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8/13/2019 Print Edition: January 21, 2014
1/21
nMohammad Al-Masum Molla
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday
condemned the Sheikh Hasina-led gov-
ernment for the January 5 election and
the misdeeds during its previous term,
and also asked it to initiate a dialogueimmediately for an inclusive election.
Khaleda also questioned the join
forces drive in Satkhira and the law
enforcers role in Gaibandha clash with
Jamaat-e-Islami saying that peoplewere sceptical about their operations.
She also criticised the government for
closing the daily Inqilab and arresting
its three journalists.
In her speech at the post-elec-
tion rally in the capitals Suhrawardy
Udyan, the three-time former premier
refrained from declaring any fresh ag-
itation and asked the party supporters
to observe programmes p eacefully.
The alliance after the election they
had boycotted declared black flag pro-
cessions across the country for January
29, the day when the first session of
10th parliament sits.
Khaleda said the BNP did not want
instability, rather peace and develop-
ment. I am not urging you to do any
war. You just wage peaceful move-
ment. She hoped that the government
would not obstruct the programme.Though Khaleda earlier announced
that the alliance will hold the rally, on
Sunday night, the party announcedthat they would organise it alone.
Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote,
Khelafat Andolon and Jamiat-e-Ula-
maye Islam leaders were not seen at
the venue even though a huge number
of activists of Jamaat and its student
wing Islami Chhatra Shibir attended
the alliances rallies in the past.
The BNP, which apparently fails to
resist the January 5 polls even sponsor-ing non-stop agitations resulting in vi-
olence and destruction, has been stick-
ing to pre-poll position on resolving the
political crisis through a dialogue.
Addressing a rally after nearly
two and a half months at the historic
Suhrawardy Udyan, Khaleda thanked
people for boycotting the farcical
election and urged the government to
hold fresh poll. The previous rally tookplace on October 25.
PAGE 2 COLUMN 2
nBSS, Satkhira
Accusing the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Is-
lami of violent acts like killing, arson
and vandalism, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina yesterday warned that none in-
volved in these heinous crimes would
be spared.BNPJamaat terrorists brutally
killed numerous Awami League, Jubo
League and Chhatra League leaders
and activists across the country and
looted and torched their houses in the
last few months. They also destroyed
roads and felled trees, she said.
None involved in the atrocities will
be spared and stern action will be taken
against all culprits, she added.Hasina, also the Awami League
President, was addressing a public ral-
ly at Satkhira Government High School
Grounds here this afternoon.
The meeting was addressed by,
among others, by Health Minister Mo-
hammad Nasim, Civil Aviation Minister
Rashed Khan Menon, State Minister for
Home Asaduzzman Khan Kamal, for-
mer minister Dipu Moni and local MPs
including Mostafa Lutfullah.
The prime minister arrived to open
11 development projects and distribute
cheques among the family members ofthe victims of violence that has been
going on since February 28, 2013.
Hasina called upon the BNP chair-
person not to disrupt peace and said
she would have to pay the price for the
mistake she committed by boycotting
the January 5 polls.
The BNP did not join the p olls as its
ally Jamaat-e-Islami was barred from
participating in the election by a High
Court order, she said, adding the court
had declared the Jamaat to be a mili-tant organisation.
They not only boycotted the polls,
they also unleashed violent acts to re-
sist the election, she said.
The Awami League chief said
BNPJamaat terrorists made the life
of the people of Satkhira miserable.
Ordinary peace-loving people could
not lead a peaceful life due to the ter-
rorist acts of the BNP- Jamaat, includ-
ing killing, arson, felling trees, up-
rooting rail lines and cutting roads,she said.
PAGE 2 COLUMN 4
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Vol 1 No 297 TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com SECOND EDITION
13|ICC HAPPY OVER T20 WC SECURITY7 | THE DESIRE FOR PURE LAND 9|KEJRIWALS STANDOFF WITH POLICETMAG|TISHMA: DISCOVERING ROCK
Business
B1Finance Minister AMAMuhith criticised the
countrys insurance sector for
huge corruption and worst
performance.
News3 Three trained militants
of banned Tehrik-e Taliban
Pakistan, allegedly assigned
to carry out destruction
ahead of January 5 election,
were arrested in Dhaka late
Sunday night with bomb-
making manuals.
Nation6 At least 100,000 people
in three upazilas of Narail and
adjacent areas are waiting for
a bridge on the Madhumati
River that will ease their
distresses and bring a wave
of development.
INSIDE
Jamaat hints at new strategyTies with BNP will remain as strong as before
nMohammad Al-Masum Molla andManik Miazee
Jamaat-e-Islamis usual visible show-
down, demanding release of their lead-
ers convicted for war crimes, in the
BNP-led 18-party alliance rallies in the
past was not seen at BNPs rally yester-
day at Suhrawardy Udyan.
Leaders of three other alliance part-
ners, known for having close ties with
Hefazat-e-Islam, were also absent from
the rally.
For the first time since the emer-gence of the BNP-led 18-party alliance,
the BNP yesterday held a public rally
alone, keeping its distance from key
ally Jamaat-e-Islami and three other re-
ligion-based alliance partners.
Jamaat leaders told the Dhaka Trib-
une their men had participated in the
rally, but without the usual banners
and festoons. This was part of their
strategy, they said, but refused to dis-
close anything about the strategy.
A senior leader of Jamaat, wishing
not to be named told the Dhaka Trib-
une their main concern was to ensure
that the government stepped down.
For this the BNP will devise a strat-
egy and we will just follow the strate-
gy, he said.
Whatever decision the BNP takes,it will not harm our relations. We took
the decision of not joining the rally after
consultation with the BNP, said Syed
Abdullah Mohammad Taher, a Jamaat
central working committee member.
He also said Jamaat-Shibir men took
part in 18-party alliance rallies across
the country yesterday with banners but
avoided the Dhaka rally.
Jamaluddin, the assistant press sec-retary of Shibir, said, Our leaders and
activists joined the programme but we
did not bring any placards and banners
for strategic reasons.
Jamaat and its student wing Isla-
mi Chhatra Shibir have been blamed
for killing policemen, ordinary citi-
zens and activists of other parties, in-
cluding the Awami League. The pres-sure is mounting on BNP inside and
outside the country to cut ties with
Jamaat.
Since the alliance began its street
movement on October 27, Jamaat men
have allegedly perpetrated a great
amount of violence across the country.
Many ordinary people were killed and
burnt alive during the movement. This
appears to have tarnished the image of
the alliance and the international com-
munity have urged the parties to avoid
violence.
The BNP held the rally at Suhrawardy
Udyan to thank people for boycotting
the January 5 polls. Many alliance lead-
ers like Oli Ahmed, Andaleeve Rahman
Partha and Shafiul Alam Prodhan ad-
dressed the rally but nobody from theJamaat attended or addressed the rally.
Also no one from the Islami Oikyo
Jote, Khelafat Andolon and Jami-
at-e-Ulama-e-Islam were present in
PAGE 2 COLUMN 4
Presidents concessionfor BNP rallynKamran Reza Chowdhury
President Abdul Hamid yesterday
made a concession by cutting short
his stay at the parliament building
and leaving early for Bangabhaban at
Dilkusha, Motijheel to make the
BNPs rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan
uninterrupted.
Abdul Hamid went to the Jatiya
Sangsad Bhaban around 2pm to pay
respect to Awami League MP Shawkat
Momen Shahjahan who died in Shakhi-
pur, Tangail early yesterday. He attend-
ed the namaz-e-janaza of his formercolleague.
He left the parliament building im-
mediately after the janaza.
The parliament authorities had
made preparations, assuming that the
president might stay there for a few
hours as he had done in the past. But
Hamid had planned otherwise.
No, I will not stay here for long.
The traffi c will come to a halt [because
of his movement] and they [the BNP
activists] will face hindrances to attend
the rally, an additional secretary to the
Parliament Secretariat quoted Hamid
as saying.
Serjeant-at-Arms Captain Ashraful
Haq told the Dhaka Tribune that his
team had cleaned up the presidentsroom anticipating his stay. But later
we were told that the honourable pres-ident decided not to go to his chamber,
possib ly conside ring the traffi c chaos
that would follow.
Abdul Hamid, a former speaker,
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
BNP offers olive branch again PM: No criminal will be spared
Inqilab reporterremandednMd Sanaul Islam Tipu
A Dhaka court yesterday granted police
two days to question Ahmmed Atiq,
reporter of the Bangla daily Inqilab,
and sent two others of the newspaper
to jail.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate SM
Ashiqur Rahman passed the order afterhearing separate remand and bail plea
petitions in a case filed under the Infor-
mation and Communication Technolo-
gy Act 2006.
Wari police station Sub-Inspector
KM Firoz Ali on January 17 sought five
days to grill Atiq in custody. As per theremand prayer, the police needed to in-
terrogate Atiq to know why he had pre-
pared a fabricated news report, on
what grounds, and which people were
involved.
