:22pm | Magrib: 6:00pmEsha: 7:29pm

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

MOAS to launch search mission in Andaman Sean Tribune Report

Global search and rescue charity MOAS (Migrant O� shore Aid Sta-tion) will begin a new drive involv-ing search and rescue of migrants in the Andaman Sea and adjacent waters on March 3.

Ship MY Phoenix and its crew will coordinate with members of the local coast guards, navies, NGOs, experts and the media to track, monitor and, if needed, pro-vide search and rescue services in coordination with the authorities concerned.

For the mission, MOAS will use long-distance drones to measure movement of ships that may be transporting refugees and migrants. During meetings between MOAS of-

� cials and various local and nation-al governments, it was agreed that preventing the loss of lives at sea was a high-priority issue.

“The task of MY Phoenix will be to observe and analyse irregular movement of vessels at sea with the goal of supporting local stake-holders in providing an enhanced life-saving response. Our aim is to generate a better understanding of the movement of refugees and migrants, and be ready to assist in cases where there is an immi-nent risk of loss of life,” said MOAS founder Christopher Catrambone.

MOAS will be the � rst NGO to provide a comprehensive � rst-hand regional assessment of irreg-ular migration and tra� cking using a vessel with an unprecedented

technological capability. Data gath-ered will be analysed and the re-sults will be shared. The goal is to bring a better understanding and awareness of the problem and en-courage everyone to work for sus-tainable solutions.

MY Phoenix will be support-ed by two other organisations. Malta-based MigrantReport.org, a news organisation that focuses on migration issues, will be pro-viding information via its ground networks. Also, Fortify Rights, a human rights organisation based in Southeast Asia with experience in working closely with refugee com-munities in the region, will manage data collection and documenta-tion as well as provide contextual guidance. The innovative Aerovel

FlexRotor drones will be operated by American company Precision Integrated Programmes.

MY Phoenix will sail out in early March and remain at sea for a min-imum of four weeks. At the end of the period, MOAS will review the � ndings and funding provisions with stakeholders.

MOAS will be operating within the existing legal framework of the laws of the sea and has engaged in open dialogue with all regional stakeholders, including Malaysia and Thailand.

The crew of MY Phoenix include maritime, security, medical, lin-guistics, migration, mapping and aviation experts. They will be sup-ported by MOAS sta� in Malta and a variety of international experts

and professionals to assist in the core objectives.

“As we have already successful-ly done in the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas, we are cooperat-ing and participating in an ongoing dialogue with regional stakehold-ers to see how our mission can be best performed. We are leaving no stone unturned in our mission to mitigate loss of life at sea,” said MOAS Director Martin Xuereb.

“The Rohingyas have faced abuses for decades and untold numbers have died at sea,” said Matthew Smith, co-executive di-rector of Fortify Rights. “Until the root causes are addressed in Myan-mar, we’re going to see more peo-ple risking their lives in perilous journeys at sea.” l

13 held for protest over govt job entry age limit n DU Correspondent

At least 13 students of di� erent colleges and universities were de-tained yesterday as they blocked Shahbagh intersection in the cap-ital demanding that the age limit to enter government jobs be in-creased to 35 from 30.

A group of students under the banner of Sadharan Chhatra Pari-shad blocked the intersection from 4:30pm to 5pm, disrupting tra� c.

Police later charged batons to disperse the demonstrators and detained 13 of them, including Sadharan Chhatra Parishad Presi-dent Imtiaz Hossain. However, the protesters again gathered in front of the National Museum, chanting slogans to highlight their demand.

Inspector of Shahbagh police station Zafar Ali said the demon-strators were dispersed in order to avoid tra� c congestion.

Earlier in the day, students formed a human chain in front of the National Museum, and said thousands of their fellows could not apply for government jobs be-cause of conditions regarding age.

A protester said: “A student reaches around 28 when he or she � nishes university education. This is why they get only two or three years to prepare themselves for govern-ment jobs, which is inadequate. So, the age limit should be increased.”

“When the life expectancy was 50, we had the age limit of 30. Now as the life expectancy has jumped to 75, should not the age limit be increased as well?”

Several students said session jams at government colleges and universities eat up too much of their valuable time in life.

According to existing rules, can-didates can apply for jobs in the public sector until they reach 30. l

Bangladesh keen to set up RMG factories in Myanmarn Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

As Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy prepares to take the reins from the country’s ruling military junta next month, Bangladesh is looking to see if ties between the two countries can be deepened.

“We hope that with the change of government in Myanmar, the situation will improve,” a senior Bangladesh government o� cial

said, asking not to be named.The o� cial said Bangladesh had

put forward a number of proposals for improving bilateral relations.

The government has twice pro-posed the setting up of RMG fac-tories in Rakhine state that would hire only Myanmar nationals as workers, the o� cial said.

“We invited them to sign an agreement on setting up industries in the border areas where Bangla-deshi entrepreneurs could invest in

Myanmar, and vice versa, but they have not yet responded,” he added.

Bangladesh would also like to � nance development projects like schools and hospitals, and con-struct road and bridges in Rakhine state, to improve the quality of life of its residents, the o� cial said.

In security and development, Bangladesh has proposed two agreements – one has been agreed by both sides and the other is cur-rently being negotiated.

Bangladesh has proposed the setting up of a Border Liaison O� ce under which the security forces of the two countries will cooperate to manage the international border.

“We expect that when it is put in place most border problems will be solved quickly where they arise,” said another o� cial, also asking not to be identi� ed.

Dhaka has also proposed a com-prehensive agreement on security and development which was posi-

tively received, he added.To increase people-to-people

contact, Bangladesh has proposed to give scholarships to Myanmar students to study at the Bangla-desh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka Medical Col-lege and Dhaka University.

“Dhaka University and Yangon University are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding to further cooperation in higher stud-ies,” the o� cial said. l

Police detain a number of protesters who blocked Shahbagh intersection in the capital yesterday to demand that the age limit for entering government jobs be raised to 35 RAJIB DHAR


Rangpur LGED meet emphasises 100% ADP implementationn Our Correspondent, Rangpur

The Local Government Engineering Depart-ment (LGED) has implemented develop-ment works costing about Tk16,000 crore so far and the majority of the work has been done in the Rangpur Division, a review meeting has been told.

LGED’s Chief Engineer Shyama Prosad Adhikari attended yesterday’s meeting in Rangpur as the chief guest, along with 400 other LGED o� cials.

The development review meeting em-phasised full implementation of the Annual Development Programme. The government, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Jica

and Saudi fund are � nancing 35 projects for development of the city, rural areas and wa-ter in the Rangpur Division.

Apart from it, the LGED has taken up a government-funded Tk190 crore special project for the welfare of residents of recently abolished enclaves, the meeting was told.

Moreover, the LGED is supervising the construction of a 1,490-metre bridge on the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat.

Chief Engineer Shyama Prasad advised LGED o� cials to pay attention to the quality of work and meet deadlines. They were also advised to repair roads in dry season to mit-igate people’s su� erings. l

LGED Chief Engineer Shyama Prosad Adhikari speaks as the chief guest at a seminar and workshop on the progress of the LGED projects in Rangpur division yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE


Rangpur LGED meet emphasises 100% ADP implementationn Our Correspondent, Rangpur

The Local Government Engineering Depart-ment (LGED) has implemented develop-ment works costing about Tk16,000 crore so far and the majority of the work has been done in the Rangpur Division, a review meeting has been told.

LGED’s Chief Engineer Shyama Prosad Adhikari attended yesterday’s meeting in Rangpur as the chief guest, along with 400 other LGED o� cials.

The development review meeting em-phasised full implementation of the Annual Development Programme. The government, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Jica

and Saudi fund are � nancing 35 projects for development of the city, rural areas and wa-ter in the Rangpur Division.

Apart from it, the LGED has taken up a government-funded Tk190 crore special project for the welfare of residents of recently abolished enclaves, the meeting was told.

Moreover, the LGED is supervising the construction of a 1,490-metre bridge on the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat.

Chief Engineer Shyama Prasad advised LGED o� cials to pay attention to the quality of work and meet deadlines. They were also advised to repair roads in dry season to mit-igate people’s su� erings. l

LGED Chief Engineer Shyama Prosad Adhikari speaks as the chief guest at a seminar and workshop on the progress of the LGED projects in Rangpur division yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

News8DTSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

Scarcity of water hits boro farming in Khagrachharin Our Correspondent,

Khagrachhari

Most cultivable land in Kha-grachhari remain uncultiva-ble due to scarcity of water as three hill rivers have almost dried this winter season.

Tractors used for carrying soil and woods are now run-ning on the river bed every day as these rivers have no water causing multiple suf-ferings to hill people.

District Agriculture Exten-sion (DAE) sources said the total land of Khagrachhari is around 270,000 hectares. Only 30,000 hectares out of 270,000 hectares is cultivable land. Immediate past crop’s Amon paddy had cultivated on around 27,000 hectares of land, but boro is cultivat-ed only on 7,000 hectares of land.

The DAE has set a target to

bring at least 10,000 hectares of land under Boro cultiva-tion this season. But the rest 20,000 hectares of land are remain almost uncultivatable due to water crisis.

The big sources of water in hill the district are Chengi, Mainee and Feni Rivers. But all three rivers are drying fast due to silt deposition.

Aminul Islam, a villager of Mohamuni under Ramgorh upazila in the district, said Feni River had almost dried as no dredging had been done in the previous years.

Former principal of Kha-grachhari Government Col-lege Dr Sudhin Kumar Chak-ma said once all sorts of trade in the district were contin-ued using boats, launch and steamers on Chengi, Mainee and Feni rivers. But all three rivers have lost its character and now turned as waterless

narrow canal.“It is not only a� ecting

paddy cultivation, but also our bio-diversity” Dr Sudhin Kumar Chakma.

Mohammad Shamsu Mia said they were used Chen-gi River for transporting all kinds of goods from Kha-grachhari to Rangamati and Chittagong. They used to net � shes from the river and cul-tivated all river bank land us-ing river water.

Tarun Kumar Battachari-ya, deputy director of Kha-grachhari district agriculture extension, echoed the same thing.

He also said: “Deforesta-tion is the main cause behind the situation of the river.”

He said people would have to face dangerous natural calamities in future if they would not stop anti-environ-mental activities. l

Man found dead in Chittagongn Tribune Report

Police yesterday recovered body of an uni-denti� ed person from Halishahar area, Chit-tagong city yesterday.

Sub-Inspector of Halishahar police sta-tion Musta� zur Rahman said local had spotted the body of an unidenti� ed person near Bangladesh Army’s Halishahar Firing

Range area and informed police about the matter.

Later, police recovered the body and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.

Police are suspecting that the man might have killed in a road accident.

The body was handed over to Anjuman Ma� dul Islam for burial, added the SI. l

Man killed in Gopalganj over selling sand n Our Correspondent,

Gopalganj

A man was killed in a clash between two groups of villag-ers at Nokhrirchar, Gopalgnaj Sadar upazila yesterday over selling sand.

Local sources said there had been a long-standing dis-pute between two group of villagers over grabbing char land.

One Khaza Mollik went to

sell sand from Baor quarry located at Nokhrirchar, then another person namely Ala-min tried to resist him. At one stage, they locked into scu� e over the issue.

Hearing the news, sup-porters of them rushed to spot with local weapons and locked into a clash, leaving Kabir Sardar, 42, critically in-jured.

She was rushed to Gopal-ganj Sadar Hopital where on

duty doctors declared him dead.

During the clash, support-ers of both groups vandalised 10 houses.

O� cer-in-Charge of Go-palganj police station Selim Reza told the Dhaka Tribune that additional police had been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident.

He also said police had de-tained several people in con-nection with the incident. l

Teachers in Dacope su� er as their institutions left out of MPOn Tribune Report

Some 150 teachers and em-ployees along with their fam-ilies are leading an inhuman life as eight educational insti-tutions in Dakope upazila are yet to be brought under the government’s MPO (Monthly Pay Order) facility.

Sources at Upazila Sec-ondary Education O� ce said there are 44 high schools, � ve colleges and � ve madrasahs in the upazila, and eight of those, including a college and a ma-drasah, are yet to be brought under the MPO facility.

Though the authorities of these educational institu-tions have already applied for government’s allocation in this regard, there has been no visible progress.

Tapon Kumar Mondol, head-master of Talukder Akter Faruk High School, said his institution was established in 2000 and it has not been brought under MPO though it has teaching stu-dents without any fee.

“Even though we’ve ap-plied for several times and staged demonstrations for our inclusion under MPO, the authorities concerned didn’t

enlist our institution …now we’ve to teach our students under open sky due to class-room shortage,” lamented the headmaster.

Alokesh Roy, who recently quit the job as a teacher, said, “I worked for 12 years with-out any salary, now I have no way but to quit it to support my family in any other way.”

Locals said if the author-ities concerned do not take steps for including these eight educational institutions in MPO facility, their teach-ers and employees will leave their jobs soon. l

Learn English 9D

T

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

Pre-reading taskWhat do you think the words ‘knights’, ‘squires’ and ‘dawn raids’ mean?Now, read the article and check if your answers are correct.

Want to find more learning activities? Visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish © British Council 2016

Word search

Answers1 b2 c3 c

4 a5 b6 a

Exercise 2

The ideas factory 2

1 merger2 hostile take-over3 black knight4 white knight5 white squire

Exercise 1Comprehension: Multiple choice. For each question choose the correct answer:

1. A company might choose to merge with a larger one because . . .• it wants to trade under a well-

known name.• it needs � nancial help to grow.• it can’t manage its business

e� ciently.

2. A company may want to merge with a ‘white knight’ . . .• to keep control of its own business.• to gain control over a competitor.• to avoid being taken over by

another company.

3. A ‘white squire’ is a company that . . .• attempts to take over another

company but fails.• is the victim if a ‘black knight’

stages an aggressive take-over.• can stop an aggressive take-over

from happening.

4. In a ‘dawn raid’, an aggressive company takes control of another by . . .• buying up shares on the stock

market.• secretly persuading top managers

that it’s a good idea.• suddenly taking control of the

company’s suppliers.

5. An example of a vertical merger would be . . .• two rival travel agents merging.• a construction company merging

with its cement supplier.• a fast food company merging with a

publisher.

6 An example of a horizontal merger would be . . .• two rival travel agents merging.• a construction company merging

with its cement supplier.• a fast food company merging with a

publisher.

Exercise 2Vocabulary: Matching. Choose the correct words to � ll the gaps in the sentences:black knight / hostile take-over / merger / white knight / white squire1. A ........ is when two companies

join.2. Sometimes a merger happens

against the wishes of the smaller company – this is called a ........

3. A company making an aggressive take-over is known as a ........

4. A small company may choose to be taken over by a ........

5. A ........ can stop a merger without taking over.

Exercise 1

n Margaret O’Keeffe

‘Hostile takeovers,’ ‘dawn raids,’ ‘black knights’ and ‘white squires’ . . . this warlike terminology, believe it or not, is the language of business – and in particular the language of take-overs and mergers.

With all this military sounding jargon, it’s not surprising that people often see mergers as aggressive. So what are the motives behind mergers, and what do all the terms mean?

Two companies often combine, or merge, because it bene� ts them both. A small company may have plans to grow, but doesn’t have the capital. Joining forces with a larger company can help them realise their plans, while the larger partner bene� ts by expanding its range of products or services.

But it also happens that smaller companies become the victims of an

aggressive attempt by a larger company to take control of their business. Or, in more dramatic terminology, a ‘black knight’ makes a ‘hostile take-over bid.’ In these situations the smaller company may decide to merge with another company of their choice, rather than being forced into an aggressive take-over. This preferred company is known as a ‘white knight.’

A ‘white knight’ will be big enough to take control of the smaller company, but on terms they both agree. So what’s a ‘white squire?’ Well, this refers to a company that isn’t powerful enough to control the smaller company, but which is able to buy enough of its shares to stop the ‘black knight’ from making the take-over.

