07 July 2014

Ashar 23, 1421 Ramadan 8, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 97

MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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13 | MYTH & OLD DHAKA IFTAR

BAGHDADI’S SERMON SHOW OF CONFIDENCE

PM recalls WB’s role in Padma bridge issue She says a few pages of a diary cannot be the basis of cancellation of fund n Tribune Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday came down hard on a group of “conspirators,” who orchestrated the cancellation of the World Bank funding on Padma bridge.

While addressing Communications Ministry officials at the secretariat yesterday, she said vested interests from the USA and also Bangladesh had provoked the global lender.

Hasina said the World Bank had never been able to place any solid proof in support of its claim that a corruption conspiracy was going on centring the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.

We have no shortage of foreign currency.

We have a 21 million [dollar] reserve “They just produced some pages from a diary where it was stated who would get what amount of commission. This is not enough to prove that there was corruption in the project,” UNB quoted the premier as saying.

According to bdnews24.com, Hasina said every time foreign ministers and delegates came to meet her, she talked to them about various issues. With foreign ministers and lawmakers, she had discussed business deals and interests such as how many blocks ConocoPhillips would get or whether Bangladesh would buy the oil. “...If I say I would note down

everything I discuss in a diary and take it as a document?...From now on our officials will write down everything in diaries wherever they go,” Hasina said, mocking at the World Bank.

Terming the beginning of work for the Padma bridge “not so easy,” the premier said: “When we said we would build it with our own money, they [World Bank] came up with various new conditions.”

She also spoke on some of disagreements that had arisen in the past with the World Bank.

Hasina said the global lender had prescribed Bangladesh in the past to shut down BRTC and the Khulna Shipyard.

“I came [to power] and said that could not happen. We kept the BRTC operative and now it is making profits,” Hasina said.

“The country belongs to us and so do its problems. We know how things are done. Some of their people would come and give us a prescription and we have to follow it – that is not right. Our people are intelligent enough to think for ourselves,” Hasina told the Communications Ministry officials.

“Bangalees can face any challenge.

We have no shortage of foreign currency. We have a $21 billion reserve. We can easily spend a few billions from there,” she said.

She also said talks were on regarding building road connectivity with India, China and Myanmar. If Bangladesh could build land connectivity up to Kunming of China, trade and  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Brazilian striker Neymar lies on a stretcher on July 5, 2014 inside the helicopter that will transport him from Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil to his residence in Guaruya. Injured Neymar departed his team's training base in Terespolis on Saturday and headed home to Sao Paulo, after his World Cup ended in agony on Friday night AFP

Brazil getting ready to rumble without Neymar RAIHAN MAHMOOD

from Belo Horizonte, Brazil With Neymar and Thiago Silva out of their semi-final clash against Germany, team Brazil gears up for the challenge taking inspiration from previous instances and the words of their poster boy Neymar who urged his teammates to do everything possible to attain the glory.

“It is a difficult moment for me and it is hard to know what to say. My dream is not over. It was interrupted,” an emotional Neymar said in a video released

Shakib returns, admits mistake

DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Tribune Report

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

ist and musician wrote, “But without Neymar, none of these critical matters.

Now a Brazil that could improve the technical and tactical part, the point of finally getting an exquisite perfor-

2nd Round

Details on page-15

mance for 90 minutes is a desire to be silent before the loss of the main reserve of creativity.

“The Team now needs a Luiz Felipe Scolari in his finest hour: a machine triumphs, definitely not obliged to give performances, the only concept that

Police inaction blamed for Rangamati attack

n Mazhar Uddin

National cricket all-rounder Shakib al Hasan yesterday sounded repentant over his spat with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and admitted that he reacted angrily initially but later realised his mistake and apologised to the coach.

“We often have argument with our parents where we get angry and say that I won’t stay at home, even don’t eat for a couple of days. The same thing happened with me. I had an argument with him (Hathurusingha) and I was angry at that time but later I apologised to him,” said Shakib after his return from London.

There have been much furore across the country in the last few days over Shakib al Hasan not taking a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the Caribbean Premier League(CPL) combined with his alleged threat to quit the national team after he had an argument with Hathurusingha regarding him joining the national camp before the end of the CPL. But after his arrival from London yesterday, Shakib was full of clarifications which also demonstrates a sign of the player’s obliging nature towards Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), contrary to the reports in the media after the news of his alleged threat broke out.

by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) as he left the team camp. “Life moves on. I am sure my team-mates will do everything possible so that we can achieve our dream of being champions,” he said.

When Luiz Felipe Scolari was last in charge of Brazil, he encountered a similar situation. Ronaldinho, who was as important as Neymar is currently, was sent-off in the quarter-final against England in 2002 and Scolari had to plan a game without the formidable mid-fielder before eventually Brazil beat Germany in the final to lift the trophy for the fifth time.

Marvio Angels, the popular column-

Though several groups earlier threatened to prevent the members of Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission from visiting the hill districts, local administration and law enforcers did not take any step, allege commission members and local organisations.

The local police acted indifferently when an angry mob was demonstrating outside the Parjatan motel in Rangamati town on Saturday. They did not take any step to quell the agitators, said Hana Shams Ahmed, coordinator of the commission.

“It seemed that the demonstrators were very powerful with support of the law enforcers. Or else they could not act so rough in front of the police,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

Hana said they would file a first information report (FIR) with Rangamati Police Superintendent Amena Begum today accusing three persons and several other unnamed persons.

One of the suspects is Nurjahan, leader of Bangalee Somo Odhikar Andolon which along with five other organisations had protested the visit of the CHTC team and warned them not to go to the CHT region.

The team came under attack around 2am in front of the local DGFI office in Omda Miah Hill area while leaving the town. Three members of the team and the OC of Rangamati sadar police were injured while the microbus carrying seven of them damaged. It was escorted by two police vehicles. The attack was carried out by some 150-200 people, witnesses said.

Sultana Kamal blames six organisations for defying the conditions of the 1997 Peace Accord Police fired three blank shots to disperse the attackers who hurled bricks at the motorcade. No one was detained at that time.

Later the CHTC team went to Chittagong and held a press conference.

They alleged that the people who had been at risk of losing land occupied illegally might be behind the attack.

Sultana Kamal, co-chairman of the CHTC, blamed six organisations of the CHT, which she said had been defying  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

INSIDE 3 | News

4 | News

The three-day annual conference of deputy commissioners set to begin tomorrow will also discuss several decisions that were made last year but have remained unimplemented, officials said yesterday.

India’s new government will seek to raise up to a record $11.7bn in asset sales in its maiden budget this week, a senior government source said, bolstering state finances and buying time for structural reforms to revive a weak economy.

5 | News

Rajuk and DC Office have failed to relocate a mosque-cum-madrasa and a two-storey building from Hatirjheel lake area after it was opened to public one and a half years ago.

11 | Op-Ed

Ramadan is about abstinence though there’s no stopping most of us from undertaking gastronomic adventures. Admit it: No point in making the month a drab affair.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

BASIC Bank board dissolved n Asif Showkat Kallol Two days after accepting the resignation of the BASIC Bank chairman, the Bank and Financial Institutions Division yesterday dissolved the bank’s board and appointed Alauddin A Mojid as its chairman.

Mojid is currently serving as the chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank.

The banking division had issued three circulars, including one on dissolution of the BASIC Bank board, Secretary Dr Aslam Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday at his secretariat office.

He also said the government would introduce performance guarantee for the chairmen and managing directors of all state-owned banks, and the process was started with the appointment of the BASIC Bank board of directors upon Bangladesh Bank’s endorsement.

He said the government would appoint the six boards upon clearance from the Bangladesh Bank.

Aslam Alam said the new board of directors would file a case with the money loan court and inform the Anti-Corruption Commission about the officials of BASIC Bank who deliberately gave loans to unknown people.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SEHRI & IFTAR TIME Day Ramadan 8/July 7 Ramadan 9/July 8

9 | World

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday rejected the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report that found widespread monetary irregularities in private universities.

can replace what Neymar represented.

Do not go here any demerit to Neymar.

Prince Santos gave everything. Four goals, decisive penalty against Chile, dribbling, the ball spent a fearless way, imposed respect to all defenses it faced.

“Suffered 18 fouls - some off, as the ultimate, which were not marked. Not exempted creative responsibilities at some point. Camilo Zúñiga took the Cup, but his dream of being a champion in the country does not fade with the fracture of the vertebra. Neymar is now one of us, fans like us, and became the biggest motivation for his fellow squad,” wrote Angels.

12 | Entertainment

Five films are set for TV premier on Channel i this Eid. On Eid day, film “Priya Tumi Shukhi Ho” will be aired at 2:30pm. The film has been directed by Gitali Hasan.

Sehri – 3.45am

Iftar 6.54pm 6.54pm

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, July 7, 2014

PM plans to build Hong Kong-like city near Padma n Rabiul Islam Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government had a plan to build a city like Hong Kong at Mawa point near the soon-to-be-built Padma Bridge.

The prime minister said this while holding a meeting with the officials of the communications ministry at the secretariat yesterday, a senior official of the ministry told the Dhaka Tribune over phone.

As a large area near Padma Bridge cannot be used, a city can be built there, the official said quoting the prime minister as saying.

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader and other officials were present at the ministry during her visit.

Hasina said she had a discussion with the finance minister about the urbanisation in the area. She, while

speaking to officials at the ministry, also revealed her plan to shift the annual trade fair there.

Another official at the ministry said a presentation of ministry activities was shown to the prime minister.

In a written speech, Sheikh Hasina said Padma Bridge is no more a dream.

“I hope Padma Bridge could be opened for people in 2018”.

A total of 19 districts of south-west region of the country will directly be connected with the capital once the Padma is bridged.

The government is building the bridge with its own fund following the withdrawal of the World Bank’s promised $1.2 billion in 2012 citing allegation of corruption.

The prime minister also attended offices at different ministries and urged the officials concerned to expedite activities to deliver services to people. l

The capital yesterday experienced an unusual traffic tailback soon after the office time. The photo was taken from Farmgate area

GOLD CREST SCAM

Tajul likely to be cleared n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

The parliamentary sub-committee tasked with inquiring into the scandal over distribution of poor quality golden crests to the foreign friends of Bangladesh is likely to exonerate former state minister AB Tajul Islam, now chairman of the parliamentary standing committee that initiated the inquiry.

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry carried probed Tajul, who was then secretary to the ministry, Mizanur Rahman, and 13 other officials.

On June 10, the ministry filed fraud cases against two suppliers, one of whom was Tajul’s nephew.

The three-member sub-committee, headed by convener Afsarul Amin, yesterday had the third meeting to hear Tajul Islam and the officials in question, including Mizanur Rahman, present Secretary KH Masud Siddiqui and others.

“Possibly, we will hold no more meeting and submit the report to the standing committee. So far, we have found no link of the [state] minister in the process,” Iqbalur Rahim, a member of the sub-committee, told the Dhaka

Tribune after yesterday’s meeting at the parliament building.

He said former secretary Mizanur Rahman had procured 444 crests directly without any tender as the cost was below Tk5 crore.

“So, the minister had no involvement. It [corruption] took place at the lower level,” Iqbal said, referring that the minister was aware of the payment.

He also said one of the suppliers had been the state minister’s nephew.

“This was not possible for the minister to check whether the supplier had used gold or silver,” he said.

When contacted, Tajul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “The BSTI tested the crests on March 18 and sent those to the ministry, but the report was shelved – it was not brought to the notice of the secretary. On March 20, we handed over the crests to the recipients.”

The Awami League government in its previous term (2009-2013) decided to honour the foreign nationals who had contributed to Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.

The government handed each of the foreign friends a gold-plated crest, which should have at least 1 tola (12

grams) of gold and 30 tolas (360 grams) of silver. The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution under the Industries Ministry tested the crest and found only 25% gold and 351 grams of iron alloy instead of silver.

At its first meeting, the parliamentary standing committee on Liberation War Affairs Ministry under the 10th parliament formed a three-member inquiry committee to look into the matter and detect the persons responsible for the scandal that put the government in embarrassment.

The government filed fraud cases against Meer Daud Ahmed, the proprietor of the firm Amecon, and Mohsinul Hasan, owner of Messers Mohsinul Hasan.

The sub-committee observes that the ministry’s decision to file cases against the suppliers seriously hampered the inquiry.

According to the parliamentary rules, the inquiry committee is a recommending body, which would forward its findings to the parent body, the 10-member parliamentary standing committee on Liberation War Affairs.

The ministry is not legally bound to implement the sub-committee report. l

400MW Bibiyana gas plant approved Showkat Kallol and n Asif Aminur Rahman Rasel A body of ministers yesterday approved a proposal for constructing a 400MW gas-based power plant at Bibiyana in Habiganj.

With Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair, the cabinet committee on public purchase also approved the overhauling of a troubled unit of the Ghorashal Power Plant in Narsingdi.

It took the government four years to finally get the work at Ghorashal rolling because international contractors did not show much interest.

For the Bibiyana plant, the government will be using the special Energy Development and Maintenance Fund for the first time.

In September 2013, the World Bank agreed to fund the re-installation of one of the units of the Ghorashal Power Plant.

The Power Development Board (PDB), under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, will implement the projects.

The Tk2,239.74 crore work for the 400MW Bibiyana plant was awarded

to Isolux Ingenieria SA Spain and Samsung C&T Corporation, a Spain-South Korea joint venture.

They lowest tender bidders are supposed to take 900 days for the project, including 720 days for building a simple cycle.

Mustafizur Rahman, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division, told journalists after the meeting that the Bibiyana project would be completed in three years.

The Tk234.61 crore overhauling work has been given to Russia-Ukraine joint venture consortium of Rao-Engineering and LLC Kharkovenergoremond.

Four years ago, after an accident, a PDB probe team found that a unit was at risk because it had not been renovated in 20 years since its inception; as a result the capacity dropped from 210MW to 190MW. The report submitted by the probe team four years ago expressed fears that a disaster might happen any time unless it was repaired.

According to a Power Division proposal, the Ghorashal plant worked for more than 1.58 lakh hours from 1994-2014. l

Khaleda hosts iftar for media Police inaction blamed for Rangamati attack n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had iftar with editors and senior journalists yesterday at a city hotel.

Editors and senior journalists of electronic and print media organisations were invited to the iftar party at the capital's Westin Hotel.

The former premier visited different tables and exchanged views with journalists before iftar and dinner.

Daily Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar, News Today Editor Riaz Uddin Ahmed, bdnews24.com Advisory Editor Amanullah Kabir, senior journalist Shafique Reh-

man, Dhaka Tribune Editor Zafar Sobhan, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, Sangram Editor Abul Asad, Sakaler Khobor Editor Mozammel Hossain, Alokito Bangladesh Editor Shahjahan Sardar, Amader Arthoniti Editor Nayeemul Islam Khan, Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Amader Somoy Editor Abu Hasan Shahriar and the editors of other newspapers were among the guests.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, Tariqul Islam, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Jamiruddin Sircar, ASM Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Rafiqul Islam Miah and other senior leaders of the party were present. l

the conditions of the 1997 Peace Accord from the very beginning.

The commission members including Sultana Kamal yesterday met with the Chittagong GOC, Sabbir Ahmed, and informed him about the attack. The GOC regretted the incident.

Prior to their Rangamati visit, the CHTC team went to different places of Khagrachhari. There too the team faced agitation in front of the Parjatan motel. The demonstrators chanted slogans against the commission members and also blocked the nearby road. Later police dispersed the mob and freed the road, according to Hana.

Meanwhile, eight indigenous organisations in a statement yesterday condemned the “pre-planned” attack on the CHTC members. They also expressed grievances since no one was arrested in connection with the incident.

The organisations are Democratic Youth Forum, Hill Women’s Federation, Pahari Chhatra Parishad, Parbatya Chattagram Nari Sangha, Sajek Nari Samaj, Sajek Bhumi Rokkha Committee and Ghilachhari Nari Samaj.

They criticised the local administration for not taking any precautionary measures despite threats of the groups under the banner of Bangalee Somo Odhikar Andolon.

Bangalee Somo Odhikar Parishad is a faction operating under the Parbatya Chattagram Somo Odhikar Andolon.

The other organisations supporting the Andolon are Parbatya Bangalee Chhatra Parishad (PBCP), Parbatya Nagorik Parishad (PNP), Parbatya Dalopati Parishad (PDP) and Parbatya Chhatra Oikya Parishad (PCAP).

Our Khagrachhari correspondent reports that the two factions of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samity and a dozen of local social organisations also protested the attack on the CHTC members and demanded that the incident be investigated immediately. l

sources said.

Banking division officials said the government had taken into cognisance the corruption allegations against the board of directors comprising some government officials and held them responsible for not informing the authority concerned about the alleged loan scam.

One of the best-run banks until 2009, BASIC Bank has been stalled in financial irregularities since Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu assumed office in 2009. During his tenure, the bank’s indicators – from capital adequacy ra-

tio to nonperforming loans and credit rating – went on a free fall. Curiously, despite this dismal performance, Bachchu was offered a second term in office in 2012.

Bachchu had entered into deep-sea fishing business in 2011 when he was made the chairman of BASIC Bank. He spent around Tk150 crore on 11 deepsea fishing trawlers in less than two years’ time.

He handed his resignation to Finance Minister AMA Muhith Friday evening, two months before the expiry of his second term as the chairman.

It was in his new term that the magnitude of irregularities committed by the BASIC Bank board spearheaded by Bachchu grew larger.

The irregularities amounted to upwards of Tk4,500 crore, according to Bangladesh Bank.

The central bank last month ordered the BASIC Bank to stop loan activities at its Dilkusha, Shantinagar and Gulshan branches, where most of the anomalies took place. In May, it fired Kazi Faqurul Islam, BASIC Bank’s managing director, for his failure to arrest the irregularities. l

would be normal after talking with the BCB president Nazmul Hasan, and added that he would play in the CPL if he gets the NOC or else he will stay and practice with the team here.

BCB boss Nazmul had earlier said the board informed Shakib to not leave at all and Shakib also confirmed of receiving such an order through an e-mail, but the all-rounder also said he received the e-mail moments before boarding the plane.

“There were only three flights from Bangladesh. So I was worried as to what to do and I gave Sujon bhai (Nizamuddin Chowdhury), the CEO a call which he couldn’t receive. I gave a call to Akram

bhai as well but I did not ring Papon bhai (Nazmul Hasan) as it was early in the morning, but I rang him later,” said Shakib.

The poster boy of Bangladesh cricket also shed light on his argument with the head coach Hathurusingha and opined these things can happen in a family. However, he admitted that he should have informed the coach. “Yes, I had an argument with him but these things can happen in a family as we all think of the national team as our family. But yes, I should have spoken with him before leaving,” said Shakib.

According to Shakib, the fact the coach asked him to join the camp with-

in July 31, was a confirmation of him playing in the CPL. But he got to know that things have gone worse only after reaching London. So he returned home immediately after he was asked to join the national camp.

The ace all-rounder informed he apologised to the coach after the 10 hour flight, but it was too late as Hathurusingha had already e-mailed the complaint to the board. Shakib went on to add that he told Hathurusingha about his difficulty to return only for 10 days as the new coach replied back citing the logic of team game and the benefits of togetherness. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

BASIC Bank board dissolved  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

He said the new board of director’s of BASIC Bank would also be responsible for recovering Tk4,500 crore involved in the irregularity at three branches of the bank.

According to a circular, the authority has accepted the resignation letter of BASIC Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu which he had submitted on July 2 and the present board of directors has been dissolved under section 46 of the Bank Company Act 1991.

The authority has sent the names of the new directors for the BASIC Bank

board to the Bangladesh Bank for the Credit Information Bureau’s clearance.

The members are: Md Asaduzzaman, former deputy managing director of Commerce Bank, Hasan Mahmud, fellow of chartered accountant, Raihana Anisa Yusuf Ali, former MD of House Building Finance Corporation, Muzib Ahmed, a faculty of Dhaka University, Begum Porag, additional secretary of Industries Ministry, and Mamun Al Rashid, joint secretary of banking division.

The first four names have already been cleared by the central bank,

Shakib returns, admits mistake  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

BCB asked the all-rounder to join the national team’s training camp immediately after he flew out to London.

However, the 27-year-old denied that he left Dhaka to play in the CPL without taking the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCB and said that he was given the verbal permission to play in the CPL. “I had the NOC of the match which was played in England on Saturday and I thought I also have the NOC of the CPL with that. I went to the board for an NOC for the Big Bash and Sabbir bhai (BCB Cricket Operations manager) told me

that I didn’t even have the NOC for the CPL. As my flight was on July 2, I asked him what should I do now and he advised me to talk with Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the CEO. I talked with the CEO and he told me to talk with Akram bhai.

“As Akram bhai was not in the city, he couldn’t sign but he told me to leave for CPL, and assured me that he would talk to Sabbir bhai and sign the NOC. So I was relaxed after that and boarded the flight. But yes, it would have been much better if I had taken the NOC officially, but I never thought it would go this far,” Shakib continued.

However, Shakib hoped things

MEHEDI HASAN

Vietnamese firm gets online tax return submission project n Tribune Report The government has appointed a Vietnamese IT firm to implement a project to facilitate online submission of tax returns to raise revenue earning.

The cabinet committee on public purchase yesterday endorsed the National Board of Revenue’s proposal of “Online Filing and Digitisation of Tax Returns and Establishment of Taxpayers’ Information and Service Centres,” Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Mustafizur Rahman told reporters after a meeting of the committee.

He said the committee had also cancelled the NBR proposal of an integrated VAT administration system and Finance Minister AMA Muhith, who presided over the meeting, had called for re-tender of the proposal.

As per the proposal of online tax return submission, the NBR evaluation committee selected Vietnamese firm FRT Information System Corporation for Tk51.31 crore.

A major portion of the project’s allocation – Tk24.90 crore – will be spent for buying three pieces of software. Another Tk19.05 crore has been allocated for buying the hardware for the whole system and Tk8.28 crore for procuring hardware for regional data entry and information centre. l

PM recalls WB role in Padma bridge  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

commerce would be benefitted to a great extent.

The premier told the ministry officials that her government had been thinking seriously about allowing Nepal and Bhutan to use Bangladesh’s sea ports at Chittagong and Khulna to promote regional connectivity.

The prime minister asked the officials to put emphasis on proper maintenance of roads along with construction of new ones and asked them to work for minimising people’s sufferings. l

Brazil getting ready  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

The Brazil skipper Thiago Silva, who will miss the vital match for two yellow cards, has already pinned hope on Dante and said, “At the same time I get sad, I rejoice because Dante is fully fit for the match.

“He has the advantage of knowing all the opposition players, being against the country where plays the club football.” said a smiling Silva referring to the fact that Dante is a defender who plays for Bayern Munich in Germany.

“He’s a guy that is mingled with the group and working a lot, even being in reserve. The moment has arrived,” insisted Silva.

Meanwhile, Neymar’s injury means Scolari will have to make a big decision on who will be replacing his talisman forward. Willian, who plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League, is the front runner for the place as former Brazil footballers are also backing him.

“My money would be on Willian,” said Carlos Alberto, captain of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup winning squad. “He has the talent and he tracks back to defend. I can’t see anyone who could replace Neymar better,” he said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Nahid: TIB report not based on research n Rabiul Islam Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday rejected the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report that found widespread monetary irregularities in private universities.

The minister urged the TIB officials to withdraw the report. “Such a report might affect the higher education sector,” Nahid told journalists, after holding a meeting with chairmen of the trustee boards of private universities, vice-chancellors and officials of the University Grants Commission in the conference room of the ministry.

Nahid claimed private universities were playing a significant role in the thriving higher education sector He termed the TIB report “unacceptable” and “disgraceful.” The minister asked the TIB to express an apology for releasing the report which was in no way a research-based report according to the researchers.

“We asked all private university authorities to write to us about whether they had paid bribes for the approvals of universities and other irregularities but none had acknowledged that they had done so,” the minister said.

He, however, admitted that an official of the UGC had been found involved in irregularities.

“We welcome criticism and we are

ready to overcome weaknesses and shortcomings,” the minister said, adding that the wholesale allegation is not acceptable.

When asked about legal steps the minster said: “We will talk to the TIB first and then think about taking measures.”

“The ministry has yet to get the TIB report,” Nahid said.

Quoting the educationists who attended the meeting, the minister said the report was not based on research and the TIB did not follow the rules of conducting such a study.

Nahid claimed private universities were playing a significant role in the thriving higher education sector.