Defence counsel Syed Ahmed Gazi
pleaded bail for the three accused and
also filed remand rejection prayers.
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
Charge sheet finalisedagainst Oishee, 3 othersnMohammad Jamil Khan and
Nazmus Sakib
Detective Branch (DB) of police has
completed the investigation of the
murder of Special Branch (SB) Inspec-
tor Mahfuzur Rahman and his wife
Shapna Rahman. The finalised charge
sheet accuses four, including their only
daughter Oishee Rahman of the crime.
The investigators will bring charg-
es against Oishee as the killer of her
parents. The charges say Oishee killed
her parents with the support of house-
maid Sumi, and with instigation and
planning from two of her friends. The
charge sheet will probably be submit-
ted to the court this month, a DB police
source told the Dhaka Tribune.
Deputy Commissioner Jahangir
Hossain Matubbor of DB police claimed
they had finally unearthed the mystery
of the double murder case after ana-
lysing different reports, samples and
information.
The charge sheet is almost finalised
and it will be submitted to the court
soon, he said.
On August 14 last year, SB inspector
Mahfuzur and his wife Shapna were
stabbed to death at their rented flat in
Chamelibagh, Malibagh. Police recov-
ered their bodies on August 16. Oishee,
19, with housemaid Shumi, surren-
dered at Paltan police station on Au-
gust 17.
Later, Oishee gave a statement un-der interrogation that she had killed
her parents and housemaid Shumi
had helped her do this. Investigators
also found the involvement of her two
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
Criminal masterminds hire rookies and stay behind the scenesnAshif Islam Shaon and
Mohammad Jamil Khan
The formation of new crime gangs has
been on the rise over the past few years
as listed fugitive criminals prefer to op-
erate from behind the scenes and use
rookie operatives in the field, detec-
tives have said.
With a multi-layered contractingstrategy in place, the criminal master-
minds manage to evade law enforcers
by using third or fourth party contacts
to hire young people, mostly teen-
agers, to commit killings, attacks or
extortion.
Detectives from Dhaka MetropolitanPolice and Rapid Action Battalion said
some new groups of hired guns that
were not previously on their radar
have been identified during investiga-
tion into a number of murder cases in
the past few years.
Detectiv e Branch offi cials sai d they
discovered a new gang of hired kill-
ers last July after the arrest of listed
criminal Banga Babu from Mirpur. All
nine members of an emerging gang,
who were involved in the killing of
Chhatra League leader Fazlur Rah-
man Babu, were arrested on Babus
information.
The ring leader Titu said he ar-
ranged the killing over a dispute about
a garment wastage business. He hired
two youths to shoot Babu and after ar-
resting them we found that the youths
were new to the profession, said a DB
senior offi cial seeki ng anonymity.
On December 6 last year, a young
businessman, Kamruzzaman Sumon,
was shot dead at Paris Road in Mir-
pur section 10. Investigation later re-
vealed that three hired shooters
were used to kill Sumon over extortion
demands.
In another incident, three members
of Savars Ganchil crime gang were
arrested following the killing of Basu
at Shah-Ali in the capital. During a po-
lice remand, one of its members, Selim,
told police that they nowadays did not
take part directly in killings or collect-
ing extortion money. Instead, a first
party is hired who later hires another,
and usually the fourth or the fifth party
executes the killing.
A DB offi cial sa id the novic e crim-
inals belonged to the fourth party,
PAGE 2 COLUMN 2
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir talks to party Chairperson
Khaleda Zia at the rally held in Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina consoles family members of a victim who died in an attack
during the January 5 poll. The photo was taken in Satkhira yesterday PMO
8/13/2019 Print Edition: January 21, 2014
2/21
News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, January 21, 2014
A portion of supporters at the BNP rally held in the citys Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday RAJIB DHAR
Presidents concession
PAGE 1 COLUMN 6
used to spend hours at his parliament of-
fice, but his movement would result in
massive traffi c jam as the Special Security
Force would close the roads for a long time.
Considering the consequences, Ha-
mid has decided not to attend any pro-
gramme far fro m his offi cial reside nce
Bangabhaban. He hardly attends pro-
grammes at the Bangabandhu Interna-
tional Conference Centre at Agargaon
or any hotel in the heart of the city.
Anyone wishing Hamids presenceas the chief guest must arrange the
programme at the Osmani Auditorium
in front of the Secretariat, which lies in
the 200m radius of Bangabhaban so that
traffi c movement is not disr upted.l
Oishee: ChargesheetPAGE 1 COLUMN 3friends Roni and Joni in the murder
case and they were arrested later. They
are now in jail while Oishee and Sumi
are in Kashmipur Womens Jail.
Investigators said they had finalised
the charges after getting evidence of
Oishees presence at the murder scene
from DNA report.
Meanwhile, the High Court yester-
day denied Sumi bail. The bench of
Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Gobinda
Chandra Tagore said the bail for Sumi
might disrupt the process of investiga-
tion and her safety might also be com-
promised.l
Inqilab reporterremandedPAGE 1 COLUMN 1
The court rejected the bail pleas for
News Editor Rabiulla Ulla Robi and
Deputy Chief Reporter Rafiq Moham-
mad and sent them to prison.
The three journalists were detained
on January 16 for producing fabricat-
ed news regarding the presence of
Indian military inside Bangladesh ter-
ritory and the newspapers press was
sealed off. Later, the daily apologised
for producing the report.l
BNP offers olive branch againPAGE 1 COLUMN 3
She said it was necessary to initiate a
dialogue immediately with a view to
hold an acceptable election to bring
peace in the country.
The BNP chief termed the government
illegal, shameless, killer and b etrayer.
Branding the government as fa-
ther of autocrats, she alleged that
it assumed power forcibly through a
one-sided election and raised the is-
sues of vote rigging.
The government formed after theelection in which people did not cast
their votes cannot be pro-people. The
election has proven that a fair poll can-
not be possible without a non-party gov-
ernment. As the government does not
have public support, it is trying to stay in
power by using force and no government
can stay in power by this way, she said.
Khaleda said the government had
no right to sit in parliament. Every-
body has rejected the election. It is not
acceptable to anyone. That is why, we
want to say, take initiative for talks im-
mediately to hold elections.
She also termed the Election Com-mission spineless and criticised it for
claiming the voter turnout to be 40%.
Five percent vote was not cast in the
election she claimed adding: No fair
election could be held under this Elec-
tion Commission.
Several election monitoring groups
have recorded the turnout to be around
30-37%.
Citing two national dailies, the BNP
chief said, Those who are voters did
not go to the polling centres that day.
Only non-voters cast their votes. It is a
stigmatised government.
Attack on minorities
The 18-party leader brushed aside the
allegations that the activists of Jamaat
and BNP were attacking the Hinducommunities across the country.
She alleged that it was the govern-
ment supporters who had attacked the
minority communities to divert peo-
ples attention from its failure to get
public support during the voting.
She said: It is the responsibility of
the government to ensure security of
the minorities. The government has
also failed to arrest the attackers.
Joint forces drive
Khaleda claimed that the indepen-
dence and sovereignty of Bangladesh
was under threat and urged freedom
fighters and young people to protect
the country and its democracy.
In her speech at the post-election
rally in the capitals Suhrawardy Udyan,
the three-time former premier claimed
that the government had been killing
and abducting people in the name ofjoint forces drive across the country.
Criticising the government for clos-
ing the daily Inqilab, Khaleda said: The
reports they published also came in
Facebook and many online [media]. If
the incident was not true, the govern-
ment should explain it. Why did it arrest
the journalists and sealed off the press?
In a report on January 16, the news-
paper claimed that Indian troops were
seen among the members of law en-
forcers conducting joint operation in
Jamaat-dominated Satkhira area. Fol-
lowing this, police launched a drive at
the newspaper s offi ce on Ramakrish naMission Road and arrested three of its
journalists reporter Ahmmed Atiq,
Deputy Chief Reporter Rafiq Moham-
mad and News Editor Rabiulla Ulla
Robi. They also sealed its press.
Later, the daily apologised for pro-
ducing the report.
Khaleda yesterday said: The way
repression is taking place seems that
they [join force members] are not the
forces of our country. No citizen of Ban-
gladesh can act this way with the coun-
trymen.
She asked the government to stop
repression or face the peoples trial
one day.
Mentioning about the law enforc-
ers-Jamaat clash in Gaibandha, the
BNP chief asked whether the countrys
sovereignty was still intact or the gov-
ernment had sold it to others.
MilitancyKhaleda said militancy would be com-
pletely uprooted from the country
when the Awami League steps down
from offi ce. The BNP will not allow
the country to be a free place for mil-
itants.
She claimed that the BNP-led gov-
ernment in 2001-06 had the experience
of uprooting militancy. Militancy in-
creased in the country during the Awa-
mi League tenure and the BNP evicted
the militan ts after assumi ng offi ce.