Sometimes, however, it’s too late for knights or squires to come to the rescue. If the company planning the take-over is particularly cunning, they may make a ‘dawn raid.’ This involves getting to the

stock market as soon as it opens in the morning and buying up enough shares in the victim’s company to gain control. Before the smaller company knows what’s happened, they’ve been taken over.

So clearly there are many kinds of player involved in a merger. But there are also many kinds of merger – the vertical merger and the horizontal merger, to name but two. A vertical merger happens when a company takes control of one of its suppliers. A horizontal merger, on the other hand, is when a company merges with one of its direct competitors. The kind of merger companies choose will depend on their overall business strategies.

So now, if someone tells you that a black knight is planning a dawn raid to make a vertical take-over of their family business, you’ll be able to nod wisely and tell them that what they need is to � nd a white knight. l

BIGSTOCK

Mergers Mergers

See if you can � nd these words in the grid. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal and backwards.

A_gre_sive M_rger Comb_ne squires Hori_ont_l Strate_ies H_stile K_ights Verti_al

Feature10DT


Coca-Cola’s 5BY20 progesses in Bangladesh The Coca-Cola Company’s global program, 5by20, saw its second phase launch in Khulna and Bagerhat. The program, which seeks to empower � ve million women economically worldwide by 2020, was adapted into the Women Business Centre program in Bangladesh.

The � rst phase, which was launched in Jamalpur in 2015 with 10 women business centres, helped train 10,125 women bene� ciaries on agricultural production, marketing services, mobile and computer services, and basic healthcare last year.

The women business centre project aims to address common barriers women face in the marketplace by providing access to business skills training, market information, agriculture training and inputs, mobile banking

assistance, healthcare inputs and counselling, mentoring and networking opportunities. The groups of � ve women entrepreneurs running each WBC in every village are provided seed capital for setting up the centre, skill-based training on the aforementioned � elds, and assets for operations. The initiative in Bangladesh is implemented by Concern Universal, a non-pro� t organisation.

The success of the � rst phase was driven by women entrepreneurs, who worked as change agents to empower more rural women. They reached out to the extended groups of women in the same and neighbouring villages and trained them on income generating skills. Additionally, they provided many of the services which these

women required apart from being instrumental in the establishment of active women groups.

The 5by20 program rea� rms Coca-Cola’s commitment to inclusive growth and development by serving the larger societal need of

empowering women and promoting inclusivity. By providing access to business skills, � nancial services, assets and a support network of peers and mentors, this program aims to help empower women to achieve their

entrepreneurial dreams, while also creating thriving, sustainable communities. Key partners for the global initiative include UN Women, IFC, Techno Serve, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IDB and Mercy Corps, among other NGOs. l

Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury, founder and CEO of Tiger Tours Limited, has recently been nominated to be a member of the prestigious Industry Council of Paci� c Asia Travel Association (PATA) for the 2016-2018 term. Currently under the chairmanship of Sarah Mathews, the Industry Council Nominating Committee has selected Chowdhury to contribute to the discussion of key issues and challenges facing the tourism and travel industry, Moreover, the newly set member must also provide viable solutions to shape the association’s focus by formulating policies that support the association’s advocacy role within the industry with key stakeholders and government bodies. The news was personally delivered to him via email by Halona Padiachy, director, International Partnerships, PATA, straight from PATA headquarters.

About Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury:After six years of executive directorship at BRAC, Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury is currently the chairperson of BRACnet Limited along with being the founder and CEO of Tiger Tours Limited. He completed his M.A in Modern History (First Class) from University of Dhaka in 1965 and started his

career as CSP of 1967 batch. He also attended University of Tennessee (Knoxville, USA) for nine months as a Fulbright scholar to study Public Administration. During his career as a civil servant under the Bangladesh Government, after over three decades of service, he reached the position of permanent secretary in 1994. Moreover, from 1991 to 1994 he has also served as the CEO for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, during which it enjoyed great pro� tability. A mention worthy milestone was the $950 million Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge project that he successfully implemented in 1998 with the help of World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the government of Japan. In light of this achievement, he was made a Fellow at the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE). He also started Tiger Tours Limited with the vision of establishing Bangladesh as a global tourist destination and building the nation.

About PATA:A not-for profit association, Pacific Asia Travel

Association (PATA) was founded in 1951. It is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations. It comprises of 88 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 22 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 62 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. l

PATA appoints Tiger Tours Limited founder

Symphony Mobile recently organised “Partners Meet 2015” in Penang, Malaysia. A total of 110 dealers and high o� cials from Symphony participated in the three-day program. This is a usual act for Symphony Mobile for their dealers every year.

Chairman of the company Aminur Rashid expressed his gratitude to the dealers for

their valuable support in the continuous progress of the company. In his speech, he said: “In Bangladesh, now, Symphony is one of the biggest brands, and this has been possible only through our partner’s contributions.”

One Telecom was awarded as the “Best Dealer” with a crest and certi� cate for their special contribution aswell. l

Symphony Mobile organises partners meet

INSIDE

It is reported that no funds have been disbursed from a $200 million fund set up by the EU, IFC, and JICA to o� er low-interest loans to RMG factories for carrying out remediation works.

The BGMEA, BKMEA, and major buying brands should talk with factory owners to assess the reasons why take-up is lagging.

E� orts by the government, ILO, and the buyer-based multi-stakeholder initiatives, Accord and Alliance, have been making welcome progress on factory inspections.

A majority of factories have either demonstrated full compliance or have successfully been able to progress � nancing for required remediation e� orts.

However, there is still a signi� cant cohort of 522 RMG factories identi� ed by Accord as having made less than 40% progress on remediation works to improve their workplace safety.

The BGMEA is meeting this week with 80 factory owners in this group to get to know the reasons behind the slow progress of their remediation works.

As there is demonstrably still a clear need for more remediation works to be carried out, all stakeholders in the garments sector need to work together better to maximise the � nancing available for remediation works and upgrades.

Better conditions and factories will not only help workers but bene� t consumers and buyers by helping to raise productivity and quality

The best way that buyers can help is by investing more in long-term orders and building relationships with producers to enhance the sector’s cash � ow and enable factory owners to secure funds to keep upgrading standards.

For its part, the government should do more to help factory owners develop new, modern, fully compliant factories. It should free up underused, state-owned land for the development of new SEZs and industrial parks with access to reliable gas and power access, to encourage investors to develop new factories where productivity and standards can be cost-e� ectively improved.

All stakeholders need to work together better to maximse the � nancing available for remediation

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More co-operation needed to ensure � nancing for RMG upgrades

11D

TEditorialSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

BIGSTOCK

Climate changePAGE 14

Circumstancial evidence

PAGE 19

The � ckle switchPAGE 13

Of lieutenant generals and secretaries general

PAGE 12

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016Opinion12D

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n Esam Sohail

The relatively unheralded deaths of two global statesmen within weeks of each other this year

lends a curious, and yet ironic, human face to the perpetual dichotomy between peace-makers and warriors, politicians and soldiers, prejudice and pride. Yet, what underlines their respective moments in life is their role in one of the most ancient rituals of human con� ict: Genocide.

A prince amongst warriors in the both literal and � gurative sense, Yaqub Khan made a fateful decision in the spring of 1971 that his code of honour as a gentleman and an o� cer did not allow him to do what his superiors demanded. Rather than use his guns and tanks on his theretofore own unarmed compatriots, the scion of the Rampur royalty gave up his uniform and, with it, the ambition for which he was, till then, almost destined: Chief of sta� of the Pakistan Army.

It was an ambition for which he had trained, sacri� ced, and bled through three wars, in one of which he actually faced, on the

other side of a Himalayan ridge, a battalion led by his own brother. The o� cer who didn’t shirk from his duty against his own sibling in 1948 considered it equally his duty not to become part of a genocide in the making, no matter how far up the orders came from.

Thus ended a military career so close to the ultimate pinnacle, but a prize denied by the call of honour. Decades later, the Sahibzada would become a successful foreign minister, UN mediator, and university president whose � uency in the languages of Shakespeare, Tagore, Ghalib, and Goethe made him a sought-after sage for those seeking to understand the world at its most instinctual.

But the consummate soldier who served admirably in the deserts of North Africa, the peaks of the Himalayas, and the plains of the Punjab, would never become the chief of army sta� , a position which would, eventually, go to the man who succeeded him in Dhaka and orchestrated the genocide with which Yaqub Khan refused to sully his uniform.

At the telling moment of his career, Dr Boutros-Ghali was also

faced with an agonising decision on how to handle genocide. At the pinnacle of his profession in the Egyptian foreign ministry, Boutros-Ghali was the � rst Arab to be chosen to become the secretary general of the United Nations, the ultimate gift the global community has to bestow upon a diplomat.

The international sanctions on the dissolving rumps of former Yugoslavia were in place and allowed foreign intervention only under the most pressing of circumstances when both NATO and the UN secretary general agreed to such a measure. By 1993, it was obvious to all except the professional international bureaucrats in New York and Brussels, that, rather than a � ght between merely several

ethnicities, the con� ict in Bosnia was a one-sided extermination campaign by the fully-armed Serbians (who had inherited Yugoslavia’s massive military) against the multi-religious, multi-ethnic, pluralist Bosnian society.

Concentration camps, rape camps, and targeted bombings of markets, museums, and universities left no doubt that this was a genocide in the making. Even a hesitant President Clinton and NATO commanders wanted to do something to stop the genocide; Dr Boutros-Ghali refused his authorisation month after month, as the killings, rapes, and brutalisation continued.

The UN secretary general’s excuse? He didn’t want to make things any worse! Fortunately, the

United States Congress had had enough of such appeasement, and over President Clinton’s initial disapproval and howls of protests by the UN bureaucrats, passed legislation that cut o� the UN secretary general’s veto option on the use of American forces in the Balkans, and eventually American airstrikes and military advice helped stop the genocide as Bosnians were able to protect what little was left of their once thriving multi-cultural society.

The man most responsible for getting Boutros-Ghali’s thumb o� of the Bosnians was the US Senate’s majority leader Bob Dole, a WWII veteran like Yaqub Khan, who had seen and known � rst-hand what genocide looked like; he knew what Dr Boutros-Ghali failed to acknowledge: There was a genocide going on in Bosnia.

Wars are never pleasant a� airs, and professional warriors know so far better than career bureaucrats. What sets chivalrous and prudent warriors apart from their bureaucratic fellowmen is that the former realise when it is a folly to unleash force and when it is necessary to do so.

Many bureaucrats and politicians like Boutros-Ghali looked at war with the bizarrely detached outlook of academics, either cheering lustily for any war or shirking away like cowards from

it in all circumstances. In the case of Boutros-Ghali, his conceit was paid for by the tens of thousands whose graves dot places like Srebrenica, Tuzla, and Mostar.

Shakespeare said that “the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” The shattered lives of those who survived the Bosnian genocide is a testament to Boutros Boutros-Ghali; in the case of General Yaqub Khan, news of his death elicited a perfunctory condolence from a few politicians in his country and then it was o� to the dazzle of the professional cricket league again. l

Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

The decision to go to war is not an easy one

Both Yaqub Khan and Boutros-Ghali were faced with decisions on genocide

Wars are never pleasant a� airs, and professional warriors know so far better than career bureaucrats. What sets chivalrous and prudent warriors apart from their bureaucratic fellowmen is that the former realise when it is a folly to unleash force and when it is necessary to do so

Of lieutenant generals and secretaries general

n FS Aijazuddin

The Lahore Literary Festival has become a light-switch in the hands of the Punjab

administration, to be � icked on and o� at a whim.

In case participants at last year’s LLF had forgotten how o� cial permission to hold the event had been withheld until the night before the festival was due to commence, this year they were reminded that such permissions, like the supply of electricity in our country, should not be taken for granted.

One would have thought that the success of previous LLFs, reinforced by the equally happy experience of sister festivals in Karachi and in Islamabad, would have reassured o� cialdom by now -- however, while the concept of a literary � esta was revolutionary, its conduct is not.

International and local scholars, writers, poets, artists, and critics gather for a few days to talk to audiences about their craft, to pose obligingly with readers for sel� es, give interviews, promote and autograph their books, and then return home laden with publications exchanged with fellow authors.

There is nothing subversive in their assembly. They leave no gunpowder behind. Perhaps it is this very innocuousness that disturbs the equanimity of glassy-eyed administrators.

They wonder how such innocent pleasures cannot be sinful, why such congregations can be anything but seditious.

Planning for LLF 2016 began last February, the moment LLF 2015 ended. Experience of the last became the template for the next. During the intervening year, o� cial NOCs were obtained, bookings made at the Alhamra Arts Complex, delegates sourced and invited, a matrix designed of 91 choice sessions spread over three days at six separate accessible venues. Everything was in place for LLF 2016 to commence on February 19.

Suddenly, on the night of February 18, rumours began to permeate, like the noxious ethers in Bhopal, threatening the very life of the LLF. First, that the LLF had been cancelled; then, that permission would be granted but only for two days; later, that the truncated LLF could be held, but at another location.

Some organisers were led to believe that no Indian invitee

would be permitted to speak, except for Ms Sharmila Tagore, at the inaugural session and the art-historian Dr BN Goswamy at the concluding one. The LLF team was told to relocate, overnight.

In a trice, they set up camp across the road, in the Avari Hotel.

It must have been a logistical nightmare, not unlike the tent camp movements endured in 1837 by Miss Emily Eden, the sister of Lord Auckland, the Governor-General: “It seems somehow wicked to move 12,000 people with their tents, elephants, camels, horses, trunks, etc for so little, but there is no help for it.”

Orders have to be carried out. O� cialdom never supplies the means; it merely demands the ends.

This is not the � rst time such whimsy has been � aunted. Who can forget the occasion when, in 1996, a day before the Cricket World Cup was due to be played in Lahore’s Qadda� Stadium, the then Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Nakai threatened to cancel the match.

His pout was that no CM’s enclosure had been created to accommodate his friends and constituents. No amount

of persuasion could dilute his petulance. In the end, he got his seats, and the World Cup organisers their � xture.

Twenty years later, the LLF 2016 -- compressed, oppressed, but never depressed -- fought valiantly to survive. De� ecting every challenge, dislodging every obstacle, it brought brightness and light into the public recesses of a darkening Lahore.

Such a Promethean victory, however, does not go unnoticed, or unpunished. The cook-book and travel writer Madhur Ja� ery was incarcerated in a club and forced to taste o� erings stewed by its unimaginative chef.

Hosts living in Lahore’s sacrosanct cantonment were

“advised” to rearrange their dinner for LLF delegates to a less sensitive area, like Scotch Corner.

The actress Sharmila Tagore -- an ageless diva -- was invited to meet the prime minister of Pakistan and his family at Raiwind.

Young when she was, he found it impossible to resist a long dormant impulse to meet his screen heroine in person. If only his underlings had shared his infatuation.

The very next day, Ms Tagore was turned back from Wagah border for failing to report to the police before departing for India.

The LLF is the modern Prometheus. Shackled, it has its liver eaten away repeatedly by

the eagle of bureaucracy. Yet, it survives. Shelley’s lines from “Prometheus Unbound” are a prescient ode to LLF’s spirit: “To su� er woes which Hope thinks in� nite/To forgive wrongs darker than death or night/To defy Power which seems omnipotent/To love, and bear; to hope till Hope creates/From its own wreck the thing it contemplates.”

In 2016, LLF created from its own wreck yet another laudable, splendid success. And it achieved this, despite the whimsical � ick of a switch. l

FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article � rst appeared in Dawn.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016Opinion 13

DT

The � ckle switchThe Lahore Literary Festival has achieved a Promethean victory

The LLF is the modern Prometheus. Shackled, it has its liver eaten away repeatedly by the eagle of bureaucracy. Yet, it survives. In 2016, LLF created from its own wreck yet another laudable, splendid success

It will take more than bureaucratic war to keep literature enthusiasts away BIGSTOCK

Indigenous knowledge can help � ght extreme weathern Md Shafi qul Islam

Indigenous or local knowledge, passed down from generation to generation is a valuable resource for Bangladeshis

living with extreme weather conditions.A study on the “use of local knowledge systems in drought prediction and extreme weather management” uncovered interesting � ndings on local knowledge and coping strategies in three districts in the drought-prone Barind area, situated in the northwest region of Bangladesh.