“We are working to improve the quality of the education,” he said.

Meanwhile, out of 79 private universities 32 have moved to their own campuses while 23 are working on doing so.

“We are not allowing irregularities.

We have canceled the approval of 15 universities and these universities are now operating with stay orders from the High Court,” the minister said.

On Monday, the TIB claimed to have found “widespread” irregularities – many of them monetary – in at least 22 private universities without mentioning any names or disclosing details about the data collection method.

The TIB report says an amount ranging between Tk50,000 and Tk2,00000 are being exchanged to get the names of VCs, pro-VCs and treasurers approved, Tk1,00000 was being given for inspections, Tk10,000-20,000 for settling complaints, Tk1,00000 for preparing illegal audit reports and so on. l

Fakhrul: Awami League bankrupt, abandoned n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

DMP installs CCTV cameras in Beribadh area in the city yesterday as part of its drive to tighten security ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr DHAKA TRIBUNE

PPP unsolicited proposal policy endorses 6% bonus n Asif Showkat Kallol

The cabinet committee on economic affairs yesterday approved the unsolicited proposal policy for the PPP initiative, under which 6% bonus evaluation points will be offered to the innovative entrepreneurs.

A meeting of the committee – presided over by Finance Minister AMA Muhith – gave the approval for the policy which came from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), as well as approving other recommendations made by the Finance Division, said Cabinet Division’s Additional Secretary Mustafizur Rahman.

He added that the policy will incorporate Swiss challenge, which is a form

of public procurement that requires a public authority – which has received an unsolicited bid for a public project – to publish the bid and invite third parties to match or exceed it.

The Finance Division also recommended that the government fix a bonus system for evaluating an original, innovative entrepreneur.

Fazle Kabir, the immediate past finance secretary, came up with the recommendations last week after the PMO sought opinions about the PPP’s unsolicited proposals.

“Private innovators or creative entrepreneurs will get tariff benefits and added duration for project implementation,” said Kabir.

As per the approved policy, bonus

and a Swiss challenge of benefits will be given to the private innovators and creative entrepreneurs for the development of the country’s infrastructure.

The policy has 19 determining factors in three schedules including two types of bonus and a Swiss challenge process for dealing with the unsolicited proposals.

However, the proposal from the PMO also noted that other bidders might be discouraged from participating in the tender if more bonus points were given to new entrepreneurs.

The government has allocated Tk257 crore for the 33 PPP projects expected to be implemented in the fiscal year 2015. The PPP budget is 3.4% of the

total allocations in physical infrastructures, which is set to get Tk7,550 crore.

A total of 34 projects under six sectors have already been approved in principle and advisers or consultants have already been engaged in 33 projects, according to the PPP office.

The costs of the approved PPP projects are estimated to be Tk1,114 crore, mainly in transport, health, education and tourism sectors.

The construction of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway, jetties at Mongla Port, a Haemodialysis Centre, a flyover from Shantinagar to Mawa Road via Buriganga River Bridge and Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway are among the major PPP projects that have been approved so far. l

Bangladeshi’s body left to decompose at Saudi hospital n Tribune Report The body of a Bangladeshi worker was left to decompose at a private hospital in Jeddah of Saudi Arabia as the medical bill for his treatment remained unpaid.

The deceased was identified as Abul Hussein Noor Zaman, 42, who worked for the National Water Company.

Muhammad Saraah, brother of the deceased, refused to accept the body and complained to the Saudi Health Ministry, the Saudi Gazette reports.

The body decomposed after being left

in the morgue of the hospital for 10 days.

Saraah said: “My brother was diagnosed with a strange disease and was admitted to a private hospital two months ago. Several symptoms appeared, but he was wrongly diagnosed.”

Saraah claimed that his brother had been finally diagnosed with AIDS and died on June 11.

He blamed the hospital for neglecting the patient and refusing to hand over the body until the bills due had been paid, Kuwait-based Al-Watan daily reported.

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Monday, July 7, 2014

Saraah said: “My brother had a medical insurance, which allowed medical expenses of up to 30,000 Saudi riyal. His treatment, including medicines, tests and check-ups, did not exceed 17,000 riyal.”

Saraah said the hospital had asked for SR5,000 for the release of the body.

When colleagues of Abul Hussein Noor Zaman found out about the incident they informed Jeddah Health Affairs Director Dr Sami Badawood. The health affairs director is believed to have only issued an order to all private hospitals to refurbish morgues without issuing

any direct directives for Zaman’s case.

Saraah filed a complaint at the Ministry of Health on June 24 and directives were issued to send the body to Bangladesh.

When a vehicle to transport the body arrived paramedics refused to take the body as it had mostly decomposed.

The forensic medicine department issued a report, saying the whole body had decomposed and nearly 70% of it had been lost due to insufficient cooling at the morgue and lack of monitoring by morgue technicians, Saraah said. l

The BNP yesterday alleged that the ruling Awami League had gone politically bankrupt and were abandoned by the people after the “controversial” January 5 election.

“The government has lost its ground. The ruling party has gone bankrupt so badly that it can no longer face politics with politics,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of BNP. Addressing a gathering at the National Press Club in the capital, Fakhrul said human rights had been violated at every step in the country.

The BNP spokesperson, quoting a newspaper, claimed that 29 people were injured in gunshots in just one district in the name of so-called “gunfights.”

“A total of 46 opposition leaders and activists were killed in Laxmipur,” he alleged.

This time, he came up with a new figure saying 310 people were killed in two months right after the January 5 election and 32 were abducted.

“It would be tough to identify a single house across the country which is not in mourning,” he said.

Fakhrul said not only the opposition men but also the rights bodies are being victims of repression of the government.

“Odhikar Secretary Adilur Rahman was repressed. Even TIB and Sujan were also harassed.”

Countering Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu’s statement that Khaleda Zia patronised militancy, Fakhrul said: “It is a dangerous statement. We want to warn that if anything happens to Khaleda Zia, the government will have to shoulder the responsibility.”

The BNP leader also claimed AL members were afraid of Tarique Rahman and that was why AL members were spreading baseless allegations against him. l

Warned, defence ends questioning IO in Azhar case n Udisa Islam After being cautioned three times in a day, the defence of war crimes accused ATM Azharul Islam yesterday concluded quizzing the investigating officer of the case.

Abdus Subhan Tarafder questioned the IO for six consecutive days at the International Crimes Tribunal 1. He finally concluded yesterday, claiming that the IO had placed the case’s probe report using some wrong sources.

The defence started the cross-examination of SM Idris Ali on June 29 and continued for every working day since. Last week the tribunal warned him repeatedly to end the grilling. On Thursday, it said the defence could take more two hours to end the grilling and then place their witness to defend the accused.

However, the defence failed to complete the cross-examination within the given time yesterday. They also placed a list of 15 defence witnesses. The tribunal may hear the petition today.

A total of 19 prosecution witnesses, including the IO, testified against Azhar at the tribunal.

The tribunal was irked yesterday as Tarafder was asking the IO irrelevant questions. He also took a long time to ask each question. Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member panel, cautioned the defence counsel

thrice since Tarafder was supposed to end the grilling by noon.

At one point, the tribunal said: “You are just wasting time of the court for nothing.” It said they actually failed to understand the intention of the defence counsel. At 12:40pm, the tribunal gave Tarafder 20 minutes to somehow conclude the cross-examination.

A total of 19 prosecution witnesses, including the IO, testified against Azhar at the tribunal But he concluded after one and a half hours and the tribunal thanked him.

According to the prosecution, Azhar, now 61, was a commander of Rangpur district al-Badr during the 1971 Liberation War. The accused was arrested at his Maghbazar residence on August 23, 2012. He has been in jail since then. The tribunal indicted him on November 12 last year.

AKM Saiful Islam, conducting prosecutor of the case, went to the USA in April for a few weeks but has not returned yet. Now the case is being handled by a group of prosecutors including Zead-Al-Malum, Tapas Kanti Baul and Rezia Sultana. l

Order on fugitive Jabbar’s trial tomorrow n Udisa Islam

The entire length of the road between Mouchak and Moghbazar in the capital has become completely unusable not only for vehicular movement but also for pedestrians due to the construction of a flyover with the authorities concerned paying no attention to the sufferings of people MEHEDI HASAN

The war crimes tribunal will pass order on July 8 regarding whether to begin the trial of former Jatiya Party lawmaker engineer Mohammad Abdul Jabbar, from Mothbaria of Pirojpur, in absentia.

The accused, chairman of local unit of Peace Committee during the 1971 Liberation War, has been fugitive since 2009. After the prosecution had pressed five charges of crimes against humanity on May 10, the tribunal issued an arrest warrant against Jabbar on May 12.

The International Crimes Tribunal 1, led by its chairman M Enayetur Rahim, said yesterday that they would give an order on the matter tomorrow after appointing a state defence counsel.

Jabbar, 82, faces allegations of murder, genocide, forced conversion and looting during the war.

Meanwhile, during the hearing of a contempt issue involving the daily Kaler Kantho, the same tribunal was surprised when prosecutor Syed Haider Ali, the acting chief prosecutor, claimed that

they were trying to settle the matter outside court. The tribunal asked: “What can be the settlement for contempt?”

On May 22, prosecutor Mohammad Ali pleaded that the tribunal issue a contempt of court charge against the newspaper’s editor, publisher and a reporter for defaming him by publishing distorted versions of his comments in a story.

After a hearing, the tribunal set May

28 for the order. It also told the prosecutor that the matter could be solved outside the court. But Ali was firm in his position. He also said Haider Ali would place arguments on the issue.

However, Haider Ali did not appear before the tribunal because of “illness.”

During yesterday’s hearing, Haider Ali said they were fixing the issue. Later the tribunal set August 31 for the order on the contempt matter. l

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DC conference will deal with unresolved issues n Tribune Report The three-day annual conference of deputy commissioners set to begin tomorrow will discuss several decisions that were made last year but have remained unimplemented, officials said yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the series of meetings at Shapla Hall of her office at 9:30am.

‘About 307 topics will be discussed at the conference where 39 ministries and departments will take part’ Twenty sessions, in which 307 proposals are likely to be discussed, will be held at the Secretariat’s conference room. Divisional commissioners and DCs have already submitted lists of topics and are expected to share their ideas with the government high-ups, including the ministers.

The DCs had sent over 450 proposals this year for discussion.

Out of the 474 decisions made in the previous conference held on July 23-25 last year, as many as 38 remained unimplemented, according to the cabinet division.

Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said yesterday: “The decision to strengthen the authority of executive magistrates could not be implemented in the past year because of

legal complications. The Law Ministry has yet to suggest necessary measures to the cabinet.

“Though the decision was not implemented, the deputy commissioners may discuss the issue again in the upcoming DC conference. The government will make a decision after hearing them.”

Musharraf made the remark while briefing reporters at the Secretariat.

Land management, improvement of law and order, strengthening local government, disaster management, relief and rehabilitation, poverty eradication, social safety net, regulating price hikes, healthcare, family planning, improving the quality of education, increasing literacy rate, ICT applications, e-governance, environment protection and execution of various development projects are likely to be discussed at the conference.

Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Division Nazrul Islam said: “About 307 topics will be discussed at the conference where 39 ministries and departments will take part. Of the previous decisions, 92% have thus far been implemented.”

Earlier, Musharraf said the government had taken initiatives to implement all the decisions. “Some of the decisions can be solved by the ministries concerned. Sometimes the government needs to coordinate with several ministries to implement some decisions.

“We have no negligence in implementing the decisions of the DC conferences,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. l

A BSTI mobile court in a drive yesterday slapped a fine of Tk40,000 on Rasana Bilash a restaurant located at Banani in the capital for preparing meal in unhygienic conditions and preserving stale food MEHEDI HASAN

Shibir man held after gunfight with police n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Police caught a Chhatra Shibir leader early yesterday, after a 20-minute gunfight with him and his cronies at Satkania, Chittagong.

Kamal Uddin alias Dari Kamal, 30, an accused in 12 cases including four murder cases lodged with Satkania police station, was an acolyte of the local Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shahjahan

Chowdhury and was involved in violence perpetrated by Jamaat and Shibir in the upazila in the recent past, said Khaled Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Satkania police station.

He was admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital since he was hit by bullet in his right leg during the shootout, Khaled said, adding that a gun and six rounds of bullets were recovered from Kamal’s possession.

The OC said police arrived at the upazila’s Switch Gate area around 2am, having received a tip-off that Kamal and 10-12 of his men were preparing to commit a robbery. “Sensing our presence, they fired at us. When we started firing back in self defence, they fled, leaving injured Kamal behind,” he said.

The Shibir leader was shown arrested in a case filed in connection with a robbery that had happened a few days ago. l

Voter enrolment increases in second phase n Mohammad Zakaria

The Urban Study Group and USG Volunteers jointly form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, protesting destruction of structures built in old Dhaka during the reign of Mughal empire RAJIB DHAR

Police arrest sham reporters n Tazlina Zamila Khan Two people posing as journalists for an online news outfit were arrested yesterday for attempting to extort money in Mirpur in the capital.

Police arrested Golam Mostafa, who claims to be the editor and director of an online news portal called crimenewsbd.com, and Roman Chowdhury.

Mirpur police station OC Salauddin Khan said the suspects had broken into the laboratories, took photos of the facilities, and seized several important documents and medicines.

The pair then told Dr Abdur Rashid of Zenial Unani to hand over Tk50,000 at their office on Elephant Road or they would publish a report.

As Abdur Rashid did not pay, the extortionists threatened to go to the laboratory’s medicine factory and report on its “illegal licence” if the authorities did not pay Tk10,000.

Abdur Rashid refuse to pay and called the police instead.

Sub-Inspector Motiur said the suspects were sent to the media centre of Dhaka Metropolitan Police after Dr Abdur Rashid filed a case against them. l

Despite a low turnout in the first phase of voter registration, the electoral enrolment has increased considerably in the second phase which was held between June 15 and 24 in 218 upazilas across the country.

The second phase enrolment increased by 5.73%, which was only 4% in the first phase.

The Election Commission officials told the Dhaka Tribune the second phase gathered pace in comparison with the first one.

The commission formed a central monitoring committee to find out problems in the ongoing voter roll update since it failed to observe an expected turnout during the first phase enrolment.

Under the central committee, 10 sub-committees had been formed that will submit area-based reports to the main committee.

The central monitoring committee yesterday held a meeting to discuss the upcoming third phase electoral list update which would continue from September 1 to 10 in 115 upazilas.

SM Asaduzzaman, director of public relations, EC, told the Dhaka Tribune, “We sat to discuss the third phase voter enrolment and focused on problems encountered during the last two phases.”

According to the second phase enrolment report, most upazilas witnessed above 5% turnout of the electorate while many of them saw 6%.

Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz said the percentage of voter enrolment increased considerably in the second phase in comparison with the first phase.

He hoped the third phase would see a large number of eligible individuals register their names in the electoral list.

The EC officials were monitoring the voter roll updating programme across the country, added Hafiz. l

Legal notice served for regularising Altaf as High Court judge n Nazmus Sakib A legal notice has been served for regularising ABM Altaf Hossain as a High Court judge since Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain had recommended him.

Idrisur Rahman, a Supreme Court lawyer, sent the notice yesterday to the President’s Office secretary, the principal secretary of the Prime Minister’s Of-

fice, the Law Ministry secretary and the Supreme Court registrar, demanding the former additional judge be appointed as a regular judge within 72 hours.

It is stated in the legal notice that the executive concerned had flouted the constitution as well as a Supreme Court judgement by not regularising Altaf, even after the chief justice had recommended him.

Responding to a query, Idrisur told

the Dhaka Tribune: “Media reported that the chief justice recommended Altaf as well as five other additional judges. But the executive concerned dropped Altaf when no one denied the media reports.

“So, it is contrary to the constitution, the independence of judiciary and the rule of law,” he claimed.

If Altaf was not regularised by 72 hours, a writ petition would be lodged with the High Court, Idrisur said. l

‘Bigganer Mojar Pathshala’ launched

Muggers ‘mistakenly’ shoot youth

n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

“Bigganer Mojar Pathsahala,” a child-friendly science book, was unveiled on Saturday at Sheltech Lounge in the capital’s Panthapath area. The book was edited by Dr Jeba I Seraj, professor at the biochemistry department in Dhaka University.

Dr Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Rasheda K Chowdhury, former advisers to a caretaker government, Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, scientist, and Professor Syed Manjurul Islam attended the launch ceremony and unveiled the book.

Dr Toufiq M Seraj, managing director of Sheltech Group, addressed the event, and Engineer Kutub Uddin, chairman of Sheltech Group, expressed the vote of thanks.

Muggers shot a young man thinking he was carrying money in his empty bag in Adabor area of the capital yesterday afternoon.

The victim Anisur Rahman, 25, suffered bullet injuries to his abdomen, and was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.

Anisur told journalists that he and his friend Nesar Uddin went to check his balance at two private banks at Shekhertek around 3pm. As they stepped out of the second bank, three armed youths came forward and asked for the bag he was carrying.

As they tried to resist, the muggers opened fire on Anis and fled with the bag on a motorbike, leaving him badly injured. Pedestrians chased the mug-

Guests hold the book for photo at the book launching ceremony yesterday Published with the support of Seraj Foundation and Sheltech Ltd, the experimental book aims at breaking down the fear of science education among school-going children, especially those who cannot afford to go to

good schools, or get extra help outside school to learn science.

Suitable as a Class VI textbook, “Bigganer Mojar Pathshala” uses illustrations and simple language to explain scientific theories. l

gers but failed to catch them.

Anis said there was no money in the bag except a cheque book, some books and clothes. “The muggers thought we had withdrawn money,” he continued.

However, police suspected that the snatchers were not professional and the incident took place as sequel to previous enmity.

Adabor police station SI Maidul Islam, who visited the hospital to question Anis, said: “The place he was shot was not a commercial place where muggers can trace the movement of wealthy people. This youth looks like a college student and were not supposed to draw muggers’ attention.”

The SI said Anis left a company job five months back and had feud with the company owner over money; the attackers might be hired by someone. l

Abduction attempt on DRU president n Kailash Sarkar Unidentified miscreants tried to pick up Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Shahed Chowdhury last evening from the capital’s Bijoynagar area.

They also threatened to kill Shahed, also the city editor of Samakal, after failing to abduct him around 6pm, said Sahadat Hossain Parash, a senior reporter at Samakal.

“The attempt was made on him while he, in a microbus, was on his way to attend an iftar party hosted by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office,” Parash said.

The Samakal reporter said a white car had intercepted Shahed’s vehicle at Bijoynagar intersection. Two youths came out and tried to force him into the car, the reporter added. “At the time, Shahed got into a scuffle with them,” said Parash, adding: “When locals gathered, the abductors fled.”

In a reaction, Shahed said: “It was an ominous sign for the journalist community.” He also informed the police of the incident but police could not ascertain the reason behind the attempt.

Meanwhile, DRU has called a protest rally for today in front of the National Press Club. l

3 of a family fall prey to acid attack

n Our correspondent, Kushtia

Three members of a family suffered severe burns to their bodies on Saturday when miscreants hurled acid on them while they were asleep at their house in Gopalpur village under Islami University police station.

The victims were Saleha, 60, and her two children Sonia, 18, and Titumir.

They were admitted to Kushtia General Hospital in critical conditions.

Sources said some unidentified culprits had thrown acid on the trio through a window around 10:30pm and had then fled the scene promptly, leaving their victims critically injured.

Later, police arrested a man named Nayeb Ali on suspicion of orchestrating the heinous acid attack. l

Fazley Bary Malik dies

n Tribune Report

Renowned Nuclear and Atomic Physicist Dr Fazley Bary Malik passed away in Istanbul yesterday.

He was also a research professor at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale. Dr Bary gained recognition for his research on Atomic and Nuclear Many Body and Reaction Theory, Heavy-ion physics, strange particle production from hot nuclei, theory of fission, theory of superconductivity and spontaneous magnetisation.

During Bangladesh’s War of Liberation, as an associate professor at Indiana University-Bloomington, he coordinated fund-raising campaigns to send relief to the then East Pakistan and appeared before the US Congress to speak on behalf of the Bengali cause.

He is survived by his wife, Akemi O Malik, and his only daughter. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Hatirjheel mosques await relocation for 1.5 years n Abu Hayat Mahmud The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s Office have failed to relocate a mosque, a mosque-cum-madrasa, and a two-storey building from Hatirjheel lake area, after it was opened to public one and a half years ago.

Although Rajuk had run eviction drives on different occasions since 2007, when the Hatirjheel and Begunbari canal integrated development project started, it did not move the structures elsewhere, out of consideration for religious sentiment.

The mosque, Masjide Baitul Mahfuz, was erected in Morolbari part of the lake. Syed Abdul Kader Jilani Jame Masjid and Madrasa is the mosque-cum-madrasa.

The latter stands in Madhubagh Jhilpar part.

Rajuk chief engineer Md Emdadul Islam said that all the illegal and unplanned structures would be removed from Hatirjheel area Last month, Rajuk carried out a drive against unplanned structures, illegal signboards and billboards in the project area, and formulated a rule banning the erection of any structures measuring more than 300 metres in height there.

The only way to reach Masjide Baitul Mahfuj is by a bamboo bridge and people have to take a boat to go to Syed Abdul Kader Jilani Jame Masjid and Madrasa.

The Dhaka Tribune only found an old man at Masjide Baitul Mahfuj who, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune the imam of the mosque had gone to teach Arabic at the nearby residential area.

He said he had no idea who the authorities of the mosque were.

A few students were seen at Abdul Kader Madrasa taking Arabic lessons. The madrasa is run by Ahmedia Complex, located at a two-storey building in the area.

Three fake DB men held with firearms n Tribune Desk Police arrested three fake Detective Branch(DB) men along with firearms from Khapara area in Tongi early yesterday.

The arrested were identified as Jewel, Iqbal and Biplab.

Tongi Model Police Station officer-in-charge Ismail Hossain said tipped-off, they conducted a drive in the area around 3am and arrested the trio when they were coming to the area on a micro bus and a motorcycle, reports UNB. However, their associates managed to flee the scene.

Police also recovered the two rifles, two rounds of bullet, 12 mobile phone sets and two wireless handsets from their possession. A case was filed. l

WEATHER

LIGHT RAIN

MONDAY, JULY 7 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:50PM SUN RISES 5:17AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

34

28

Chittagong

31

26

Rajshahi

33

27

Rangpur

32

26

Khulna

33

26

Barisal

32

26

Sylhet

32

26

Cox’s Bazar

31

26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

33.4ºC Sylhet

24.5ºC Rangamati

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zahr Asr Magrib Esha

3:50am 5:16am 12:03am 4:44pm 6:54pm 8:17pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Rajuk and DC Office have failed to relocate the mosque Masjid-e-Baitul Mahfuz after it was opened to public one and a half years ago Two men were found at the building but they refused to talk to the press.

The structures attenuate the beauty of the water-body and one of the city’s key recreational spaces.

Rubel Sheikh, a resident of Morolbari, said on Friday, a handful of people assemble to offer Jummah prayers at Masjide Baitul Mahfuj.

“I heard years ago that Rajuk would relocate the mosque but that has yet to happen,” he said.

“The lake has not only lost its beauty because of the structures but the toilets

from those buildings are also polluting the lake water,” he added.

Project officials said the three structures occupied around 40 decimals of land in the water-body and a shrine had already been removed from the area.

Although all other structures within the 302-acre area stretching from Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue to Rampura Sluice Gate were removed, officials could not remove these, fearing the move could hurt people’s religious feelings.

After failing to remove the mosques, Rajuk revised the plan and allocated an

additional Tk265 crore for land acquisition and construction of two U-loops.

Of the sum, Tk193 crore was meant for acquiring lands for the mosques, madrasa and shrine.

Rajuk chief engineer (implementation) Md Emdadul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that all the illegal and unplanned structures would be removed from Hatirjheel area.

“The mosques will also be relocated immediately to a nearby place. Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s Office has already been given money to acquire

NASHIRUL ISLAM

land for the relocation,” he said.

Mohammad Iftekhar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka DC Office, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have already managed lands for the relocation of two mosques, a madrasa and a shrine from the lake area.”

“The lands are located nearby and we will hand those over to Rajuk on July 10,” he said.

Iftekhar said: “Our responsibility is just to acquire the land and Rajuk is the authority that will be relocating the structures.” l

Public university teachers demand independent pay scale n Tribune Report University teachers’ associations across the country have rallied to a June 29 call by the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Associations (FBUTA) to mobilise a demand for higher pay and a longer service contract.