The former premier ruled out alle-gations and cases of money laundering
against the BNP leaders. You [gov-
ernment] are laundering money from
the country. We have the information
[about the senders and the amount].
She alleged that the government
was violating the constitution.
Terming HM Ershads role during
the election drama, Khaleda said in
1986, Hasina had taken part in the elec-
tion under Ershad and this time the
opposite.
The two autocrats are eating up the
country and plundering the countrys
assets, Khaleda said.l
PM: No criminal will be sparedPAGE 1 COLUMN 6
They created such a situation that eco-
nomic activities came to a standstill and
it was very diffi cult to ru n schools . But
due to our timely steps for containing ter-
rorism and militancy, peace was restored
and people could cast their votes, she
said.
Hasina congratulated the people for
playing a courageous role and casting
vote in the January 5 poll.
BNPs cohort is Jamaat, which com-
mitted genocide and crimes against
humanity during the Liberation War of
1971 by killing people, torching hous-
es and raping mothers and sisters, she
said.
She said the BNP chief had failed both
in waging movement and resisting polls.
Now she is getting burnt in the fire of
failure and also burning people in the
flame, she said.I would like to warn the BNP leader
that the people want peace, food, shelter
and healthcare services. So do not de-
stroy the peace of the people, she said.
The prime minister said her previous
government started the trial of the 1971
culprits who committed crimes against
humanity during the War of Libera-
tion in 1971 to free the country from the
stigma.
But the BNP leader became mad
when the trial began and she tried to pro-
tect the 1971 culprits by unleashing atroc-
ities across the country, she said.I want to ask the BNP leader why
she is trying to save the war criminals. I
think she does not believe in the coun-
trys independence. Her mind remains in
Pakistan and she always dreams of Pyare
[beloved] Pakistan and for this, she is so
sympathetic to the war criminals.
The prime minister said the aim of
her government was to establish Bangla-
desh as a peaceful country in South Asia.
There will be no room for terrorist and
militant organisations in the country,
she said.
Hasina said those who had stained thesoil of Satkhira with blood by unleashing
killing would not be spared and called
upon the people of the district to stand
up against the atrocities.
We will be with you and the law en-
forcement agencies will stand beside
you. And Satkhira will not remain blood-
stained. We will root out terrorism from
the district, she said.
The prime minister said the country
had been liberated under the leadership
of Bangabandhu and people irrespective
of caste, creed and religion fought for in-
dependence.
So people of all faiths will live in the
country with equal rights, she said.
The premier said the affected families
of the victims of the BNPJamaat atroci-
ties had already been given financial as-
sistance. The Border Guard Bangladesh
has been tasked with rebuilding their
damaged houses, she said. l
Criminal mastermindsPAGE 1 COLUMN 6
while the second or the third party sup-
plied them small arms for executing
the orders.
After negotiating the fees, the hirer
reportedly provides the name, address,
phone number and location to the
channel. A token amount is also paid
during the dealings as security money.
The wages, ranging between one
and five lakh taka, are reportedly fixed
according to the profile of the targeted
person. The costs come down when the
crime is related to establishing domi-
nance in an area. The shooters get 30-
40% of the contract money.
According to sources, the killer
groups are operated by Tejgaons listed
criminal Sweden Aslams maternal fa-
ther-in-law Tutul, Pagla Delu, Sarboha-
ra Badsha, Kader and Miraj.
On January 14, 2010, criminals shotdead ward No 41 ALs General Secre-
tary Fazlul Haque. Following the arrest
of one Dulal, he told the court that he
received only TK5,000 and some drugs
in exchange of the execution.
On December 20, 2009, Ramna
Mosques Imam Shaheed Hossain was
killed by Bayejeed and Uzzal both
novice hired shooters.
When contacted, Senior Assistant
Commissioner of DB Tawhidul Islam
said: We have found examples of
hired killing in the last one year...But
these youths do not get much moneyfor the executions.
RABs Additional DG Col Ziaul Ahsan
said professional killers took part with
Jubo League leader Jahid Siddique Tarek
in the murder of Jubo League leader Ria-
zul Haque Milki last August.
Sources said listed criminals like Sub-
rata Bayeen, Mollah Masud, Nobi Hossain
Adnan, Prince, Haris, Ashique, Prokash,
Bikash, Shahdat, Pial, Zishan, Aga Shahim,
Nasir, Imam Hossain, Omar Faruk Kochi,
Mashiur Rhamn Kochi, Snaullah, Kala
Mabud were on the run, while Sweden
Aslam, Joseph, Killer Abbas were in jail. l
EC behind schedule in providingservices for candidatesnMohammad Zakaria
The Election Commission was nearly aday behind schedule in providing ser-
vices related to the first phase of the
upazila polls as the guidelines for aspi-
rant candidates and nomination forms
and electoral equipment were yet to
reach their destinations until yesterday
evening.
The commission announced the
schedule of the first phase of the fourth
upazila polls on Saturday and was ex-
pected to perform these tasks immedi-
ately after that.
Many aspirants visiting the com-
missions o ffi ce to k now pro cedures
for candidature returned disappointed
yesterday, as the later failed to provide
them with necessary information.
However, a seni or offi cial s aid the
commission issued two circulars in-
cluding one with guidelines for the
aspirant s and one for the returning offi -
cers and sent nomination forms to the
respective upazilas in the evening.
The documents are likely to reach
their destinations early today.
Three aspirant candidates from
Munshiganj returned from the
commis sions offi ce in th e morning ,
without getting any information
with regards the polls scheduled for
February 19.
According to the schedule announced
on Saturday, polls to 102 upazila par-
ishads out of 487 will held in the first
phase. The last date for filing an appli-
cation for candidacy is January 25 andthe applications will be scrutinised on
January 27.
The last date for withdrawing candi-
dacy is February 3.
EC offi cials said asp irant candid ates
could not collect nomination forms
from their respective areas since the
forms did not reach their destinations
on the day of the schedule announce-
ment.
The commission has reportedly
appoint ed some of its own offi cials
as return ing offi cers in the upa zila
parishads polls and is currentlyexamining several pieces of election
equipment such as stump pad and
brush seals.
According to offi cials, it has also tak-
en preparations for printing 24-crore
ballot papers for the three-phase polls
considering the eight crore voters
available in the upazila levels.
The possible number of polling cen-
tres is over 42,000 while that of polling
booths is 200,000.l
Upazila polls:schedule for 2ndphase soon
Last week of February or the week nextamong probable choices for election
nMohammad Zakaria
The election commission is likely to
announce the schedule of the second
phase of upazila polls sometime this
week, with the probable dates of elec-
tion ranging between the last week of
February and the first week of March.
The commission is bound by law to
hold elections before the tenure of an
upazila parishad expires. We already
announced the poll-schedule for par-
ishads nearing their expiry dates and
will announce the schedule for the
second phase in a day or two, Election
Commissioner Md Shah Newaz said
yesterday.
The second phase of polls will be
held either in the last week of Febru-
ary or the fi rst week of March, he said,
narrowing down the list of possibledates to February 27-28 and March 1-2.
The commission on Sunday an-
nounced that the first phase of polls,
with 102 upazila parishads out of 487,
would be held on February 19.
The second phase will include polls
to over 100 upazilas while polls to some
upazilas will be held in the third week
of March.
The third phase of polls, with the re-
maining upazilas, may occur sometime
in the third week of May, the commis-
sioner added.
In deciding election dates, the com-mission is keeping in mind the dates
of SSC examinations so that students
do not run into snags resulting from a
schedule clash.
According to the electoral laws, polls
to the upazila parishads must be held
within 180 days before their terms ex-
pire. The five-year term starts with the
first meeting of the respective upazila
parishad.
In the last upazila parishad polls
held in 2009, Awami League-backed
candidates won a landslide victory by
bagging around 400 posts of chairper-
sons.l
Jamaat hints at new strategyPAGE 1 COLUMN 4
the meeting. These three parties are
known to be directly involved with He-
fazat-e-Islam, an Islamist organisation.
Though the party staged the pro-
gramme alone in the capital, rallies
across the country were held under the
banner of the 18-party alliance.
BNP leaders said they held the rally
alone to restore its tarnished image,
showing people that the BNP was a
political party which did not believe in
violence and the responsibility of vio-
lence was not on them.
Islamic parties were not invited to
the programme, Mustafizur Rahman
Iran, chairman of Bangladesh Labour
Party, an alliance member, told the
Dhaka Tribune.
When asked why, Iran said, Proba-
bly in the face of pressure from the in-
ternational community.
The European Union parliament ad-
opted a resolution on Thursday, urging
the BNP to distance itself from Jamaat
and Hefazat, while emphasising shun-
ning of political violence and an urgent
consensus between the major parties.