Before the invention of modern technologies, people used nature to predict natural disasters and extreme weather events. The elderly are still reliant on local knowledge in predicting extreme weather events. Indigenous or traditional knowledge systems use the appearance of certain insects, birds, animals, and weather as signals of change in seasonality and impending disasters.

The Barind Tracts are prone to drought due to its geographical location. Over the years, drought has caused huge damage to the crops, livestock, � sheries, horticultural production, and livelihoods. Indigenous knowledge is fundamental in making decisions on agriculture, natural resource management, economic activities, and a host of other activities in rural societies.

Our study uncovered the following indications for both drought and heavy rainfall in the Barind area:

Indigenous knowledge indicating droughtÜ Pigeons lay on the ground by

spreading their feathersÜ Western sky appearing bright

red during sunsetÜ Frequent lightning followed by

thunder in the eastern sky at night

Ü Termites den and mound in dry soil is thought as indication of extreme drought

Ü Flying of hoppers Ü Rainbows appearing in the

eastern side

Indigenous knowledge indicating rainfallÜ Snails climbing on trees,

earthworm crawling all over the ground, and ants moving to safer places

Ü Ant’s upward movement also indicates immense rainfall

Ü Black ants accumulating eggs and grains in secure places

Ü Termites den and mound in wet soil

Ü Blaring/croaking of frogs Ü Rainbows appearing on the

western side Ü The chirping of Fatik pakhi

(Common lora) during the period of October to April

Indigenous methods to protect against extreme weather eventsIndigenous practices to protect against extreme weather events are a combination of belief, myths, and age-old practices. Common mitigation and coping measures against drought include local methods of storing water, changing food habits, agricultural practices and lifestyle changes.

Drinking water is scarce and it is extremely hot during the drought period. People in the Barind area, collect drinking water from far away and store it in a mud pot to keep the water cool.

Drought prone areas often face shortage of food and people in these areas eat kolai ruti (Bread) to sustain them for a long time. Drought resistant and drought tolerant crops are grown when there are signs of immediate

drought and low rainfall. Advance � shing is done in the early stage of drought and is dried to be eaten later when food supply is low.

To protect agriculture against extreme weather impacts people use mulches around fruit trees in their homestead gardens and crop � elds.

The practice conserves soil moisture and reduces the impact of extreme temperature by lower-ing soil temperature. Planting trees also protects against drought and extreme weather impacts.

Extreme sunlight makes hard work on the farm even harder. Farmers have adapted by using a hat made of bamboo, locally known as mathal, to protect them from extreme sunlight.

They also use moringa leaves as vegetables to protect them from the heat which also helps

to balance body temperature and consume a soft drink made from brown palm sugar to keep cool. People also wrap themselves with wet clothes to keep cool from extreme temperatures during the day time and bathe two to three times a day.

To manage the high temperature in their homes, people in the Barind areas spread grass on their corrugated iron sheet roof and create an extra ceiling made of bamboo, wood, clothes, or jute stick.

Few infrastructural measures are adopted by the local people including excavation or re-excavation of ponds, canals, or mini-ponds to store water for domestic use and irrigation.

The local knowledge found in rural communities in the Barind area is a combination of skills

and techniques gained through experiences needed to live and survive in a tough environment. Not all the local knowledge has remained relevant.

People have developed a wide array of coping strategies and their local knowledge and practices provide an important basis for facing ever increasing intensity and frequency of drought brought on by climate change. With the impacts of climate change getting worse, rural communities will need additional support to e� ectively manage drought and weather extremes. l

Md Sha� qul Islam (sha� [email protected]) is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh and a PhD student, Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka.

Climate Change

This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and De-velopment (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and Inter-national Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessar-ily re� ect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

14DT


Farmers have adapted by using a hat made of bamboo, locally known as mathal to protect them from extreme sunlight. They also use moringa leaves as vegetables to protect them from the heat which also helps to balance body temperature and consume a soft drink made from brown palm sugar to keep cool

Snails can be predictors of rainfall BIGSTOCK

Arts & Letters 15D


Interview: Mohiuddin Ahmed16 Books at Ekushey

Boi Mela18INSIDE Send your submissions to:[email protected]

The utterances areof mourning

Abul Hasan

I do not see the meek wife anywherenor do I see the baby struggling to walk.

I see the swans these days,moving with their soft bodies,and I see those same, familiar faces.

But that bride,that mumbling baby --I do not see them anymore.

Has the wife become a swan?Has the baby thenturned into the blazing sun in a green � eld, green sky?

A lot many wars are overafter a sea of blood.

The wind spread gold and silver like cotton � bres.

I do not see my younger brother anywhere nor do I see my younger sisterwearing her supple nose-ring;I do not see them anymore.

I see only � agsand festivalsand independence.

Is my brother then that independent � ag?Is my sister, then, the festival on the dark sca� old ?

Translated by A&L desk.

What began as a week-long fair in the late 1970s has gradually

evolved as a month-long festival of books since the 1980s, becom-ing one of the most anticipated literary events for readers and writers alike. The Ekushey Book Fair, which sees thousands of readers swarm to the fair ground, does not only speak of a thriving publishing industry but also of a glorious part of our history as a nation. Taking place in the month of February, fostering among the new generations the spirit of the language movement, it is now a part of our cultural identity.

Having said that, the question arises whether we have been able to protect its sanctity from the forces that had once attempted to ban Bangla from all academic and o� cial activities, to eliminate our rich, secular cultural herit-age? The answer is a no if we look

at the continued attacks on free-thinking writers and publishers. Even 64 years after the language movement, we are haunted by the ideological legacy of Pakistan.

On Feb 26 last year, writer-blog-ger Avijit Ray was brutally killed by alleged religious extremists, minutes after he walked out of the fair. The � rst time the nation witnessed anything like this was in 2004 when Humayun Azad had come under a similar attack after he, too, came out of the fair. What they had in common was a ration-

al way of seeing things and an un� uctuating stance against ex-tremist forces that had committed crimes against humanity in 1971. But why were they both attacked in a similar manner and around the same place near the fair? Ev-idently, the air of free spirit per-meating the fair is something the attackers cannot bear with.

The killings that followed Avi-jit’s and the way the authorities handled a publisher last week give us all valid reasons to be wor-ried.

We nonetheless believe that the language movement is what binds us all together, irrespective of our di� erences in terms of race, gender and class and that the Ek-ushey Book Fair is our strongest expression of that spirit which embraces all languages and views.

It is in this belief that we ded-icate this issue of the Arts & Let-ters to the Ekushey Boi Mela. l

Editor’s Note

Taking place in the month of February ... it is now a part of our cultural identity

}

n Rifat Munim

The Gulshan o� ce of University Press Limited has a corporate touch to it. The furniture is

sleek, the decor elegant. But I was used to an old set of furniture and not-so-well-painted o� ce which smelled only of papers and books. Mohiuddin Ahmed’s room in the old Motijheel o� ce had book-� lled shelves all over the place, some as high as the sidewall; the furniture in there could hardly be noticed. But here his room is bigger, has a sofa and a conference table on top of smart furnishings. The only shelf is on the wall with his reading desk.

I found him sitting in his wheelchair at the conference table, talking to Badiuddin Nazir, his adviser and most trusted editor. Mohiuddin bhai looked thinner than the last time I saw him, which was two years ago. Back then he could walk short distances with some di� culty, but now he couldn’t move without the wheelchair. Yet, the smile was there on his face, that lively, generous smile. He held out his hand and took mine. “How are you doing?” he said.

True age has left him decrepit and restricted his movements, but it could not break his spirit. May be a revamp is necessary to cope with time, but his ever youthful spirit remains the same. At 72, he is still carving out newer avenues for publishing.

Known as the publisher emeritus, the highest accolade awarded to any publisher so far, he has seen it all. He established University Press Limited (UPL) in 1975 and has taken ethical publishing practices to an outstanding height. He has given a solid foundation to publishing books of scholarly research and thought-provoking essays. Many of UPL’s books are in the shortlist of recommended books in many acclaimed Asian, European and American universities.

I recently engaged him in a talk about our reading habit, especially about how it changed over the past decades after independence. Soon it branched out in many directions from reading habit to di� erent aspects of the current publishing scene to the unethical practice of depriving authors of their royalties to the possibility of a change for the better.

Excerpts from the interview:

Do you think our reading habit has changed over the past decades?Mohiuddin Ahmed: We have a rich tradition of reading and it has evolved over the years. Reading habit is formed early in our lives, may be in class six or seven or eight. Then it requires nurturing. In our time, we got the incentives through informal addas with

friends and social gatherings. May be one friend would mention one book and some other would praise it while another would criticise it. Then what the rest would do is buy or collect the book and read it.

We also got institutional encouragement through debate competitions and cultural programmes where one had to read to perform well.

But forms of literary interaction and types of institutional encouragement have changed, and I don’t think they have changed for the better. In our time there was a competition and those who read more used to do well, even in the job market. But there’s not enough competition now. Those who do well in their career nowadays are not necessarily the ones who read more or have better

academic results. I doubt young people these

days bring up books in their addas, not at least as frequently as we did. Then there are the English medium students who have a commendable reading habit but they are not reading the local authors, they are buying mostly imported books.

Do publishers have a role to play in creating and encouraging readership? Does a badly edited book drive us away from reading other books?MA: I think publishers have an important role to play. Their most fundamental role is to bring out quality books in terms of content and editing. More books are being published now but their qualities have not improved. Some of them are full of spelling errors and typos. It’s because most publishers do not have an editorial panel to review the content and check errors. Publishers think authors are the editors and after an author submits a work, no further editing is needed. Sadly enough, our authors also believe that their work should not be subject to editing. They think no one should edit their work. So, yes, a badly edited book may a� ect a reader in many ways; it may drive him or her from reading other books of the same author or publisher.

What do you think about fiction readers? Has their taste changed from serious work to popular work?MA: I think new � ction writers are not coming into play. We’re not getting a Shawkat Ali or an Elias or a Kayes Ahmed from younger generations. That’s why number of � ction readers has not increased.

Would you share your experience of publishing fiction?MA: My � rst lot of � ction came in the early 1980s. Nayeem Hasan, a very good editor, took it forward at that time. He brought out 12 books of Bangla � ction that included Shawkat Ali, Elias, Shawkat Osman and Syed Ali Ahsan. All of them sold well. But in the following decades, I found it increasingly di� cult to sell � ction because the pipeline dried up. I don’t think younger generations of writers are showing as much promise as their predecessors. That’s one reason why I’ve stuck to essays

I N T E R V I E W

Arts & Letters16DT


But forms of literary interaction and types of institutional encouragement have changed, and I don’t think they have changed for the better. In our time there was a competition and those who read more used to do well, even in the job market. But there’s not enough competition now. Those who do well in their career nowadays are not necessarily the ones who read more or have better academic results.

‘New writers are not coming into play’

}

Mohiuddin Ahmed

and research articles, though we’re planning to do some � ction again. We’re also concentrating on children’s literature.

There is another important factor I’d like to mention here. It is directly linked to encouraging young authors.

Our publishing industry is still reluctant about authors’ royalties. It is an author’s right to get his royalties. Transparency, at least, should be ensured while dealing with an author. He has a right to know the updates on sales, production costs, and pro� t, if there is any.

[At this point, Badiuddin Nazir came in and joined us. Mohiuddin bhai invited him to comment on the role publishers and authors can play in expanding readership]Badiuddin Nazir: I don’t think publishers can play a very big role. Writers write and publishers print. Readers are attracted when the writing is good. So if there’s a dearth of good writing, publishers cannot do much. How does a writer grow? He does not start as a famous one. He attracts readers’ attention and gains some renown. Then publishers get recommendations about him from writers or readers. So, it is only by means of his writing that one can become a writer and create readers.

Let me share a story in this connection. Elias was not famous when he was publishing instalments of his novel, Chilekothar Sepai, in Saptahik Robbar. He was living as a tenant in Shawkat Ali’s house then. It was Ali who spoke highly of Elias to me. He asked me to publish his work. That’s how UPL was introduced to Elias. Then we teamed up with Elias and we put in a lot of e� ort to produce that

neatly edited, � ne-looking book. It grabbed readers’ attention as soon as it hit the market. It was possible as the writing was good and the publisher made sure the production was impeccable.

Such a story is rare these days. No one puts in a good word for another writer. Everyone seems busy with himself.

So, you think the onus is on writers to attract readers and increase readership.BN: Of course. Think of Humayun Ahmed. Where did he get so many readers? It’s because of his writing. Once you start reading his � ction, no matter what you feel afterwards, you can’t put it back until you � nish it. So, this power of taking readers in the story gained him his huge pool of readers. Today’s authors lack this power of storytelling.

MA: I’d point to one more setback for our young writers. A system of literary agencies has not developed in Bangladesh. India has only recently started the use of the PR work of literary agents. In the western developed economies, scouting for good books is made easy for publishers by literary agents. A good literary agent can get a young author published by some famous publisher.

Do you think there has been any positive change lately in the publishing scene?MA: Yes, there have been some positive changes, which make me optimistic. A few publishing houses, such as Prothoma, have started this practice of signing contracts with authors and they are paying royalties, which, I’m sure, will come as an incentive for young writers.

Readers often complain about which book to pick. Can media play a role in bridging the gap between readers and writers?MA: Well, we seriously lack good reviews. What we usually have in the form of reviews is just back-slapping. But what we need is real, objective reviews written by strong voices who can productively critique a novel or poetry collection, if necessary, by criticising it severely but logically. So, media can run that kind of review regularly. It is through good reviews that readers’ interests are piqued. l

The writer is Editor, A&L, Dhaka Tribune.

B O O K S

Arts & Letters 17D


UPL’s new arrivals at Ekushey Mela

‘New writers are not coming into play’

BangladesheGanatantraby Moudud Ahmed

Price: Tk 750

Rabindranathby Abul Momen

Price: Tk 300

History of Bangladeshby Abul Maal A. Muhit

Price: Tk 800

Gresham’s Law Syndrome and Beyondby Akbar Ali Khan

Price: Tk 700

Dhaka: An Urban Readerby Mahbubur Rahman

Price: Tk 1280

Blameby Dilruba Z. Ara

Price: Tk 750

Uncertain Tomorrowsby Syeda Rozana Rashid

Price: Tk 650

Mosaic of a Lost Eraby Syed Najmuddin Hashim

Price: Tk 500

A Temporary Sojourn and Other Storiesby Nasrin Jahan

Price: Tk 400

Modhu ShikariKartika Nayar

Price Tk 875

Badiuddin Nazir

Arts & Letters18DT


E K U S H E Y B O I M E L A

Over 3 thousand new titles have hit the Ekushey Boi Mela this year, giving a boost to young poets and writers. Here we take a look at a few of the new arrivals that have already caught readers’ attention.