Human chains were formed across several public university campuses yesterday to demand independent pay scales for public university teachers and to increase the retirement age from 65 years to 67 years.

Professor Dr Fariduddin Ahmed, president of FBUTA and also of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) said public university teachers elsewhere in the subcontinent were paid under an independent pay scale.

He urged the prime minister and the finance minister to respond to their demands and vowed sterner action if the demands were not met.

He was speaking from a human chain formed at the base of the Aparajeyo Bangla monument on the Dhaka University campus at noon.

In Chittagong, nearly a hundred Chittagong University teachers formed a human chain organised by the Chittagong University Teachers Association (CUTA) at the Chittagong Shaheed Minar at11am.

The teachers, presided over by CUTA president Professor Benu Kumar Dey, said public university departments were losing top teacher candidates to private universities because of poor pay, poor benefits and substandard facilities.

The teachers said it was a disgrace for a nation when the teachers of the country’s highest educational institutions have to come down to the street to protect their livelihoods. They claimed that university teachers felt compelled to do part-time work in order to maintain a decent standard of living.

Jahangirnagar University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) joined hands in a human chain at the Shaheed Minar premises adjacent to the new arts faculty building at about 2pm. l

Ministry banks on Shipping Police for security on waterways

Advance rail ticket sale begins July 20

n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

Although the official activities of the newly-formed Shipping Police have yet to begin, the Shipping Ministry gave the force the responsibility to provide security on river routes during the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr yesterday.

“The new unit, which will work to ensure security on vessels and river routes along with the Coast Guard, may help reduce the sufferings of the passengers and stop extortion on the river routes,” said Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan at his ministry conference room, after attending a meeting on river route security measures during Ramadan and Eid. The minister added that all procedures regarding the formation of the shipping police had been completed and it would start working soon.

“Though the formation procedures and posting of forces for the police unit have been completed, we cannot officially start its work due to some difficulties in finding office space,” he added.

“We are searching for a place where the office of the newly formed unit will

be set up. It will officially start its work after setting up the office. Until then, the forces will work to ensure safe journeys on river routes during Ramadan and Eid,” Shahjahan informed.

Earlier last may, the shipping minister said the new force, initially formed with a total of 730 officials, would soon be inaugurated by the prime minister.

However, the formal inauguration of the force has yet to be held.

He said the shipping police will work to prevent extortion and robbery on river routes and ensure safety for home-bound passengers.

“Incidents of extortion and robbery take place centering sand lifting and trading and we have identified areas, such as Muktarpur, Basila and Keraniganj, as spots where crime is most rampant,” the minister said.

Shajahan Khan also said the ministry had decided to lift the existing leasing system of three launch ghats in Kawrakandi of Madaripur, Paturia of Manikganj and Daulatdia of Rajbari district.

“The passengers will not have to pay for using the ghats. The decision will be implemented before Eid,” he confirmed.

The minister, who presided over the meeting, said that the government will be tough on over-loaded launches and river transports during Ramadan and Eid as such irregularities might make vessels venerable to natural disasters during the monsoon.

“So, the ministry has decided to stop the over loading of launches by using mobile courts and deploying police forces. The launch authorities must leave the station when the load-level is reached.

No transports will be allowed to take passengers from mid-river stoppages.

“Launch owners have also assured the ministry that they will not charge extra fares from passengers during Eid. They will charge fares as per the chart fixed by the government earlier. All of the passenger launches will take double trips during this period to reduce transport crises. The BIWTC authority will fix the date for starting the double trips of the launches,” the shipping minister said.

The minister also said ferries will not carry ordinary trucks or transport starting from three days before and ending three days after Eid day. l

Bangladesh Railway will start selling train tickets in advance from July 20 in order to ease the commute of homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Railway Minister Mazibul Hoque has made the announcement in a press briefing at the ministry yesterday afternoon.

Passengers can buy the tickets in advance both online and from the ticket counters, the minister said. The railway station will sell the return tickets from July 27, he added.

Each passenger can buy a maximum of four tickets. The tickets for July 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 will be available on July 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 respectively.

The return tickets for July 31 and August 1,2,3 and 4 will be available from July 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31.

Around 166 bogies will be added to the inter-city trains ahead of Eid and everyday around 18,000 tickets will be sold from Dhaka, the minister added.

However, law enforcers, including RAB, police, BGB, RNB and GRP will be deployed in the railway station to

maintain law and order.

Although the government has announced date of rail advance tickets, but the decision to sell the advance tickets of bus and launch are yet to be finalised.

Khandakar Enayetullah, secretary general of a bus owners’ association, said, “The decision will be taken in a meeting after next two days.”

Bangladesh bus-truck owners’ association working committee member Salauddin said , “The advance bus ticket sale usually starts after 15 Ramadan [July 14].”

About the advanced launch tickets, Mahbub Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram, chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways (passenger carriers) Association (BIWA) said, “The tickets would be sold from July 18, but it is not the final decision.”

He added that the special launch service would be added after 25 Ramadan. Usually, four-five special launch services are added ahead of every Eid. Mahbub said: “More than 300,000 passengers travel during Eid by launch.” l

RMG workers stage protests in Savar, CEPZ n Tribune Report Ready-made garment (RMG) workers of several factories in Dhaka and Chittagong staged protests yesterday in their respective factories over wage-related issues.

In the capital’s Savar area, workers of Green Life Knit Composite Ltd and ZA Apparels Ltd in Ashulia and Snow White Composite Ltd in Akran staged protests over the delay in wage payment, reports our Savar correspondent.

Workers of Green Life factory had put work on hold since yesterday morning as the factory owners failed to pay their due wages of two months on Saturday as promised, said several factory workers as well as police sources.

In Snow White factory, workers staged an agitation movement and vandalised the factory as the owners owed them three months’ pay and were stalling the payments.

Upon receiving information, in-

dustrial police went to the scene and brought the situation under control.

In ZA Apparels, the factory that was recently gutted by fire, workers demanded payment of last month’s wage and their Eid bonus before Eid as well as immediately resuming the factory’s operations.

Upon receiving information, industrial police rushed to the spot and assured them they would be paid soon.

In Chittagong, workers of Denim Plus BD Ltd in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) staged a protest on the factory premises around 11am over a dispute with the factory authorities about their salary increment, states our correspondent in Chittagong.

They also vandalised some factories inside the CEPZ, said police and eyewitnesses.

Workers also demanded better quality of food for lunch and improved transport facilities, said Abul Monsoor, officer-in-charge of EPZ police station. l

Hundreds of commuters have to wait for a long time at the capital’s Farmgate intersection to reach their destinations as there were very few vehicles yesterday than usual NASHIRUL ISLAM

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Monday, July 7, 2014

Erosion takes a serious turn in two districts n Tribune Report

River erosion has taken a serious turn recently in Rajbari and Kurigram districts due to continuous rain, high tide and onrush of water from the upstream.

According to Rajbari correspondent, erosion by the Padma River has worsened recently in Lalgola, Mohadevpur and Charjowkura areas under Sadar upazila.

According to sources, a sudden rise in water level triggered by continuous rain, high tide and onrush of water from the upstream have caused the erosion over the past three days.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Dewan Mahbubur Rahman said the river had devoured half a kilometer of the river.

The upazila chairman advocate

Abdul Khaleque said the river also devoured hundred acres of cropland, many fruit orchards, several schools and madrasas.

The erosion is also posing a threat to educational institutions, grave yards, mosques, town protection embankment and government primary schools.

Local people said, hundreds of families had lost their homesteads.

They urged the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent the erosion.

Deputy Commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam Khan, along with upazila chairman advocate Abdul Khaleque , Mizanpur Union Parishad Chairman Atiar Rahman and Borat Union Parishad Chairman Md, Shasul Islam visited the eroded areas.

Rafiqul said that he had directed to

the last one month, locals say.

Many more families are to be homeless as water is going up putting the homesteads along the river banks at the mercy of erosion, they say.

The Dharla, Dudhkumar and Bramaputra rivers have had erosion at the 16 points of Bhogdanga, Jatrapur, Hatia and Chilmari Union Parishad at the Sadar upazila.

Different structures, including Jatrapur and Anantapur markets and various roads, are also on the verge of being devoured into the rivers.

Local people are trying to resist the erosion but they are helpless.

Jatrapur Union Parishad Chairman Abdul Gafur says they are failing to prevent the erosion as water has been continuing to rise in the rivers. Around 50 families of Garuhara village have

save Lalgola river embankment bank areas from the erosion.

He also informed concerned authorities about the situation and requested them to take necessary steps to save the areas from the erosion immediately.

When contacted, Md Lutfor Rahman, executive engineer of Rajbari Water Development Board, said “We have written to the higher authorities for providing necessary funds.”

“The work will be started after getting the fund,” he said.

According to Kurigram correspondent, the situation is grim as water has continued to go up and down causing erosion on the both sides of the rivers flowing through Kurigram district.

About 300 families have already become homeless in the river erosion in

become homeless in the last 24 hours.

Homeless people have now taken shelter along the embankment roads.

Hatia Union Parishad Chairman Abul Hossain also said the number of affected people is increasing as homesteads and arable land have continued to be devoured by the rivers.

Sources at the Deputy Commissioner’s office say Tk 10 lakh and 100 tonnes of rice have already been sought for helping out the affected people in the Sadar upazila.

Sources at the Water Development Board say erosion and increasing of water level have begun in the rivers at the same time. Government efforts are on to prevent such erosion permanently. Yet, new homesteads, trees and arable lands are being devoured by the rivers. l

Fire guts Islami Bank branch n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

170,000 yaba pills seized n Our Correspondent, Cox's Bazar Bangladesh Border Guard seized a Myanmar trawler carrying 170,000 yaba pills yesterday at Teknaf in the district.

Sources said a BGB team carried out the operation in the afternoon at the Naf River's outfall in Shah Parir Dwip.

BGB Commander Lt Col Abujar Al Zahid said they had signaled a suspicious trawler from Myanmar to stop but the criminals on-board had tried to get away with the vessel.

The border guards fired a warning shot and the people on the trawler jumped into the river.

The seized yaba pills have an estimated value of around Tk 51 million, Zahid said. l

SI crushed under train in Kishoreganj n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

Fire gutted Islami Bank of Maona branch in Gazipur district yesterday destroying two generators.

Shreepur fire service operator Mazharul Islam said: “The fire broke out on the second floor of the four-storied building around 1:45pm. The fire soon spread to other rooms of the bank.”

“Two units of Shreepur fire service are trying to douse the blaze. The reason behind the fire could not be known immediately,” he said.

Sojaul Haque, managing director of the bank, said the loss caused by the fire could go up to Tk 6 lakh. l

A female sub-inspector (SI) was crushed under the wheels of a train yesterday while she was trying to board the train at Kishoreganj railway station.

Aujufa Akter Lipi, 37, an inspector of a Gazipur court, had been visiting her in-laws at Patharia village under Karimganj upazila of the district and she was returning to her work place, police said.

She went to buy tickets at Kishoreganj railway station, leaving her daughter and a domestic helper in the train. When the train started moving, she ran to get on but suddenly slipped and fell the under wheels. She was left dead on the spot, said Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj railway police station. l

Top terrorist held in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Argentina fan electrocuted n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested an enlisted top terrorist from Chittagong city's Akbar Shah area early yesterday.

The arrested Nure Alam alias Nuru, 40, is accused of 17 cases lodged with different police stations of the port city, said Tanvir Arafat, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of CMP (West Zone). Police seized a lighter gun and three rounds of cartridges from his possession.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Akbar Shah police station conducted a drive in Ispahani rail gate area around 5am and detained Nuru from his den in a hilly area under the station, he added. l

An Argentina fan was electrocuted to death yesterday while trying to hoist an Argentina flag in Karimganj upazila.

The victim, Sabuj Mia, 16, was a grade IX student of Jafrabad High School and was from Beparipara village under Karimganj upazila in the district.

Police and local sources said Sabuj touched a live electric wire when he got on a berry tree to hoist the flag around 11am yesterday. He was left dead on the spot. Upon receiving information, fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and recovered the body around 12pm yesterday.

Md Aktaruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Karimganj police station confirmed the incident to the Dhaka Tribune. l

Firefighters try to douse the blaze at Islami Bank Maona branch in Gazipur district yesterday

Pirates desperate in Bhola and Barguna n Our Correspondent, Bhola The fishermen of the coastal district and Barguna have started moving into deep sea during the peak season for hilsa fishing, amid much apprehension regarding being attacked by local pirates.

In some cases, the pirates kill the poverty-stricken fishermen if they cannot loot “satisfactory quantity of valuables” from their boats or realise ransom money for them.

Sources in the district said the fishermen run their livelihoods on loans taken from local borrowers at high interest. To get relief from the burden of their loans, they have re-

portedly been forced to go out to fish, disregarding the risk to their lives.

The affected fishermen said the gang of the pirates has been forcing them to take pass cards, commonly known as “Pirate Pass,” for Tk50,000-60,000, and promising not to attack them. Moreover, the gang has also been threatening them of dire consequences including death if they did not collect the card.

The fishermen alleged that some corrupt officials get a portion from the looted money and that is why they were reluctant to conduct any constructive drives against the pirates.

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of Barguna Fishing Trawler Own-

ers’ Association, confirmed the situation saying they went hilsa fishing last season under the protection of law enforcers and that was why they had not needed to collect the pass card, but the pirates have been forcing them to take the cards this year.

Earlier, on the eve of the hilsa season, the gang killed about 26 fishermen who had drefused to collect the card and that is why the fishermen are afraid to collect the pass card this year, Golam Mostafa continued.

Pthargatha Coast Guard Station Commander M Arif Hossain said they have continued their drives against the pirates although they have been struggling with the member crisis.

Bazlur Rahman, a fisherman from Vasanchar area of Mehendiganj upazila, said the pirates often ambushed them after sensing their presence, causing them to fall victim to much loss.

“Due to the incessant looting, our wives pass their days in great tension when we go out to sea to catch hilsa,” Bazlur continued.

Nazrul Islam, commander of Bangladesh Coast Guard South Zone (Bhola), said they have about three hundred members in ten stations and the emergency contact numbers had been given to the local fishermen to seek help during any attack from the pirates. l

IHT students form human chain n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Students of the Institute of Health Technology form a human chain in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall in Barisal town yesterday to press home six-point demand DHAKA TRIBUNE

Students of the Institute of Health Technology (IHT) formed a human chain in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall of Barisal city yesterday and handed over a memorandum to the administration to press home their six-point demands.

The programme was organised by the general students' forum of the IHT and participated in by a huge number of students.

The rally was presided over by Aminul Islam Atik and was addressed

by Anik Das, Tanmoy Achayaria, and Golam Morshed, among others.

The agitated students' six point demands include introducing a 4-year course, giving permission to the intern students of the 2011-12 session to attend that course and giving IHT alum employees second class gazetted officer status like the diploma engineers. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Shital Pati production on the wane on rattan scarcity n Tribune Desk

The world famous Shital Pati (cane-made mat) industry is facing a downturn in production because of unavailability of Murtar, one kind of rattan used in mat-making, in the country.

A number of mat makers said once Shital Pati of Sylhet was very popular both at home and aboard and making the item was a means of livelihood for thousands of people.

Despite rising demand of the mat, the industry is on verge of extinction for various reasons, including unavailability of Murtar.

They said earlier thousands of people of many villages, including Teghoria, Chanpurom Shrinathpur, Atasion, Gouripur, Lohamora, Khujgipur, Koergaon, Harisham, Kalampur and Algapur in Balaganj upazila, were involved in mat-making profession.

Though the item was made in different other areas of Sylhet, Shital Pati of Balaganj was very popular at home and aboard.

It had good position both in local and international markets and was exported to England, France and Russia.

It is said that Shital Pati of Balaganj got place at the palace of Queen Victoria during the British period. Thus, Balaganj mat mak-

ers earned name and fame across the world in exchange of their products.

For Shital Pati, Jaduram Das of Balaganj won gold medal at craft exhibition in Kolkata in 1906 as the best craftsman. Manindnath of the upazila also received award at Crafts Exhibition held in Rome in 1991.

Besides, for Shital Pati, Pabanjoy Das of Balaganj was awarded as the best craftsman at the national level in 1982.

Abul Kalam, a mat maker of Kalampur village in Balaganj, said the industry developed in Sylhet as its weather and soil mostly suited cultivation of Murtar, the key material of mat. It takes three years for Murtar to grow fully, he added.

He said there are different types of mats namely Siki, Adhuli, Taka,Sonamuri, Nayantara and Asmantara. In most cases, the imposition of their names depends on size.

For preparing a mat, Abul Kalam said it may take three to four months for a skilled artisan and the prepared mat can be sold at prices ranging from Tk 2,000 to 8,000.

As a result, the number of Murtar gardens decreased, he said. He fears that though Murtar gardens are still found in different places of Sylhet region, that’s not enough to sustain the Shital Pati industry.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Monday, July 7, 2014

7

Back to the drawing board

The education statistics may support the political agenda, but is no indicator of a qualitative improvement in the education our children are receiving

H

n Amer Wahab istorical records and evidences serve a necessary purpose of reinforcing the moral foundation of a nation. Our beliefs, our secular traditions and the different identities that we embody as a Bangali nation were the inspirations behind our struggle to separate our nation from the ideology of Pakistan.

Unfortunately, over the years the events that led to our emancipation, were gradually undermined by vulgar intrusions, facilitated largely by regimes and individuals who had strongly held on to their orientation under the ideological schools of Pakistan.

Secular traditions of the Bangali people never encouraged the belief that religion will disappear from their lives. In a country with more than 130 million Muslims, do we really need a custodian of Islam, that too in a political party?

Unfortunately, post 1975, religious sectarianism has been consciously sponsored by state apparatus. This fusion of religion and politics has had disastrous consequences in Pakistan, and in Bangladesh we have consciously allowed religion to infiltrate all areas of the public domain including education institutions.

There appear to be similarities between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the structure and nature of the self-defeating intervention by political parties, the military regimes and bureaucracy in the education institutions. They are failing to commit to a sustainable standard, a uniform and egalitarian stream of education accessible to children irrespective of their social and economic background.

Insights on the school text books of Pakistan led me to believe that although we are doing far better than Pakistan, the dark clouds of distress are gradually forming in our skies as well.

The case of Pakistan It is important and of relevance to discuss the prejudices that are nurtured and the diet of lies that are fed to the children in schools in Pakistan and how it has impacted the nation.

The factual inaccuracies and conspiracy theories in Pakistani school text books has worked very well as an ideological instrument for successive military regimes to consolidate their power breeding hatred and intolerance towards non-Muslims with the rhetoric of violence and an abject glorification of the military.

Subversion of historical facts started during the regime of Bhutto after the humiliating defeat of the army in 1971 and, “Fundamentals of War and Defense of Pakistan,” was introduced as a full two–year–long course for Class XI and Class Xll, discussing modern warfare and weapons, defense problems, causes of war, etc.

During Ziaul Haq’s regime, the process intensified and religion (Islam) was used to invoke fear of the “enemy” and foster a sense of pan-Islamic identity, emphasising that it was the responsibility of every Muslim to prepare for the defense of Islam through jihad. Children were motivat-

Lord Buddha said, ‘Children who are fed lies breed violence’ ed through social studies text books with statements like “Hindus burn the wife after the husband dies but Muslims don’t,” to explain the difference between Hindus and Muslims, “make speeches on jihad,” etc.

In Grade V text books, more glaring onslaughts are perpetrated with narratives like, “Pakistan is for Muslims alone,” and “Muslims are urged to fight jihad against the infidels.” “The anti-Islamic forces are always trying to finish the Islamic domination of the world,” reads a passage from Social Studies text book of Grade IV in the Punjab province.

reveals that in addition to encouraging Indophobia the hateful content in text books in Punjab has increased from 45 lines in 2009 to 122 lines in 2012.

The following extracts from Class V text book exposes further the ludicrous nature of assault on the history of Pakistan; “Previously, India was a part of Pakistan,” “In the 1971 India–Pakistan war, the Pakistan armed forces created new record of bravery and the Indian forces were defeated everywhere,” with no mention of the 90,000 PoWs that India returned and the atrocities carried out by the army in Bangladesh.

Today, the inefficiency of every national institution and the mindset of our national leaders is a glaring example of how naively we have ignored and weakened our education system over the years

The narratives on the events of 1971 are replete with severe shortcomings. The “Role of Hindu Teachers,” in corrupting the mind of the Bangalis against the people of West Pakistan and “International Conspiracies,” appear as dominating factors behind the separation of East Pakistan with no mention at all of the atrocities committed by the Pakistani military.

The role of Hindus finds precedence in all narratives in text books on the history of the period which Abbas Hossain, director of the Teachers Development Centre, has termed as a total farce.

Instilling preconditions Pervez Hoodbhoy, a noted academic and Professor of Physics at the Quaide-Azam University in Islamabad, says, “If Pakistan taught honest history to our children they would be explaining why East Pakistan felt exploited and fought for independence.

Instead, our children are taught cock-and–bull conspiracy nonsense.”

Children are taught the “importance of Jihad in everyday life,” and trained to make “speeches on jihad.” A content analysis of text books by the Commission of Justice and Peace in Pakistan

The appropriation of the responsibility for rewriting and reinventing history by successive military regimes and political party ideologues, the innumerable unregulated religious schools and political instability have contributed much in producing a very large population of religious extremists who are easy recruits and hopelessly out of control in and beyond the country.

Today, Al-Qaeda and its partners reject democracy as un-Islamic, and easily finds support among the vast majority of individuals who has digested sham narratives of myths from text books and the clerics.

The case of Bangladesh For Bangladesh, it may not have been possible at the initial stage of the nation building process to assign equal priority to education, infrastructure development and health.

However, and sadly, over the last 43 years we have not committed any meaningful effort to standardise and bring about any consequential improvement in the primary and secondary curriculum, an essential component to ensure access to non-discriminating education and train the minds of the future nation builders.

The education statistics may appear

SYED LATIF HOSSAIN

very impressive with high enrollment and literacy rate and student graduating rates in primary and secondary exams (92% in 2014) and the number of children receiving GPA awards. These statistics may support the political agenda of the regime in power but is no indicator of a qualitative improvement in the education our children are receiving.

We have been chasing vulgar means to attain a higher literacy and graduating rate in the SSC exams, perhaps to meet the target set by donors in the education sector, compromising the quality of education. There is no pride in merely attaining a high literacy rate, pride is realised in the minds we can cultivate and produce.

The standard of primary and secondary education reflects not only on the crop of students we receive at the colleges and the universities, a crude reflection is also noticeable across all areas of the employment market, in governance, politics and all national institutions.

The damage continues The fallout has already started showing signs of irreparable damage to our national well-being. The dismally poor state of our education system can be attributed to the frequent changes made in the primary and secondary curriculum under successive regimes, questionable quality of reading materials, questionable qualification and commitment of teachers and massive corruption.

A report published recently in a national daily states that out of 323 government-run secondary schools, 213 are without headmasters and the position has remained vacant over the last two years.

Several streams of education co-existing in Bangladesh, including Madrasas (Alia & Qawmi), which focus largely on religious education, remains unregulated and incubates different shades of religious fundamentalists threatening the secular tradition of the nation. Unfortunately, in our case we failed to determine what the mandatory curriculum for all streams of our national education system should be, more specifically that of primary and secondary education where the character of a nation is reinforced and nurtured.

Added to all this chaos is the unregulated industry of private sector universities and medical colleges.

Trained under a substandard primary and secondary education system, graduates of these universities have already entered the professional

world to shape the nation’s future as politicians, doctors, engineers and bureaucrats.

Today, the inefficiency of every national institution and the mindset of our national leaders is a glaring example of how naively we have ignored and weakened our education system over the years.

Added to the inconsistencies in the structure of our education system is the needless interference with the contents of text books more specifically relating to the history of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the History of Bangladesh has been the subject where unabated interference has taken place.

Changes were made every time the power bloc shifted, more specifically, regarding the “Declaration of Independence.” Feeding falsities, omission of the word Bangabondhu and discrimination in the biography of national leaders were the assaults made most frequently in text books and an entire nation of citizens are growing up confused and lost regarding history.

The volume of man hours spent debating who declared independence and frequently tampering with historical facts could have well been spent to streamline the education system.