The EU parliament stressed that
parties which turn to terrorist acts
should be banned.
The BNP has maintained an alliance
with Jamaat for more than a decade,
calling it a strategic partner.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
has announced that her government
would hold talks with BNP if the party
severed ties with the Jamaat and
in different media interviews BNPChairperson Khaleda Zia said BNP
would cut ties with Jamaat at the right
time.l
5 BNP leaders, including Fakhrul, secure bailnNazmus Sakib
The High Court yesterday granted bail
to five detained BNP leaders who are ac-
cused in various cases lodged during re-cent anti-government protests.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Goyeshwar Chandra
Roy, Mirza Abbas and Aman Ullah Aman
were freed on anticipatory bail for different
periods by the bench of Justice Borhanud-
din and Justice KM Kamrul Kader.
The same bench granted six months
ad-interim bail to jailed BNP Joint Sec-
retary Mahbub Uddin Khokon in each of
the three cases against him, clearing the
way for his release, his lawyer, AJ Mo-
hammad Ali, said. Khokon was shown
arrested in two cases of arson filed with
Motijheel and Ramna police stations and
one of instigating Hefazat-e-Islam.
The court also gave bail to Mirza Fakhrul
for eight weeks in three cases by modifying
an earlier order that had directed law en-
forcers to refrain from arresting or harassing
the BNP leader in new cases without due
process, his lawyer Bodruddoza Badal told
the Dhaka Tribune.
The HC bench that passed the order
on Thursday did not have the jurisdiction
to pass such an order, Badal said. The
bench that deals with writ petitions has
that jurisdiction, he added. l
Aspirants could not collectnomination forms from theirrespective areas since theforms did not reach theirdestinations on the day of theschedule announcement
8/13/2019 Print Edition: January 21, 2014
3/21
3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, January 21, 2014Growth not less than6.3% this year: MuhithnAsif ShowkatKallol
Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said
the countrys GDP growth will not fall
below 6.3% from the 7.2% targeted for
the current fiscal year,since the an-
nounced rate was ambitious.
Nothing can cut down the econom-
ic expansionof Bangladesh, financem-
inister told journalists yesterday after a
meeting with the chairmen and man-
aging directors of state-owned banks,
insurance companies and financial in-
stitutions.
Muhith also said the growth target
was fixed at 7.2% in the current fiscal
year in accordance with the good per-
formance of the previous fiscal year and
would be revised in the next budget.
Regarding the estimation of the
growth rate by development partners,
Muhith said the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund had es-
timated the GDP growth rate conserv-
atively.
The World Bank annual forecast
said Bangladeshs GDP growth would
be around 5.7% in this fiscal year, due
to political unrest, image crisis of the
garment sector and slow remittance
growth.
IMF estimated the growth to be 6%
in 2013-14 fiscal year.
In Grand Alliance governments
last tenure, the growth rate remained
above 6% except for one fiscal year in
which it was 5.7%, he added.
Muhith said the countrys economic
position had been well during the firsthalf of the current fiscal year.
The position of GDP growth rate,
export, foreign exchange reserve of
Bangladesh was also good but import
and revenue earningshad slowed down
a bit, he said.
Our economic situation is still quite
well,although we had feared that the
economy would fall into a bad situation
due to the prolonged blockades and
hartals, the minister said.l
Biman NY flightsresume in June
nMuhammad Zahidul Islam
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to
resume its flights to New York from
June 12, a high offi cial of the national
flag carrier said last night.
A source in Bimans marketing di-
vision told the Dhaka Tribune that the
airline would start selling tickets of the
New York flights from January 31.
The Biman New York flights were
grounded in 2006.
Initially, there will be two flights a
week one leaving Dhaka for the US city
at 2pm and the other leaving New York
for Dhaka at 4pm local time.Biman, however, could not yet con-
firm the days of the flights.
We have initially confirmed about the
date [of resuming the flights] and we are
planning measures to meet that target,
Khan Mosharaf Hosen, general manager
for Bimans public relations, said.
Resuming Biman flights to New York
was an election pledge of the Awami
League and although it tried hard in the
past couple of years, it failed.
A Biman source said they had re-
ceived nods for the two flights from
the New York safety agency and the US
Department of Transportation, and Bi-
mans next steps now depended on the
availability of passengers.
Although we have some technical
challenges, we are ready and have al-
ready leased two Boeing aircraft from
Egypt Airli nes, a high offi cial sai d.
Biman, now a losing concern, re-
cently requested the government to
allow it a commercial borrowing of
$200m to help overcome the financial
crisis before the fleet lands. l
Pakistani militants heldin Dhaka remandednKailash Sarkar
Three trained militants of banned
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), alleg-
edly assigned to carry out destruction
ahead of January 5 election, were ar-
rested in the capital late Sunday nightwith bomb-making manuals in their
possessions.
The South Division of Detective
Branch arrested TTP members Me-
hmud, 26, from Malir district, and Us-
man, 23, and Fakhrul Hasan, 50, from
Kourangi district, in front of Shilpakala
Academy around 11pm.
Two separate cases were filed
against them with Ramna police sta-
tion under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009
and the Foreign Act 1964.
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrates
Court yesterday granted the DB 13 days
in the cases to interrogate them.
Immediately after the execution of
war criminal Abdul Quader Molla, the
TTP threatened to bomb the Bangla-
desh High Commission in Pakistan.
The detained TTP members from
Arakan in Myanmar settled in Paki-
stan with their families and secured
Pakistani citizenships. According to DB
offi cials , they used to visit Myan mar
often, said Joint Commissioner Mon-
irul Islam at a press briefing at the DMPMedia Centre.
Monirul said of the TTP men, Me-
hmud and Usman did not have any
passports although a Pakistani passport
was found in the possession of Fakhrul,
but his visa expired. All the three ac-
cused had been staying at Kakrail to
start for Teknaf in Coxs Bazar.
The detectives were informed that
the TTP members were staying in Bang-
ladesh to carry out destructive activities
ahead of January 5 election, he said.
DB offi cials s aid alt hough al l the
three detained used to speak Urdu, of
them, Usman and Fakhrul could speak
in Bengali. Fakhrul was acting as guide
to travel to Teknaf, said the DB offi cials.
Monirul said the manuals seized
from the three militants contained
instructions of making of 12 types of
bombs.
All the three TTP militants have
also the expertise in the making of 12types of bombs, including grenades
and car bombs. They also have the ex-
pertise in the operation of heavy and
automatic firearms used by militants in
Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.
Among them, Fakhrul came in Bang-
ladesh one and a half months ago while
Mehmud and Usman had been arrested
earlier by another intelligence agency.
After being freed on bail, they want-
ed to go back to Pakistan. But Fakhrul
did not let them return as he had a
special mission to conduct destructive
activities in Bangladesh. Their attempt
was foiled for the activities of the DB,
Monirul claimed.
According to the DB offi cials, the
detained TTP members had trainings
from the TTP experts at Waziristan in
Pakistan on making bombs, attacking
techniques and operation of various
firearms.
They were also determined to be or-
ganised under the banner of Tehreek-e-
Azadi Arakan for fighting there.
The DB offi cials sa id they had beentrying to know about the motive be-
hind their attempt to travel to Teknaf
as well as their aides and associates in
Bangladesh.l
ACC to scrutinise rising wealth ofministers, MPs and their relativesnSyed Samiul Basher Anik
The Anti-Corruption Commission will
soon form a committee to conduct a
formal i nquiry int o the affi davits of
ministers and MPs who participated in
the January 5 poll.
Following newspaper reports on
the phenomenal rise in wealth of some
ministers and MPs during the last five
years, the ACC has collected the news-
paper clippings and is now scrutinising
the files, ACC Secretary Faizur Rahman
Chowdhury told reporters yesterday.
He said the commission was yet to
initiate any formal inquiry against any
specific person.
A committee will be formed soon to
formally inquire into the wealth rises of
MPs and ministers, he told reporters
while addressing the monthly briefing
at the ACC headquarters.
He added that the commission
would also investigate all the suspect-
ed candidates relatives wealth, as the
ACC realised that people may have ac-
cumulated illegal wealth in their rela-
tives names.
Responding to a query, the secretary
also said the ACC was not hesitant to
inquire into the wealth of ministers and
MPs, and that it will conduct all its ac-
tivities in accordance with the ACC act.
However, sources at the ACC said
the commission has already started in-
quiring into the wealth of nine people,
including six from Awami League, twofrom BNP and one other from a small
party.
Asked about the ACCs course of ac-
tion were the government to disapprove
of charges being filed, Faizur said al-
though the commission did not require
government permission to file a case,
they did need permission to file charges.
If we do not get permission, the
media is here. Additionally, if we can-
not get permission after having all the
documents, we can seek courts sup-
port on the matter, he said.Two and half years after it was ta-
bled, the Anti-Corruption Commission
(Amendment) Bill 2013 was approved
by parliament on November 10 last
year; ignoring protests from politi-
cians, civic forums and corruption
watchdogs. A provision in the bill
requiring the graft-busting agency to
get approval from government before
filing cases against judges, magistrates
and public servants drew huge criti-
cism from different sectors.