Hariye Jawa JibikaBy Prasanta Mridha

Price: Tk 200Published by Kothaprakash

Rabindranath Keno Joruri

By Serajul Islam ChowdhuryPrice: Tk 400

Published by Oboshor

aprilby Andrw Eagle and Tulip

ChowdhuryPrice: Tk800

Anya Ganger Gaan, Samudrasaman

By Abdullah Al MuktadirPrice: Tk 135

Published by Platform

Sab Phul Kothay GechheBy Asmar Osman

Price: Tk 200Jagriti Prakashani

Hasan Azizul Haq (twelve stories)

Translated by Bhaskar ChattopadhyayPrice: Tk500

Hasan Azizul Haquer Kathasahitya

By Chandan AnwarPrice: Tk 420

Published by Bangla Academy

Kayes Ahmed SamagraPrice: Tk 250

Published by Mawla Brothers

Syed Shamsul Haq(two novellas)

Translated by Saugata GhoshPrice: Tk500

World English PoetryEdited by Sudeep Sen

Price: Tk 500Published by Bengal Publications

Ranesh Dasgupta Rachanasamgra

Price: Tk 300Published by Bangla Academy

Yours, Etcetera by Ikhtisad Ahmed

Price: Tk600

KosbiHarishankar Jaladas

Price: Tk 300Published by Oboshor

Nagar Dhakay Jonoiko Jibanananda

A short story collection by Pias MajidPrice: Tk 120

Published by Anyaprakash

Calligraphy ofWet Leaves

by Neeman SobhanPrice: Tk300

BENGAL LIGHTS BOOKS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016Heritage 19

DT

n Tim Steel

Examination, investigation, and consideration of evidence of the earliest history and origins of

the diverse peoples of today’s nation of Bangladesh, present the history and heritage detective with numerous di� culties.

Not the least of these is a thick mantle of alluvium that lies across most of the lands, deposited by hundreds, even thousands, of millennia, since human life may have � rst existed hereabouts.

The annual deposits are made by the Himalayan meltwaters and the monsoon rains. That rich, fertile mantle may well lie at the roots of the agricultural plenty of today, but inhibits revelations of what is, certainly, an extraordinar-ily rich history, and an equally rich heritage that derives from it.

Then, there is the evident diversity of origins of such peoples. From north, south, west, and east, there is empirical evidence of the origins of migrations, from the earliest, to fairly recent times.

Warehouses full of documentation, both in Dhaka and in other parts of Bangladesh, may provide some documentary evidence of that rich past. After all, one of the earliest forms of written language developed in these lands. Those documents that survived the vandalism of the Pakistan Army in 1971, and the ravages of time and neglect, could probably also reveal as much. Only time will tell.

Then there is the lack of resources and o� cial, and even academic, interest in archaeological investigation.

Beneath the alluvial mantle lies tangible, archaeological, and

possibly even geological evidence of earliest human habitation hereabouts. But why should we suppose so?

Certainly, such few pieces of tangible evidence as we do have, covering at least the most recent 5,000 years, with a few, faint traces, in the forms of crude stone tools, may take us back over 100,000 years.

As our archaeologists, lacking resources, slowly reveal more recent times, with such discoveries as the pit dwelling, beside the ancient course of the Brahmaputra at Wari Bateshwar, which evidences Bronze Age dwelling thereabouts around 4,000 years ago, we should not hold our breath. Ancient history, and especially that which predates Islam, is not much valued here, despite its enormous potential value representing a world leading history and heritage in the world tourism market.

Discoveries in lands in proximity to Bangladesh, however, do not su� er from the same alluvial challenges, and what has been found in countries such as Nepal and Myanmar, certainly suggests there is much more to be found under the plains, especially in the hills, of Bangladesh.

It is unfortunate that the Bandarban district has not

been subjected to detailed archaeological investigation.

The stone tools found in the hills of Bangladesh and at Wari Bateshwar, on the low ridges, suggest that there were both Palaeolithic, and, certainly, Neolithic residents of these lands, between 50,000 and 5,000 years ago.

The Bronze age pit dwelling at

Wari Bateshwar represents, not only a more recent settlement, but, in particular, one on a site with clear evidence of craftsmanship and international trade from about 3,000 years ago.

But the circumstantial evidence of the human history of Bangladesh lies not only in such very ancient archaeological pieces. There is, for example, well before documentary and empirical evidence of trade and probable cultural exchange that may well date back over 10,000 years, questions about migratory peoples.We know, for example, from local archaeological evidence, that rice was probably � rst domesticated for cultivation about 12,000 years ago in Yunnan Province of China -- could it be migrants, or was it traders, who brought such rice to the Ganges basin, 10,000 years ago? Or was such development, in such global proximity, simply coincidental?

Much more recent evidence from the archaeology of Yunnan Province in China reveals the presence of money cowries, sourced from the Indian Ocean, in third century BCE tombs, close to the Yangtze River.

But it is, of course, the migration of peoples of the very ancient Harappan civilisation, with origins about 10,000 years ago, and Aryans from Central Asia, who combined to develop the culture in the Ganges Basin, of a strong, agriculturally-based, industrialised society, that was the origin of trade through the Ganges delta.

Was it, we may well wonder, that development that enticed the great migratory tribal peoples who appear to have arrived from further north into the Himalayan territories and beyond, to settle around, and within the lands of Bangladesh, probably beginning as much as 7,000 years ago.

And it was, of course, that development of trade that probably lay behind the development of an early, sophisticated, culture that was originally animist, evolving into shamanic, into those of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist, all of which certainly had roots hereabouts.

As we come closer to the birth of Bangladesh, in 1971, the circumstantial evidence accumulates.

If there were no Gangaridai, of which, today, we may reasonably decide, whatever the Indians claim, that the huge, largely unexcavated site at Wari Bateshwar was the eponymous capital mentioned by the � rst century Roman geographer and historian, Strabo. Then why, in the third century BCE would the Greek writer Apollonius of Rhodes, in his famous re-writing of the even more famous legend of Jason, the

Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece, have included a character named Datis, “a Chief of the Gangaridai”? Or, possibly the most famous of Roman poets, Virgil, in one of his famous Georgics, in the context of a Roman victory in Asia Minor, about 80 BCE, praise the “men of Gangaridai,” who evidently contributed to the victory, presumably as mercenaries in the Roman Army. That he “would celebrate in gold and ivory” that victory, may give a signi� cant clue to the bounties amongst which, the Roman’s valued the deltaic Kingdom for!

The signi� cance of these references, of course, being, especially in Apollonius’ case, not simply the mention, but that ancient writers and scholars, remote from the lands that are now Bangladesh, should very evidently, be familiar with the martial skills of ancestors of today’s people of Bangladesh?

In fact, there is unarguable circumstantial evidence for today’s Bangladesh encompassing the existence of very early, civilised human habitation, rich, not only in wealth, but also in culture -- developed through the generation of wealth, and international cultural exchange that is part of international trade.

Without doubt, if those alluvial deposits are not all carelessly excavated for commerce and urban development -- the archives left to rot and museum material to be exported, together, they potentially represent powerful evidence, both tangible and circumstantial, of one of the world’s earliest crossroads of human development -- here, in Bangladesh. l

Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

In fact, there is unarguable circumstantial evidence for today’s Bangladesh encompassing the existence of very early, civilised human habitation, rich, not only in wealth, but also in culture

Bangladesh presents numerous challenges for the heritage detective

Circumstancial evidence

Downtime20DT


CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

How to solve: 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 number repeating.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 10 represents P so � ll P every time the � gure 10 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1 Leave (6)6 Donkey (3)9 Nimble (5)10 Fencing weapon (4)11 Acting parts (5)12 First woman (3)13 Merchant (6)15 Satisfy fully (4)18 Woody plant (4)21 Inventor’s grant (6)24 Mature (3)25 Tra� c light (5)28 Drink (4)29 Unbound (5) 30 Indicate assent (3) 31 Jubilant (6)

DOWN 1 Game of skill (5)2 Self (3)3 Airman (5)4 Beverage (3)5 Repose (4)6 Copied (4)7 Harsh (6)8 Prophet (4)14 Liable (3)16 Slowly (mus) (6)17 Female sheep (3)19 Automation (5)20 Did wrong (5)21 Chess piece (4)22 Look after (4)23 Lofty (4)26 Extinct bird (3) 27 Compass point (init) (3)

SUDOKU

INSIDE

21D

TWorldSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

How the West misread Putin over Syria Last July, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seemed to be losing his battle against rebel forces. Speak-ing to supporters in Damascus, he acknowledged his army’s heavy losses. PAGE 22

Explosive moments from Thursday’s GOP debate in Houston Donald Trump took centre-stage Thursday night in Texas’ Houston as the irrefutable front-runner in the � nal Republican debate be-fore Super Tuesday. Flanking the billionaire, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio sought to make clear that the quest for the Republican nomination is a three-man race, not a one-man show.

PAGE 24

Big turnout as Iran votes to shape post-sanctions era Millions of Iranians voted in high-stake elections on Friday that could shift the balance of power within the hardline-controlled Islamic elite by ushering in a reformist comeback or help conservatives tighten their grip on power. PAGE 23

Q&A

Delegates and superdelegates: The critical mass

The nominat-ing contests that will deter-mine the Dem-ocratic and R e p u b l i c a n nominees for

the November 8 US presidential election are about to enter a crit-ical phase. On March 1, known as Super Tuesday, primaries or cau-cuses will be held in about a doz-en states, and they could be turnin points in both parties.

But the key to winning the nomination for each party is ul-timately not about the popular vote. It is about securing the num-ber of delegates needed to win the nomination at each party’s con-vention - July 18-21 in Cleveland for the Republicans and July 25-28 in Philadelphia for the Democrats.

Like so many things in politics, there are twists and turns in how the popular vote is used to ultimate-ly select each party’s candidate.

The following is a guide to the nominating process--

Is the delegate selection process the same for the Republican and Democratic parties?No. The parties set their own rules. One thing that is the same is that at each party convention, a candidate only needs to reach a simple majority of the delegate votes to win the nomination.

How many delegates are there?The Democratic convention will be attended by about 4,763 dele-gates, with 2,382 delegates need-ed to win the nomination. The Republican convention will be attended by 2,472 delegates, with 1,237 delegates needed to win.

Who are superdelegates? Do both the Republicans and Democrats have superdelegates?Superdelegates, o� cially known as unpledged delegates, are a sort of wild card in the nominating process, but only the Democrats have them. The category was cre-ated for the 1984 Democratic con-vention. Unlike other delegates, superdelegates may change what candidate they are supporting right up to the convention. There is no � xed number of superdel-egates because the group is de-� ned by various categories whose members change from one elec-tion cycle to another.

Who gets to be a superdelegate?All Democratic members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; the Democratic gov-ernors; the Democratic president and vice president of the US; for-mer Democratic presidents and vice presidents; former Democrat-ic leaders of the US Senate; former Democratic speakers of the House and former Democratic minority leaders. Throw in the members of the Democratic National Com-

mittee and the former chairs of the DNC and you � nally have the whole pool of superdelegates.

What about the other delegates? Do they get to choose which candidate to support?Both the Democratic and Repub-lican parties send delegates to their conventions based on the popular vote in the primary elec-tions and caucuses held in each of the 50 states. But the parties have di� erent rules on how delegates are allotted to a candidate. The Democratic Party applies uniform rules to all states. In each state, delegates are allocated in pro-portion to the percentage of the primary or caucus vote in each district. But a candidate must win at least 15% of the vote to be allo-cated any delegates. The Repub-lican Party lets states determine their own rules, although it does dictate some things. Some states award delegates proportionate to the popular vote, although most

such states have a minimum per-centage that a candidate must reach to win any delegates. Some other states use the winner-take-all method, in which the candi-date with the highest percentage of the popular vote is awarded all the delegates. Other states use a combination of the two methods. States that use the proportionate method may instead use the win-ner-take-all method if one candi-date wins more than 50% of the popular vote. In addition, the GOP requires that all states with nom-inating contests held between March 1 and March 14 use the proportional method, meaning that all the states holding votes on Super Tuesday will have to award delegates proportionally.

What happens to delegates if a candidate drops out of the race?For the Democratic Party, in every state, delegates are reallocated to the remaining candidates. For the Republican Party, it varies by state. In some states, delegates are required to stick with their origi-nal candidate at least through the � rst ballot at the Republican Na-tional Convention. In some other states, if a candidate drops out, his or her delegates may immedi-ately pledge to another candidate. There is also a middle ground in which those delegates are reallo-cated to the remaining candidates.

Source: USA TODAY, REUTERS, PEW

RESEARCH

Source: realclearpolitics, The Green Papers

Alabama

C

CC

P C

C

26 1693 38

60 5037 40

116 42

37

109 49

42 43

252 155

117 76

76 58

79

Delegates to be elected

Primaries

Caucus

Convention

Texas Arkansas

1March

PP

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

Oklahoma

Tennessee

Georgia

Virginia28

10 C

C

AmericanSamoa

Alaska

Vermont

Massachusetts

Colorado

Minnesota

Super Tuesday

Already voted

Voting

2,382

1,017 661

Required to win nomination 1,2372,4724,763

DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS

xx

Total delegates

Delegates electedon March 1

29Wyoming

THE DELEGATE COUNT SO FAR IOWA NEW HAMPSHIRE SOUTH CAROLINA** NEVADA TOTAL

REPUBLICANSDonald Trump 7 10 50 14 81

Ted Cruz 8 3 0 6 17

Marco Rubio 7 3 0 7 17

John Kasich 4 0 1 1 6

Ben Carson 3 0 0 1 4

DEMOCRATSHillary Clinton 23 9 - 19 51

Bernie Sanders 21 15 - 15 51 **Winner-take-all

The key to winning the nomination is not about popular vote, rather It is about securing the number of delegates needed to win the nomination at each party’s convention

WorldSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

22DT

INSIGHT

How the West misread Putin over Syria n Reuters, Beirut/Washington,

DC/Moscow

Last July, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seemed to be losing his battle against rebel forces. Speak-ing to supporters in Damascus, he acknowledged his army’s heavy losses.

Western o� cials said the Syrian leader’s days were numbered and predicted he would soon be forced to the negotiating table.

It did not turn out that way. Se-cret preparations were already un-derway for a major deployment of Russian and Iranian forces in sup-port of Assad.

The military intervention, tak-ing many in the West by surprise, would roll back rebel gains. It would also accelerate two shifts in US diplomacy: Washington would welcome Iran to the negotiating table over Syria, and it would no longer insist that Assad step down immediately.

“That involved swallowing some pride, to be honest, in ac-knowledging that this process would go nowhere unless you got Russia and Iran at the table,” a US o� cial said.

At the heart of the diplomacy shift - which essentially brought Washington closer to Moscow’s position - was a slow-footed re-alization of the Russian military build-up in Syria and, ultimately, a refusal to intervene militarily.

Russia, Iran and Syria struck their agreement to deploy mili-tary forces in June, several weeks before Assad’s July 26 speech, ac-cording to a senior o� cial in the Middle East who was familiar with the details.

And Russian sources say large amounts of equipment, and hun-dreds of troops, were being dis-patched over a series of weeks, making it hard to hide the pending operation.

Yet a senior US administration o� cial said it took until mid-Sep-tember for Western powers to fully recognise Russia’s intentions. One of the � nal pieces of the puzzle was when Moscow deployed aircraft � own only by the Russian military, eliminating the possibility they were intended for Assad, the o� -cial said.

An earlier understanding of Russia’s military plans is unlikely to have changed US military policy. President Barack Obama had made clear early on that he did not want Washington embroiled in a proxy war with Russia. And when the West did wake up to Russian Pres-ident Vladimir Putin’s intentions, it was short of ideas about how to respond.

As in Ukraine in 2014, the West

seemed helpless. French President Francois Hol-

lande summed up the mood among America’s European allies: “I would prefer the United States to be more active. But since the United States has stepped back, who should take over, who should act?”

SignpostsIn July last year, one of Iran’s top generals, Qassem Soleimani, went to Moscow on a visit that was wide-ly reported. A senior Middle East-ern o� cial said that Soleimani had also met Putin twice several weeks before that.

“They de� ned zero hour for the Russian planes and equip-ment, and the Russian and Iranian crews,” he said.

Russia began sending supply ships through the Bosphorus in August. There was no attempt to hide the voyages and on Septem-ber 9, it was reported that Moscow had begun participating in military operations in Syria.

A Russian Air Force colonel, who took part in preparations and provided fresh details of the build-up, said hundreds of Russian pilots and ground sta� were selected for the Syria mission in mid-August.