The volume of man hours spent debating who declared independence and frequently tampering with historical facts could have well been spent to streamline the education system

The overwhelming divide that we observe across streams of school systems if not firmly confronted today and the quality of education improved, ensuring access of children to a non-discriminating stream of education, as well as insulate religion from being misused, we will subject ourselves to the mercy of a fascist state in the very near future and the dam of extremism in different forms will burst open and engulf the whole nation. l

Amer Wahab Is a marketing research professional with interest in History and Politics.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Monday, July 7, 2014

Analysts: Caliph al-Baghdadi’s sermon at Iraq mosque show of confidence n AFP, Baghdad The first appearance of self-proclaimed “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a video shot in an Iraqi mosque illustrates the extent of his jihadist group’s control and confidence, experts say.

Baghdadi, whose Islamic State (IS) group holds territory in both Iraq and Syria, called for Muslims to “obey” him during the prayer sermon at the Al-Nur mosque in Mosul on Friday, according to the video distributed online the following day.

The appearance was surprising for a militant who cultivated an image of a reclusive battlefield commander.

It is the latest in a series of moves that have brought IS back to prominence after it had been on the ropes — culminating in the offensive it led last month that captured chunks of Iraqi territory.

“Put simply, one of the most wanted men on earth was able to travel into central Mosul and give a 30-minute sermon in the most venerated mosque in the largest city under control of the most notorious jihadist group of our time,” said Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.

“The fact that Baghdadi has appeared publicly at all in such a central location underlines the extent of confidence felt within his organisation.”

The Islamic State spearheaded a Sunni Arab militant offensive that captured Mosul, the second largest

An image grab taken from a propaganda video released on Saturday by al-Furqan Media allegedly shows the leader of the Islamic State (IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, aka Caliph Ibrahim, adressing Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Mosul AFP city in Iraq, on June 10.

The video posted Saturday showed a portly man clad in a long black robe and turban with a thick greying beard — purportedly Baghdadi — addressing worshippers at weekly prayers in central Mosul.

Superimposed text identified the man as “Caliph Ibrahim,” the name Baghdadi took when the group on June 29 declared a “caliphate,” a pan-Islamic state last seen in Ottoman times, in which the leader is both political and religious.

It marked a remarkable turnaround for IS under Baghdadi’s leadership.

When he took over the group, then an al-Qaeda affiliate and known as the Islamic State of Iraq, it was believed to be reeling from the US military’s “surge” of troops and the decision of Sunni tribal militias to turn against it and fight alongside American forces.

Slowly rebuilt But it slowly rebuilt its resources and command structure, later capitalising on the chaos caused by the civil war in neighbouring Syria to expand into the country last year.

Baghdadi subsequently cut all ties to al-Qaeda, and his influence now rivals that of the group’s global

chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

His group is known across both Iraq and Syria for its brutality, having executed and crucified its opponents in Syria and carried out a litany of bombings across Iraq.

“Everything about the group... has been daring, so it makes sense that Baghdadi would step out of the shadows and into the limelight,” said Will McCants, a former counter-terrorism adviser at the US State Department.

“Baghdadi’s sermon doesn’t make sense from a security perspective but it does make a lot of sense in the context of his competition with Al-Qaeda for leadership of the global jihad,” said McCants, now a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy.

The jihadist group has attracted thousands of foreign fighters to its cause, including many from Western countries, drawn in particular to Baghdadi, who is believed to have joined the insurgency in Iraq following the US-led invasion in 2003 and spent time in an American military prison in the country.

The would-be militants are also attracted, experts say, to the fact that IS is seen as working towards an ideal Islamic emirate and, compared with Al-Qaeda’s franchise in Syria, has lower entry barriers.

It has also sought to appeal to non-Arabs by producing magazines and videos in English as well as other European languages.l

British engineer building rocket to ‘revolutionise’ space travel n Agencies Some time in the middle of the next decade a revolutionary new engine will propel a reusable space plane called Skylon towards the heavens, hopefully changing the way we escape our atmosphere for ever, The Independent reported. The Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (Sabre) isn’t a product of Nasa or a super-wealthy space entrepreneur. It’s the brainchild of a quiet, British engineer called Alan Bond. And, from its base in a science park near Oxford, his company Reaction Engines is getting closer to perfecting its design. Bond has spent his working life trying to solve a problem that most people haven’t even considered; space crafts powered by traditional rockets are far too expensive and unreliable, and will never provide humankind with the tools to explore our solar system and beyond.

“On the face of it space rockets are an extremely good and established way of getting craft into space,” he says, “but they are incredibly expensive, so much so that a typical commercial launch will cost somewhere in the region of £100m, which is equivalent of buying a Boeing 747 before using it just once and sending it to the crusher.”

There is strict security at the site with a sign warning of an “elevated” threat, though this is more to do with an Atomic Energy Research Establishment site next door. Bond is furtive crossing the car park to the test site though, admitting that

Dozens of Israel Arabs held as teen murder protests spread n AFP, Jerusalem Israeli police made dozens of arrests overnight as violent protests over the murder of a Palestinian teenager by suspected Jewish extremists swept Arab Israeli towns into Sunday.

The military meanwhile carried out 10 air strikes on Gaza in response to persistent rocket fire into southern Israel as hopes faded of a renewed truce with its Islamist foe Hamas.

Violence which rocked annexed Arab east Jerusalem for four straight days after the kidnap and murder of the Palestinian teenager on Wednesday, spread to half a dozen Arab towns in Israel on Saturday.

The initial results of a post-mortem found that the 16-year-old was likely burned alive in what many Palestinians believe was a revenge killing by Jewish extremists after the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the occupied West Bank last month.

“Around 35 people were arrested overnight, almost half of them minors,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP. Of those, 22 were arrested in and around the northern city of Nazareth, the most populous Arab town in Israel.

The rest were arrested in Taibe in the north and the Triangle region around Umm el Fahm, an Islamist stronghold northeast of Tel Aviv, where clashes continued into Sunday, Samri added.

“We are demonstrating against this incitement to hatred by Israelis online, who are saying ‘death to Arabs’,” one demonstrator in the Triangle town of Qalansuwa told army radio.

Israel police confirmed they had opened an internal investigation into allegations of police brutality following the publication of a video showing border police beating a handcuffed detainee.

The video was released as news emerged that a 15-year-old Palestinian with US citizenship had been badly beaten while in police custody in east Jerusalem, triggering condemnation from the US State Department.

Rockets on Beersheva

The latest round of violence began on June 12 with the kidnap and subsequent murder of three Israeli teenagers in an attack Israel blamed on Hamas.

The kidnapping triggered a major army crackdown on the West Bank, with more than 400 Palestinians arrested, two-thirds of them Hamas members, and six people killed in clashes sparked by the arrests. Two days after their bodies were found, a Palestinian of similar age from east Jerusalem was kidnapped and killed, sparking clashes which on Saturday spread to Israeli Arab towns.

Tensions have also been high in and around Gaza, where Hamas has its stronghold, with militants responding to the West Bank crackdown with rocket fire on southern Israel. The air force has hit back with almost nightly strikes, which have killed three Palestinian militants so far. l

there is an undisclosed UK military interest in Sabre. He won’t go into details, pointing out that of far greater concern is corporate espionage against the £360m project; the idea behind Sabre is truly revolutionary.

The Sabre design is so effective because it operates as a traditional jet engine at take-off and during the ascent, before “transforming” into a powerful hydrogen-burning rocket engine to send the Skylon at Mach 25 beyond Earth’s atmosphere. This allows the Skylon to operate like a plane and re-enter the atmosphere, before landing on a normal runway.

It sounds “simple enough” admits Bond, but to get it right the firm has had to develop a whole host of technologies, including a heat exchanger and pre-cooler to cope with the drop in temperature from 1,000C to -140C in a fraction of a second, as high-speed air hits the engine.

This hot air can’t be allowed to frost, which would doom the craft to oblivion.

Exactly how this is prevented is a closely guarded secret, but Bond says that the firm “is set to announce up to a dozen patents soon.” Space industry insiders will be watching closely.

The Skylon craft itself will be equally revolutionary; using ultra-lightweight material it will essentially be one huge hydrogen tank, making it light enough for easy re-entry. The result will be a craft that costs £500m to buy and just £3m to launch per mission. l

NEWS BITES

Nigerian army says it has killed 53 Boko Haram fighters

n Reuters, Maiduguri

Israeli riot police secure a street during clashes with Palestinian protesters (unseen) in the Arab Israeli city of Ar’Ara, north of Israel. Israeli police made dozens of arrests overnight as violent protests over the murder of a Palestinian teenager by suspected Jewish extremists swept Arab Israeli towns into yesterday AFP

Report: Americans caught up in data sweep n AP, Washington

When the National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted the online accounts of legally targeted foreigners over a four-year period it also collected the conversations of nine times as many ordinary Internet users, both Americans and non-Americans, according to an investigation by The Washington Post.

Nearly half of those surveillance files contained names, email addresses or other details that the NSA marked as belonging to US citizens or residents, the Post reported in a story posted on its website Saturday night. While the federal agency tried to protect their privacy by masking more than 65,000 such references to individuals, the newspaper said it found nearly 900 additional email addresses that could be strongly linked to US citizens or residents.

At the same time, the intercepted messages contained material of considerable intelligence value, the Post reported, such as information about a secret overseas nuclear project, double-dealing by an ostensible ally, a military calamity that befell an unfriendly power, and the identities of aggressive intruders into US computer networks.

As an example, the newspaper said

the files showed that months of tracking communications across dozens of alias accounts led directly to the capture in 2011 of a Pakistan-based bomb builder suspected in a 2002 terrorist bombing in Bali. The Post said it was withholding other examples, at the request of the CIA, that would compromise ongoing investigations.

The material reviewed by the Post included roughly 160,000 intercepted e-mail and instant-message conversations, some of them hundreds of pages long, and 7,900 documents taken from more than 11,000 online accounts. It spanned President Barack Obama’s first term, 2009 to 2012, and was provided to the Post by former NSA analyst

This June 6 file photo shows plaques outside the National Security Ageny (NSA) campus in Fort Meade AP

Edward Snowden.

The daily lives of more than 10,000 account holders who were not targeted were catalogued and recorded, the Post reported. The newspaper described that material as telling “stories of love and heartbreak, illicit sexual liaisons, mental-health crises, political and religious conversions, financial anxieties and disappointed hopes.” The material collected included more than 5,000 private photos, the paper said.

The cache Snowden provided to the newspaper came from domestic NSA operations under the broad authority granted by Congress in 2008 with amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to the Post.

By law, the NSA may “target” only foreign nationals located overseas unless it obtains a warrant based on probable cause from a special surveillance court, the Post said. “Incidental collection” of third-party communications is inevitable in many forms of surveillance, according to the newspaper. In the case of the material Snowden provided, those in an online chat room visited by a target or merely reading the discussion were included in the data sweep, as were hundreds of people using a computer server whose Internet protocol was targeted. l

Nigeria’s military said that it had killed 53 fighters from the Islamist Boko Haram group when it repelled an attack on a military base in the northeast Nigerian town of Damboa. A statement from defence spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade added that five soldiers and a senior military officer had also been killed in an exchange of fire on Friday night. The military often reports high casualty figures for the rebels and relatively low ones on its own side. It is usually not possible to verify these reports independently.

Earlier, police said insurgents had attacked the Damboa base, in the northeasterly Borno state, with rocket-propelled grenades. A security source said the raid was a revenge mission after dozens of Boko Haram militants were killed in an air and ground attack on two of their camps in the Yejiwa and Alagarno areas. In a separate incident, also on Friday, a suicide bomber targeting worshippers at a mosque in a remote village in the village of Konduga in northeast Nigeria killed five people and wounded dozens, a security source said on Saturday, in an area where Islamist insurgents are mounting attacks almost daily.

The source, who declined to be named, said Muslims in the village were observing Friday prayers when the pickup truck approached. A local vigilante group stopped the truck to inspect it and the bomber then detonated the bomb a few metres from the mosque, he said. l

Yemen bombs Shi’ite rebels after truce collapses, 70 killed

n Reuters, Sanaa

The Yemeni air force has bombed Shi’ite Muslim fighters north of Sanaa in fighting that killed at least 70 people, local officials said, after a truce reached last month between the insurgents and government forces collapsed. The fighting in northern Yemen, which has taken on a sectarian tone, is further destabilising a country struggling to overcome a range of problems including a secessionist movement in its south and the nationwide spread of an al Qaeda insurgency.

Shi’ite Houthi fighters, officially known as Ansarullah, blamed army units linked to the Sunni Muslim Islah party for breaking the June 23 ceasefire on Friday, when government troops advanced on an area in al-Jouf province, northeast of Sanaa.

A Yemeni government official said the army’s advance on the town of al-Safra had been prompted by the failure of Houthi fighters to vacate positions in compliance with the ceasefire. Tribal sources in al-Jouf, which is partly controlled by the Houthi rebels, said at least 10 Houthi fighters, five tribesmen and three soldiers had been killed in fighting on Friday. The fighting later spread to the adjacent Omran province in which at least 40 Houthi fighters, four government soldiers and eight Sunni tribesmen had also died. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Monday, July 7, 2014

Taliban fighters cut hair and beards to flee Modi to target record asset sales Pakistan army assault in North Waziristan n in first budget AFP, Bannu, Pakistan

n Reuters, New Delhi India’s new government will seek to raise up to a record $11.7bn in asset sales in its maiden budget this week, a senior government source said, bolstering state finances and buying time for structural reforms to revive a weak economy.

The privatisation target could reach 700bn rupees, almost equal to all proceeds over the last four years, in a budget Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopes will launch the growth and jobs agenda that in May won him India’s biggest election mandate in three decades. The budget is due on Thursday.

“The finance ministry has approached different ministries to increase the divestment target,” said the senior official with direct knowledge of the budget process. The previous government had pencilled in sell-off proceeds of 569bn rupees ($9.5bn).

The 63-year-old premier has made a decisive start by naming a streamlined cabinet, approving a slew of infrastructure projects and embarking on what promises to be a whirlwind first year of trade diplomacy.

The privatisation target could reach 700bn rupees in a budget Modi hopes will launch the growth and jobs agenda that in May won him India’s biggest election mandate in three decades But his government has been plagued too by the economic ills that brought down its predecessor: weak growth and high inflation caused by spending too much and investing too little.

Despite the market reforms of 1991 that brought down the curtain on decades of socialist isolation, tracts of Asia’s third-largest economy remain off limits to outside investors.

Modi wants to open up industries like defence, but selling controlling stakes in bloated state enterprises is out of the question. They are not competitive and any job cuts ordered by a foreign owner would cause an outcry.

Instead, he will whittle down state stakes in firms that have already been partly sold, like Steel Authority of India Ltd , without surrendering overall control, said the official and other sources familiar with the plans.

Indian stocks have enjoyed a Modi boom, rallying 23 percent this year.

Listed state firms have outperformed on hopes that wider ownership would discipline managers and that their bottom line would benefit from a loosening of price controls.

Leading the pack is Indian Oil, which has gained 62 percent in 2014. ONGC, another oil firm, is up 46 percent. Coal India has risen 36 percent.

Tax, subsidy reforms

In setting an ambitious asset-sale target, the government will face inevitable scepticism from investors who are used to seeing its predecessors miss their privatisation goals.

The Modi government will also have limited scope to put its stamp on this first budget, which has been delayed by the election and will be delivered three months into the budget year to March 2015. The deficit is already near half the annual goal inherited from the last government: 4.1 percent of GDP. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to roll out other revenue measures in addition to the asset sales, including a General Sales Tax that would unite India’s 29 federal states into a common market.

The measure would make it easier to do business and, over time, broaden the tiny tax base, which last year was a mere 8.9 percent of India’s $1.9 trillion gross domestic product - about a quarter of the average for the OECD club of developed nations.

Some of the “bitter medicine” that Modi has warned Indians to expect would come, the senior government official said, in the form of reductions to subsidies on fuel, fertiliser and food that cost 2.3 percent of GDP. Jaitley in turn has warned against “mindless populism,” heeding the advice of officials at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) who have warned him that fiscal laxity would complicate their task of curbing inflation, now in the high single digits.

Fiscal consolidation, predictable taxes and low inflation are key anchors that India needs for economic and financial stability, Governor Raghuram Rajan wrote in the RBI’s recent financial stability report, underlining that message.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters rushed to disguise themselves with new haircuts in the weeks before a Pakistani army assault, it has emerged, as refugees revealed details of life under the militants — and their taste for imported luxuries.

Azam Khan was one of the top barbers in Miranshah — the main town of North Waziristan — until he, like nearly half a million others, fled the long-awaited offensive unleashed by the Pakistan military on the tribal area in June.

He told AFP his business boomed in the month leading up to the army assault as the militants sought to shed their distinctive long-haired, bearded look. “I have trimmed the hair and beards of more than 700 local and Uzbek militants ahead of the security forces’ operation,” he said while cutting hair in a shop in Bannu, the town where most civilians fled.

For years he cut Taliban commanders’ hair to match the flowing locks of former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud, killed by a US drone last November, but in May a change in style was called for.

“The same leaders came asking for trimming their beards and hair very short, saying that they were going to the Gulf and wanted to avoid problems

Jabbing his finger repeatedly in the air, presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto shouted to supporters in a packed Jakarta stadium that the corrupt had no place in Indonesia.

“You who disgrace Indonesia, you who buy Indonesia ... we must answer ‘No! Not this time! Indonesia wants to stand with dignity,’” the pugnacious former special forces general said to a roar of applause in a speech ahead of this week’s election.

Behind him, applauding, sat one of the most senior Indonesian officials ever to be investigated in a government probe into graft, who is also the head of a major Islamic party supporting Prabowo’s July 7 presidential bid.

Suryadharma Ali quit as the religious affairs minister in May after being named by the federal anti-corruption agency KPK of being involved in embezzling from the $5bn state fund allocated for the pilgrimage to Mecca. Indonesia, the biggest economy in southeast Asia, has the world’s biggest population of Muslims.

at Pakistani airports,” Khan said.

Even Uzbeks and Tajiks with little knowledge of the local language came to him, he said. “Knowing little Pashto, they used to utter four words: ‘mulgari (friend), machine, zero, Islamabad’,” said Khan — asking him to shave their beards to nothing so they could go to Islamabad.

The Pakistani military launched the offensive against militants in North Waziristan tribal area on June 15, vowing

to wipe out the strongholds they have used to wreak countless deadly terror attacks across the nuclear-armed state.

The rugged, mountainous area on the Afghan border has been a hideout for years for Islamist militants of all stripes — including al-Qaida and the homegrown TTP as well as foreign fighters including Uzbeks and Uighurs.

For years people from North Waziristan remained tight-lipped about

China gives rare glimpse at naval ships China gave Western journalists a rare look aboard two People’s Liberation Army vessels during the Rim of the Pacific naval exercises in which it participated for the first time. Below are some pictures from AP:

Oil companies

The government has signalled its willingness to trim its stakes in listed companies by backing a regulatory move to gradually increase the minimum free-float requirement for stocks included in India’s benchmark indexes, to 25 percent from 10 percent now. State-controlled firms currently have a 16 percent weighting in the indexes.

“It is the right time to sell stakes in public sector companies as the stock market is booming,” said the official, who requested anonymity as the budget process is confidential.

Jaitley plans to front-load share sales, with a 5 percent stake in Steel Authority of India, worth $340m, on the docket for late July, say sources familiar with the deal.

That is likely to be followed by a 10 percent stake in Coal India, the world’s largest coal miner that is now 90 percent state owned. A deal would, based on current market pricing, be worth around $4bn.

A senior oil ministry official said some of India’s leading oil companies were contenders for the share-sale programme, but did not name any names.

A final decision would be taken by the finance ministry. l

Behind Prabowo’s campaign to become Indonesia’s president, a questionable crew n Reuters, Jakarta

Internally displaced Pakistanis fleeing from a military operation against Taliban militants in North Waziristan receive haricuts at a barbershop in Bannu AFP

life in a Taliban fiefdom, scared of being kidnapped or even beheaded if they shared information about the militants.

But as the exodus of people has grown, some have found the confidence to tell their stories. While the militants bombed and maimed thousands in their fight to install an austere sharia regime in Pakistan and publicly professed contempt for the West, in North Waziristan they indulged themselves with fancy imported goods.

Hikmatullah Khan, a shopkeeper in Miranshah, said that at the same time as commanders were insisting he pay 300 rupees ($3) a month “tax,” their fighters were stocking up on grooming products.

“They were very keen to buy foreign-branded shampoos, soaps and perfumed sprays,” Khan told AFP. “They had a lot of eagerness for French and Turkish perfumes, body sprays and soaps.”

Muhammad Zarif, a wholesale merchant in Datta Khel, near Miranshah, said fighters would buy large quantities of British detergent and American cooking oil, much of it smuggled from Dubai.

Pakistan’s allies, particularly the United States, have long called for an operation to flush out groups like the Haqqani network, which use the area to target Nato troops in neighbouring Afghanistan. l

Ali has maintained his innocence.

“Being made a suspect is not the final say on the matter,” he told local media.

But the presence of Ali and others being investigated for corruption in his coalition raises the question of how effective Prabowo may be if he beats front-runner Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to lead the world’s third-largest democracy for the next five years.

His other allies include the Prosperous Justice Party, whose chairman was jailed over a beef import scandal, and the Golkar party of business tycoon Aburizal Bakrie, several of whose members are facing corruption charges. Most of the allies are in the coalition of current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“The spirit of democracy is being damaged by various practices,” Prabowo said in a debate with his rival on Saturday. “I’m not saying there are no thieves in my party. But what I meant was this is a phenomenon in our country, who knows you might have them on your side.”

Prabowo’s brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo, a central figure in his

campaign, said earlier: “We have to make a few unintentional, unwanted compromises. The Indonesian judicial system presumes, innocence before proven guilty, so I don’t want to comment on the recent cases. But we will not compromise on our basic thesis.”

Insiders say all of Prabowo’s coalition partners have been promised seats in the cabinet, including a special, senior position for Bakrie, the head of the Bakrie Group, a prominent resources-to-telecommunications conglomerate that has struggled with environmental and debt problems.

“Prabowo says ‘welcome’ to every political party. ‘Welcome what do you want? One, two, three positions?” said Fahmi Idris, a senior official with Golkar. However, Bakrie spokesman Lalu Mara Satri Wangsa, who is also vice secretary general of Golkar, denied any deals had been agreed.

Opinion polls still have the popular and unassuming Jokowi in the lead, but the combative Prabowo, running on a platform of strong and effective government, is close behind. A crucial number of voters are undecided. l

Pakistan: Five indicted in woman’s stoning death n AP, Islamabad The father of a pregnant Pakistani woman who was stoned to death and four other men have been charged with killing her after she married against the family’s wishes and their trial was set to begin on Monday, police said.

Farzana Parveen, 25, was killed May 27 before a crowd of onlookers near a downtown courthouse in the eastern city of Lahore. A mob beat her with bricks and killed her as she was on her way to court to contest an abduction case her family had filed against her husband.

A Pakistani court indicted her father, two brothers, a cousin and a man who claimed he had been married to Parveen on charges of murder and torture on Saturday. All five men pleaded not guilty, according to Mian Zulfiqar, the police investigator.

The trial will begin on Monday when the court has called on prosecution witnesses to appear, said Zulfiqar. He said police and doctors who conducted the autopsy of the victim would be among those testifying. “We have a strong case against the suspects but it is up to the court how to take view of our investigation,” he said.

The case has brought international attention to violence against women in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where hundreds of women are killed by relatives each year in so-called “honor killings” carried out by husbands or relatives as

a punishment for alleged adultery or other illicit sexual behavior.

Arranged marriages are the norm among conservative Pakistanis, and Parveen’s family was angry she married Mohammed Iqbal for love. l

A family member of a pregnant woman who was stoned to death by a mob wails over her body in an ambulance at a hospital in Lahore. The father of Farzana Parveen and four other men were charged with killing her after she married against the family’s wishes AP

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Monday, July 7, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Speed up construction on Dhaka-Ctg highway

I

t is high time that construction work on the Dhaka-Chittagong fourlane highway project was brought back on schedule.

While delays are inevitable, it makes little sense that a highway expansion project, which was started in January 2011 and originally set to be completed in January 2013, is barely half done.

It is incumbent on the government to make certain that all parties that are part of this expansion project meet the new deadline, which has been set at the end of December this year.

The Dhaka-Chittagong highway is a primary transport route, as it connects the capital city with the primary port.