Answering a separate query about
the money laundering case against
BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique
Rahman, the secretary said the ACC
had appealed in the case after the ac-
quittal of Tarique.
Following the ACCs appeal, the
court directed him to surrender him-
self. If he does not fo llow the directives
and does not surrender, that is a matter
for the court, not for the ACC, he said.
The High Court on Sunday accept-
ed the ACCs petition, which appealed
against the lower courts verdict ac-
quitting the BNP senior vice-chairman,
and ordered Tarique to surrender be-
fore the court in the aforementioned
money laundering case.
The secretary also shed light on the
activities of the commission, saying the
ACC, in December, had received 490
corruption allegations; out of which
which, 71 cases were considered for
further investigation.
The ACC also approved the filing of 17
cases and 16 charge sheets in December.The judgments of seven cases inves-
tigated by the ACC were pronounced
during the month, among which, the ac-
cused were acquitted from four cases.l
Ershad, Rawshanto choose reservewomen MPsnManik Miazee
Jatiya Partys Secretary General ABM
Ruhul Amin Howlader yesterday said
Ershad and his wife Rawshan Ershad
would jointly select candidates for
competing in the reserved seats, in-stead of conducting interviews. They
would list candidates and send it to the
Election Commission soon, he said.
It was not possible to nominate all
of the 96 aspirants for the six seats.
Howlader denied the allegation that
JaPa nominates candidates for re-
served seats in exchange of money.
In reply to a query on the ongoing
conflict between Ershad and Rawshan,
he said it was false and rootless.
The decision to drop the interview
session to select candidates for the
female MPs election has dissatisfied
the aspirants whose interviews were
scheduled to take place at Ershads po-
litica l offi ce at 11am.
The nomination seekers and Ershad
went there on time, but the JaPa chief
did not conduct any interview.l
Razakars chantedYusuf Bhai
Jindabaad: witnessnUdisa Islam
War crimes suspect AKM Yusuf was re-
sponsible for the killing of 60 Hindus,
looting and arson at Ranjitpur of Khan-
pur in Bagerhat, a new prosecution
witness told the International CrimesTribunal 2 yesterday.
Bijoy Krishna, the 22nd witness in
the case, gave his deposition after the
defence completed cross-examination
of previous witness Dilip Das. Both of
them placed their statements on charge
number two. Bijoy said the villagers
had formed pro-liberation groups after
March 7, 1971. After over two months,
on May 13, they came to know that some
razakars had been preparing to attack.
On May 13, Yusufs accomplices
came to the village and set the houses
on fire. All of them who were on duty to
protect the village from any attack re-
treated as they were not well prepared.
After around four hours of the de-
struction, razakars had left the area
chanting slogan Yusuf Bhai Jindabaad.
Bijoy said he and the villagers had
seen many dead bodies lying here and
there. The body of his younger uncle Sa-
natan Das was found beside his house.
The witness mentioned about a mon-
ument on Ranjitpur School ground erect-
ed in memory of at least 24 martyrs.His testimony remained incomplete
as the tribunal adjourned the proceed-
ings until today.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Yusuf is fac-
ing 13 counts of crimes against human-
ity including genocide, murders, arson
attacks, abduction, torture in confine-
ment, and forced conversion and de-
portation of Hindus at different places
of Bagerhat district. l
Detective police present thr ee militants of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan before the m edia after their arrest in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
Crackdown onillegal workersin Malaysiafrom todaynRabiul Islam
The Malaysian government will com-
mence with its crackdown on undoc-
umented migrant workers after the
three-month grace period set by theirhome ministry expired on January 20.
The Malaysian authorities have
informed us the crackdown will start
from January 21, Bangladesh labour
counsellor to Malaysia Mantu Kumar
Biswas told the Dhaka Tribune.
On October 20, 2013, the authorities
declared a three-month amnesty peri-
od for all illegal foreign workers includ-
ing Bangladeshis to become legalised.
As the deadline ended, Malaysia
would start crackdown from today, of-
ficials at Bangladesh High Commission
in Malaysia said.
Asked about probable number of il-
legal migrants from Bangladesh, the la-
bour counsellor said the Malaysian au-
thorities had not yet provided the list.
At least 4,00,000 to 5,00,000 Bang-
ladeshis were working in Malaysia, he
said.
Bangladesh High Commission said
approximately 30,000 Bangladeshis
failed to become legalised.
While talking to the Dhaka Tribune,
Minister for Expatriates Welfare andOverseas Employment, Khandker Mos-
harraf Hossainsaid, We have nothing
to do for those who could not become
legalised as we have done much to
persuade the Malaysian authority to
extend the amnesty period, and the
authority gave three more months. l
8/13/2019 Print Edition: January 21, 2014
4/21
News4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, January 21, 2014
City High Low
Dhaka 23.9 16.6
Chittagong 28.0 15.9
Rajshahi 19.8 11.3
Rangpur 22.2 15.7
Khulna 24.3 15.1
Barisal 26.0 13.7
Sylhet 28.5 13.8
Coxs Bazar 29.1 17.2
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar 5:24am
Sunrise 6:43am
Zohr 12:10am
Asr 4:01pm
Magrib 5:37pm
Esha 6:56pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
WEATHER
Weather to remainunchanged
nUNB
Weather is likely to remain dry with
temporary partly cloudy sky over the
country until 6pm today.Moderate to thick fog may persist
over the country from midnight till
morning, Met Offi ce said.
The sun sets in the capital at 5:37pm
today and rises at 6:43am tomorrow.
Countrys highest temperature 29.5
degrees Celsius was recorded yester-day in Teknaf and lowest 11.3 degrees
in Rajshahi. Highest and lowest tem-
perature recorded in some major cities
yesterday were:
Government websites yet to update profiles ofministers, state ministersnSyed Samiul Basher Anik
Though over a week has passed since
the new government sworn in, many
ministries are yet to update the pro-
files of their newly elected ministers
and state ministers on their respective
websites, according to Dhaka Tribunefindings.
At least 15 ministry websites out
of the total 40 ministries were yet to
update the profile of their designated
minister or state minister as of yester-
day. Some of the websites still showed
the previous ministers profile, while
many did not have the field for profiles
of state ministers.
On January 12, a 49 member cabinet
led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
was sworn in among which 29 were
ministers, 17 were state ministers and
two were deputy ministers.
After visiting all the websites, it was
found that profiles of ministers were
not uploaded in Ministry of Religious
Affairs, Ministry of Planning, Ministry
of Land, Ministry of Social Welfare and
Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamen-
tary Affairs websites.The website of religious affairs min-
istry showed the profile of Mujibul
Haque as its minister, the law ministry
showed Barrister Shafique Ahmed, the
planning ministry showed Air Vice-
Marshal (Retd) AK Khandker and the
land ministry showed Amir Hossain
Amu as its minister.
On the other hand, Ministry of So-
cial Welfare is yet to create any field
for its new minister Syed Mohsin Alisprofile.
The ministrys website only had the
profile of Promod Mankin, the state
minister.
Meanwhile, the food ministry
which was created splitting Ministry
of Food and Disaster Management on
September 15, 2012, is yet to start a
website. Similarly, the railway ministry
also do not have a website though it wascreated on December 4, 2011, separating
from the Ministry of Communications.Many ministry websites are yet to
initiate a designated place even for the
state ministers profile. The textiles
and jute ministry, finance ministry,
fisheries and livestock ministry, land
ministry, primary and mass education
ministry and information ministry do
not have any option for the profile of
state ministers till date. These are the
ministries where no state minister was
designated during the previous ten-
ure of the ruling Awami League from2008 to 2013.
No profiles were also found at the
website of Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs
ministry and on the site of the Minis-
try of Youth and Sports, clicking on the
ministers profile field prompted the
message The page is under-construc-tion. The field for the ministrys depu-
ty minister was also not found.
Moreover, when the profile of the
designated minister for home ministry
was searched, the page showed an er-
ror message saying Page not found.
On the other hand, the website of
Bangladesh Parliament has also not yet
updated the list of newly elected MPs.
The fields Members of Parliament
and Contact a MP on the website
gives information on the MPs of the
ninth parliament. l
Bangladesh stresses collaborativepartnerships for ocean governancenSheikh Shahariar Zaman
Bangladesh has stressed that sea re-
sources must be governed on the prin-
ciples of mutual trust, respect and ben-
efits and equitable sharing of benefits.
Many of the developing countries
like Bangladesh do not possess the crit-
ically required resources, capabilities
and technologies.
"But that must not limit their ac-
cess and right of equitable harnessingof vast marine resources, said Secre-
tary (maritime affairs) Khorshed Alam
at the Blue Economy Summit in Abu
Dhabi yesterday.