Warplanes sent to Syria includ-ed the Sukhoi-25 and Sukhoi-24 of-fensive aircraft, US o� cials said. In all, according to US o� cials, Russia

by September 21 had 28 � xed-wing aircraft, 16 helicopters, advanced T-90 tanks and other armoured ve-hicles, artillery, anti-aircraft batter-ies and hundreds of marines at its base near Latakia.

Despite this public build-up, the West either played down the risks or failed to recognise them.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on September 22 that Russian aircraft were in Syria to defend the Russians’ base - “force protection” in the view of US military experts.

At the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, the French announced their own � rst air strikes in Syria.

“The international community is hitting Dae’sh. France is hitting Dae’sh. The Russians, for now, are not doing anything,” Foreign Min-ister Laurent Fabius Fabius said at the time.

The next day Russia announced its strikes in Syria.

WarningsOne former US o� cial, who was in government at the time, said some US o� cials had begun voicing con-cern that Russia would intervene militarily in Syria two weeks before the bombing began.

Their concerns, however, were disregarded by o� cials in the White House and those dealing with the Middle East because of a

lack of hard intelligence, the for-mer US o� cial said.

Yet between October and De-cember, American perceptions shifted.

By December, US o� cials had concluded that Russia had achieved its main goal of stabilising Assad’s government and could maintain its operations in Syria for years.

“I think it’s indisputable that the Assad regime, with Russian military support, is probably in a safer position than it was,” a senior administration o� cial said.

Diplomatic u-turnAt that point, the US pivoted to the negotiating table with Russia and Iran. O� cials say they had few oth-er options with Obama unwilling to commit American ground troops to Syria, aside from small deploy-ments of Special Operations forces, or provide US-backed opposition � ghters with anti-aircraft missiles.

In Munich on February 12, Ker-ry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced an agree-ment for humanitarian access and a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria, far short of a cease� re.

Today, US o� cials sound a far di� erent note than in the early days of the uprising against Assad when they said his exit must be immedi-ate. Now, with the war entering its sixth year, they say they must push

the diplomatic possibilities as far as possible and insist Kerry is ful-ly aware of what Russia is doing to change facts on the ground.

In congressional testimony on Wednesday, Kerry acknowledged there was no guarantee the “ces-sation of hostilities” would work, adding: “But I know this: If it doesn’t work, the potential is there that Syria will be utterly destroyed. The fact is that we need to make certain that we are exploring and exhausting every option of diplo-matic resolution.”

For the rebels, the reality is bleak.

Government forces have closed in on the city of Aleppo, a major symbol of the uprising. Their sup-ply routes from Turkey cut, rebels in the Aleppo area now say it may only be a matter of time before they are crushed altogether. How-ever, they remain determinedly upbeat, saying Assad is only gain-ing ground because of Russian air power and he will not be able to sustain the advances.

For Syrians living under govern-ment rule in Damascus, Moscow’s intervention has inspired a degree of con� dence. They credit one of the calmest periods since the start of the war to the death of rebel leader Zahran Alloush, killed in a Russian air strike on Christmas Day. l

5-11

Civil war in Syria

TURKEY

SYRIA

Main opposition

Regime KurdsIS group

Al-Nusra front Contested area

271,138 people killed

since March 2011: SOHR

97,842 pro-regime fighters

79,106 civilians

46,452 non-jihadist rebel fighters

44,254 Islamist and extremistfighters, including foreigners

Including

13,500 children

8,760 women

Sources: Institute for the Study of War/ Syrian Observatory for Human Rights/UNHCR

Opposition

Divided

Siege areas controlled by

Division DispossessionDeath

Based on ISW map as of February 12UNHCR as of February 17

RegimeDAMASCUS

Madaya

Moadimayetal-Sham

Zabadani

Kafr Batna

IRAQ

LEBANON

Aleppo

Hama

Idlib

Latakiya

Homs

Hasakeh

Palmyra

Kobane

Raqa

Deir Ezzor

Kafraya

JORDAN

50 km

TURKEY

Daraa

Fuaa TURKEY 2,620,553

EGYPT 118,512

NORTH AFRICA 28,027

1,069,111LEBANON

IRAQ 245,543

JORDAN 637,859

4,719,605 registered Syrian

refugees in neighbouring countries

52.9%of refugeesare children

22.6

4 and under

17.6%

2.960+

12.712-17

45.2

By age group

18-59


23D

T

SOUTH ASIAKidnapped ex-Afghan governor freed in Pakistan shoot-outA former Afghan governor kid-napped nearly two weeks ago in Islamabad was freed Friday after a shoot-out with police. Sayed Fa-zlullah Wahidi said he was being transported by his kidnappers, blind-folded, when they were stopped at a police checkpoint in Mardan, gun� re rang out, and the three men holding him ran away. -AFP

INDIADeath toll hits 28 in India’s caste riotsThe death toll from caste unrest in Haryana has risen to 28 but violence has subsided, o� cials said Thursday, as a court asked author-ities to investigate reports of rape during the riots. On Wednesday the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the government to inves-tigate alleged incidents of sexual violence after media reports said at least 10 women were raped by Jat rioters in Sonipat district. -AFP

CHINAChina adopts law on deep sea explorationChina on Friday adopted a new law on deep sea exploration, state media said, the country’s latest move to cement its status as a seagoing pow-er. The new law will “protect the rightful interests of Chinese citizens and organisations in their search for resources and in deep sea surveys,” the o� cial Xinhua news agency said after China’s top legislature passed the measure. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFICAustralia unveils massive increase in defence spendingAustralia unveiled a massive new investment in the nation’s defence capabilities on Thursday. Citing increased defence spending around the region and potential � ashpoints in the South China Sea and the Korean peninsula, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the govern-ment was committed to combating the most challenging strategic environment “we have faced in peacetime”. The government said it would spend Aus$195bn ($139bn) over the next decade. -AFP

MIDDLE EASTSaudi extends Hezbollah sanctionsSaudi Arabia on Friday extended sanctions on Lebanon-based Shia militant group Hezbollah. The king-dom froze the assets and prohib-ited dealings with three Lebanese nationals and four companies. The kingdom on Tuesday halted a $3bn-programme funding French military supplies to Beirut. -AFP

FACTBOX Syria: cease� re, cessation of hostilities or truce ? Cessation of hostilities, cease� re or truce: these terms, all used in attempts to resolve the con� ict in Syria, are similar and often used in-discriminately.

However, they have di� erent le-gal and symbolic meanings.

The US and Russia on February 22 announced plans for a landmark “cessation of hostilities” to take ef-fect in war-torn Syria on February 27 midnight, excluding the main jihad-ist factions.

While the Damascus regime said it would accept the “cessation of hostilities”, the main Syrian opposi-tion groups said they were commit-ted to a two-week “truce”.

A truce is a limited and tempo-rary halt of activities or hostilities during a war.

In Syria, brief and one-o� truc-es have been concluded on several occasions between the regime and rebels in certain regions of the coun-try, particularly to permit the deliv-ery of humanitarian aid.

A cessation of hostilities is a more formal designation, which, howev-er, falls short of a formal cease� re signed by the warring parties.

A call for a cessation of hostilities “is an inducement to not exchange � re, while a cease� re corresponds to an accord reached between the parties, to precise commitments by belligerent parties,” according to a spokesman for France’s foreign min-istry. l

Source: AFP

All eyes on Syria as cease� re kick starts Friday midnight n AFP, Beirut

US President Barack Obama has warned Moscow and Damascus the “world will be watching” their commitment to a cease� re, as the 17-nation group backing the Syria peace process prepared to � ne-tune the deal.

Obama said the next few days would be critical for the partial truce brokered by Moscow and Washington -- due to begin at midnight Friday -- which has been agreed by both President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and Syr-ia’s top opposition grouping.

The deal -- which excludes Dae’sh jihadist group and other extremists -- marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to help end Syria’s violence, but has been plagued by doubts after the fail-ure of previous peace e� orts.

Members of the 17-nation group backing the process are to meet in Geneva on Friday to work out further details of the agreement, which is expected to be endorsed by the UN Security Council on the same day, diplo-mats said.

There are hopes a successful “cessation of hostilities” will lead to the resumption of peace talks that collapsed in Geneva earlier this month.

“Tomorrow is going to be a very important, I will say a crucial day,” the UN’s Syria envoy Sta� an de Mistura told reporters at the

UN’s European headquarters in Geneva Thursday.

The agreement allows military action to continue against Dae’sh, which seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014, as well as against the al-Qaeda a� liated al-Nusra Front and other jihadist groups.

Obama said he was certain those groups would continue to � ght, but stressed the US-led coa-lition was winning the war against Dae’sh, citing territorial gains.

He also said he was not “under any illusions” about possible pit-falls, but that the cease� re could help bring about an end to the war.

Russian President Vladimir Pu-tin has promised to do “whatever is necessary” to ensure the cease-� re is implemented.

Potential spoilerRussia and the United States are on opposing sides of the con� ict, with Moscow backing Assad and Washington supporting the oppo-sition, but the two powers have been making a concerted push for the cease� re to be respected.

Iran is also a supporter of Da-mascus, and US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that Tehran had withdrawn a “signi� -cant number” of its elite Revolu-tionary Guards troops from Syria.

Turkey’s position towards Syrian Kurdish forces is a poten-tial spoiler, and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday that Ankara would not be bound by the cease� re if its na-tional security is threatened.

Turkey has shelled Kurdish forces in northern Syria, saying the army was responding to in-coming � re.

Ankara regards the main Kurd-ish militia in Syria, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), as an o� -shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

A YPG spokesman said Thurs-day that Kurdish forces would re-spect the cease� re but � ght back if attacked. l

Ü To try to immediately step up aid deliveries to besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria

Ü For a US/Russia-led task force to work to achieve a “cessation of hostilities” across Syria begin-ning in one week’s time

Ü “Cessation of hostilities” will exclude action against the so-called Dae’sh group, jihad-ist group al-Nusra Front and other UN-designated terrorist groups.

Ü To work towards an eventual cease� re and implementation of a UN-backed plan for political transition in Syria.

KEY POINTS OF THE MUNICH AGREEMENT

Big turnout as Iran votes to shape post-sanctions era n Reuters, Tehran

Millions of Iranians voted in high-stake elections on Friday that could shift the balance of power within the hardline-controlled Islamic elite by ushering in a re-formist comeback or help con-servatives tighten their grip on power.

There were early signs of enthu-siastic participation in the � rst polls since a nuclear deal last year led to a lifting of sanctions and deeper dip-lomatic engagement abroad.

Long queues formed at polling stations in the capital and state television showed throngs of vot-ers in Ahvaz and Shiraz. It was unclear how the turnout might shape the outcome.

“Whoever likes Iran and its dig-nity, greatness and glory should vote. Iran has enemies. They are eyeing us greedily,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said after casting his ballot.

At stake is control of the 290-seat parliament and the

88-member Assembly of Experts, the body that has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, Iran’s most powerful � gure. Both are currently in the hands of hardliners.

Control of parliament will in-� uence the ability of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, con-strained so far, to deliver on his promises of greater freedoms and economic reforms.

The Guardian Council, ap-

pointed half by Khamenei and half by the ultra-conservative ju-diciary, disquali� ed thousands of candidates. That included Hassan Khomeini, the moderate grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution and Khamenei’s prede-cessor.

As the day went on, Iranians waited patiently in long lines out-side polling stations to cast ballots, with whole families coming to-

gether with their young children. Rouhani said the government

would spare no e� ort to protect people’s votes and ensure healthy and legitimate elections, the o� -cial IRNA news agency reported.

While reformists saw a high turnout as an opportunity for change, conservatives said it showed widespread popular sup-port for the Islamic Republic’s political system -- and perhaps by extension the status quo.

In� uential former president Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsan-jani, allied to Rouhani, said Irani-ans knew this was a day of destiny.

Vote counting will start on Friday evening and some small constituencies could declare on Saturday morning, an electoral of-� cial said. Full results are expect-ed early next week.

But it could take longer to get a clear picture of who has come out on top, as the numerous small parties and independent candi-dates form alliances and declare their allegiance. l

An Iranian woman casts her ballot during elections for the parliament and Assembly of Experts in Tehran on Friday REUTERS


24DT

USA3 killed in Kansas shootingsKansas authorities on Friday were investigating the motives of a gun-man who killed three people and wounded 14, � ve critically, during a 26-minute shooting spree that end-ed when an o� cer shot the suspect to death at the factory where he worked. The gunman was served a protection from abuse order about 90 minutes before the shooting in Hesston on Thursday, and this could have triggered the incident, local media reported on Friday. -REUTERS

THE AMERICASArgentina rights group to ask Obama for dictatorship-era recordsA prominent Argentinian rights activist said Thursday she would ask US President Barack Obama to declassify US documents related to the country’s dictatorship. Obama is expected in Argentina on March 23-24. The dates overlap with a mass protest marking the 40th anniversa-ry of the coup that led to Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship. -AFP

UKTra� cking prosecutions hit record in UK following slavery lawProsecutions for human tra� ck-ing in England and Wales have increased since the introduction of a new anti-slavery law last year. There are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain. -THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

EUROPEUS, EU say free-trade deal possible this yearNegotiators on a huge EU-US trade treaty claimed Friday they were making progress towards reaching an accord by the end of the year as they completed the latest round of talks. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), under negotiation since July 2013, would create the world’s biggest free trade zone, removing tari� s and harmonising regulation between the Europe Union and the US. -AFP

AFRICAAfrican leaders to conclude Burundi peace push visitFive African heads of state met with Burundi’s president in Bu-jumbura on Friday at the end of a two-day visit to push for talks to end the country’s political crisis. The African Union agreed to send the delegation -- headed by South African President Jacob Zuma and including the leaders of Ethiopia, Gabon, Mauritania and Senegal -- during its January summit when Burundi successfully faced down a plan to deploy 5,000 peacekeepers to the country. -AFP

Explosive moments from Thursday’s GOP debate in Houston

D o n a l d Trump took c e nt r e - s t a ge T h u r s d a y night in Tex-as’ Houston as the irrefutable

front-runner in the � nal Republi-can debate before Super Tuesday. Flanking the billionaire, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio sought to make clear that the quest for the Republican nomination is a three-man race, not a one-man show.

Here are the most memorable moments of the night--

Rubio engages TrumpFielding a question on immigra-tion, Rubio in his response went after Trump for hiring illegal im-migrants and paying $1m after a suit was � led. Rubio pointed to some of the businessman’s past stances on immigration, remark-ing that many of Trump’s posi-tions are new. Trump said he hired immigrants for part-time jobs during hot seasons in Florida that most people didn’t want to work.

After a tense exchange, Rubio concluded, “He hired workers from Poland and he had to pay a million dollars or so in a judg-ment. That’s a fact.” While Trump maintained Rubio was wrong, Cruz later jumped in to say Trump was found guilty as part of a con-

spiracy for hiring people illegally.

Statute of limitation on Trump’s liesTrump supporters rarely chal-lenge Trump on the veracity of his often controversial remarks. But Rubio isn’t a Trump supporter and accused him of lying about the lawsuit in Poland. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was 38 years ago,” Trump said. “Oh, he lied 38 years ago,” Rubio said sarcastically. “I guess there’s a statute of limita-tion on lies.”

Trump praises Planned ParenthoodTrump said he would defund the women’s health organisation

because he’s anti-abortion, but he also lavished praise. “I’m totally against abortion having to do with Planned Parenthood, but millions and millions of women, cervical cancer, breast cancer, are helped by Planned Parenthood,” Trump said. “So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood, that are helped greatly.”

Trump to release his tax returns…after his auditsMitt Romney this week called on the top three presidential candi-dates to release their tax returns, hinting that Trump’s could con-

tain a “bombshell.” In reply, He slammed Romney on the debate stage for looking “like a fool” when he released his tax returns during the 2012 cycle under pres-sure from Democrats. “I want to � le it except for many years, I’ve been audited every year — twelve years or something like that,” Trump explained. “Every year they audit me, audit me, audit me.” Trump will “absolutely” re-lease his tax returns, “but I’m be-ing audited now for two or three now so I can’t.”