Completing the expansion from a two-lane route to a four-lane route is essential to free up the roads not just for commuters, but for the flow of goods as well.

All who need to avail this route should be able to do so without difficulty or being ensnared in traffic for hours, wasting precious time and money.

Again and again, we have seen important construction projects be marred by administrative procrastination, and this is no different. This does not need to be the case. It is entirely possible to go full steam ahead with construction, and without shoddy work being done.

Dillydallying on the highway expansion project helps no one, not the travelling public, nor the companies whose businesses are hurt.

It makes little sense that a highway expansion project set to be completed in January 2013 is barely half done

Don’t waste on energy

T

he International Monetary Fund’s proposal that Bangladesh reduce energy subsidies and focus more on improving social welfare indicators, if followed, will be highly beneficial for the country. We support this suggestion and urge the government to take the necessary initiatives to accomplish the task.

Energy subsidies hasten the exhaustion of our natural resources by encouraging unnecessary energy consumption. In addition to wasted resources, there is also harmful impact to the environment due to massive carbon dioxide emissions.

Instead of using taxpayer money to endorse inefficient use of energy, the government should spend on creating employment opportunities and providing social security to its citizens. It is encouraging that the government has already curtailed its budgetary allocation for fuel subsidies. Promoting economic efficiency in different sectors can help to bring down energy subsidies further.

Admittedly, subsidy reform is not an easy mission and may initially upset some people. But with proper preparation and a comprehensive plan with clear long-term aims, energy subsidies can be cut down without hurting other sectors.

We hope the government pays heed to IMF’s proposal if it wants to grant equitable opportunities to all. Keeping energy prices artificially low only has temporary benefits. If Bangladesh truly wants to evolve into a middle-income country, more attention needs to be given to our social welfare indicators and sustainable growth.

Instead of using taxpayer money to endorse inefficient use of energy, the government should spend on providing social security

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

Secularism isn’t Godlessness July 3

Sammy The author gives away his game by the phrase “Islam, properly enforced.” A religion that needs to be enforced is, at a prima facie level, inconsistent with democracy, secularism, and human rights. Thanks, but no, thanks! nds No, democracy and Islam can’t go together; they are mutually exclusive. In democracy, all power belongs to people, whereas in Islam all power belongs to Allah.

Kmak The author writes: “Secularism is not Godlessness as some would perceive and love to depict. It simply advocates the separation of religion from the state.”

Herein lies the problem. The notion of a separation between the state and religion presupposes religion to be something that is capable of being separated from the public sphere.

“The attempt to say that there is a trans-historical and trans-cultural concept of religion that is separable from secular phenomena is itself part of a particular configuration of power, that of the modern, liberal nation-state as it developed in the West.

As Wilfred Cantwell Smith showed in his landmark 1962 book, The Meaning and End of Religion, religion as a discrete category of human activity, separable from culture, politics, and other areas of life, is an invention of the modern West. Similarly, politics as a category of human endeavour independent of religion is a distinctly modern concept.” (William Cavanaugh, The Myth of Religious Violence).

Is secularism godlessness? In terms of political science, no. It is, as you passionately assert, simply a call for the separation between state and religion. But what about the philosophical and sociological implications of secularism?

Philosophically, secularism refers to a rejection of the transcendental and the metaphysical with a focus on the existential and the empirical. This is what Harvey Cox was referring to when he referred to secularism as “the liberation of man from religious and metaphysical tutelage, the turning of his attention away from other worlds and toward this one.”

Sociologically, secularism correlates with modernisation: A gradual process that leads to the declining influence of religion in social institutions, communal life, and human relationships.

This is an understanding of secularism which is most common in popular discussion of the topic and it is what Peter Berger has called a “process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols.”

(Nader Hashemi; Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy.)

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 9 represents K so fill K every time the figure 9 appears.

You have one letter in the control grid to start you off. Enter it 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, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Rodders I totally abhor the thought of religion being enforced in the daily activities of everyday human beings.

There is no outer force in secularism that forces people to adhere to any dogma, manmade or supposedly from the realms of “holy books,” but religion-based politics does not give society the same freedom. It merely enforces a narrow base of belief on people, regardless of whether they want to or not. No thanks, society is better off with secularism.

Kmak Rodders: “There is no outer force in secularism that forces people to adhere to any dogma”.

Tell that to the Muslim women in France who are not allowed to don the hijab or niqab in public or the Chinese Muslims in Xinjiang who are not allowed to fast during Ramadan, or the Muslims in Denmark who are not allowed the Halal slaughter of animals, among numerous other examples.

Rodders Kmak: These are extreme examples, and I am not advocating any of their rulings. For every France, there are 10 other secular countries where people are allowed to don whatever religious symbols they feel like. On the other hand, why don’t we have a look at countries ruled in practice, by Islamic law? Saudi Arabia, where the practice of other religions is effectively forbidden?

Pakistan, where atheism is forbidden? Afghanistan, maybe? Since you like picking out anomalies, maybe you can pick out an Islamic country, where fundamental freedoms and human rights are respected, no?

Kmak Rodders: Extreme examples? Your statement presupposes that secularism has a core which can be objectively defined so that any deviation there-from, as manifested in the examples I noted, is unsecular or, as you put it, extreme. This is a question begging fallacy. In the words of Charles Taylor, the noted political philosopher, “It is not entirely clear what is meant by secularism.” As such, France’s banning of public displays of religious symbols is just as valid as America’s allowing thereof.

On the other hand, your references to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan do represent extreme examples. Why? Because unlike secularism, Islam is based on a set of standards, namely the Qur’an and Sunnah, at the most basic level. Much of what is passed off as Islamic Law in some Muslim countries do contradict clear teachings of the Scripture.

Show you an Islamic country that has a better human rights record than any secular country? Sure.

Malaysia, where Islam is the state religion, has a better standing on this issue compared to China, for instance.

SUDOKU 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.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Slender support (4) 4 As well (4) 8 Zodiac sign (3) 9 Fruit (4) 10 Water-filled trench around castle (4) 11 Raised platform (5) 12 Nidus (4) 14 Regret (3) 15 Tree (3) 17 Cereal (3) 19 Precious stone (3) 21 Dry (4) 23 Thespian (5) 26 Part of a church (4) 27 Rumour (4) 28 Assist (3) 29 Burden (4) 30 Heavenly body (4)

DOWN 1 Boil gently (6) 2 Dash (4) 3 Measuring instrument (5) 4 Liable (3) 5 Letting contract (5) 6 Droop (3) 7 Mineral (3) 11 Bullock (5) 13 Sweetener (5) 16 Up-to-date (6) 18 Additional (5) 20 Musical note (5) 22 Skirting board (4) 23 Boring tool (3) 24 Dove’s call (3) 25 Uneven (3)

Press freedom is a fundamental right July 3

KS Yes, freedom of expression is a fundamental right!

ND KS: And to curtail that freedom for a Baksali government is a doctrine of necessity for survival.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Wasfia scales Mount Denali July 3

Kay Congratulations!!

Court orders probe into remarks on Bangabandhu July 2

Rodders I notice the university expelled the student over his protest over the derogatory remarks. It’s just really sad. The concept of democracy and free speech is absent from almost every sphere in this country, even the private educational sector.

Sammy Rodders: Well said. In a free country, the student would be free to peacefully protest and the teacher free from silly lawsuits.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

Dr Ahsan Habib When it is to her advantage, the PM brings us examples of US democracy, and sometimes she uses examples from communist countries.

Looks like Bangladesh has no set principle.

Fareed Wakil In a democracy, any citizen should be free to express his or her opinions on the Father of the Nation. On any national figure, in fact. If any American wants to call George Washington a lying scoundrel, he or she can do so. The British of all stripes call Cameron an idiot, and Tony Blair of course is the target for some very choice words. Nobody in a democracy can bring a case in court for expressing an opinion. We are not a one-party communist state. Otherwise we are not a democracy, which is really the freedom to express offensive opinions.

Freedom of speech is the right to be offensive.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Monday, July 7, 2014

A brand new, age-old problem n Maher Sattar

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Mud, myth, and Old Dhaka iftar

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n Towheed Feroze

amadan is about abstinence though there’s no stopping most of us from undertaking gastronomic adventures. Admit it: No point in making the month a drab affair. So, if someone wants to wake up late in the night and think: “Ok, I have had enough of sehri at home, today I will head for the Old part of town,” no one can blame that person.

Of course, before one heads towards the old city, an understanding of reality is a must. For those who are besotted by the Old Dhaka food fantasy, it’s better to come down to earth and accept things as they actually are.

First, with the monsoon lashing the city, it’s good to remember that to go to Chawkbazar, or Chawk as its known in short, to buy iftar, one has to be prepared for mud-world. A bit like water-world, there’s mud on the ground and the food is placed on tables that are placed on the dirty ground. The sellers are least bothered about the condition below.

So, do you have the mental tolerance to juxtapose mud and mutton roast, and dismiss the former with the thought: “Who cares about the dirt and water? It’s at least four feet from the table.”

Despite the messy setting and the pandemonium, I go there every year – you know that the scene will repel you, yet it’s difficult to resist. You are possibly thinking: “The food is so great that all other inconveniences can be forgotten.” Nope, the food, sorry to puncture your fantasy, is just average – at times even below that.

The mystique of Old Dhaka iftar rests in the fact that the food sold there have a savage attraction to it.

Where else will you find someone luring you with a roasted leg of lamb?

Or, stacks of roasted pigeons placed on a large tray garnished by at least 50 boiled eggs. There’s something elemental here which strikes a chord with the hedonistic feasts of Rome at the height of decadence.

man’s son have at home – Frankenstein? No, I didn’t ask him that.

Long time ago, when this dish had not made a place within urban myth, I bought some for my father-in-law who, a Dhakaiya himself, after tasting a little, said with a contorted face: I am renaming it Fakinnir Polae Khae (eaten by sons of vagrants).

Here’s one suggestion: Bring some of this dish and then use it as rodent

Then of course there is the much hyped dish named Boro Baaper Polae Khae, which means “eaten by sons of wealthy men.”

It appeals to the wild side latent in all of us. “Two leg of lambs, four roasted birds, and three large chunks of kebab,” keep your eyes closed and utter this line a few times and you will start to feel a primordial pleasure running down the senses. Coarse but pleasurable.

Then of course there is the much hyped dish named Boro Baaper Polae Khae, which means “eaten by sons of wealthy men.” Why would you give such a peculiar name to a dish? Simple – to attract attention. A mixture of shredded chicken, chickpeas, lentils, eggs, chilies, and God knows how many other stuff, this is the most obnoxious thing I ever tasted.

The seller tells me with an imperious tone – once sons of rich people came in large cars to take this dish back home. Yeah, what did the rich

bait. Trust me, rats will flee ... who needs the Pied Piper of Hamelin when you have Boro Baaper Poale Khae?

But surprisingly, Boro Baaper Polae Khae is sold in tons every day because the marketing is done in such a way that buyers forget the miserable taste.

After all, one year is a long time and people forget fast.

Old Dhaka was once famous for Shutli Kebab (thread Kebab) – meat tied by threads and then made into kebab. Back in the 70s, it had meat in it so one could safely call it beef Shutli Kebab. Now, the ratio of beef has gone down so it’s 75% lentils and 25% beef.

Lentil Shutli Kebab! Need I elaborate on the taste?

A few years back, the sight of a whole roasted chicken was too much to resist and we bought a few, deciding to take all the food to the Dhaka Universi-

ty field for an iftar on the greens. Have been doing this for more than a decade.

Anyway, on our way, the adhan rang out and we stopped the rickshaw in front of an unusually large wall.

The chicken – due to exposure to the heat – had a funny smell, and the large wall turned out to be the demarcating boundary of the Dhaka Central Jail.

Gobbling down stale meat by the jail gate seemed surreal. I was thinking of Papillon!

The bottom line is – despite the flamboyance surrounding of Old Dhaka iftar, the food is just basic. What is attractive is the visceral energy that accompanies the selling of the items.

Large rods with skewered birds are not something one sees every day.

Yet, we go there every year, forgetting the promise made the year before of never venturing to the old part of town. We go not because of the food but because of the undying effervescence of the old city. There is life in every act. There is vivacity.

The biriyani or the teheri may not be of top quality, but the joie de vivre that comes with each packet is still unspoilt. Yep, looks like I have to go there this Thursday once more.

Meanwhile, if you are interested to have some stale chicken, cheese fritters without any cheese inside, tikia kebab which is mainly lentils, then please come and join me at the Dhaka University gymnasium field. At least, the leg of lamb won’t be that bad so, as the sun sets, you can tear off meat from the leg and relive Neanderthal culture.

Me Tarzan … where Jane? l

t might be hard to come to terms with, but Bangladesh is an ageing society. The number of elderly people in the country – that is, those aged 60 and above – is growing at a faster rate than the number of people below the age of 18. We’re getting old.

But that still doesn’t acknowledge the full scale of what’s about to happen. In 2010, Bangladesh’s elderly demographic was 6.6% of the total population. By 2050, it’s projected to be 22.5%, making Bangladesh a fully-fledged aged society.

To put this in another way, at present only about one-twentieth of our population is over 60; in just 35 years, it’ll be about one out of every four people.It’s going to be one of the sharpest demographic shifts in Asia, and one of the sharpest shifts in population age in history, anywhere.

In a way, this is quite an accomplishment given our status as a poster-child for developing country problems – a monumental success in accomplishing birth control targets and prolonging life expectancy. On these terms, we win.

In almost every other way, we don’t. Bangladesh is not ready to become an aged society.

Our health sector is geared towards maternal and child health and containing infectious diseases, not towards frailty and arthritis. In fact, our healthcare providers are already straining to deal with the existing demands by the current elderly population.

Many low-cost, grassroots solutions have helped Bangladesh overcome its problems in the past (think ek chimti lobon, ek mooth gur …). However, the healthcare needs of the elderly are less likely to be catered to without expensive medication and equipment.

Old age of course does not necessarily have to be synonymous with poor health, but young and middle-aged Bangladeshis aren’t exactly taking spectacular care of their bodies in terms of exercise and diet.

Then of course there is the much hyped dish named Boro Baaper Polae Khae, which

Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

Then there are the mental health aspects of growing old, chief among them the dual threats of dementia and depression. Bangladesh’s mental health sector is woefully inadequate in dealing with basic psychological conditions – when the wave of elderly health issues comes, it’s going to pose a much larger challenge. Depression and loneliness among elderly relatives is a particularly easy issue to overlook, partly because overlooking it makes it easier for the rest of us to get on with

nomic development.

According to the debate, Gujrat’s development is termed by Jagdish Bhagwat as economic growth that is applicable to the developed world because there is a general standard of life for all citizens. On the other hand, Kerala’s development is dubbed by Amartya Sen as economic development that is applicable for developing countries as economic development ensures holistic development for all walks of life. This ongoing debate added a new dimension in academic discourse.

opment. They don’t want a holistic development for the aam admi of India, because their vested interest is to concentrate assets within a handful of people, and therefore are best served by economic growth.

Fourth: There is no reason to believe that the common people of India are anti-secular. Rather, the corporate bosses of giant corporations merely change their political managers. In all democracies, corpo-political syndicates are well aware of the influence they have on the whole system. On January 15, 2009, the Adanis and

our lives.

And Bangladesh is becoming old just as its traditional social structure starts to fall apart. People are less likely to live with their elderly parents now, they’re also less likely to support their elderly parents.

Then of course there is the much hyped dish named Boro Baaper Polae Khae, which

While young people become more independent, old people are discouraged from doing the same. There is a huge stigma attached to moving to old age homes or seeking other kinds of support, even though they can provide a sense of community and freedom to the elderly, whose usual friends’ circles tend to diminish due to death and loss of mobility. A social worker at one old age home told me that they used to organise weekly dance and music sessions for their residents, but had to stop after the children of the residents complained, outraged that their parents were enjoying themselves instead of being respectable and miserable.

A major topic of discussion in developed countries right now is the increasingly apparent difference between living longer and living better. Children, themselves in their 60s, are struggling with seeing their 80/90-year-old parents suffer for decades, seeing the people they know and love deteriorate steadily in mind and body, but continuing to tick on, hooked to drugs and doctors.

Expensive drugs, and expensive doctors. The costs will need to be borne by a population that currently has no culture of saving, and a government that has a poor track record of providing adequate support to those who need it.

Bangladesh is famous for its natural disasters and struggles with cholera and typhoid, but our new health hazard is old age. Whether we will be ready for it will determine the future quality of life of pretty much every single Bangladeshi citizen – everyone, young and old, rich and poor, will have to cope directly with the fallout.

And it’s hard to be optimistic. We can pat ourselves on the back for making significant progress in the areas of disaster and disease management – but that progress has come long after lack of forethought resulted in largescale suffering. When it comes to new problems, we seem to adopt our own perverse take on the Boy Scout motto – Always Be Unprepared. This time, the future consequences could be even more far-reaching than the catastrophes in our past. l Maher Sattar is a freelance journalist and a correspondent for Al Jazeera.

A take on Modinomics Hasan and n Sharif Lam-ya Mostaque

A

fter BJP’s landslide victory, the economic ideology of Narendra Modi, dubbed Modinomics, is now the central focus. It is natural to discuss the inner dynamics and underlying characteristics of Modinomics. It seems that the central tenet of Modinomics is economic growth, but economic growth doesn’t guarantee human security at all. Only economic development does.

It is alleged that in election campaigns, as a messiah of corporate houses, Modi sold, or maybe oversold, the Gujrat development model as a part of Modinomics, where he claimed that he had improved Gujrat’s infrastructure and law and order situation, had ensured uninterrupted power supply, and so forth, when he was the head of Gujrat state. However, will it be able to replicate the Gujarat model nationwide, without invoking resistance from the powerful state governments run by regional parties?

The “Crocodile of Gujrat Model” influenced voters, but did Modi use his “genie in the lamp” in Gujrat? The answer is no. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Gujrat proved its excellence in the field of engineering, chemicals,

petro-chemicals, cement, textile, and ceramic. Their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had been growing at a steady rate of 14%, well before Narendra Modi came to power.

There are a number of considerations to pinpoint the real face of Modinomics.

First: Its Modi’s brand of corporatist capitalism that falls under criticism. A lot, it seems, rests on the counterfactual: Would Gujarat have performed as well as it has without Modi? Probably. Geographically, the state enjoys several boons. Its extensive coastline has made it an export hub, and vast tracts of arid land serve as ready sites for factories. Historically, however the statistics are cut, Gujarat’s growth rate has also long outpaced India’s national average.

In 1990, when the national growth rate averaged at 3.7%, Gujarat’s was 4.8%. Similarly, in 2000, when the national growth rate was 5.6%, Gujarat’s was 6.9%. Given this track record, a more appropriate question might instead be: Why has Gujarat not performed better? It is a fact that, despite its impressive growth, Gujrat remains a discriminatory state among the states of India. Despite their almost-identical success with growth, Gujarat and Kerala differ crucially, and

drastically, when it comes to social indicators.

According to data published by the Indian Planning Commission, Kerala ranks first for its development performance whilst Gujarat languishes at 11th. Drilling deeper into the figures reveals the true extent of Gujarat’s failures.

Second: Of course there are the factors that are less amenable to statistics. Where does Gujarat rank on the rule of law, social cohesion, and individual wellbeing? As Prabhat Patnaik, emeritus professor of economics at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, argues, Gujarat’s development deficits make the state a highly undesirable template. The poor development record notwithstanding, many obstacles lie in the way of Modi shaping the rest of India in the Gujarat mold.

Third: Kerala performed well in Human Development Index (HDI) depending only on its service sector.

Economists dubbed it as the “Kerala Phenomenon.” There was, and is still is, ongoing debate between Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen and famous economist Jagdish Bhagwat on the development of both Kerala and Gujrat. Jagdish Bhagwat propagated the very idea of economic growth while Amartya Sen is vocal for eco-

Then of course there is the much hyped dish named Boro Baaper Polae Khae, which means “eaten by sons of wealthy men.”

Now the question is; why is the Gujrat model so focused? Why not Kerala, who carefully orchestrated the hype behind the Gujrat model? The answers are simple: The hype behind economic growth is carefully created by the capitalists. They cherish economic growth instead of economic devel-

Ambanis declared Modi as a PM candidate. The Modi branding had started as far back as then. On May 22, the then chief minister openly declared that a vote for Narendra Modi was a vote for Mukesh Ambani.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal wrote an open letter to the Gujarat chief min-

ister asking him to break his silence on the gas pricing controversy involving Ambani’s Reliance Industries. Since September 13, when Modi was nominated as prime minister, Ambani’s Reliance Group has pocketed more than $6bn. Interestingly, $1.3bn came within the first 24 hours of vote-counting.

Finally: The Man Booker Prize winner and fiction-writer Arundhati Roy argues: “Wealth has been concentrated in fewer and fewer hands.

Moreover, these few corporations now run the country and, in some ways, run the political parties. They run the media.” She says it is the corporations that fund major parties, which end up doing their bidding. “We are really owned and run by a few corporations, who can shut India down when they want.” Modinomics is nothing but a mask for corporations. The real face of Modinomics is of course ugly. We have to wait to see – will there be a qualitative change in the average Indian’s lifestyle, or will Modinomics solely serve corporates, those who are more equal than others? l Sharif Hasan is a working journalist and Lam-ya Mostaque is a research assistant at Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Monday, July 7, 2014

Nawshaba: I would love to play a character from Tagore work with Asaduzzaman Noor, Sara Zaker and Suborna Mostafa. I am still mesmerised by their talent. I also enjoyed working with Raisul Islam Asad and Fazlur Rahman Babu.

What is your dream role?

I want to play versatile roles. I would love to play a character from Tagore. Though I worked in a TV play by Nurul Alam Atique which was set on Tagore era but it was not a pure Tagore character.

Tell us about your big screen projects.

I will be acting in a glamorous role in “Chhuye Dile Mon” by Shihab Shaheen, whereas in Amit Ashraf’s “Udhao,” I played a completely non-glamarous role of a sex worker. I want to explore and try out versatile characters on the big screen. I am open for experimenting and would love to work with different directors who would not limit my capability.

Tell us about your theatre activity.

So far, I have worked with the production team of “Romeo Juliet” in Bangladesh. At present I am working in a play titled “Sonata” by Stage One. I will be acting in another Stage One play at the end of this year.

Tell us about your recent ventures.

I have starred in a seven-episode-drama titled “Relation Ajkal,” directed by Dil Mohammad Montu which will be aired on Asian TV this Eid. I am suppose to work in two other dramas, but right now I can’t reveal any details as the projects have not been finalised yet. After working in the BBC Media Action’s production “Ujan Ganger Naiya,” I’ve decided to concentrate on films and theatre.

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, popularly known as Nawshaba, recently played a role in the serial “Come to the Point” where she falls in love with the famous Ananta Jalil. The drama serial is being aired on SATV. Dhaka Tribune caught up with the young starlet to know more about her recent ventures.

Are you a big fan of Ananta Jalil in real life?

Even though I enjoyed playing a love crazed fan of Ananta Jalil with the walls of my room covered entirely by his posters, I am not a big fan of him in real life. But, I admire his effort and devotion towards his work.

Your favourite co-artists?

In my first TV drama I got the opportunity to

Film ‘Head Master’ will be screened on the fifth day of Eid

Channel i to premiere five films this Eid n Entertainment Desk Five films are set for TV premier on Channel i this Eid. On Eid day, film “Priya Tumi Shukhi Ho” will be aired at 2:30pm. The film has been directed

by Gitali Hasan, featuring Sohel Rana, Suchorita, Ferdous and Shaila Sabi. The following day, Samia Zaman's second film, “Akash Koto Dure” will be aired at 10:30am. The cast of the film includes Rajjak, Sharmila Ahmed, Mostafa Prokash, Lux Channel i superstar Fariya Hossain,

Misha Showdagar, Ankon and child artists from Tokai Nattodol. The story and screenplay of the film has been written by Zufiqer Russell. On the third day, film “Adorer Jamai,” featuring Shakib Khan and Apu Biswas will be aired at 10:30am.

The film has been directed by Shahadat Hossain Liton. P A Kajol's film “Mukti” is set to air on the fourth day at 10.30am. The film features Sohel Rana, Helal Khan and others. Film “Head Master” will be screened at 10:30am on the fifth day of Eid, starring Alamgir, Suborna Mustafa and others. l

Three Lux beauties Momo, Moushumi and Mehazabien are working together for a special TVC celebrating 50 years of Lux in Bangladesh.