In his speech, Alam said Bangladesh
recognised the need for collaborative
partnerships in the wider space of
ocean governance in a bid to explore
the untapped potentials in sea.
Countries as ours must be support-
ed in terms of knowledge and criticalminimum of resources and capacity tobring the bay under surveillance, he
said.
In the summit, he invited the Indian
Ocean rim countries to an expert level
meeting in Bangladesh in July to assess
and re-discover the wider potential of
blue economy and determine actions
regarding it.
The secretary pointed out that ris-
ing sea level and salinity intrusion up-
stream have posed existential threatsfor Bangladesh.
There is a critical need to inquire
into the science of ocean acidification
and the meteorological behavior and
related aspects in the Bay of Bengal,
he said.
Bangladesh has 12 nautical miles of
territorial sea, 200 nautical miles of ex-
clusive economic zone and continental
shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and
over 700km coastal frontiers.
About 475 species of fish are found
in the Bay of Bengal, more than 200
commercial trawlers operate in the
bay and over 50,000 mechanised and
non-mechanised boats ply on coastal
waters for fishing, while around 30 mil-
lion people rely on the sea to make a
living.l
BNP leaders to getrelease
nOur Correspondent, Gopalganj
Communication Minister Obaidul
Quader said BNP leaders, who werenot involved with major and specific
crimes, would be released gradually.
The minister told these while talk-
ing to journalists yesterday after paying
visit to the proposed Kalna Bridge area
on the Modhumoti River at the KalnaGhat in the district.
The minister said: The initiative of
negotiation with the BNP is underway
and Interim poll will b e held.
However, the minister did not men-
tion any definite time for the interim poll.
The minister placed wreath at the
mazar of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman. The minister was accompa-
nied by Noakhali 4 MP Ekramul Karim
Chowdhury and offi cials of Go palgan j
Roads and Highways Department.
The construction work of Padma
and Kalna bridges will start soon as
the premier will inaugurate these two
bridges in 2017, he said.l
PM asks cabinetto prioritiseprojects soonnMohosinul Karim
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yester-
day instructed the cabinet members
and high-ups of different ministries
and divisions to prioritise projects as
soon as possible.
The projects have to be selected
in terms of priority at the very outset
as those must be completed within
the tenure of the government which
was the election pledges of the ruling
party, the premier said in the cabinet
meeting.
After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary
M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the
media about the directives of the pre-
mier.
The cabinet division placed at the
cabinet meeting the achievements,
work progress and implementation of
the cabinet decisions under the previ-
ous government.
The cabinet secretary said the pre-
mier expressed her satisfaction overthe progress of implementation under
the previous government.
Sheikh Hasina also ordered the high
offi cials to publ ish the progress repo rts
of separate ministries and divisions, he
added.
According to the report, the previ-
ous Awami League-led alliance govern-ment took 1,508 decisions during its
tenure at its 228 cabinet meetings.
Of those, a total of 1,427 decisions
had been implemented.
Earlier, the BNP and Jamaat-led gov-
ernment had taken 745 decisions from
October 10, 2001 to October 3, 2006
holding 208 cabinet meetings.
A total of 611 (82%) decisions of thegovernment were implemented.
The secretary said the cabinet of
previous AL-led government approved
271 draft laws for passage in the parlia-
ment.
He said eight acts which were sent
to the parliament for passage were still
pending.
It was mandatory to get further ap-
proval for the acts from the new cabi-
net as those were sent to pass in the
ninth parliament, Musharraf Hossain
said, adding that those would be placed
before the cabinet shortly.
He added that at least 20 amend-ment proposals and new acts were
pending at the ministries and divisions
after getting approval of the cabinet.
The previous cabinet also approved
49 policies and strategies and 118 mem-
orandum of understandings (MoU) and
agreements.l
JU students for cancellingbails of Zubair killersnJU Correspondent
Students of Jahangirnagar University yes-
terday demanded that the bails of 13 ac-
cused, all activists of Chhatra League, in
Zubair Ahmed murder case be scrapped.
They announced a sit-in programme
outside the Judges Court during the
next hearing on Thursday.
At a press conference, members and
activists of Shontrasher Biruddhe Ja-
hangirnagar vowed that the killers
would not be allowed on the campus.
On Sunday, the accused attacked
two friends of Zubair who have been
involved with the anti-terrorism move-
ment since Zubairs death on January 9,
2012, Bangla department student Sam-
jeer Ahmed said at the press conference.
The accused also threatened the
activists with death...Under this cir-
cumstance, we urge the High Court to
take necessary action against the at-
tackers and cancel their bails.
Based on the university authoritys
investigation, the Syndicate expelled
seven of the accused for life and six
others for two years for their direct in-
volvement in the killing.
The agitating students yesterday
asked the university authority to take ac-
tion against Estate Offi cer Azim Uddin fo r
remaining silent during Sundays attack.
Azim, a former Chhatra League lead-er, had been removed from his post of
security offi cer after Zubairs death.
The students expressed concern as the
accused were moving freely on the cam-
pus with the help of administration and
some were staying at the dormitories.l
Doa MehfilA Doa Mehfil for the late Mujtahed Ud-
din Ahmed, former director of Bengal
Development Corporation (BDC), will
be held tomorrow at Gulshan Central
Mosque, after Asr prayers.All friends, family members and
well wishers are requested to attend
the prayers. Mr Ahmed died on Friday,
January 17, 2014 at the age of 90. l
50% specialallowance forSC judges
nMohosinul Karim
Supreme Court judges will enjoy a spe-cial allowance, equivalent to a half of
their basic salary.
The cabinet yesterday approved the
draft of the Supreme Court Judges (Re-
muneration and Privileges) (Amend-
ment) Law, 2014, keeping a provision
to give the higher court judges an extra
50% of their basic salary as a special al-
lowance.
Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hos-sain Bhuiyan disclosed it to the media
after the meeting. The draft was ap-
proved at the second cabinet meeting
with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in
the chair.
The move to give a pay rise to the judg-
es came two weeks after Awami League
was re-elected to power in the 10th par-
liamentary polls, held on January 5. l
Two commit
suicide in citynKailash Sarkar
A female college student and a house-
wife allegedly killed themselves in the
city yesterday.
Rabeya Akhter, 17, of East Nakhal-
para, a first year student of Tejgaon
Womens College, allegedly took in-
secticides, while housewife Sharmin
Akhter, 25, of Faidabad in Dakkh-
inkhan, allegedly hanged herself from
a ceiling fan.
Rabeyas mother Mamtaj Begum
said her daughter took insecticide
around 10:30pm as she snub her over
her study related issue. The girl died at
Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Housewife Sharmins family said
she killed herself yesterday evening
after quarreling with her husband who
does not have any job and lives at his
in-laws house.l
Defamation casefiled against DailyJugantor
nOur Correspondent, Chandpur
A defamation case was filed with a
Chandpur Senior Judicial Court against
the Bangla daily Jugantor yesterday for
carrying a false report on former home
minister MK Alamgir and former for-
eign minister Dipu Moni.Kachua upazila Jubo League activist
Kazi Enamul Haque Shamim filed the
case as complaint with court of Asim
Kumar De, demanding Tk200 crore as
compensation.
The court took the case into cogni-
zance and summoned the newspaper's
publisher Salma Islam, acting Edi-
tor Saiful Alam, Chief Reporter Enam
Ahmed and News Editor Abdur Rah-
man to the court on March 11.
Helal Uddin, counsel for the com-
plaint, told The Dhaka Tribune: The
Jugantor published a report on January
13 and 17 defaming the ministers, and
published several distorted pictures.
The newspaper editor, publisher
and other journalists should avoid pub-
lishing false reports, he said. l
Former Jamuna
Bank DMD arrestednTribune Report
The Anti-Corruption Commission yes-
terday arrested Mozammel Hossain,
a former deputy managing director of
Jamuna Bank Limited, from capitals
Segunbagicha area with the assistance
of law enforcement agencies.
ACC Assistant Director Mahbubur
Rahman along with local police arrest-
ed the offi cial aro und 3pm in co nnec-tion with the Tk990cr scam by Bismil-
lah Group, ACC Deputy Director Syed
Iqbal Hosssain told reporters.