‘Middle East peace isn’t a re-al-estate deal’

Rubio slammed Trump for remarking that he would be an “honest broker” in the Israeli-Pal-estinian con� ict and stay neutral, calling that stance “anti-Israel.” Trump disregarded Rubio’s re-sponse because he’s not a nego-tiator. “I watched him melt down and I’ll tell you it was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. And these people may even be tougher than Chris Christie,” Trump said in a clear jab at Rubio, who quickly shot back that Middle East peace isn’t a real-estate deal. “No, no, no. A deal is a deal,” Trump declared, before conceding that that par-ticular scenario would probably be “the toughest deal of any kind.” l

Source: POLITICO

Republican US Presidential candidates Senator Marco Rubio, left, Senator Ted Cruz, right, look on as rival Donald Trump speaks at a debate Thursday REUTERS

ANALYSIS

Battle heats up over ninth seat on US Supreme Courtn AFP, Washington, DC

Warring sides dug in Thursday in an epic election year battle be-tween President Barack Obama and his Republican rivals over a tie-breaking vacancy on the US Supreme Court.

Much is at stake in the strug-gle over who will replace Antonin Scalia, the conservative justice who died unexpectedly February 13 -- and whose successor could potentially tip the court towards a liberal majority.

Republicans in the Senate, which must approve any nomi-nation, say it should be left to the next president to choose the new justice, while Obama says it is his constitutional duty to act now.

On Thursday, Democratic sen-ators dramatised the con� ict by gathering on the steps of the Su-preme Court behind a sign telling Senate Republicans: “Do Your Job.”

Under the US Constitution, the president nominates judges for the

lifetime position at the nation’s high-est court, subject to Senate approval.

Obama says he intends to put forward a candidate with impec-cable legal credentials and that the Senate should perform its constitu-tional role of advice and consent, and not let politics stand in the way.

But Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans on the Judiciary Committee will not even meet with any appointee announced by the president.

In a timid sign of progress, the White House said Thursday Mc-Connell had agreed, along with the Democratic leader in the Sen-ate and leaders of its judiciary committee, to join Obama in the Oval O� ce next Tuesday for con-sultations on the process.

The Supreme Court’s decisions shape American life to a large ex-tent, and with Scalia gone the court is now evenly divided 4-4 between conservatives and progressives.

Conservatives fear Obama might name another liberal to tip

the balance of what had been a conservative court when Scalia sat on the bench.

The main Republican candi-dates for the presidency -- Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio -- contend that tradition holds that an outgoing president abstains from naming Supreme Court nom-inees in an election year.

There have been exceptions, however, and in any event elec-tion year vacancies on the apex court have been rare events.

In an editorial Thursday, the liberal New York Times accused McConnell of having “lost touch with reality and the Constitution.”

Names have been circulating for days, including that of attor-ney general Loretta Lynch, the � rst black woman to hold that job, and Jeh Johnson, secretary of Homeland Security.

Other less well known � gures also have been mentioned, such as Sri Srinivasan, a highly respected appellate judge of Indian origin. l

Nevada governor withdraws as possible SCOTUS pick n Reuters, Washington, DC

Nevada Governor Brian Sandov-al, a moderate Republican, took himself out of consideration for appointment to the US Supreme Court on Thursday as Senate Re-publicans dug in on their vow not to act on any nominee by Presi-dent Barack Obama.

Asked if the White House was disappointed by Sandoval’s de-cision, Obama spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, “He’s ob-viously entitled to make decisions about his own career.”

Sandoval’s name surfaced as a possible nominee on Wednesday, but Senate Republicans quick-ly said they still would not hold hearings or vote on any Obama nominee to � ll the Supreme Court vacancy left by the February 13 death of conservative Justice An-tonin Scalia. Obama’s appointee could pivot the court to the left for the � rst time in decades.

Sandoval, a Mexican-American who was Nevada’s � rst Hispanic governor, did not o� er a reason for his withdrawal. l

25D

TSportINSIDE


Sexwale pulls out before � rst roundTokyo Sexwale withdrew from the FIFA presidential race minutes before the vote yesterday, announcing his decision at the very end of his candidate’s speech. “I have got a surprise for you: my campaign ends today and I suspend my participation." PAGE 26

Arambagh KS set for new identityArambagh Krira Sangha are all set to appear in the upcoming Ban-gladesh Premier Football League with a new addition to their title. The club’s new identity would be Sheikh Moni Arambagh Krira Sangha, named after Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni. PAGE 27

Utd to face Liverpool in Europa last 16Manchester United and Liverpool, English football’s two most deco-rated clubs, were drawn together in the last 16 of the Europa League yesterday. The arch-rivals have won 38 top-� ight titles between them as well as eight European Cups. PAGE 28

Derby win a must in Barca chaseCristiano Ronaldo insists Real Madrid can still catch La Liga leaders Barcelona if they can overcome their hoodoo against local rivals Atletico Madrid today. Real trail Atletico by a point and are nine adrift of Barca with just 13 games remaining. PAGE 29

MOHAMMAD AMIRPakistan

It was only in November last year when Pakistan seamer Amir got his second chance. The left-arm pacer had just returned to competitive action following his ban for spot-� x-ing. He made a � ying start in do-mestic cricket and was soon roped in by Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 franchise Chittagong Vikings. The Vikings did not do well in the tournament but Amir had accomplished his mission. The 23-year old will be quite eager to keep the India batsmen on their toes.

VIRAT KOHLIIndia

The hard-hitting batsman was denied a sound start to the tour-nament after being dismissed by Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza early in his knock. There is no doubt that the Delhi cricketer will be desperate to score big today against their eternal rival. His bril-liant run of form in the T20 format against Australia should inspire him to come good against Pakistan. So far, Kohli has played 34 T20Is, av-eraging a healthy 48.88. The right-hander has an immaculate record against Pakistan, averaging 75.

–MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

Afridi counting on pacemen, Rohit’s focus on battingn Minhaz Uddin Khan

All the three matches of the on-going Asia Cup Twenty20 saw the pacemen rule the roost. The con-dition and the wicket at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium have been di� erent from usual, thus giving the edge to the speed-sters. Pakistan skipper Shahid Af-ridi ahead of their match against arch-rival India in Mirpur today said the pacers are likely to domi-nate their game too.

History indicates that the Pa-kistan pace attack has troubled India every time the two sides met. Afridi believes all his pacers, including the likes of Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan and Moham-mad Amir are in good shape and are ready to trouble the Indian batsmen.

“Certainly it can be the case (pace bowlers forming the main source of attack in this condi-tions). We have got four pacers and they are cricketers who are considered to be wicket-takers. Our fast bowlers will try to utilise the opening six overs and try to remove their batsmen as that is

considered to be their strength,” Afridi told the media at Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium yesterday.

“Indian batsmen usually play the spinners very well and they have in-form players in their squad as they have come here playing some good cricket (against Australia and Sri Lanka). Our fast bowlers are in good shape whether it is Amir, Wahab or Ir-fan. I know their batting is strong but we also have a formidable bowling attack. I hope the result will be good for us,” the Pakistan captain added.

Meanwhile, in-form India opener Rohit Sharma said In-dia will not like to think of the Pakistan bowlers much. The right-handed batsman said India rely on their batting, much like Pakistan do with their bowling.

“They have a formidable bowl-ing attack no doubt but we would want to concentrate more on our strengths and prepare our plans accordingly. Our strength is bat-ting and depending on the wicket, we will have to focus on that,” said Rohit.

“Every team has its own spe-cialities. They have good left-arm seamers in their armoury while our bowling attack is more potent and has more variety in it,” he added.

The wicket in Mirpur has been atypical. The green grass on the wicket has taken all the teams, in-cluding home side Bangladesh, by surprise. The respective top-or-ders have su� ered the most due to the early movement which gives the pacers the edge. But Ro-hit informed that they are not con-cerned, bearing in mind they had scored big in their previous game.

“It’s not a matter of con-cern because we still scored big (against Bangladesh). Games will happen where you will lose wickets but we have a solid team which is ready to take up the chal-lenge. Against Bangladesh, our middle-order did well. Hardik [Pandya] came in and did well. As a batsman, you have to concen-trate on basics. Your technique has to be sound and you have to assess the conditions as soon as possible,” the India batsman ex-plained. l

Today's Match 7:30PM at SBNS

India v PakistanMaasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

Pakistan (L) and India put the � nishing touch to their preparation on the eve of their all-important Asia Cup T20 clash today in Mirpur MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

PLAYERS TO WATCH

26DT Sport

‘Batting still needs improvement’n Mazhar Uddin

Bangladesh limited-over captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza yesterday informed that their batting perfor-mance must improve before their re-maining Asia Cup Twenty20 match-es against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

In pursuit of the Tigers’ modest total of 133/8 at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, the United

Arab Emirates could manage only 82, losing all of their wickets to give the home side a comfortable 51-run win.

And despite sealing a convinc-ing victory, Mashrafe said batting is still their main area of concern in the shortest format of the game. With the exception of Mahmudul-lah’s 27-ball 36, none of the Bang-ladesh batsmen appeared at ease in the face of some disciplined bowl-

ing by the UAE. “We can obviously do a lot bet-

ter than this. If we leave out the last two matches, we scored above 150 but we were unable to score over here. It’s unfortunate,” Mashrafe told the media in the post-match press conference.

“Especially [yesterday], since we had a partnership going, we should have scored more than 150. We just planned not to be over-excited, we did not want to do anything over-ambitious. We just wanted to play normally, bowl normally and that was it. Everyone had the right attitude,” he said.

The “Narail Express” praised player of the match Mahmudullah, who had a memorable outing yes-terday. After rescuing his side with his unbeaten 36, Mahmudullah further aided the Tigers’ cause by taking two wickets and a brilliant catch of Shaiman Anwar.

“He always was and still is a very important player. He knows his role very well. Sometimes when the team is under pressure he goes out to bat and when he cannot play his best knock then everybody talks so his job is very di� cult. [Yesterday] was a similar situation and it feels good that he took the pressure and played the best possible innings for the team. And at the same time, the bowling is going well for him. Hopefully he can continue,” added Mashrafe. l


BANGLADESH R BMd Mithun run out 47 41Soumya c Amjad b Shahzad 21 14Sabbir c Fahad b Rohan 6 12Mush� qur c Patil b Naveed 4 8Shakib b Amjad 13 13Mahmudullah not out 36 27Nurul c Fahad b Amjad 0 1Mashrafe c Fahad b Naveed 0 3Taskin run out 1 2Extras (lb2 w2 nb1) 5

Total (8 wickets, 20 overs) 133Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Soumya), 2-72 (Sabbir), 3-81 (Mithun), 4-83 (Rahim), 5-112 (Shakib), 6-112 (Nurul), 7-114 (Mortaza), 8-133 (Taskin)Did not bat: Al-Amin Hossain and Musta� -zur Rahman

BowlingNaveed 4-1-12-2, Amjad 4-0-34-2 (nb1) Shahzad 4-0-38-1 (w2), Raza 4-0-17-0, Rohan 4-0-30-1

UAE R BRohan c Musta� zur b Mortaza 18 17Kaleem c Mortaza b Al-Amin 0 5Shahzad c & b Musta� zur 12 12Shaiman c Mahmudullah 1 4Usman b Taskin 30 30Swapnil c Mortaza b Musta� zur 0 1Javed hit wicket Mahmudullah 3 10Fahad Tariq st Nurul b Shakib 0 2Saqlain c Mortaza b Mahmudullah 2 4Raza St Nurul b Taskin 5 14Naveed not out 8 7Extras ( w3) 3

Total ( all out; 17.4 overs) 82Fall of wickets 1-2 (Kaleem), 2-25 (Rohan), 3-33 (Shaiman), 4-34 (Shahzad), 5-34 (Patil), 6-45(Amjad), 7-46 (Fahad), 8-55 (Saqlain), 9-71 (Usman), 10-82 ( Raza)

Bangladesh won by 52 runs

SCORECARD

Sexwale pulls out before � rst round voten Reuters, Zurich

Tokyo Sexwale withdrew from the FIFA presidential race minutes be-fore the vote yesterday, announc-ing his decision at the very end of his candidate’s speech.

“I have got a surprise for you: my campaign ends today and I suspend my participation. With only four people, it is your problem now,” he told delegates at the ex-traordinary FIFA Congress.

“I am prepared to serve under the new president.”

The South African businessman and politician was one of � ve can-didates standing to lead soccer’s scandal-plagued governing body out of the worst crisis in its 112-year history.

There has been speculation throughout Sexwale’s low-key campaign that he could pull out, but he began his speech by saying: “I am a soldier and I die with my boots on.” l

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza bowls during their Asia Cup Twenty20 tie against the UAE in Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

UAE CaptainON THE TARGET OF 134134 in a Twenty20 game is possible to chase when you get a good start and your batsmen go for their shots, so chasing this target is a bit possible. On the other [hand] you have to see that we are playing against Bangladesh. We are not used to playing against top teams so when you are facing these kind of attacks for the � rst time, you will have a tough time in the middle. And if you lose early wickets it becomes di� cult to chase even a score like 134.

We have been working together in the ICC academy for the last one year. But practising in the nets and facing the opponent bowlers in a game is di� erent. We should get some more games against the top teams because that way we can � x our problems and develop the game.

The Bangladesh bowling side is di� cult to play. I think everyone took wickets early into the game and Musta� zur [Rahman] was really exceptional. The o� -cutter he is bowling is di� cult to judge because the action is the same. –MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN

WHAT JAVED SAID

Bangladesh pace sensation Musta� zur Rahman grasps a brilliant caught-and-bowled opportunity, that of UAE batsman Rohan Mustafa during their Asia Cup Twenty20 clash at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The third umpire however, moments later adjudged that the catch was not a clean one MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

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German World Cup scandal claims latest scalpGerman football federation (DFB) general secretary Helmut Sandrock, who helped organise the scandal-hit 2006 World Cup, has resigned, the DFB announced yesterday. The move comes on the day a law � rm charged with investigating Germany’s bid for the 2006 World Cup was due to deliver its report, and hours ahead of FIFA’s vote for a new president.

–AFP

Little Afghan Messi fan still keen to meet idolThe � ve-year-old Afghan boy who won the Internet’s heart when he was pictured wearing a plastic bag as an improvised Lionel Messi jersey is still eager to meet the Argentine football superstar, he told AFP yesterday. Murtaza Ahmadi travelled with his family to Kabul this week to receive two jerseys autographed by Messi and presented to the young fan by UNICEF.

–AFP

Russian duo halt doubles win streak of Hingis-MirzaTop ranked women’s doubles pair Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza had their 41-match winning streak halted on Thursday after they were beaten in the quarter-� nals of the Qatar Open. The Swiss and Indian, the current Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open champions, were beaten 2-6 6-4 10-5 by Russian duo Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina. “That was an amazing match for us,” Vesnina was quoted as saying by the WTA Tour.

–REUTERS

Hiddink rules out Terry, tight-lipped on ConteChelsea will be without captain John Terry when they visit Southampton in the Premier League today as the centre back is still recovering from a hamstring injury, manager Guus Hiddink said yesterday. Hiddink, in charge of the team until the end of the season, refused to comment on reports that he will be replaced by Italy coach Antonio Conte after this year’s European Championship. “You have heard more than me because that’s your job,” the Dutchman told a news conference. “I’m not involved in this and that’s all you’ll get from me. I’m in favour that when things are done, you make it transparent.”