Directed by Wahid Tareque, the shoot of the advertisement took place at the Coke Studio in Mohakhali recently

Which team are you supporting in the world cup?

I don’t have a particular choice, I would love to see an underdog take the cup.

Nawshaba became well known with her role in the NTV serial “Rupkotha.” However, it was her skills behind the camera that propelled her media career. She worked for “Sisimpur,” a children’s TV show, lending her voice as the puppet character Ikri-mikri for six years. l

FROM AKHRA TO FUSION: TRANSFORMATION OF BAUL MUSIC (PART-6)

Meena Kumari’s poems n Entertainment Desk

Shadhu Guru Darbesh Hossain Ali Shah confers with disciples in a late night conclave at his Akhra in Sonagari, Chuadanga MAQSOODUL HAQUE

The Guru among Bauls and their transmission chart, music and messages n Maqsoodul Haque Gurus follow a hagiographical transmission chart called Shirzanaama where they can track back their spiritual lineage that is his own Guru and one before him and so forth, dating hundreds of years in most cases.

For instance among followers of Lalon there exist seven clear shiris or “spiritual transmission ladder” comprising living descendants of his disciples i.) Panju Shah ii.) Duddu Shah iii.) Hiroo Shah iv.) Deyal Shah v.)

Delwar Shah and families of vi. ) Sothi Maa poribar and vii.) Chowdhury poribar as well as a controversial and little understood chain that many Bauls claim - is that of Fakir Lalon Shah himself.

There are different kinds of Gurus among Bauls with the all important Diksha Guru who renders exoteric spiritual training to disciples, then the Shikkha Guru, who more or less fills in the role of an educationist, sometimes explaining them on modern parameters and paradigms, followed by the Gaaner Guru who is a music teacher.

There is also the Onupreronar Guru or inspirational Gurus who does not hold any rigid mantles of a Guru, but one who inspires disciples into the Baul path.

In the times gone by when formal education was not known in our part of the world and the culture was oral, it was the traditional institution of imparting “lip to ear wisdom” - meaning not all that’s transpires between a Guru and Shishwa is for public consumption, remained the mainstay for the growth of the institution. Secrecy about music and spirituality has always been the key point among Bauls and follows the ancient epigram, “pour only so much that the cup can hold”. It meant mere obeisance to the Guru was not always the parameter for judgment and the prerogative lay with the Gurus to decide if a seeker or disciple had the mental or spiritual temerity to pass on and spread the vital coded messages that have come for humanity. A seeker had to prove he/ she was qualified for the task in hand, and rigid process of examination and scrutiny continues until today.

About the messages in Baul songs, musicologist Dr Karunamaya Goswami explains ‘’Baul songs always carry a double meaning, the outward meaning guarding the inner sense, and this double entendre was known as ‘sandha vachana’ i.e. code language. The outward meaning of the songs has indeed a literary flavor, for the songs really follow a traditional pattern, but the outward sense was intended only to disguise the inner meaning which recorded the mystic practice, experience and emotion of the masters in their process of self-realization.’’

The Akhara institutions take, when it comes to music is interesting as well as exemplary. Different regions in Bangladesh have their respective traditions of rendering songs.

For instance there is a noticeable difference in tones, tonalities and even tunes in how Lalon’s songs are rendered in Kushtia Akharas as opposed to neighboring Chuadanga.

Likewise all the way from Harinakundu in Jessore to Manikganj and Munshiganj in Dhaka, the style, intonations, ambience and presentation of verses are markedly different. Baul songs as practiced in Bangladesh are also in many cases vastly dissimilar to those of West Bengal in India. Yet there are seldom any disputes on the matter.

At most, any variations or mistakes in the words or lyrics may be quickly pointed out and corrected if there is common agreement via the institution of bahas (intervention, debates, enquiry), else they are accepted and may continue as has been practiced in a particular region with not so much as an eyebrow raised. What is of prime importance more than the tune or rendition methodologies are that the messages embedded and encoded within the verses remain undiluted and coherent. The practice of intervention for correction remains confined to the verses in question which in turn explains that Baul music never set any rigid standards or instructions about performance modes and they were left to grounded subtleties of each region, as also the peculiarities of individual performer’s nuances and their voice quality. Puritanism of any kind has always been shunned by Bauls. l Maqsoodul Haque is a jazz-rock fusion musician and cultural researcher who is writing a series on the transformation of Baul music.

Meena Kumari fans will have an opportunity to know the poet in her with a book containing a compelling selection of her poems in Urdu translated into English. “Meena Kumari The Poet: A Life Beyond Cinema,” has been translated by academician-writer Noorul Hasan and published by Roli Books.

The late actor talked about love, loneliness, wishes, illusion, a window of dreams, silence and innocence in her poems.

Haunting, crystalline and precisely observed, Kumari’s poetry reveals a side of her personality that was rarely on display in her films. It proves beyond any doubt that she was a much more sensitive and self-aware woman than her fans tend to realise.

Her imagination hovers over a wide range of subjects from the very personal and idiosyncratic to the more objective though equally heartrending, as expressed in poems like “The Dumb Child” or “Empty Shop.”

The sheer audacity of her statements is the raison d’etre of her poetry.

In her poem, “Aakhri Khwahish,” translated as “Last Wish,” Kumari wrote, “This night, this loneliness/ This sound of heartbeats – this eerie silence/ This silent rendering of ghazals/ By sinking stars./ This solitude sleeping/ On the

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D NonStop(2D) Walking with Dinosaurs Transformers: Age of Extinction3D Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City Noah 3D Tarkaata Godzilla 3D Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay Mr Peabody & Sherman 3D Jamuna Future Park, Blockbuster Cinemas Ka- 244, Pragati Avenue Kuril

Exhibition eyelashes of Time/ This last tremor/ Of the feeling of love/ This pervasive symphony of death -/ These are inviting you!/ Come for a moment/ Decorate the dream of love/ In my closing eyes.”

In the introduction, historian-critic Philip Bounds and researcher Daisy Hasan writes: “Poetry was the medium through which Kumari distanced herself from her public image and criticised the industry that had brought her to public attention in the first place. In that sense her poems tell us as much about Bollywood as they do about herself.” l

Second Sight Time: 12pm – 8pm The Daily Star Centre 64-65, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue

Theatre

Hamlet Dhaka University Theatre Department Time: 7:30pm Natmandal Dhaka University Kinu Kaharer Thetar Prachyanat Time: 7:30pm Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Farhan Akhtar: The new shutterbug n Entertainment Desk After directing, singing, writing, hosting and acting what else is there for Farhan Akhtar to pursue?

Well the actor has recently been spending a lot of time satisfying the photographer in him. Currently shooting for sister Zoya Akhtar's “Dil Dhadakne Do,” Farhan has been going trigger-happy on his personal camera.

The unit has traveled across Spain and Turkey after an extensive recce of the locations.

But Farhan wants to capture the scenic beauty of these sights for his personal catalog as he is absolutely mesmerised by the locales.

Sources from the unit say that whenever there is some free time, these days one is most likely to find Farhan shooting away happily on his camera. “Dil Dhadakne Do” also stars Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Anil Kapoor.

To see some of his pictures, visit his Twitter account @FarOutAkhtar. l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, July 7, 2014

Amla inspires Proteas to big win against SL

Soares, Awudu win it for Abahani Abahani Limited returned to winning ways in the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League beating Team BJMC 2-1 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The win which came after three successive draws took the Sky Blues to 43 points, nine behind league leaders Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.

With only four matches remaining, the traditional giants can’t afford to lose any more point if they are lift the title, but that too looks highly unlikely as apart from winning all games Abahani’s fate will also rely on Sheikh Jamal who must lose at least three of their last four games. BJMC remained at seventh position with 24 points.

BJMC made the first attack of the match in the 2nd minute when Guinean striker Ismael Bangoura saw his header saved by Abahani goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel.

Abahani’s Portuguese recruit Soares gave them the lead in the 20th minute.

Collecting the ball from Awudu Ibrahim, Soares broke in the danger zone from the right side and unleashed an angular shot to beat BJMC custodian Arifuzzaman Himel.

Abahani could have enjoyed a bigger lead as Bangoura created two more chances for Nabib Nawaj Jibon and Saiful Islam Saif, but both went in vein.

The missed opportunities came back to hurt the Sky Blues as SM Rajib headed home from a corner of Abdullah Al Parvez to put BJMC on level in the 38th minute.

The delight, however, lasted for five minutes as veteran Ghanaian midfielder Awudu Ibrahim restored the lead with a powerful strike from inside the left side of the D-box.

BJMC came close to equalise again in the 50th minute, but was denied by Sohel who tipped Samson Iliasu’s strike from a distance over the crosspiece. l

Opener Hashim Amla smashed 109 and Ryan McLaren took two wickets in three balls as South Africa thrashed Sri Lanka by 75 runs in their first one-dayer on Sunday.

Amla, 31, hit eight fours in his composed 130-ball knock and shared a 151-run stand for the third wicket with skipper AB de Villiers (75), helping the visitors to post a formidable 304-5 at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Kumar Sangakkara responded with a fine 88 off just 84 balls but Sri Lanka were still bundled out for 229 off 40.3 overs.

The hosts appeared headed towards victory at one point. But paceman McLaren dismissed Lahiru Thirimanne and Sangakkara in the 38th over to trigger a collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last five wickets for just 13 runs.

Spinner Imran Tahir was a tad expensive but emerged as the highest wicket taker for the visitors, finishing with 3-50 from seven overs.

Earlier, Sri Lanka’s unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis took 3-61 including the prized scalp of star all-rounder Jacques Kallis for a duck to peg back South Africa.

The visitors got off to a steady start, putting on 58 before losing two batsmen in quick succession.

Opener Quinton de Kock was bowled by Angelo Mathews (1-30) for 27 which included a mighty six over the mid-wicket fence off spinner Sachithra Senanayake (1-49).

Just two balls later, Mendis trapped Kallis leg before wicket with his trademark carrom ball to reduce the Proteas to a shaky 60-2.

But Amla and de Villiers made light of the twin setbacks and steered the innings to a position of strength with their 141ball stand.

Amla, named the new Test skipper last month, was in top form although he was dropped on 49 by Thisara Perera at long-on.

BRIEF SCORE South Africa: 304/5 in 50 overs H Amla 109, Q de Kock 27, J Kallis 0, AB de Villiers 75, JP Duminy 16, D Miller 36*, R McLaren 22* Mendis 61/3, Mathews 30/1 Sri Lanka: 229 all out in 40.3 overs K Perera 34, T Dilshan 40, K Sangakkara 88, M Jayawardene 10, A Priyanjan 5, A Mathews 13, L Thirimanne 15, N Kulasekara 1, S Senanayake 6, A Mendis 0, L Malinga 6* Steyn 38/2, Morkel 39/2, McLaren 33/2 South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 75 runs The opener also saw an appeal under the Decision Review System go in his favour, with replays remaining inconclusive about whether he had nicked to the wicketkeeper while trying to go for a hook shot.

At the other end, de Villiers played a sparkling knock, his 75 coming off just 70 balls with the help of five fours and a six.

De Villiers, who was also dropped on 17, was out when he chipped a simple catch to Nuwan Kulasekara off Mendis.

David Miller (36 not out) and Ryan McLaren (22 not out) then unleashed some hard hitting in the final overs to take the visitors to their highest ODI total in Sri Lanka against the hosts.l

Why are strikers being outscored by star playmakers?

‘1 gol em 5 jogos’ read the TV caption as Gonzalo Higuain wheeled away to celebrate the early strike against Belgium which would send Argentina to the World Cup semi-finals.

The fact that it was his first goal of the tournament barely needed mentioning, the look on his face said it all.

He looked as relieved as he was overjoyed at netting in the quarter-final.

But Higuain is not the only striker who has struggled to get into his stride in front of goal in this tournament, with only really Karim Benzema and Robin van Persie boasting a healthy return in a World Cup in which the classic number nines have largely been outperformed by the men that are supposed

to provide rather than profit.

Fred finished the Confederations Cup as top goalscorer last summer, yet 12 months on he has just a single goal to his name, with the injured Neymar finishing his tournament on four. Rather than becoming the axis off which the Corinthians striker was able to thrive, the No.10 became Brazil’s go-to man for goals as well as creativity before being met by Juan Camilo Zuniga’s knee in Fortaleza on Friday.

The Brazilian fans at Saturday’s remaining two quarter-finals would probably have been singing Neymar’s name anyway given the circumstances, but one got the feeling much of the hero-worship has been intensified by the lack of goals coming from the rest of the forward line to this point.

James Rodriguez leads the Golden

Zia posts second win in Spain Ziaur Rahman registered his second consecutive victory in the 34th Open International Villa De Benasque which is being held in Benasque, Spain. The Bangladesh GM defeated Navarrete Espi Samuel of Spain on Saturday.

Courtesy the victory over Samuel, Zia earned maximum two points and shared the lead in the points table along with 65 other players. l

TOP SCORERS

Players James Rodriguez (COL) Thomas Mueller (GER) Lionel Messi (ARG) Neymar (BRA) Karim Benzema (FRA) Arjen Robben (NED) Robin van Persie (NED) Xherdan Shaqiri (SWI) Enner Valencia (ECU)

Goals

one to his name. Thomas Muller has helped himself to four goals in a tournament at which Germany coach Joachim

Low has largely looked beyond his only true No.9, Miroslav Klose. And while Higuain took five games to get his account off the mark, Lionel Messi has been in fine fettle in front of goal so far.

Even Van Persie, who has three goals to his name, has scored just once since the opening game and has been matched stride-for-stride by the altogether more influential Arjen Robben.

Having needlessly racked up a suspension during the Netherlands’ Group B campaign, Van Persie has had nothing like the same impact since returning in time for the knockout stages.

But should we really be surprised that the scoring patterns have evolved in such a way during the World Cup? After all, an increasing number of coaches have taken to playing with a

lone striker in recent years, both at club and international level.

Instead of expecting a large proportion of goals to come from classic centre-forwards, it has become the norm to encourage attacking midfielders to get alongside, and even beyond, the offensive figurehead. The result has been that few of the record-breaking goalscoring feats of recent seasons have been registered by true number nines.

Even Luis Suarez, whose exploits with Liverpool and Uruguay look set to win him a move to Barcelona, does not really fit in with the stereotype of a number nine. Far from being the reference point leader of the line, playing regularly with his back to goal, Suarez’s style is more that of a secondary forward looking to spark attacks between the lines.l

WORLD CUP IN NUMBERS

1

This is the first time in World Cup history that Argentina and Brazil have both reached the semi-finals in same World Cup

8

Germany have trailed for just 8 minutes at World Cup 2014

3

The Netherlands have progressed to the semi-finals for the third time in their last four World Cups

9

The last nine World Cup penalty shoot outs have been won by the team going first

12

Netherlands have been caught offside more often than any other team in a single game in this tournament

18

Nobody has created more chances than Lionel Messi at this World Cup

4

Neymar has scored more goals (4), had more shots (14) & created more chances (13) than any other Brazil player at 2014 WC

12

James Rodriguez was fouled 12 times at the 2014 World Cup and half of them came in the game v Brazil

54

A total of 54 fouls were committed in Brazil v Colombia, the most in any game at this World Cup so far

6

James Rodriguez has scored more goals at WC2014 than Colombia did in total at World Cups 1994 & 1998 combined (5)

5

The last player before James Rodriguez to score in each of a team’s first five World Cup matches was Rivaldo in 2002

‘02

David Luiz is the 1st player to score a direct free kick goal for Brazil in a World Cup since Ronaldinho v England in 2002.

10

Fernandinho has committed 10 fouls in his last two World Cup matches without being booked

4

Germany are the first team in World Cup history to reach four consecutive semi-finals.

15

Since World Cup 2002, Germany have scored 15 headed goals, seven more than any other side in that period.

22

Miroslav Klose has made his 22nd World Cup appearance; only Paolo Maldini (23) and Lothar Matthaus (25) have ever recorded more

6

France have hit the woodwork more often than any other team at this World Cup

5

The last 5 times France have made it past the 1st Round of the World Cup, they have reached the semi-finals (58,82,86,98,06)

16

Germany are unbeaten in 16 games (all comps), longer than any other side still involved at the World Cup (W11 D5)

Lee breaks Warne’s hand

Fahad takes lead Mohammad Fahad Rahman, the youngest Fide Master of the country, took the solo lead at the top of the Union Insurance 34th National Junior (Under-20) Chess Championship 2014 points table beating reigning junior champion Ikramul Haque Siam at the chess federation hall-room yesterday.

Fahad now has maximum six points after the end of the sixth round while Minhazul Alam of Narayanganj is at second place with 5.5 points. Seven players are sharing third position with five points each - Siam, Protiva Talukder, Avik Sarkar, Abdullah Al Muhit, Mahmud Sharif, Afrin Jahan Munia, Swarnavo Chowdhury.

Avik defeated Abdullah Al Saif, Protiva beat Fahim Ahmed, Muhit pipped Mushrat Jahan, Sharif overcame Abu Bakar Jibon, Munia outclassed Md. Mizaul Islam while Anata Chowdhury lost out to Swarnova in the sixth round yesterday. l

Boot charts with six goals, while Colombia’s main centre-forward Teofilo Gutierrez has arrived back home with only

13

Shane Warne suffered a broken hand after being struck by an unintentional beamer from former Australia team mate Brett Lee in the MCC’s seven-wicket win over the Rest of the World at Lord’s on Saturday.

Paceman Lee was quick to hold up his hand and offer his apologies after hitting the 44-year-old leg-spinning great, captaining the World XI, first ball in the exhibition match.

Warne, batting at the end of the innings, went on to face four more deliveries as his side amassed 293 for seven in their 50 overs. India’s Yuvraj Singh top-scored with 132.

“It was nice of him to say hello,

break my hand and put me out for six weeks,” smiled Warne in an interview with Sky Sports television.

“We were good mates but I’m not sure if we are going to be good friends after this,” he joked, “but really he didn’t mean it.”

With the Australian unable to field, the MCC romped to victory with 25 balls to spare as Australian Aaron Finch blasted an unbeaten 181 in 145 balls. Finch and MCC skipper Sachin Tendulkar (44) shared a stand of 107 for the first wicket.

The match, which featured a string of high-profile players including Muttiah Muralitharan, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Shahid Afridi, Adam Gilchrist, Kevin Pietersen and Tino Best, was staged as a celebration of the bicentenary of Lord’s. l

Hamilton wins British GP Lewis Hamilton delighted a 120,000 crowd of enthusiastic home fans when he revived his world championship bid on Sunday with an emphatic victory in a dramatic incident-filled British Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old Briton took full advantage of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg’s first non-finish of the season, due to gearbox problems, to reduce the German’s lead in the title race to just four points.

Driving with great elan and speed, the 2008 champion Hamilton came home 30 seconds clear of second-placed Finn Valtteri Bottas of Williams, who started from 14th on the grid.

It was Hamilton’s second home win at the British Grand Prix, his fifth of the season and the 27th of his career drawing him level with fellow-Briton threetime champion Jackie Stewart in the record books.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, of Red Bull, finished third ahead of 2009 champion Briton Jenson Button, of McLaren, defending four-time champion

Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the second Red Bull and two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

Alonso’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was involved in a spectacular highspeed opening lap accident that halted the race for an hour, for repairs to the barriers. The Finn lost control, spun, hit the barriers and collided with Brazilian Felipe Massa’s Williams.

Both escaped serious injury, but Raikkonen, whose car was massively damaged, limped away and required later x-rays on his right ankle. Massa was forced out with a damaged car.l

Novak Djokovic wins his second Wimbledon title and seventh career major with a 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Roger Federer yesterday, shattering the Swiss star’s dream of a record eighth triumph in a titanic struggle. Victory allowed the top seeded Serb, also the 2011 winner, to end a run of three successive defeats in Grand Slam finals AFP

14

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, July 7, 2014

Five facts on Gonzalo Higuain The Napoli striker scored his first goal of this World Cup to take his country into the semi-finals. It was his fifth in all World Cup finals – level with Lionel Messi – and 21st in all internationals.

Higuain was born in the French port of Brest, where his father Jorge was a professional footballer.

He still has a French passport, but chose to play for Argentina in 2007.

He is one of only three foreign-born players to have taken part in the World Cup for Argentina. Higuain is also one of only three Argentines – after Guillermo Stabile in 1930 and Gabriel Batistuta in 1998 – to score a hat-trick in the World Cup finals.

He hit three against South Korea in the group stage of the 2010 tournament.

After seven seasons at Real Madrid, Higuain moved to Napoli for a reported 40 million euros just before the 2013-14 season. After one year, and 17 Serie A goals, he has already been linked with a move to Real’s bitter rivals Barcelona and he said last month it would be an “enormous pleasure” to play alongside compatriot Lionel Messi.

Higuain was Real’s top scorer with 22 Spanish league goals in 200809 and again the following season with 27. He finished ahead of Real team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and only Messi beat him in La Liga. l Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain (R) celebrates with his teammates Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi (L) after scoring against Belgium during their 2014 World Cup quarter-finals at the Brasilia national stadium on Saturday

El Pipita shines at the right time

Gonzalo Higuain was a relieved man and it was all because of his important strike against Belgium as the goal not only ended his scoring drought in

the World Cup, but also saw Argentina through to the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time since 1990.

His goal also earned him the man of the match award and during the presentation ceremony he did not hold back his emotions and said, “I feel incredibly happy, and I’d like to share that happiness with my family and the whole of Argentina.

“Ever since the first game I’ve been saying that I wasn’t worried, that my first goal would come, and fortunately it came at a crucial time.

“It’s been a long time since Argentina reached the semi-finals and I’m happy it’s this group of players that managed it, because they deserve it.

Now we want to keep going and reach the final,” Higuain added.

It was quite natural to see the Napoli striker surrounded by the Argentine press in the mixed zone as Higuain only moved towards the team bus when the media allowed him to leave after several questions.

Higuain entered Saturday’s match without a goal, but needed just eight minutes to find the back of the net, volleying home a deflected ball past Thibaut Courtois. He continued to be a threat as the match evolved, finding his way around the Belgian defence once more in the 55th minute but his blasted shot deflected off of the crossbar.

After playing a major role in the qualifying round with nine goals in 11 matches, the striker had failed to score in the World Cup group games and round of 16. Coach Alejandro Sabella, however, had full faith in him and didn’t Higuain repay the faith in some style. It was Higuain’s fifth World Cup goal, the previous four coming in 2010 in the form of a hattrick against South Korea and a goal against Mexico.

Standing at six feet and a weight of 82 kilograms, Higuain accelerated probably at the right time and he promised to hold on to it and help Argentina claim the third World Cup. l

Higuain, the Valdano to Messi’s Maradona?

With a single swish of the right boot in his side’s World Cup quarter-final against Belgium, Gonzalo Higuain finally showed there may be more to Argentina than Lionel Messi after all.

Higuain had been under scrutiny after going three and a half matches without scoring, but he needed just eight minutes to find the net in Argentina’s 1-0 win in Brasilia on Saturday.

When a pass from Angel di Maria was inadvertently flicked into his path

by Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen, the 26-year-old pounced to snap a crisp volley into the bottom-left corner that sent his team into the last four.

Having spent a month on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, Higuain had looked ponderous in his previous appearances in Brazil, but after putting Argentina in front against Belgium, he was a man transformed.

From harrying opponents to bringing his team-mates into play with deft lay-offs, Higuain suddenly looked every inch the player who had scored 17 goals for Napoli last season in his debut Serie A campaign.

He clipped the crossbar with a power-

ful shot after nutmegging Belgian skipper Vincent Kompany in the second half.

Higuain was named man-of-thematch and coach Alejandro Sabella was quick to salute his performance.

“He ran a lot, he helped his teammates a lot, and he scored a very important goal. That’s what you expect from strikers,” Sabella said.

Prior to Saturday’s game, Sabella had faced a barrage of questions about his team’s supposed dependence on Messi, but Higuain’s display showed that the Argentina number 10 is not the only player who knows where the goal is.

As a reminder of his abilities, it could scarcely have been more timely, with both Di Maria and Sergio Aguero injury doubts ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final against the Netherlands in Sao Paulo.

Di Maria was due to undergo scans on Sunday after being forced off in the 33rd minute against Belgium with an apparent thigh injury, while Aguero has not played since a muscular problem curtailed his participation in the group-phase success against Nigeria.