On November 3 last year, ACC filed
12 cases against 53 offi cials of five banks
and the Bismillah Group, a terry towel
producer, for their alleged involvement
in the embezzlement of funded loans
worth over Tk990 crore. l
About 475 species of fish arefound in the Bay of Bengal,more than 200 commercialtrawlers operate in the bayand over 50,000 mechanisedand non-mechanised boats plyon coastal waters for fishing
Workers busy in the construction work of sanitary toilets for the devotees of Biswa Ijtema at the event's venue in Tongi yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
School children place floral wreaths at the incomplete monument of Shaheed Asad,
martyr of the mass uprising in 1969, yesterday in front of the Dhaka Medical College
Hospital to mark his 44th death anniversary DHAKA TRIBUNE
8/13/2019 Print Edition: January 21, 2014
5/21
News 5DHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, January 21, 2014
BNP rally causes long tailbacks, upsets commutersThe rally was set to start at 2pm,but thousands of supporters startedconverging on the venue earlier than thescheduled time
nAbu Hayat Mahmud
Traffi c congesti on in the capital reached
an intolerable height yesterday in the
wake of the BNP rally at Suhrawady
Udyan that contributed much to the
tailbacks across the city, much to the
dismay of commuters.
The BNP rally was set to start at
2pm, but thousands of leaders and ac-
tivists started converging on the venue
earlier than the scheduled time.
Traffi c police were compell ed to seal
one side of the road from Shahbagh to
Matsya Bhaban because of a huge pres-
ence of BNP leaders, activists and sup-
porters.
The t raffi c mov ement h alted on
the connecting roads Matsya Bhaban,
Shahbagh, High Court, Press Club,
Purana Partan, Gulistan, Motijheel,
Bijoynagar, Kakrail, Bangla Motor, Kar-wan Bazar and Farmgate, causing the
tailbacks across the city.
Moreover, a large number of buses
entered the city with BNP leaders and
activists from outside the capital to
join the rally that put pressure on the
city traffi c too, said traffi c police.
Samsun Nahar, an employee of a pri-
vate bank, lost almost two hours trying
to return home from work.
I have been waiting at the Motijhe-
el bus station for a bus for over 30 min-
utes, but am yet to find any, she said.
Most commuters had the same ques-
tion: Why must ordinary people suffer
because of the political programmes ofthe two major political parties?
Like Samsun Nahar, many were seen
waiting for vehicles for hours at differ-
ent bus stations to reach their destina-
tions.
I waited for a bus at Purana Paltan
for nearly an hour. It would actually
have been far easier had I just walked
back home, said Nilufar Iasmin, who
had to wait with hundreds of commut-
ers to get a ride home.
Habibur Rahman, a biker, said it took
him an hour to reach the National Press
Club from Bangla Motor, although it
was at best a 10-minute journey.
With the current political situation
slowly easing off, one would hope that
exasperated commuters of the city
would find respite in the immediate
future.l
More poor farmers turning to tobacco cultivationnAbu Bakar Siddique
Although fertile land across the coun-
try is shrinking, tobacco farming is in-
creasing day by day, mostly because
the government is not taking proper
initiatives to stop tobacco cultivation
and encourage farmers to cultivate
other crops.
According to the Department of Ag-
riculture Extension, a total of 108,000
hectares of land have been brought
under tobacco cultivation this year,
38,000 hectares more than the last,while farmers cultivated tobacco on
70,000 hectares of land.
Of the total land, 40,000 hectares of
land was in Kushtia, 28,000 hectares
in Bandarban, 30,000 hectares in Nil-
phamari and Lalmonirhat and 10,000
hectares in Rangpur.
Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat dis-
tricts are new additions to tobacco
farming; interestingly however, to-
bacco farming has seen a reduction in
Rangpur, an area which has seen much
success in the past.
Currently, many farmers are not in-terested to cultivate paddy and winter
crops on their land as they often do not
get fair prices because of poor market-
ing and transport.
Unlike the government, many to-
bacco companies are providing various
facilities to farmers so that they feel en-
couraged to cultivate tobacco.
Most tobacco farmers earn more
profit from their production as they are
convinced by the prices tobacco com-
panies offer.
Tobacco farming needs a huge
amount of fertiliser and poor farmers
often receive credit from tobacco com-
panies to buy the fertilizer.
In many cases, these companies give
advance money and agri-inputs, in-
cluding fertiliser and seeds to farmers,
to encourage them in the cultivation.
Tobacco companies give me all
kinds of inputs, fertilisers and pesti-
cides, in advance to cultivate and final-
ly buy my produce, said Abdul Latif, a
farmer of Lama Upazilla in the hill dis-
trict Bandarban.
Poor farmers like me who do not
have ability to meet the expenditure
of farming materials are receiving ad-
vance money from tobacco companies
to cultivate their land, he said.
He said he had brought two acres of
his land under tobacco cultivation this
year.
In addition, some farmers, who have
ability to cultivate their farmland with
their own resources, are also engaged in
tobacco farming as it gives them guar-
antee of sale of their farm production.
Zamal Khondker, a farmer of Dow-latpur area of Kustia, who used to cul-
tivate sugarcane even five years ago,
had faced many obstacles in selling his
agri-produces.
Like me, many farmers have start-
ed tobacco cultivation simply because
theres more money in it, he said.
In Bangladesh, tobacco is generally
cultivated in Rabi (dry) season which is
approximately in between November
and March.
British American Tobacco (Bat),
Dhaka Tobacco and some other lo-
cal companies are engaged in makingfarmers interested in tobacco farming
to ensure supply of raw materials.
The DAE itself is worried about the
growing trend of tobacco cultivation as
it may reduce the acreage of the coun-
trys major cereal crop Boro paddy and
other seasonal crops, including wheat,
maize and pulse.
We have already taken different
initiatives, including creating aware-
ness on the negative impacts of tobac-
co, among the farmers to check the in-
creasing trends of tobacco cultivation,
said Abul Kalam Azad, deputy director
(Cash crops) of the DAE.
Farida Akhter, executive director of
Ubinig, said the rising trends of tobacco
cultivation is a result of governments
poor initiative as it failed to ensure fair
prices of agri-produces, which leads
the country towards infertility.
Farida urged the government to de-
marcate the area of agriculture land to
ensure countr ys food suffi ciency.
The government should impose a
ban on tobacco cultivation for food se-
curity of the country, she opined.
Abdul Wahab, an offi cial of BAT,
Bandarban, acknowledged that they
were helping farmers in tobacco culti-
vation.
He, however, said they did not force
farmers to cultivate tobacco in their
land rather they are creating opportu-
nity for farmers.
According to the DAE, Kustia, the
government has taken Greater Mujib-
nagar Project to discourage farmers in
tobacco cultivation.
Through the project, the depart-ment will create enthusiasm among
farmers so that they feel interested to
cultivate tobacco on their land. l
DANDY DYEING LOAN DEFAULT CASE
Court asks mediator tosubmit report on Feb 23nMd Sanaul Islam Tipu
A Dhaka court yesterday asked the me-
diator of Dandy Dyeing Ltd loan default
case to submit report on the mediation
between complainant and defendant
on February 23.
Dhaka Artha Rin Court 1 Judge Md
Rabiuzzaman passed the order while
advocate Abdus Salam, mediator of the
case, filed for an extension before the
court to submit the report in writing.
The case was filed against BNP Se-
nior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman
and his brother Arafat Rahman Koko
for defaulting on the loan amounting
to Tk45.49crore.
On October 3, 2013, the court ap-
pointed the mediator for negotiation.
On October 2, 2012, Sonali Bank Ex-
ecutive Offi cer Md Nazrul Islam fil ed
the lawsuit against 10 directors of the
Dandy Dyeing Ltd, including Tarique
and Koko.
The 10 are Tarique Rahman, Arafat
Rahman Koko, Giasuddin Al Mamun
and his wife Shahina Yasmin, Nas-
rin Iskander, Shams Iskander, Shafin
Iskander, Sumaiya Iskander, Mozaffar
Ahmed and Kazi Galib Abdus Sattar.
As Mozaffar Ahmed died, the court
included his wife Samsun Nahar and
his son Masud Hasan as defendants in
the case.
33 Barisal BNP
leaders bailed
ad-interim
nOur Correspondent, Barisal
High Court yesterday granted ad-inter-
im bail for five weeks to 33 BNP leaders
and activists in Barisal in a case filed for
assaulting police.
An HC bench comprising Justice
Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Akram
Hossain granted the bail.
On November 11 last year, during a
blockade programme enforced by the
BNP-led 18-party alliance, the accused
BNP activists clashed with police in Ka-
shipur area of the c ity.
Sub-Inspector Mustafizur Rahman
lodged a case against 1254 people on
the same day including Maniruzzaman
Faruk, city BNP vice president, Ziaud-
din Shikdar, city BNP joint secretary
and Barisal City Corporation councilor,
and Afroza Khanam Nasrin, city joint
convener of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal
with Airport police station.
Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, Barisal city
BNP president and lawmaker and Mez-
bahuddin Farhad, lawmaker and dis-
trict (north) unit BNP president, wereearlier granted six-week ad-interim bail
in the same case. l
The people of Dhaka observe an unusual tailback after a long time yesterday. The photo was taken from Mohakhali flyover SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Minor girl
rescued afterabductionnOur Correspondent, Narayanganj
Narsingdi police rescued a one and
half-an-year old girl from the districts
Madhabdi upazila after 13-hour of her
abduction, but could not arrest anyone
in this connection.