–REUTERS

QUICK BYTES

4TH BCL, RD 3, DAY 3Central Zone 260 & 329/7 dec

(Marshal 141, Zabid 91, Farhad 5/49) v North Zone 168 & 22/2

North need 400 more runs to win

South Zone 262 & 204/4 (Anamul 84*, Taibur 52, Iftekhar 2/76) v East Zone 407

(Zakir 128*, Mominul 112, Tasamul 87)South Zone lead by 59 runs

Arambagh KS set for new identityn Tribune Report

Arambagh Krira Sangha are all set to appear in the upcoming Bang-ladesh Premier Football League with a new addition to their title. The club’s new identity would be Sheikh Moni Arambagh Krira Sangha, named after Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, nephew of the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“As Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni is the son of our region, Arambagh KS will appear in the premier league

after his name. We, the current committee, will announce it o� -cially with a colourful ceremony next week,” said club president Mominul Haque, who is also a Jubo League leader.

He continued, “The club will then become a limited company like Abahani and Mohammedan. We also want to leave a legacy in Bangladesh sports. There are no alternatives than being a limited company and we are moving for-ward step by step.”

Arambagh returned to the top

� ight after three seasons in the second tier. They � nished second in the Bangladesh Championship League and were promoted to the top tier alongside champions Uttar Baridhara.

While talking about his ambi-tions regarding the club, Mominul said, “As a president my dream is to see my club reach the highest lev-el in Bangladesh football. We are trying to form a better squad with a quality coach, a decent set of for-eign players and local young play-ers. I believe it will be a good team.”

Mominul informed that the club are trying to recruit a striker from Brazil named Tyson de Silva, who previously played for Muktijod-dha, and added that they have also talked to long-time premier league attackers Samad Yussif, Kester Akon and Ismail Bangoura.

“There was a time when Abaha-ni and Mohammedan were afraid of facing Arambagh because they were known as ‘giant killers’. But this time we are on the way to be-coming giants from the tag of gi-ant-killers,” he said. l

Central eye win, South have it all to do in BCLCentral v North, Cox’s Bazar Central Zone will be looking to seal their maiden victory in the Bangla-desh Cricket League longer-version and leapfrog North Zone to the top of the points table when the fourth and � nal day’s play takes place today.

Following the third day’s pro-ceedings yesterday at the academy ground of Sheikh Kamal Interna-tional Cricket Stadium, North were batting on 22/2 in pursuit of a huge target of 422.

Earlier on the day, Central pre-sented North with a mammoth target after the former posted 329/7 declared in their second innings, riding on Marshal Ayub’s 231-ball 141, featuring 18 fours and two six-es. Alongside Zabid Hossain (92), Marshal added 229 runs for the second wicket to take Central to a strong position.

South v East, Cox’s BazarBottom side South Zone are on the back-foot against East Zone head-ing into today’s play at the same venue. South registered 204/4 by the end of yesterday, a lead of only 59 runs.

Much will depend on Anamul Haque (84*) and Taibur Rahman (52*) if South are to give East a chal-lenging total to chase.

East, resuming yesterday on 345/5, added 62 runs to their � rst innings tally before losing their re-maining � ve wickets with Bangla-desh Under-19 hero Zakir Hasan stay-ing unbeaten on 128. South’s veteran campaigner Abdur Razzak was the pick of the bowlers with his 5/161. l

–MAZHAR UDDIN

India, Pakistan brace for Asia Cup blockbustern Minhaz Uddin Khan

The wait for perhaps the most enter-prising game of the Asia Cup Twen-ty20 will end today when India take on arch-rival Pakistan at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The match begins at 7:30pm and Star Sports 1, Maasranga TV and GTV will telecast it live.

It is not only India and Paki-stan who are excited about the tie. Millions of fans in Bangladesh are expected to be nailed to their sofa seats at home while demand for tickets has already reached a cre-scendo.

Considering the popularity and history of the contest, the game promises to be a thrilling encoun-ter. This will be the � rst meeting between the two sub-continent ri-vals in any format since last year’s World Cup.

Pakistan batting-allrounder Shoaib Malik believes his side will start today’s game as the favourites but if recent form is anything to go by, then it is India who are � ying at the moment.

India made a � ery start to the tournament, defeating hosts Bang-ladesh by a comprehensive mar-gin. Before arriving in Bangladesh, India had defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in a three-match T20I series. Prior to that series, the Indians white-washed Australia down under in three T20Is.

Then there is the batting factor. There is hardly any team in the world who can boast such power and strength as India, especially in the shortest format. While batsmen like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan can be more than handful for any opponent on a par-ticular day, captain MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh add some much-need-ed experience to the line-up.

The combination was further improved through the inclusion of youngster Hardik Pandya. Pan-dya experienced a brilliant outing

against the Tigers, hitting some powerful shots in the latter overs to take India to a challenging total.

The pace unit, comprising veter-an left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah have proven that they can work in tandem while o� -spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can be deadly on his day.

Pakistan though will be no pushovers as they have played a lot of T20s recently. They were the last team to arrive in the capital city for the Asia Cup, given that they were busy competing in the inaugural Pakistan Super League T20. Many of their cricketers are on song at the moment and the Pakistan team

management will be desperate to see the trend continue.

And if India possess one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the world then Pakistan’s bowling department can easily be labelled world-class. The bowling order includes experienced campaigner Mohammad Sami, tall left-arm pac-er Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Anwar Ali.

With so many bowlers in their rank, Pakistan will look to the in-form Mohammad Hafeez to lead the batting charge while Malik, Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed also have the ability to take the game away from the opposition.l

India batsman Yuvraj Singh arrives to training yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

28DT Sport


DRAW Shakhtar v Anderlecht Basel v Sevilla Villarreal v Leverkusen Athletic Bilbao v Valencia Liverpool v Man United Sparta Prague v Lazio Dortmund v Tottenham Fenerbahce v Braga

Two-le� ed ties to be played March 10 and 17

FANS ELEVATING BUNDESLIGA TO THE VERY TOP OF EUROPEn Safi r Zawad

The German Bundesliga is home to some of the biggest clubs in Europe; Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 to name but a few. These clubs have been performing extremely well in the Champions League with Bayern winning the crown as recently as 2014.

The critics on the other hand label the Bundesliga as a one-horse race dominated by Bayern but clubs like Dortmund and Schalke have been participating regularly in the knock-out stages of the Champions League and creating problems for some of the biggest European teams.

Even though the Bundesliga has been around for more than 52 years in its current format, it is not the � rst thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking about the “best league” in Europe. The English Premier League has more money, the Spanish La Liga has more glamour and the Italian Serie A has more history when compared with the Bundesliga but the German league has some strong points of its own which makes it special, and in this article, I will be explaining why the Bundesliga is the best league in Europe.

Ever since its inception, the Bundesliga has been all about its fans. The stadiums are huge, the tickets are cheap and the fans get to have a say in

the decision making process of a club. As a result, the stadiums are always � lled with cheerful fans chanting for their beloved clubs and the stadiums are also hospitable for the fans of away teams. The “50 plus one” rule ensures that no individual can have a majority stake in a Bundesliga side and fan members of the club are the majority shareholders. This prevents clubs from being under the thumbs of Russian oligarchs and Arab sheikhs who would end up treating the clubs as their personal “play things”, as seen in the Premier League.

In short, in the Bundesliga, the fans own the club. The ticket prices in the Bundesliga are also cheaper when compared to the Premier League and the big La Liga clubs. A season ticket-holder at Dortmund, who are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, would cost 600 euros at most. On the other hand, season tickets at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium would cost above 1000 pounds. The presence of standing tickets also allows more people to enjoy the game and creates a volatile atmosphere for any away team.

In the late 90s, the German

national team were facing a decline. They had hit rock bottom when they ended up � nishing last in their group in the Euro 2000, and changes were required. This caused the German Football Association to overhaul the youth academies of the clubs and do talent recruitment programmes, which provided the clubs with fresh young talent. Clubs who had youth academies improved their facilities and clubs without proper youth academies had to create them. This resulted in the injection of new, younger talent in the German footballing structure. Players

like Thomas Mueller, Marco Reus, Jerome Boateng and Mario Goetze were a product of the overhauled German youth system and this resulted in better performance from the national team, ending up reaching at least the semi-� nals in all the World Cups held after the year 2000 and also the creation of the golden generation who won the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

All the elite clubs in Europe look at the Bundesliga for the recruitment of quality players. Recent examples include Toni Kroos’ transfer from Bayern to Real Madrid and Son Heung-min’s transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham Hotspur. In summary, this overhaul in the youth system has resulted in a huge increase of quality in German football and the e� ects of these changes will be felt for years to come.

Ultimately, all these elements mix together to form a high quality, attractive, fast-paced brand of football loved by the fans. With the talent on o� er, the German national team are going to dominate world football for many more years and the Bundesliga will be doing the same in Europe. Bayern are already a major force in European football and clubs like Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer are slowly catching up. The English Premier League was the past, the La Liga is the present, and the Bundesliga will become the future. l

Dream debut for Rashfordn AFP, Manchester

Marcus Rashford, a teenage prod-uct of Manchester United’s acad-emy, enjoyed a dream debut by scoring twice in a 5-1 victory over Denmark’s FC Midtjylland at Old Tra� ord on Thursday that took the Premier League side into the last 16 of the Europa League.

The 18-year-old was only thrust into the starting side when Antho-ny Martial was injured during the warm-up.

But he showed no nerves when he struck in the 64th minute, with a clinical, low strike from eight yards after Juan Mata had pulled an Ander Herrera far-post cross back across the area from the left-hand by-line, to put United 2-1 in front on the evening.

That matched the same score-line by which Louis van Gaal’s side had lost the � rst leg in Den-mark last week and, after 75 min-utes, Rashford’s second goal of the evening gave United a 4-3 aggre-gate advantage.

Again, the young forward showed great composure, follow-ing nice footwork and a cross from full-back Guillermo Varela which Rashford met at full speed and drove the ball home. l

United to face Liverpool in Europa last 16n Reuters

Manchester United and Liverpool, English football’s two most deco-rated clubs, were drawn together in the last 16 of the Europa League yesterday.

The arch-rivals have won 38 league titles between them as well as eight European Cups yet both are struggling in the Premier League this season and are unlikely to rel-ish being pitted against each other at this stage of the competition.

Bookmakers’ favourites Borus-sia Dortmund were also handed a tricky route into the last eight after being drawn against Tottenham Hotspur, who are second in the Pre-mier League behind Leicester City.l

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring during their Europa League match against Midtjylland in Manchester on Thursday AP

Schalke 04 0-3 Shakhtar Donetsk Marlos 27, Ferreyra 63, Kovalenko 77

Liverpool 1-0 AugsburgMilner 5-P

Lazio 3-1 GalatasarayParolo 59, Öztekin 62Anderson 61, Klose 72

Tottenham 3-0 FiorentinaMason 25, Lamela 63, Gonzalo 81-o.g.

FC Porto 0-1 Dortmund Casillas 23-o.g.

Napoli 1-1 VillarrealHamsik 17 Pina 59

Man United 5-1 MidtjyllandBodurov 32-o.g., Sisto 27Rashford 63, 75, Herrera 88-P, Depay 90

KEY RESULTS

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas dives full length and saves a goal

during a training session at the club ground on Thursday prior to the

Madrid derby against Atletico today


DAY’S WATCHCRICKET

STAR SPORTS 16:30PM

Asia Cup T20 2016India v Pakistan

FOOTBALLEnglish Premier League

STAR SPORTS 46:35PM

West Ham United v Sunderland 9:00PM

Southampton v Chelsea 11:30PM

West Brom v Crystal Palace SONY ESPN

9:00PMReal Madrid v Atletico Madrid

11:15PMGetafe v Celta Vigo

1:00PMReal Betis v Rayo Vallecano

3:35PMReal Sociedad v Malaga

TEN SPORTS 6:00PM

Sky Bet Championship Wolves v Derby County

9:00PMWTA Tour 2016

Qatar Total Open - Final TEN ACTION

5:00PMI-League 2016

Salgaocar v Mohun Bagan French Ligue 1 2015/16

10:00PMMontpellier Herault V LOSC Lille

1:00AMStade De Reims v Girondins

TEN CRICKET9:00PM

Sky Bet Championship 2015/16Fulham v Middlesbrough

FIXTURES Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Getafe v Celta Vigo Sporting Gijon v Espanyol Real Betis v Rayo Vallecano Real Sociedad v Malaga

Derby win a must for Ronaldo in Barca chasen AFP, Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo insists Real Ma-drid can still catch La Liga leaders Barcelona if they can overcome their hoodoo against local rivals Atletico Madrid today.

Real trail Atletico by a point and are nine adrift of Barca with just 13 games remaining, but can move up to second place should they beat Diego Simeone’s men for the � rst time in six league games.

“It is a game we need to win,” Ronaldo told Madrid’s website.

“It is an important game at home, in front of our fans and

against a very strong team that de-fends well. We know that (winning) La Liga will be di� cult, but we need to � ght until the end. Foot-ball is box full of surprises and any-thing can happen.”

Real are expected to once again be without Gareth Bale as the calf injury that was initially expected to keep the Welsh star out for three weeks in mid-January drags on.

Karim Benzema is likely to re-turn having missed the 1-1 draw at Malaga last weekend, whilst James Rodriguez could start after being left on the bench by Zinedine Zi-dane at La Rosaleda.

Zidane’s record at the Bernabeu since taking over has been impec-cable with four wins and 20 goals from four games.

However, Atletico’s rock-solid defence will pose a much more dif-� cult obstacle to break down. Sime-one’s men recorded their 24th clean sheet in 38 games this season in a 0-0 draw at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in midweek.

However, goals at the other end of the � eld has been the major problem for Atletico with just one in their last three games.

“The goal will come. We need to keep going and, if we have to be

patient, I’ll be the � rst to wait,” said Simeone.

Stefan Savic misses out through injury, so Jose Maria Gimenez will come into the Atletico defence.

Meanwhile, Fernando Torres is likely to earn a recall to the starting line-up unless Yannick Carrasco re-covers in time from an ankle liga-ment injury. Barca can maintain their stranglehold on the title race when Sevilla visit the Camp Nou tomorrow.

The Andalusians’ charge for a top-four � nish has been main-tained by their brilliant home form as they still haven’t won away in the league all season. l

Leicester refreshed in time for title chargen AFP, Leicester

While their Premier League title rivals have been battling for cup glory at home and in Europe, shock leaders Leicester City have enjoyed a refreshing two-week break from action.

Now the Foxes are back after a seven day holiday and, according to manager Claudio Ranieri, re-freshed for a spell of matches he believes will determine the course of their remarkable season.

In the agony of a stoppage-time defeat at Arsenal in their last game, it seemed that a little momentum had shifted away from Ranieri’s men fol-lowing an unbeaten league run that stretched back to Boxing Day.

Yet they remain two points clear at the top of the table with 12 games remaining, the � rst � ve of which pit them against clubs they

will be clear favourites to beat.They face Norwich today at the

King Power Stadium, then meet West Bromwich Albion, Watford, Newcastle and Crystal Palace be-fore the next international break at

the end of March.“We have a block of games now

until March 19 that could be the key to our season,” Ranieri said.

“We are at ‘the turn’. The next � ve matches are the turn – then there is the run-in and the goal is there.” l

V

EPL FIXTURES Leicester v Norwich Southampton v Chelsea Stoke v Aston Villa Watford v Bournemouth West Brom v Crystal Palace West Ham v Sunderland

Djokovic retires with injury during Dubai QFNovak Djokovic pulled out of his Dubai Championships quarter-� nal on Thursday after su� ering an eye problem. The world number one had lost the � rst set against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez when he decided to retire, the day after achieving his 700th career win. Djokovic had earlier been treated by his trainer during the � rst set, after having dropped his serve. After losing his serve again to concede the set 6-3, making 18 unforced errors, he decided not to continue, denying him the chance of reaching an 18th successive ATP Tour � nal. The Serb was not immediately available to explain his decision, but Lopez told the media that his opponent had su� ered an eye infection. REUTERS

Showtime30DT


n Showtime Desk

The government grant winning � lm, Brihannala, bagged the best � lm award while Zahidur Rahim Anjan, the director of Meghamallar, was honoured with the best director award at the National Film Award 2014. The Ministry of Information announced the winning names in all 26 categories by issuing a gazette on Thursday.