With only four goals to his name in 35 international appearances, Ezequiel Lavezzi is unlikely to illuminate the path to goal at the Arena de Sao Paulo either.l

REUTERS

Di Stefano in ‘serious but stable condition’ Real Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano remained in a “serious but stable” condition in a Madrid hospital on Sunday, a day after he went into a coma after suffering a heart attack, the hospital said.

Rescuers battled for nearly 20 minutes to revive the 88-year-old, one of the greatest footballers in history, after his heart and breathing stopped while he was eating with his family near Real’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The Argentina-born forward was taken in a serious condition to the Gregorio Maranon hospital which later said he was in a coma, had been sedated and was breathing with the help of a machine.

In a new medical report issued on Sunday, the hospital said he remained in its coronary unit in “a serious but stable condition”.

Newspaper El Pais said Di Stefano had been eating with his family when he felt ill and sat down in his wheelchair. By the time an ambulance arrived he was in cardiorespiratory arrest.

“We are all very saddened,” Real Madrid president Florentino Perez told journalists late on Saturday after he visited Di Stefano at the hospital.l

Wilmots derides ‘ordinary’ Argentina

Argentine football fans celebrate at the end of their 2014 World Cup quarter-finals against Belgium at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday REUTERS

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots branded Argentina “a very ordinary team with one extraordinary player” after they overcame his side 1-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

“I’m not at all impressed by Argentina,” Wilmots told a post-match press conference at Brasilia’s Mane Garrincha National Stadium.

“They’re a very ordinary team with one extraordinary player,” he added, in an apparent reference to Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

Belgium struggled to create chances after falling behind to an eighth-minute Gonzalo Higuain goal and Wilmots was unable to disguise his frustration at the outcome of the game.

“We saw Argentina’s experience,” he said. “They break the rhythm, they take 40 seconds to take a throw-in, and they’re never brought to order by the referee.

“We made some very small mistakes, but we learnt a lot tonight. We’re very disappointed, everyone is very down, but I’m very proud of the boys.”

While Argentina also hit the bar through Higuain and saw Messi thwarted by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in an injury-time one-on-one, Wilmots did not feel that they were clearly superior to his team.

“We can always expect more, but we expended a fair amount of energy

against the United States (in the last 16),” he said.

“And them (Argentina), how many shots on target did they have? If I’d done that, I’m sure the Belgian press would have criticised me for not trying to play.”

Wilmots elected to withdraw the ineffective Eden Hazard with 15 minutes to play, but the coach said it was due to a need to give his team more height in attack, rather than a reflection of the Chelsea winger’s performance.

MATCH STATS Goals scored Total shots Shots on target Corners Offsides Fouls committed Yellow cards Red cards Ball possession

Arg 1 10 7 3 1 11 1 0 51%

Bel 0 11 5 4 6 14 2 0 49%

“I’m talking about the team as a whole. I don’t want to talk about individuals,” he said when asked about Hazard’s display.

Explaining the decision to withdraw Hazard, Wilmots added: “(Daniel) Van Buyten went to centre-forward, we tried everything.

“At that point, there was no point keeping Hazard on because we weren’t playing to feet any more. l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, July 7, 2014

15

Krul’s World Cup debut short and sweet

Goalkeeper Tim Krul of the Netherlands substitutes Jasper Cillessen (1) during extra time in their 2014 World Cup quarter-finals against Costa Rica at the Fonte Nova arena in Salvador on Saturday

Costa Rica exceed all expectations Of the 32 teams who played at this World Cup, Costa Rica have gone the furthest in exceeding expectations, providing the tournament with a genuine David to take on football’s Goliaths.

When they were drawn in the same group as Italy, Uruguay and England, teams with seven World Cup titles between them, no one gave the Central Americans a chance of making the second round.

But they did so in style, beating Uruguay 3-1 and Italy 1-0 before strolling to a goalless draw with England to clinch top spot in the group.

They showed gritty determination to battle past Greece in the second round, playing for nearly an hour with 10 men to take the match to a penalty shootout which they won.

Even in their quarter-final defeat by the Netherlands on Saturday, they

Nigerian federation voted out of office as Fifa ban looms Nigeria’s football federation were voted out of office on Saturday after being accused of botching up the country’s World Cup campaign but it is unlikely FIFA will recognise the hastily-arranged elections as anything more than a coup d’etat.

An extraordinary general assembly of the federation went ahead in Abuja on Saturday despite FIFA’s warning of a possible suspension for the African nation if it did not restore the old leadership to power.

A regional high court had earlier this week ordered the dismissal of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) executive, just over a day after the Super Eagles were eliminated from the World Cup by France in the last-16 on Monday.

The court also mandated the sports minister to appoint a caretaker administrator, who swiftly called new elections.

NFF president Aminu Maigari was also detained by police on Friday on his arrival back from Brazil but later released.

FIFA said on Friday that if the NFF leadership were not restored to their posts by next Tuesday the country could be suspended from all international football activities.

It warned against outside interference in the running of its member associations. l

contained Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie for 120 minutes of open play before finally succumbing to defeat in a penalty shootout in Salvador.

MATCH STATS Goals scored Total shots Shots on target Corners Offsides Fouls committed Yellow cards Red cards Ball possession

Ned 0 20 15 11 13 15 2 0 64%

C Rica 0 6 3 1 2 13 4 0 36%

“During this World Cup we have done very beautiful things that many people didn’t believe we could achieve - wonderful things,” their Colombian coach Jorge Luis Pinto said.

“We played against great power-

houses of football. We leave the tournament unbeaten (in open play). It’s incredible.”

Costa Rica’s achievements are all the more remarkable given the injuries they suffered in the run-up to the tournament.

Their main striker, the lightning-quick Joel Campbell, has made most of their headlines and after spending last season on loan in Greece might well have done enough to earn a permanent move to England.

Campbell has been admirably supported by captain Bryan Ruiz and Christian Bolanos in the attacking midfield roles. The latter’s pin-point free kicks and corners have been a feature of Costa Rica’s World Cup. But it is in defence that Pinto’s side have really shone. In five matches in Brazil they conceded just two goals in open play and one of them was from a penalty.l

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REUTERS

Van Gaal hailed by press for ‘masterstroke’ Louis van Gaal’s unprecedented decision to replace his goalkeeper for the penalty shoot-out in the Netherlands’ World Cup quarter-final victory over Costa Rica was hailed as a masterstroke by the Dutch media on Sunday.

To the astonishment of all and sundry, except his coaching staff and replacement goalkeeper Tim Krul, van Gaal sent the latter on for number one Jasper Cillessen and it proved to be an inspired call. But it was a brave gamble, given that Krul had saved just two of the 20 penalties he had faced at his club Newcastle United.

The positive headlines represent quite a change for van Gaal, who made his name in the 1990s as coach of a vibrant young Ajax side who won the 1995 Champions League.

He had departed after his first unsuccessful spell in charge of the national side, when they failed to qualify for the 2002 finals, to scathing criticism.

None of the Dutch media were able to match the play on words by for-

‘Icecube’ Neuer is world’s best: Kahn ‘Icecube’ Manuel Neuer has been dubbed ‘the best goalkeeper in the world’ by Oliver Kahn as Germany’s star shot-stopper prepares for Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final against Brazil.

The 28-year-old has played a key part in Germany’s run to the last four of Brazil 2014 by dominating his penalty area and pulling off a string of key saves.

Neuer has shown great timing and judgement by frequently cutting out long passes or crosses with runs out of his own area, often acting more like an extra defender.

Former Germany midfielder and TV pundit Mehmet Scholl has dubbed him ‘Icecube Neuer’ for his composure while ex-national team captain Kahn says he is the world’s best.

“He has proven at this World Cup that he is currently the world’s best goalkeeper,” said Kahn, who captained Germany to their 2002 World Cup final defeat to Brazil.

“Everyone knows that he is a wonderful footballer who can play really well. But what is crucial is that in important situations he can rescue the victory. That is ultimately what he will be measured by.”

Kahn was voted best player and goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, but Neuer said he would rather finish his stay in Brazil with a different trophy. l

mer Dutch internationals Frank and his twin brother Ronald de Boer, who tweeted ‘Louis van G(eni)aal.’

However, they still delivered unstinting praise.

“In sport, at the highest level, success can be decided by the thinnest of margins. Sometimes it stems from luck, sometimes from a sixth sense,” commented De Telegraaf.

Another Dutch daily, Volkskrant, also poured superlatives over the 62-yearold coach, who is due to step down and take over the reins at English Premier League giants Manchester United.

“The change was a masterstroke.

Tim Krul saved two penalties,” it purred.

Dutch TV station NOS also chimed in with admiring comments.

“Contrary to all expectations, Louis van Gaal replaced Cillessen by Tim Krul for the penalties. Tim Krul turned out to be the hero by saving two penalties.”

The Dutch national broadcaster preferred to look ahead to the semi-final clash with two-time champions Argentina on Wednesday.l

Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul made the shortest and most spectacular of World Cup debuts on Saturday, coming on seconds before the end of the quarter-final against Costa Rica to save two penalties in a shootout and give the Dutch victory.

With the clock ticking down at the end of extra time and the match goalless, coach Louis van Gaal sent on the 26-year-old Krul as a replacement for first-choice keeper Jasper Cillessen.

It proved a shrewd move as the towering Krul saved spot-kicks from Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana to give the Dutch a 4-3 shootout victory and a place in the semi-finals against Argentina.

Krul has reportedly been working specifically on saving penalties for seven weeks with Dutch coaches and he looked confident from the moment he arrived on the pitch.

He did his best to put off the Costa Rica penalty-takers, leaping about on his line and approaching them as they placed the ball.

“That is not normal,” Krul told reporters. “You sit the whole match on the bench and then you have to go in and save the penalties. I don’t know what I can say.”

“You sit on the edge and think it might go to extra time and penalties and you have to take the team from the quarter-finals to the semis,” he added.

“It’s a dream, it’s unbelievable.”

Krul’s heroics stole the show from Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas who won the man-of-the-match award after a string of fine saves to deny the dominant Dutch for 120 minutes before the shootout.l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, July 7, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Amla inspires Proteas to big win

14 El Pipita shines at the right time

Sport

15 Van Gaal hailed for ‘masterstroke’

Argentina’s forward and captain Lionel Messi (C) vies for the ball during their quarter-final match against Belgium at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on Saturday

Willian hands Brazil new worry World Cup hosts Brazil could have a new injury problem on their hands after Willian withdrew from a training session on Saturday with an apparent back problem.

The Chelsea midfielder, who has been on the fringes of the Brazil World Cup side so far, appeared to hurt himself in a challenge with Hernanes at the team’s base in Teresopolis.

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari may need to call upon Willian for Tuesday’s semi-final against Germany in Belo Horizonte, especially with star man Neymar now out of the rest of the tournament because of a fractured vertebrae.

Neymar suffered the painful injury in the second half of Brazil’s 2-1 quarter-final win against Colombia in Fortaleza on Friday and will be out of action for as much as six weeks. l

Messi, oozing sheer composure

Throughout the world, millions of words have already been written about Lionel Messi. Of course, those eulogies concern Messi with the ball, running around on the lush green pitch. But I doubt how many words have been dedicated towards Messi when he is off the

field. Having followed the Argentine magician in five World Cup matches I decided to write something about Messi, without the ball at his feet.

Off the field, Messi is an idiosyncratic person. His hands are relatively small while his steps are quick and childlike.

A lot of people may argue with me but it is quite true. Messi’s steps resemble a child walking carelessly.

Truth is off the field Messi appears like an innocent child who knows nothing about football and hardly cares about what is happening around him.

He walks with his head down. Humility at its best.

The 27-year old Barcelona superstar hardly laughs. However, he was seen in a jovial mood while celebrating his country’s progression to the semifinal of the World Cup for the first time in 24 years. Following the quarterfinal win over Belgium, the lad from Rosario was cheering up the loyal Albiceleste fans

who kept the Argentine juggernaut rolling. Messi only reserved three minutes of his time for the press in the mixed zone but the smile was always there.

Before the game got underway, Messi was quite serious while he was shaking hands with his counterpart Vincent Kompany but demonstrated a gentleman approach, nodding his head and stiff eyes.

He rushed to hand over the Belgian flag to a staff after the toss. It seemed that he could not wait to kick the ball.

He has very good anticipation and runs toward the line of the ball even when its in the feet of his opponent. He initiated a run long before Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was thinking whether to pass the ball short or long.

Messi almost intercepted the ball which was thrown by the tall custodian.

Whenever Argentina concede a freekick usually he is the man who stands alone upfront, forming the wall before the others join him. Whether the free-

kick or corner taken by his opponent goes close or saved by Sergio Romero or someone else at the last moment, Messi never reacts.

After squandering a chance himself, he never displays any emotions of regret. In the second minute of the five-minute stoppage time, he failed to beat Courtois in an one-on-one situation. He just closed his eyes and faced upwards. That was all.

Wearing the captain’s armband Messi never shows any authoritative gestures. Gonzalo Higuain slotted a through pass towards his skipper from midfield but the ball carried too much power and Messi, running in full throttle, failed to collect it. He did not even look at Higuain, let alone barking at him for straying the pass.

Whatever he does attracts the people’s attention because he is Lionel Messi, a model of patience, composure and sheer class. l

AFP

Brazil want Silva ban scrapped, Zuniga inquiry The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Sunday called on FIFA to rescind a yellow card ban set to keep skipper Thiago Silva out of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final against Germany.

The organization said it was urging FIFA’s disciplinary commission “to annul the yellow card unjustly shown” to Silva in their quarter-final win over Colombia.

The CBF also demanded football’s governing body investigate the “violent challenge” of Colombia’s Juan Camilo Zuniga, whose knee-in-the-back tackle on Neymar saw Brazil’s starlet stretched off with a fractured vertebrae.

Saying he never intended to hurt his rival, Zuniga apologised to Neymar for his challenge, which Brazilian media on Sunday complained was too rough even for an MMA wrestling encounter.l

Neymar urges Brazil to complete World Cup ‘dream’ Neymar battled back tears on Saturday as he urged his Brazil team-mates to win the World Cup without him after suffering a fractured vertebrae in the quarter-final win over Colombia.

“It is a difficult moment for me and it is hard to know what to say. My dream is not over. It was interrupted,” the emotional superstar said in a video released by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) as he left the team camp.

“Life moves on. I am sure my teammates will do everything possible so that we can achieve our dream of being champions.

“It was also my dream to play in a World Cup final. It will not be this time, but I am sure we will overcome this and we will all be able to celebrate being champions.”

The Brazil squad applauded the

22-year-old Barcelona striker in an emotional farewell at their Teresopolis camp before he was taken to Rio de Janeiro by helicopter.

Meanwhile, Brazilian team doctor Jose Luiz Runco called for World Cup referees to do more to protect players as he confirmed details of Neymar’s fractured third lumbar vertebrae, a bone in his lower back.

The injury was suffered in a crunching challenge by Colombia defender Juan Zuniga in Friday’s game in Fortaleza, which Brazil won 2-1.

“In games involving Brazil we have seen some things happen that are not in keeping with what we should see on a football field,” he said, recalling the crunching challenges during last week’s game against Chile that already left Neymar battered and bruised.

“Referees have tried to avoid giving out cards but FIFA is likely to take some

action now. They must have experts looking into what happened.”

FIFA has said it is looking into the incident after Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo did not even book Zuniga for the challenge. Zuniga has expressed regret for the injury but insisted there was no intention to cause harm.

“I deeply regret the sad injury suffered by Neymar during the game between Brazil and Colombia,” the defender said in a letter sent to Neymar that was quoted by the Colombian Football Federation.

“This situation resulted from normal game action and there was no ill-intent, malice or negligence on my part,” Zuniga added.

Neymar was collecting the ball in the 88th minute when Zuniga launched a jumping challenge from behind and kneed the Brazilian in the lower part of his back. l

Handout TV image released by the Brazilian football Confederation (CBF) of Brazil’s star striker Neymar crying as he adresses the Brazilian fans before his departure for his home in Guaruya, at Granja Comary training center in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, on Saturday. Injured Brazil star Neymar departed his team’s training base in Terespolis in a helicopter on Saturday and headed home to Sao Paulo, after his World Cup ended in agony on Friday night AFP

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B3 World stocks hold at all-time high

B4 China plots its own Asia “pivot”

MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Banks rush to issue corporate bonds n Kayes Sohel Banks are in a rush to issue corporate bonds to fortify their balance sheets and improve their leverage ratios in line with the regulatory requirements.

Corporate bond is a debt security issued by a corporation and sold to investors, which usually increases the payment ability of a company from its future operations.

More than half of the 30 listed banks so far planned to issue at least Tk4,000 crore worth of bonds to implement Basel II, according to Dhaka Stock Exchange.

Bangladesh entered the Basel II capital regime, a version of risk-based capital standards set for banks worldwide, on the first day of 2010, which ultimately will be fully effective from January 2015.

Only three banks have planned to issue rights offer, which has traditionally been the bread and butter for the banks’ source of funding.

The rest 10 out of total 30 listed banks is yet to decide any option to implement capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and minimum capital requirement (MCR) in three phases under Base-II. “The scenario has changed with the financial market coming up with diversified options,” said Ali Reza Iftekhar, EBL managing director and chief executive officer.

His bank plans to issue “EBL Subordinated Bond” up to Tk250 crore for raising Tier-II capital subject to approval of the regulator.

Iftekhar said issuance of corporate bond that is now available in the market has relatively better advantage than offering rights or bonus shares.

“Raising fund by issuing rights or

bonus shares directly goes to Tier-I capital, which swells paid up capital.

But more paid up capital means less capacity to offer dividend,” he said.

On the other hand, fund raised by issuing bond indirectly ads to the paid up capital and also comply regulatory requirements, he said.

Tier-I capital is composed of equity capital and retained earnings, while tier II is supplementary capital, and tier III is short-term subordinated debt covering market risks.

Universal Financial Solutions (UFS) managing director and chief executive officer Sayed Aminul Kabir said conditions in financial markets had been improving steadily since mid-2012.

“The market has come up with diversified products with cost effective way, which is a lift in bond issuance,” Kabir said.

He said there are alternative ways like issuing rights shares. However the process takes time as compared to bonds that can be issued within much shorter span of time.

UFS is currently working as sole arranger for Trust Bank and Jamuna Bank to issue bonds worth Tk400 crore.

Under the Basel-II, the scheduled banks will have to increase CAR at least to 10% and MCR to 10% of a bank’s risk weighted asset by 2015.

The Basel II accord has been prepared on the basis of three pillars – minimum capital requirement, supervisory review process and market discipline. And three types of risks – credit risk, market risk and operational risk – have to be considered under the minimum capital requirement.

Basel III, the upgraded version of recommendations on global banking laws and regulations, is preparing to phase in Bangladesh from 2015. l

IMF skeptical about NBR capacity n Asif showkat kallol

ERL employees are using one of the nine labs in the company’s quality control department

WEBSITE

Government to expedite construction of new ERL unit n Aminur Rahman Rasel

The government has decided to set up the second unit of the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) with a capacity of refining around 3.5m tonnes of crude oil annually.

The unit will be completed by June 2016 under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (special provision) Act. “We have received permission from the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina [also the minister in-charge of the Power Ministry] to install the second unit of Eastern Refinery under the special act,” Md Mozammel Haque Khan, secretary of Energy and Mineral Resources Division, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We have already formed a Project Processing Committee (PPC) consisting of seven members including Finance Ministry and Law Ministry officials to negotiate with different foreign companies to implement the unit,” said

Mozammel, also the head of the PPC. He added that the PPC would invite foreign companies to implement the project, while the committee would also consider if any foreign company submitted proposal showing interest to work in the project.

“We want to build the unit quickly.

It is necessary to establish the unit to ensure energy security of the country,” Mozammel said.

Meanwhile, Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has already shown their interest to install the unit. The ERL, under Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), will implement the project.

Earlier, the BPC negotiated with Chinese state-owned firm Wuhun Engineering Company Ltd to implement the project, but were unable to reach a conclusion in this regard.

Eastern Refinery – the country’s lone refiner in Chittagong – currently refines

1.3m tonnes of crude oil per year while the capacity is 1.5m tonnes, meeting only 10% of the country’s demand.

“The BPC saves Tk6-7 per litre by refining crude oil instead of importing refined oil,” BPC chairman Md Eunusur Rahaman told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said the capacity of the proposed unit would be three times more than the existing one, adding that a 30-acre land near the Eastern Refinery has already been acquired for expansion of the refinery. The construction cost has been estimated at Tk76.2bn.

The BPC annually imports about 5m tonnes of crude and refined oil at an average price of Tk500bn, according to official data.

Under the special act, the government has so far signed agreements on setting up the country’s first floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU), to drill 10 wells of six gas fields and to build several power plants. l

A delegation from the international monetary fund (IMF) has expressed concern over the capacity limitation of the country’s revenue authorities in achieving the huge revenue target set for current fiscal year.

They also raised question about the slow progress in scam-hit banking sector reform, particularly in the Basic Bank, at a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in Dhaka last week, senior officials who attended the meeting said.

Deputy Managing Director Naoyuki Shinohara, who led the delegation, appreciated Bangladesh’s macroeconomic indicators as well as pointed out the challenges at a press conference after the conclusion of his two-day visit.

But the concerns about the revenue authorities’ capacity and the banking sector reform were not raised.

National Board of Revenue could not yet appoint a vendor for the automation system At the meeting with Muhith, the delegation wanted to know about the new VAT law implementation capacity of NBR. The law becomes effective on July 1 next year.

Officials said they inquired about selection of vendor for VAT automation system. “IMF also wanted to know about the delay in reconstitution of the Basic Bank board as the finance minister,” said one of them.

National Board of Revenue could not yet appoint a vendor for the automation system.

NBR officials said an Integrated VAT Administration System will be introduced under the VAT and Supplementary Duty project worth Tk551.59 crore.

World Bank will finance Tk449.78 crore and the remaining cost will be collected from local sources. l

Teletalk SIMs suspected of being used for VoIP calls NBR to award 122 top n VAT payers Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Top three mobile phone operators in the country – Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi – have raised suspicions about the possibility that the SIMs from the state-owned Teletalk operator is being used for illegal international incoming call terminations, causing the private companies large amount of losses every month.

The three operators sent a letter – signed by Grameenphone Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vivek Sood, Banglalink CEO Ziad Shatara, and Robi CEO Supun Weerasinghe – to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on June 29, seeking the regulator’s assistance on the issue.

According to the letter, domestic incoming traffic from Teletalk to the networks of three operators has been increasing significantly. This suspected traffic was resulting in illegal activities using Teletalk’s numbers, the letter claimed, adding that the high average of call durations from Teletalk to the other networks was also a cause of suspicion.

From January to May, GP received 1.65 minutes of call on average from Airtel, Banglalink, Citycell and Robi.

However, the Teletalk call average was 5.48 minutes, with the number increasing every month.

Meanwhile, the average call duration from Teletalk SIMs to Banglalink was 4.4 minutes and the number for

Robi was 5.16 minute, the latest letter reads.

Sources said the mobile operators suspected that most of the local calls coming from Teletalk’s network were actually international calls, which are manipulated by technology to be shown as local calls to avoid extra charges.

According to existing guidelines, mobile or land-phone operators get 20% revenue of the incoming international call which costs $0.03 (Tk2.33) per minute; ensuring Tk0.46 revenue for the operators.

However, if the call can be shown as coming from a local operator, the receiving network would only get Tk0.18.

The letter claimed that the operators have detected a large volume of suspicious calls from Teletalk that used the “profile/logic” call pattern.

Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone, confirmed that copies of the letter have also been sent to managing director of Teletalk and the secretary of the Post and Telecommunications Division, who is also the chairman of the Teletalk board of directors.

Three weeks ago, Grameenphone sent a similar letter to the BTRC, in which it claimed: “It is observed that the domestic incoming calls from Teletalk to GP’s network have the chracteristics of informational calls. We can say this because the average duration of Teletalk calls is higher than the av-

erage duration of calls coming in from other operators.”

Seeking anonymity, a senior official of a mobile phone operator said the duration of local calls were usually nominal, but the international calls’ durations were higher.

Currently around 6 crore minutes of legal incoming calls are terminated in the country; while around two or three crore minutes of call are terminated through grey market traders, most of whom reportedly use Teletalk SIMs, leading to suspicion that the stateowned company might be involved with the practice.

However, Teletalk’s acting managing director Giasuddin Ahmed denied the allegations and pointed out that Teletalk had never been fined for illegal call termination, unlike Grameenphone which was the only company in the country that had been fined twice for the offence.