The gang abducted the kid namedSumaiya Akter from her house in
Narayanganj on Sunday evening
around 4pm and demanded Tk30,000
as ransom.
Sayed Nurul Islam, superintendent
of police of Narayanganj, said Sharifa,
a member of an abduction gang who
was also a colleague of the minor girls
Metarnal aunt Munni, was used to visit
Sumaiyas house frequently.
On Sunday she visited the victims
house and took the girl with her by say-
ing the girls parents that she was going
out for a sightseeing. But they did not
return and the gang made a phone call
to the victims father demanding the
ransom money.
Following the incident, victim fa-
ther Sumon filed a complaint with Fat-
ullah Model police station.
Later, they rescued the girl yester-
day.l
Two AL MPs slate EC, newspapersin reply of show cause noticenMohammad Zakaria
Two newly elected Awami League MPs
Monirul Islam of Jessore 1 and Sheikh
Afil Uddin of Jessore 2 criticised the
Election Commission and mass media
in reply of a show cause notice.
Of the two lawmakers, Afil was
elected uncontested and Monirul in the
January-5 poll.
The lawmakers replied to the show
cause on Wednesday, criticising the EC,
electoral enquiry committee and five
newspapers Dinkal, Prothom Alo, Mana-
bzamin, Dhaka Tribune and Daily Star.
The lawmakers in the reply of the
show cause notice said the Election
Commission could not cancel their
candidatures after election.
If the ret urning offi cer wanted, he
could cancel their candidature before
the parliamentary polls, they said.
They also blamed the commission for
using indecent word against them and
urged the EC to withdraw it.
Afil, who is also the vice-president
of Jessore district unit Awami League,
allegedly called upon his supporters
to ensure win of Monirul by occupying
poll centres and casting false votes.
He made the directives while speak-
ing as chief guest at a view-exchange
meeting with Moniruls polling agents
on Parbazar High School premises in
Jhikargachha upazila on December 30.
A video clip of his speech was also
reached at journalists hand.
About the news story, they said the
news published in the newspaper was
not correct and the report made with
false information with a view to cre-
ate controversy. Attaching the copies
of news items, the EC issued the show
cause notice to them for violating the
electoral code of conduct on January 7.The commission, however, will hold
hearing over the matter on January 27,
EC offi cials sai d. l
Afil, who is also the vice-president of Jessore districtunit Awami League, allegedlycalled upon his supportersto ensure win of Monirul by
occupying poll centres andcasting false votes
The renovation work of Rajshahi Government Madrasa building is going on as its roof became risky. This administration
building of the institution was established around 130 years ago. The Photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
8/13/2019 Print Edition: January 21, 2014
6/21
6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Maize cultivation gets a boost in JhalakatinTribune Report
Farmers in the district are cultivating maize in
larger areas of land this season as they made sat-
isfactory profit from the cereal item last year de-
spite onslaught of cyclonic storm Mahasen dur-
ing its harvest.
While visiting different areas of the district
recently, the UNB correspondent found growers
busy with maize cultivation in their fields.
They are now sowing seeds after tilling Aman
fields immediately after the harvest of the paddy.
This year, they have begun farming of the crop
earlier in order to avoid repetition of Mahasen-
like natural disaster.
Mohasen caused serious harm to maize cul-
tivation in the southern district last year, making
the growers deprived of more profit from the crop.
The farmers said non-government organisa-
tion Brac, under its Food Safety Programmes, en-
couraged them to cultivate maize, reports UNB.
Under supervision of the leading NGO, Hybrid
Variety of Pacific 984 maize is being cultivated on
213 acres of land (one acre=30 decimals) in Sadar
and Rajapur upazilas.
Besides, being encouraged by the offi cials of
local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE),
farmers are growing the crop on further 385 ac res
of land in four upazilas, including Rajapur and
Sadar, of the district.
Of the 385 acres of land, some 125 acres are in Sa-
dar upazila, 63 acres in Nalchity upazila, 135 acres
in Rajapur upazila and 62 acres in Kathalia upazila.
Local agriculture offi cials said farmers require
Tk15,000, including the costs of seeds, fertiliser
and irrigation, to grow maize on one acre of
land, which can give 90-100 maunds yield (one
maund=37.32 kgs) of the crop. Maize is sold at
Tk8,000-9,000 per maund.
Anisur Rahman, a farmer of Bangkura village
in the Sadar upazila, said they made profit by
farming maize last year though Mahasen dam-
aged the crop during harvest.
Describing maize farming as profitable, Abdul
Hamid Akon, another farmer of the area, said
maize is not only a nutritious food but also a key
ingredient of fish and cattle feeds.Champack Aich, manager of Bracs Food Safe-
ty Programme, said as part of their initiative to
expand maize farming in the district, they are
encouraging the farmers to cultivate the crop and
providing necessary supports.
He also said farmers can earn net income of Tk
50,000 by cultivating maize on one acre of land. l
Freedom fighter threatened
by drug syndicatenOur Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
A freedom fighter at the Lalmonirhats
New Colony has complained of threats
from drug peddlers after he reported
their activities to police recently.
Jagodish Chandra Adhikary, 62, saidthe group was well-known in the vicin-
ity for selling and using illegal drugs.
They take hemp and phensidyl
openly, right in front of my house, de-
spite several complaints made by locals
to police. The police, for reasons un-
known to me, has taken no action yet.
Jagodish said he had lodged a for-
mal complaint with the Lalmonirhat
Sadar police station on January 14 after
fruits and bamboos from a nearby gar-
den were stolen, triggering an angry
backlash from the group which start-
ed harassing him and his family.
We cannot move freely now. We
fear they might assault us or do some-
thing like this in revenge for the com-plaint.
Abu Bakkar Siddique, who heads
the upazila unit of Muktijoddha Sang-
sad, acknowledged the fact of the har-
assment and warned of tougher pro-
gramme if police failed to take action
against those responsible for harassing
the Adhikary family.
Police said they would take action in
this regard soon. l
Brickfield workergang-raped
nOur Correspondent, Tangail
A brickfield worker was allegedly gang-
raped in Tangails Mirzapur upazila
early yesterday morning.
The woman is now admitted to the
Tangail district hospital.
According to police, the victim was tar-geted after she alighted from a bus at the
Gorai industrial area early in the morning.
She went to the brickfield in Hatuvanga to
cook meals for her colleagues.
Soon after, a group of six miscreants
emerged, took her to a nearby deserted
garden and raped her.
Later, police rescued the senseless
victim and took her to the Mirzapur
upazila health complex. She was then
shifted to Tangail General Hospital be-
cause of the severity of her condition.Liton, 25, a tempo driver, was de-
tained in this connection. Police said
they got the names of other rapists
from his confession.
They are: pickup driver Zamal (25)
of Taltola village, his assistant Johny
(23) of Sayedpur village, Mridul (23) of
Cadet College area, Murad (24) of Hatu-
vanga area, and Zahid (25) of Kamar-
para village.
SI Mizan M iah, duty offi cer of Mir -
zapur police station, confirmed thenews and said police were trying to ar-
rest others involved in the crime.
The victims uncle filed a rape case
with the police station accusing six in-
dividuals.l
Waiting for a bridge over MadhumatiNarail residents see glimmer of hope in ministers promise
nOur Correspondent, Narail
At least a hundred thousand people at
three upazilas in Narail and adjacent
areas are waiting for a bridge on the
River Madhumati that will easy theirdistresses and will bring a wave of de-
velopment.
People of Lohagora, Kalia and sadar
upazila have to take a boat to cross the
river to catch a bus or other vehicle to
go to the neighbouring districtsJes-
sore, Khulna, Gopalganj and the capi-
tal Dhaka.
Farmers said they are often deprived
of fair prices for their commodities
as they cannot carry all their produc-
tion to town because of transportation
problems.
Traders said buyers cannot reach
the village markets with their trans-
ports to bring agricultural produce, asroad communication is unsettled and
uncomfortable.
School and college students also
have to bear the brunt of poo r commu-
nication during rainy season.
Rahima, a first year honours student
of Lohagora government college, said
they often fail to attend classes on time
as communications is not easy and fre-
quent in the area.
Neoaz Ahmed, mayor of Lohagora
Municipality, said sometimes ill people
have to suffer more as they cannot go
to hospital on time because of the poo r
transport system.
A person has to pay Tk10 to cross theriver by boat and additional Tk5 for car-
rying a bicycle, Tk20 for a motorbike,
Tk75 for microbus and Tk150 for a bus
and truck.
Residents of the upazilas said dur-
ing election times, candidates come
and assure voters of a new bridge. But
their sweet words go in vain as none
had kept their promise so far.
But there is some good news: Com-
munication Minister Obaidul Qader
visited Kalna ghat point at Lohagora
upazila in Narail yesterday, and said
the g