Ferdous Ahmed and Sohana Saba worked in Brihannala, which

addresses religion and its impact on the society through the story of an inter-faith relationship. For the � lm Brihannala, Murad also recieved awards in the best story and best dialogue categories.

In the meantime, Zahidur Rahim Anjan recieved the award for best director for his directorial work in the liberation war based � lm Meghamallar. The � lm is an adaptation of Akhtaruzzaman Elias’ acclaimed work Raincoat.

On the other hand, Ferdous Ahmed bagged the best actor award

for his role in Ek Cup Cha while the best actress award was shared between Moushumi (for her role in Tarkanta) and Bidya Sinha Mim (for her role in Jonakir Alo).

Seasoned actors Syed Hasan Imam and Rani Sarkar were chosen for the lifetime achievement award for their contributions to the � lm industry.

“The prime minister will hand over the awards to the winners,” said ministry o� cials, “the date of the awarding ceremony will be announced soon.” l

n Showtime Desk

Indira Gandhi Culture Centre (IGCC) has organised “An Evening of Rabindra Sangeet” with Shirsendu Roy and Arena Mukherjee today at the IGCC auditorium, Gulshan-1 at 6pm.

Shirsendu Roy and Arena Mukherjee both are enlisted artists of All India Radio and Doordarshan. They have received national scholarship from the Government of India and also received awards from the “Pandit Sukumar Mitra Smriti Sangsad” and “Pashchimbanga Rajya Sangeet Academy.”

Shirsendu Roy has completed his masters in vocal music from Rabindra Bharati University and later got trained under eminent gurus like Shri Samarendranath Dutta, Shri Arup Mukherjee, Shri Gurudas Roy and Shri Debasish Ganguly. He came runners-up in

All India Radio Music Competition in 2001. He also performed in di� erent TV channels in India like Zee Bangla, Tara Muzik and Doordarshan.

Arena Mukherjee was trained in music by Tushti Bhattacharya, Maya Sen and Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta. She has completed her masters in Rabindra Sangeet and is the recipient of gold medal at Rabindra Bharati University in 2006. She has been working in di� erent TV channel programs of India ever since, organised by Tara Muzik and Star Jolsa.

The event is open to all. l

National Film Award 2014 announcedNational Film Award 2014: Full list of winners

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Jointly Syed Hasan Imam and Rani Sarkar

• Best Film: Brihonnola, Director Murad Parvez

• Best Short-� lm: Gariwala, Director Ashraf Shishir

• Best Director: Zahidur Rahim Anjan, Meghmallar

• Best Actor: Ferdous Ahmed, Ek cup cha

• Best Actress: Jointly Moushumi (Tarkata) and Bidya Sinha Mim (Jonakir Alo)

• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Ejazul Islam, Tarkata

• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Chitrolekha Guho, Ekattorer Ma Jononi

• Best Actor in a Negative Role (Villain): Tariq Anam Khan, Desha: The Leader

• Best Actor in a Comic Role: Misha Sawdagar, Olpo Olpo Premer Golpo

• Best Child Artist: Abir Hossain Ankon, Boishommo

• Special Award as Best Child Artist: Marjan Hossain Zara, Meghmallar

• Best Music Director: Dr. Saim Rana, Nekabborer Mohaproyan

• Best Male Playback Singer: Mahfuz Anam James (Potakata Khamchate), Desha: The Leader

• Best Female Playback Singer: Jointly Runa Laila (Priya Tumi Shukhi Hou) and Momtaz (Nekabborer Mohaproyan)

• Best Lyrics: Masud Pothik, Nekabborer Mohaproyan

• Best Music Composer: Belal Khan, Nekabborer Mohaproyan

• Best Story: Murad Parvez, Brihonnola

• Best Screenplay: Saikat Nasir, Desha: The Leader

• Best Dialogue: Murad Parvez, Brihonnola

• Best Editing: Towhid Hossain Chowdhury, Desha: The Leader

• Best Art Direction: Maruf Samurai, Tarkata

• Best Cinematography: Mohammad Hossain Jemi, Boishommo

• Best Sound Recording: Ratan Paul, Meghmallar

• Best Costume Design: Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Jonakir Alo

• Best Make-up: Abdur Rahman, Nekabborer Mohaproyan

An Evening of Rabindra Sangeet at IGCC

Rumours surrounding Farhan and Kalkin Showtime Desk

Farhan Akhtar and Adhuna Akhtar ended their long standing marriage last month, and an o� cial statement was sent con� rming the split. Once the news of their marriage ending began circling, many claimed that it was Farhan’s extra-marital a� air that caused the crack in their marriage.

Names of Shraddha Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari started popping up as reports stated that Farhan was dating one of his co-stars. However, none of them elaborated on the issue at all. Aditi had dismissed such reports whereas Shraddha never spoke of it. Farhan maintained a digni� ed silence as well.

Now, as rumor breaks, it’s not Shraddha or Aditi, but Kalki Koechlin who Farhan has been seeing for the longest time. The two actors co-starred in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. They worked together in 2011, and have been

friends ever since. Coincidentally, Kalki’s

marriage with Anurag Kashyap also fell apart and they decided to part ways a few years back. Some reports suggest that the two actors have been going strong together and dating for over 10 months now. This also

means that Farhan was already cheating on his wife Adhuna before their break-up even occured.

Farhan’s marriage was on the rocks for over a year, but it seems his close proximity to Kalki might have put the � nal nail in the co� n. l

Tom Hardy tabooed

n Showtime Desk

Although he doesn’t particularly like attention, Tom Hardy did not have any issues to take his talents back on television with his new series on FX, called Taboo. The executive producer of the series being Ridley Scott and Hardy himself, the orginial story was even scribbled by Hardy’s father Chips Hardy and Locke writer

Steven Knight. Kristo� er Nyholm, a Danish

director best known for directing the original Scandinavian version of The Killing, is at the heart of this gritty series, and it looks pretty impressive.

Hardy’s monologue in Taboo’s trailer alone may be enough to capture interest, not to mention the cast including Jonathan Pryce and character actor Michael

Kelly.In the series, Hardy plays

James Keziah Delaney, a rogue adventurer who comes back to London in 1814 after spending over 10 years in Africa. Once back, he discovers his father was murdered, and mysterious legacy was left behind by the old man. Once the East India Company gained power, Delaney refuses to sell his family’s business to them,

and plans to build his own trading and shipping empire instead. This thrusts him into the middle of the War of 1812, fought between the US and Britain. The series shall be introduced in eight-episode bundles, and it feels almost like a Gangs of New York series set in London, but with an even more intriguing lead character for the audience to follow. l

Showtime 31D


WHAT TO WATCH

Wild ThingsZee Studio 5:40pmA police detective uncovers a conspiracy behind a case involving a high-school guidance counselor when accusations of rape are made against him by two female students.Cast: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell

Green LanternWB 5:45pmReckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard

PredatorStar Movies 7:15pm A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle � nd themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall

Escape PlanHBO 9:30pmWhen a structural-security authority � nds himself set up and incarcerated in the world’s most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, 50 Cent

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullSony PIX 11:31pmFamed archaeologist/adventurer Dr Henry “Indiana” Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artefacts known as the Crystal Skulls.Cast: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf

Weird Bollwood nicknames you didn’t known Showtime Desk

While a heavyweight Bollywood last name like Khan, Bachchan or Kapoor can ensure a jump-start to a career in the industry, nicknames too are a big part in B-town. Kareena’s “Bebo,” her sister Karishma’s “Lolo,” Govinda’s “Chichi” and Saif Ali Khan’s “Chotey Nawab” may well be known to all but there are a few other celebrity nicknames which many don’t know about. Some are funny, some cute and the rest are just embarrassing. Read on, to � nd out which celebrity has a cute nickname and who has a weird one.

Ranbir KapoorThe torch-bearer of the Kapoor khandaan was nicknamed “Ganglu” by his grandfather and legendary actor, Raj Kapoor. However, that is not the only nickname he owns. Everybody else in his family calls him “Dabbu” and his mother calls him “Raymond,” since she thinks of him as “the complete man.” Whew, that’s a lot of names to keep track of!

Hrithik RoshanWith Greek-god-like features, Roshan junior is widely known by a rather cute name, “Duggu,” in-sync with his father’s nickname, “Guddu.” D’aww!

Priyanka ChopraThe former “Miss World” has done quite well for herself in recent times with stellar performances in Quantico, Bajirao Mastani and others, but her name “Piggy Chops” by Abhishek Bachchan seems to have stuck with her. PC is called “Mithoo” because of her childhood habit of mimicking others. She has also been named “Mimi,” after the French diva Mimi Rogers.

Alia BhattWhile Alia is already a cute and short name, this rising star is called “Aloo” by her family members. Her chubby cheeks during teenage years is what prompted the nickname.

Varun Dhawan“Pappu.” Yes, while it is hard to absorb such a contrasting nickname, with his recent performances, Varun has proved

that Pappu can actually dance sala.

Shraddha KapoorInterestingly, it is her childhood friend, Varun Dhawan aka “Pappu,” who gave Shraddha the nickname, “Chirkoot.”

Parineeti ChopraThe Bollywood cutie is referred to as “Pari” by her close friends, but her actual nickname is “Tisha.”

Ashwarya RaiThe other former Miss World in the list, Aishwarya Rai is known as “Ash” for obvious reasons. But what many don’t know is that her true nickname is “Gullu.” We failed to make a connection between her and the name!

Sonam KapoorOften thought of as a fashionista, Sonam Kapoor is lovingly called “Gira� e” by her father Anil Kapoor because of her height. l

Tom Hardy tabooed

Back Page32DT


NATIONAL FILM AWARD 2014 ANNOUNCED PAGE 30

AFRIDI COUNTING ON PACEMEN, ROHIT’S FOCUS ON BATTING PAGE 25

THE FICKLE SWITCH PAGE 13

AMAR EKUSHEY BOOK FAIR 2016

Friday boost for Boi Melan Nure Alam Durjoy

The month-long momentum cul-minated yesterday into what book sellers said was the best day of the Ekushey Boi Mela this year.

Thousands thronged the Boi Mela on the � nal Friday of the an-nual book fair, pushing sales num-bers upward and helping publish-ers recuperate somewhat from the losses su� ered because of a rain-washed lost day of business on Wednesday.

From 10:30am to 8pm, book stall attendants stayed busy deal-ing with the rush of visitors. The crowd only grew bigger as the day progressed into the evening.

Publishers and stall attendants told the Dhaka Tribune that sales were better than other days.

“Sales have been quite satisfac-tory as the fair ground is buzzing with thousands of visitors,” said Masud Rana, manager at Abosar Prokashona Shangstha.

Echoing Masud, Tamralipi Publisher AKM Tarqul Islam Roni

said: “It is perhaps the best week-end day of the fair this year.”

Badol Kumar Das, a develop-ment worker, visited the fair yes-terday with plans to buy over 500 children’s book for his organisation.

“I am buying children’s books which will be distributed among the children through the organi-sation I work for,” he said.

The Dhaka Tribune also found many representatives from rural

libraries visiting the fair, looking for their desired book titles.

The book fair saw its last chil-dren’s hour yesterday, with com-petitions and prize giving ceremo-ny being held on Bangla Academy

premises; cultural personality Ra-mendu Majumdar and Bangla Academy DG Shamsuzzaman Khan were present for the ceremony.

Remembering Avijit RoyThe fair grounds observed a min-ute of silence at 4pm to honour the memory of author and blogger Avijit Roy, who was brutally killed a year ago while returning home from the book fair.

All writers, publishers and bookworms visiting the fair ob-served the minute’s silence and demanded exemplary punish-ment for the killers.

Publishers pleaCalling for the book fair to stay open from 11am to 9pm for the last three days, the Academic and Creative Publishers Association of Bangladesh held a press conference at Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday.

But the fair committee’s Mem-ber Secretary Dr Jalal Ahmed said they had no plan to extend the time of the fair. l

Visitors throng the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela yesterday, the last Friday of the month-long fair RAJIB DHAR

2 dead, 3 burnt in gas explosionn Mohammad Jamil Khan

Two members of a family died and three others were severely burnt in an explosion caused by gas leak in their � at in Uttara, Dhaka yesterday.

The victims were identi� ed as Shahnewaz, 50, an employee at the US Embassy in Dhaka, his wife Su-maiya, 38, and their sons Sharleen, 15, Zarif, 9, and Zayan, 14 months.

Sharleen and Zayan succumbed to their injuries at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery yester-day evening. Shahnewaz and Su-maiya are being treated at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the burn institute. Zarif is in a normal ward.

Dr Partha Shankar Paul, resident surgeon at the burn institute, said both Shahnewaz and Sumaiya sus-tained 95% burn injuries, Sharleen sustained 88% burns, Zayan 74% burns, and Zarif 6% burns.

“The victims’ respiratory system was severely damaged,” he said.

Giving in to their injuries, Shar-leen died around 5:05pm and Zayan died around 6:45pm.

“It is di� cult for patients to sur-viving burns like this,” Dr Partha said. “We’re providing our best med-ical care to the surviving patients.”

The incident took place around 5:30am yesterday, sources said.

Armin Nishat, a cousin of Shah-newaz’s, said when the family was brought in to the DMCH, Shahnewaz told her that the entire � at caught � re when Sumaiya lit a match to light the stove in the kitchen.

Moniruzzaman Hossain, a neigh-bour, told the Dhaka Tribune: “I woke up in the morning hearing the loud noise of explosion. When I went out to see what the matter was, I saw heavy smoke coming out of their [the victims’] � at, then burning bodies started coming out.”

Fire � ghters suspect there was a gas leak in the stove pipeline in the � at’s kitchen, said Abdul Jalil, in-charge of Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters. “The stove was o� when the explosion took place. We suspect gas leaked from the pipeline and accumulated in the � at over the night as all the doors and windows were closed,” he told

the Dhaka Tribune.

‘This could have been prevented’“My cousin complained about the gas leak ever since he moved in to the � at,” said a grieving Nishat.

She said the family had moved in to the � at in Sector 3 of Uttara only a week ago. “He could smell the gas as soon as they moved in. He informed the � at owner, Delwar Hossain, about it, but Delwar did not do any-thing to repair it.”

The Dhaka Tribune attempted to contact Delwar several times for a comment, but could not reach him.

However, Saleh Uddin, the care-taker of the building, said the build-ing did not have gas supply most of the time. “We submitted a com-plaint about the leak as well as the shortage of gas supply at the local Titas o� ce.”

Ali Hossain, OC at Uttara West police station, said police were in-vestigating the incident. “We will take necessary action as per the complaint � led by the victims’ fami-ly. We will also look into the caretak-er’s claim.” l

Europe’s Infantino wins Fifa presidencyn AFP

Europe’s Gianni Infantino onFriday won the presidency of Fifa with a convincing win over Asian rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and vowed to lead the scan-dal tainted body into a new era.

The 45-year-old Swiss-Italian general secretary of Uefa got 115 votes in the second round of the election held at the Fifa Congress while the Asian Football Confeder-ation president got 88.

Infantino takes over the 209-member, multi-billion dollar body from Sepp Blatter with world football’s image at an all-time low.

Blatter has been banned from football for six years and US and Swiss authorities have launched major corruption investigations into Fifa and other football feder-ations.

Infantino said that despite the scandals of the past year football deserves to be “highly respected.”

“And we will restore the image of Fifa and the respect of Fifa and everyone in the world will applaud us,” a visibly surprised Infantino told the Congress.

Sheikh Salman, a member of the Bahrain royal family, was one of the � rst to congratulate his rival.

Having got 27 votes in the � rst round of the election, Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan got just four in the second. l

Newly-elected Fifa chief, Switzerland’s Gianni Infantino

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: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.dhakatribune.com

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February 27, 2016

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