Banglalink and Robi have also deposited fine for illegal calls in the past, Giasuddin added.

“We at Teletalk never accept illegal call termination. Maybe some grey market traders are using our SIMs, but it does not mean that Teletalk is involved with it. Operators who have given fines cannot complain regarding this,” Giasuddin, also Teletalk’s 3G project director, told the Dhaka Tribune on June 19.

“The market leaders are trying to destroy the only government entity in the telecom market,” he alleged.

It was easy to blame Teletalk as it was a government-owned operator and smaller compared to others, Giasuddin claimed.

He added that most illegal calls were terminated using the SIM cards of the big operators, who blamed only Teletalk as most of the other operators’ calls were received within the network.

Following a cabinet meeting in the last week of June, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly also expressed her discontent to Telecom Minister Abdul Latif Siddique for his failure to control illegal call terminations.

Earlier, a top-level official in the Telecom Ministry, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that the ministry was not too concerned about GP’s letter; the allegation was nothing new for them.

GP insiders, on the other hand, said they would be very tough on this issue as it had a great impact on their revenue.

In its previous letter, Grameenphone also cited results found by Mucci Solutions – a European company which detects illegal calls through random sampling – that detected that a total of 34,399 Teletalk SIMs were involved in illegal calls only in May. The number had been climbing every month, with figures from April putting the number at 26,777, while it was 18,777 in March, 11,897 in February and 28,069 in January. l

ADN Telecom plans to go public n Muhammad Zahidul Islam ADN Telecom Limited, one of the country’s leading local telecom service providers, plans to sell its 40% stake in the stock market but subject to approval of the securities regulator.

The company is expected to raise Tk48 crore by selling its stake to expand its business and network to the rural areas.

“We plan to sell our 40% stake

through IPO (initial public offering),” Asif Mahmood, Chairman of ADN Telecom Limited told the Dhaka Tribune.

The raised fund will be used to expand network to rural areas and to establish commercial data centre for the first time in the country, he said, adding that providing video and voice data with all connectivity solution are also in our plan.

The IPO prospectus will be submit-

ted to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission by August, said a source in the company.

ADN is one of the prominent nationwide internet service providers (ISPs) in the country. It launched first fixed Wi-max service ‘go broadband’ collaborating with leading mobile phone operator Grameenphone.

Recently, ADN got an permission from the government through Bangladesh Telecommunication

Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to increase their share numbers from 1,73,60,000 to 2,09,29,583 .

Currently, six companies – Agni Systems Limited, BDCOM Online, Aamra Technologies, Daffodil Computers, Intech Online and ISN Ltd – under IT sector are listed with the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

The sector accounts for only 0.19% or more than Tk437 crore of the total DSE market capitalisation. l

n Tribune Report The National Board of Revenue (NBR) will award 122 top value added tax (VAT) paying companies on Thursday, recognising their outstanding contribution to the national exchequer.

Nine companies from the national level and 113 companies from the

The award receivers will enjoy a number of benefits for the next one year from the issuance of the award district level will be awarded for their highest VAT payment in the fiscal year 2012-13.

The companies will be awarded in three categories – production, services and business.

Three companies each from the three sectors will be awarded at the national level.

Award receivers from the production category are Rashidpur Condensate Fractionation Plant (Habiganj), Fenchuganj Gas Field Project (Moulavibazar), and Bangladesh Petroleum

Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex), three from the services category are RFL Plastics Limited (Narshingdi), TUV SUD Bangladesh Limited (Dhaka) and National Television Limited (Dhaka); and three from the services category are Huawei Technologies BD Limited (Dhaka), M M Ispahani Limited (Chittagong) and BRAC- Aarong (Dhaka).

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is expeted to hand over crests and certificates to the selected VAT payers at a programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The award receivers will enjoy a number of benefits for the next one year from the issuance of the award including reserving seats in public transports and benefits in VIP lounges at the airport.

Their families will also be privileged as the board will ensure reservation of cabins in the public hospitals for them.

Meanwhile, the award recipients will be invited to attend the national programmes, including citizens’ reception organised by the municipalities and the city corporations.

The NBR is organising the programme for the fourth consecutive year to mark the National VAT Day 2014. The board will also observe VAT Week from July 10 to 16 aiming to create awareness among businesses to pay VAT properly. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stock

Stocks drop for 4th day

DSE key features July 6, 2014

n Tribune Report

Number of Contract

However, increased buying pressure has shot up food and allied sector by nearly 4%, driven by heavyweight BATBC that rallied 4.8%.

“The continued losing streak dwindled market confidence, keeping investors in meticulous positioning,” said IDLC Investments in its daily market analysis.

It said expectations on half-yearly earnings and upcoming MPS for July-Dec. started reviving amid investors. “Basing on these, investors prompted balancing their portfolio.

However, dimmed market sentiment eroded activities, dragging total turnover to 29th session low.”

Lanka Bangla Securities said market ended red on the opening day of the week in continuation of shaky market sentiment on last Thursday.

“After experiencing fall in four consecutive sessions, investors may be watching how index moves before hitting the psychological support level of 4,440 points,” it said.

It said as second quarter earnings starts hitting the screen soon, market direction will be clearer.

“Economy is in a bit fix. Though there is no political clash this year consumption and investment is still low.”

Losers took a lead over the gainers as out of 286 issues traded, 159 declined, 81 advanced and 46 remained unchanged at the DSE. l

Stocks dropped for the fourth straight session yesterday with low turnover, as investors preferred to stay sidelines in the wake of long bearish market.

The market opened the week on a positive note, but lost momentum after 30 minutes of trade closing in red, as selling pressure took place mainly on financial and cement stocks.

The benchmark DSEX lost 25 points or 0.6% to end at 4,411, which is more than one-week low.

However, the Shariah index DSES was down 5 points or 0.6% to 998. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,612, shedding 9 points or 0.6%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, fell 60 points to 8,403.

Investor participation dropped to Tk215 crore, registering a decline of 18% from the previous session’s value of Tk261 crore and lowest since May 25 this year.

Already under pressure banks suffered most falling more than 1%, as news of first negative remittance growth in a decade posed another strong threat to the sector.

After rising throughout the previous week, cement fell over 1% on profit booking. Among other major sectors, telecommunication and power edged down.

Company

2,151.91 63,518,681 61,175

Traded Issues

289

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

93

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

183

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

13

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,292.39

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.79

CSE key features July 6, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

192.88

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

DSE GAINERS

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

6,202,465

Number of Contract

9,496

4411.15829

(-) 0.56%

▼

Traded Issues

190

997.77981

(-) 0.51%

▼

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

52

1612.23039

(-) 0.59%

▼

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

134

CSE All Share Index:

13576.00680

(-) 0.75%

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

CSE - 30 Index :

11204.58460

(-) 1.09%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,192.91

8403.78590

(-) 0.70%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.58

DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS Company

Closing (% change)

National Life I -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A Premier Leasing-Z Modern Dyeing -Z Jute SpinnersA Beximco Syn.-Z Desh Garments -B Monno Ceramic -B

-27.51 -5.97 -5.19 -4.40 -4.13 -3.57 -3.46 -3.17

Average (% change) -29.48 -5.19 -3.88 -2.23 -4.13 -4.03 -3.73 -3.11

Safko Spinning-A ACI ZERO Bond-A

-3.00 -2.98

-2.24 0.13

CSE LOSERS Company Emerald Oil Ind. -N GreenDeltaInsu -A Bangladesh Welding -Z Bangladesh Lamps -A Rupali Life Insur.-A Titas Gas TDCLA Northern G Insur-A ICB Emp. PMF-A

Fine Foods A Premier Cement-A

-79.85 -8.97 -5.51 -5.13 -4.86 -4.78 -4.78 -3.57

Average (% change) -1.22 -8.91 -5.29 -3.95 -4.90 -1.73 -3.24 -2.52

-3.47 -3.37

-1.90 -1.95

Closing (% change)

ANALYST

Closing average

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 192.97 56.66 29.85 345.92 99.50 215.11 0.75 298.38 215.65 0.14 26.79 22.89 9.45 94.70 16.01 25.56 34.15 109.85 129.37 228.06 0.17

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

230.24 6.40 7.43 73.33 62.60 10.96 109.60 27.71

232.10 6.30 7.30 71.70 62.60 10.80 108.80 27.50

235.00 6.60 7.50 74.90 62.60 11.20 111.50 28.60

221.20 6.20 7.00 71.10 62.60 10.80 108.30 27.50

3.914 0.365 0.491 0.022 0.003 0.456 3.266 0.852

12.46 1.49 0.12 1.61 -43.81 0.76 0.96 0.28

18.5 4.3 61.9 45.5 -ve 14.4 114.2 99.0

19.61 941.18

19.40 912.00

20.30 930.00

19.20 900.00

2.069 0.016

1.08 0.00

18.2 -

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

BD. Thai Alum -B Midas Financing-Z BATBCL -A BD Building Systems -A ICB Sonali Bank 1 MF-A G Next Fashions-A 1st ICB M F -A Barakatullah E. D.-A Fu-Wang Food A Reckitt Benckiser -A

44.40 73.10 12.00 114.60 64.60 73.70 31.90 5.40

45.30 73.10 12.00 115.00 64.60 73.70 32.50 5.50

44.30 73.10 12.00 114.50 64.50 73.70 30.20 5.40

0.545 0.007 0.036 0.029 0.097 0.037 0.064 0.038

2.92 3.00 0.48 0.92 5.33 8.29 6.40 0.68

74.6 24.4 25.0 124.6 12.1 8.9 5.0 8.0

17.04 83.13

16.70 83.10

17.50 83.20

16.70 83.00

0.179 0.067

-1.01 3.67

-ve 22.7

The continued losing streak dwindled market confidence, keeping investors in meticulous positioning

% change 8.97 2.63 1.39 16.08 4.62 10.00 0.03 13.87 10.02 1.24 1.06 0.44 4.40 0.74 1.19 1.59 5.10 6.01 10.60 0.01

Million Taka 14.76 4.99 2.58 26.26 5.69 17.16 25.12 10.09 3.11 1.43 3.83 0.70 9.01 1.45 0.46 2.51 24.21 23.71 25.09 0.05

% change 7.30 2.47 1.27 12.99 2.81 8.49 0.00 12.42 4.99 1.54 0.71 1.90 0.35 4.46 0.72 0.23 1.24 11.97 11.73 12.41 0.03

Million Taka 207.74 61.64 32.43 372.18 105.19 232.27 0.75 323.49 225.74 3.25 28.22 26.72 10.15 103.72 17.46 26.02 36.65 134.06 153.09 253.15 0.22

Total

9.30 9.28 4.71 4.57 3.49 3.35 3.26 2.87 2.67 2.56

CSE GAINERS Company Provati Insur.-A BD. Thai Alum -B BD Building Systems -A BATBCL -A Federal Insu.-A Safko Spinning-A Sandhani Life -A Usmania Glass -A G Next Fashions-A BDCOM Online-A

Closing (% change) 6.12 6.02 5.14 5.00 4.57 3.50 3.41 3.38 3.35 3.20

Average (% change) 5.44 9.68 3.48 4.21 2.20 4.33 3.26 2.39 1.54 2.14 Average (% change) 6.29 6.65 4.48 5.00 5.31 3.60 1.64 3.38 4.16 3.08

Closing average 27.89 21.30 2,426.56 56.88 8.83 18.57 950.00 32.19 19.15 1,103.91

Closing average 20.80 28.08 56.92 2415.00 20.64 20.70 83.45 150.00 18.53 22.45

Closing 28.20 21.20 2,454.70 57.20 8.90 18.50 950.00 32.30 19.20 1,108.90

Closing 20.80 28.20 57.30 2415.00 20.60 20.70 84.90 150.00 18.50 22.60

Daily high 28.30 21.30 2,461.50 57.70 9.00 19.00 950.00 33.00 19.50 1,120.00

Daily high 20.80 28.50 57.70 2415.00 20.70 20.70 84.90 150.00 18.90 22.60

Daily low 25.00 21.00 2,377.00 50.00 8.60 17.00 950.00 28.30 17.00 1,082.00

Daily low 20.80 27.10 56.00 2415.00 19.60 20.70 82.00 150.00 18.00 20.00

Turnover in million 24.422 0.643 15.894 63.502 0.834 97.277 0.048 36.493 7.386 2.539

Turnover in million 0.010 0.946 3.074 0.121 0.076 0.010 0.008 0.015 7.624 0.082

Latest EPS 0.84 -6.91 82.80 3.01 1.60 2.28 38.55 1.69 0.96 41.12

Latest EPS 2.24 0.84 3.01 82.80 1.36 1.08 2.66 4.07 2.28 1.43

Latest PE 33.2 -ve 29.3 18.9 5.5 8.1 24.6 19.0 19.9 26.8

Latest PE 9.3 33.4 18.9 29.2 15.2 19.2 31.4 36.9 8.1 15.7

News, analysis and recent disclosers STYLECRAFT: The Board of Directors has recommended 50% cash dividend for the year ended on March 31, 2014. Date of AGM: 06.09.2014, Time: 3:00 PM, Venue: Banquet Hall of Hotel Abakash, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, 83-88, Mohakhali C/A, (Opposite of Shahid Titumir College), Dhaka-1212. Record Date: 23.07.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 26.16, NAV per share of Tk. 315.00 and NOCFPS of Tk. 179.00 for the year ended on March 31, 2014.

NITOLINS: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on July 03, 2014 (except fractional shares).

The Company has also advised Jamuna Bank Ltd. to disburse the cash dividend to the respective shareholders' Bank Accounts on July 03, 2014. The payment of sale proceeds of fractional shares will be dispatch shortly.

FAR Chemical Industries Ltd.: All concerned are hereby informed that trading of the shares of FAR Chemical Industries Ltd. will commence at CSE from 7 July

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Appollo Ispat CL -N Generation Next Fashions-A Grameenphone-A The Peninsula CTG.-N LafargeS Cement-Z BD Building Systems -A

CSE

Closing (% change)

2014 under settlement category ''N''.

Please note that the Scrip Id=13030, Scrip Code=FARCHEM, Market Lot=500, Face Value=Tk.10 & Tick Price=10 paisa. However, the listing date of the Company at CSE was 30 April 2014.

IPO Subscription: Saif Powertec Limited subscription date 06-10 July 2014, NRB upto 19 July 2014. @ taka 30, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Ratanpur Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited subscription date 13-17 July 2014, NRB upto 26 July 2014. @ taka 40, face value taka 10 and market lot 200.

Khan Brothers PP Woven Bag Industries Ltd. subscription date 24-28 August 2014, NRB upto 06 September 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Western Marine Shipyard Limited subscription date 10-14 August 2014, NRB upto 23 August 2014. @ taka 35, face value taka 10 and market lot 100.

Right Share: MIDASFIN: Subscription period for rights issue will be from 01.09.2014 to 30.09.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 03.08.2014.

Dividend/AGM

SANDHANINS: 25.50% stock, EGM and AGM: 06.09.2014, Record Date for EGM and AGM: 16.07.2014.

RECKITTBEN: Interim cash @ 275% , Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 07.07.2014.

BDSERVICE: 15% stock, AGM: 25.08.2014, Record Date: 14.07.2014.

NATLIFEINS: 20% cash and 38% stock, AGM: 21.07.2014, Record Date: 03.07.2014.

MEGHNALIFE: 20% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 17.07.2014, Record Date: 30.06.2014.

DELTALIFE: 11% cash and 25% stock, AGM and EGM: 20.07.2014, Record date for AGM and EGM: 25.06.2014.

LAFSURCEML: 5% interim cash, Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 30.06.2014.

ASIAINS: 15% cash and 5% stock, AGM: 16.07.2014, Record Date: 19.06.2014.

SALVOCHEM: 10% stock, AGM: 27.08.2014, Record date: 25.06.2014.

CMCKAMAL: 12.50% stock, AGM: 30.06.2014. Record Date: 29.05.2014.

ISLAMIINS: 15% stock, AGM: 09.07.2014, RD: 12.05.2014.

Latest PE

217.80 73.10 12.00 114.64 64.57 73.70 31.93 5.41

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Monday, July 7, 2014

% change 8.82 2.62 1.38 15.81 4.47 9.87 0.03 13.74 9.59 0.14 1.20 1.14 0.43 4.41 0.74 1.11 1.56 5.69 6.50 10.75 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Aftab Auto.-A UNITED AIR-A

Beximco Pharma -A Square Pharma -A BSC-A Barakatullah E. D.-A Padma Oil Co. -A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Grameenphone-A

BEXIMCO Ltd. -A The Peninsula CTG.-N Appollo Ispat CL -N UNITED AIR-A G Next Fashions-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A BSC-A LafargeS Cement-Z GBB Power Ltd-A BD Submarine Cable-A Square Pharma -A Aftab Auto.-A AB Bank - A BD Building Systems -A

Volume shares 5,307,218 3,915,200 5,237,378 262,200 2,074,600 819,000 1,116,400 2,050,000 612,002 3,783,538

1,113,876 167,620 71,395 1,133,520 113,500

Volume shares

65,400 552,014 391,000 448,800 722,357 411,466 314,500 10,155 67,000 205,200 25,031 13,785 42,544 131,080 54,000

Value in million 181.75 118.34 97.28 76.70 74.14 63.75 63.50 49.64 49.14 49.05

47.41 46.87 37.49 36.49 35.67

Value in million

19.64 18.94 13.88 13.56 9.35 7.62 7.59 5.34 5.24 4.91 4.57 3.85 3.39 3.24 3.07

% of total turnover 8.45 5.50 4.52 3.56 3.45 2.96 2.95 2.31 2.28 2.28

2.20 2.18 1.74 1.70 1.66

% of total turnover

10.27 9.90 7.26 7.09 4.89 3.98 3.97 2.79 2.74 2.57 2.39 2.01 1.77 1.69 1.61

Daily closing 33.60 29.60 18.50 291.90 35.10 77.70 57.20 24.00 78.40 12.80

42.10 279.60 522.00 32.30 311.30

Daily closing

291.40 33.70 35.00 29.60 12.80 18.50 24.10 522.50 78.30 23.40 182.00 279.20 78.80 24.50 57.30

Price change -1.75 -1.99 3.35 -1.02 -0.85 -1.52 4.57 1.69 0.26 -1.54

Daily opening 34.20 30.20 17.90 294.90 35.40 78.90 54.70 23.60 78.20 13.00

Price change

Daily opening

0.24 -0.07 1.02 2.87 -2.47

-0.78 -1.46 -0.85 -1.66 -2.29 3.35 1.26 1.16 -1.76 -0.43 -0.60 -0.14 1.03 -2.00 5.14

42.00 279.80 516.75 31.40 319.20

293.70 34.20 35.30 30.10 13.10 17.90 23.80 516.50 79.70 23.50 183.10 279.60 78.00 25.00 54.50

Daily high 35.20 31.20 19.00 296.80 36.30 79.00 57.70 24.50 81.00 13.30

43.50 280.60 531.00 33.00 321.80 Daily high

304.00 35.40 36.10 31.10 13.30 18.90 24.50 531.50 79.50 24.50 183.40 280.50 80.70 25.50 57.70

Daily low 31.00 29.30 17.00 291.30 34.90 77.10 50.00 23.60 73.00 11.70

Daily average 34.25 30.22 18.57 292.54 35.74 77.83 56.88 24.22 80.29 12.96

Daily low

Daily average

37.80 259.80 519.00 28.30 310.50

291.00 33.50 34.90 29.40 12.70 18.00 23.70 515.00 77.50 23.20 181.60 278.10 78.00 24.40 56.00

42.56 279.59 525.06 32.19 314.25

300.33 34.31 35.51 30.21 12.94 18.53 24.14 525.87 78.15 23.92 182.43 279.43 79.60 24.73 56.92

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Monday, July 7, 2014

World stocks hold at all-time high

B3

n Reuters, London

Dollar steady in Asia after upbeat US jobs report n AFP, Tokyo

World stocks were enjoying the view at an all-time high on Friday, lifted by a week of strong US economic data and promises from the European Central Bank that cheap money will be sloshing around for years.

European shares were marginally in the red as the dust settled from Thursday’s forecast-busting US jobs data and ECB meeting, with investors taking the opportunity to lock in profits after the biggest week of gains since March.

A new three-year peak for Asian stocks overnight meant MSCI’s All World share index, which tracks 45 countries, set its fourth consecutive record high, while the dollar, US bond yields and growth-sensitive copper were also up for the week.

“Markets keep going up,” said Daniel McCormack an equities strategist at Macquarie Capital in London.

“The world is still awash with money and a lot of it is still coming into equities.”

With Wall Street closed for Independence Day celebrations markets were quieter than usual but there were still pockets of movement.

Yields on lower-rated euro zone bonds continued to fall as analysts combed the details of new long-term loans the ECB has lined up for banks, and after it said on Thursday it stood ready to print money if needed.

The ECB will give banks the opportunity to borrow up to 1tn euros for four years at a rate of only 0.25% from September in the hope they will lend some of that money to businesses and consumers.

“More liquidity in the system is a boost for bonds,” said Peter Chatwell, fixed income strategist at Credit Agricole.

Portuguese bonds though, which have underperformed this week due to concerns about an investigation into holding companies of the country’s largest bank, were still off the pace.

Stocks in Lisbon also took another tumble, down 1.1% on the day and one of only a handful of indexes in the world staring at a fourth straight week in the red.

The biggest loser of the day was Austria though.

Vienna’s ATX index dropped over 3% as Erste bank, the third-biggest lender in eastern Europe, plunged 15% after warning problems in Romania and

The dollar was steady against the yen and euro in Asia Friday after it rallied on an encouraging US jobs report that pointed to a stronger economy and a possible early interest rate hike.

In Tokyo afternoon trading, the greenback fetched 102.08 yen, down from 102.20 yen in New York but still well up from 101.88 yen in Tokyo earlier Thursday.

The euro bought $1.3610 and 138.89 yen, against $1.3609 and 139.09 yen in US trade, after the European Central Bank (ECB) held interest rates unchanged at its policy meeting Thursday.

On Thursday the US Labor Department said the world’s number one economy added 288,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent from 6.3 percent in May. The closely watched figures were well above expectations of 215,000 and boosted hopes a recovery is well on track.

Analysts also said the strong data could see the Federal Reserve increase interest rates sooner rather than later.

The US central bank has said it wants to make sure economic growth is sound and the jobs market is strong enough before it puts borrowing rates up, previously pointing to mid-2015 at the earliest. Higher rates tend to attract dollar buying from investors looking for richer returns.

“Overall, the labour market is meeting the Fed’s targets early and continues to show a sustained, and now robust, improvement,” National Australia Bank said.

In Europe, ECB policymakers held interest rates unchanged, as expected, a month after taking unprecedented measures to ward off deflation in the eurozone.

But bank chief Mario Draghi insisted it was still on high alert and would take further action again if necessary.

The dollar was mixed against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It weakened to Sg$1.2467 from Sg$1.2484 on Thursday, to 11,886.50 Indonesian rupiah from 11,951.30 rupiah and to 43.55 Philippines pesos from 43.64 pesos.

The greenback also fell to 32.38 Thai baht from 32.40 baht and to 1,008.75 South Korean won from 1,009.21 won, but it rose to 59.70 Indian rupees from 59.66 rupees while it was unchanged at Tw$29.87. The Australian dollar eased to 93.63 US cents from 93.75 cents, while the Chinese yuan traded at 16.44 yen against 16.39 yen. l

A screen displays the Dow at 17,041.23 on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the morning of July 3 in New York City. The Dow Jones passed 17,000 for the first time today, as economy continues to recover AFP Hungary would drive it to a record loss.

Weak oil

Oil and safe-haven favourite gold were also under pressure as the unrest in Iraq and between Ukraine in Russia supportive factors for both in recent weeks - remained in a lull.

The Iraqi army retook Saddam Hussein’s home village overnight, while former Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi said he would not run for another term, a move that should make it easier for the Shi’ite parties to replace Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with someone more widely accepted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for better relations with the

United States on Friday in a congratulatory message to President Barack Obama marking US Independence Day. Brent crude dipped back below $111 a barrel and was set to post its biggest weekly loss since early January. US oil futures were down for a seventh straight day and heading for their longest such run since 2009.

“Supply fears are easing somewhat, but Iraq is setting a high floor on prices,” said Victor Shum, vice-president of energy consultancy IHS Energy Insight.

Landmark week

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ended up 0.2%, touching its highest levels since May

2011 after a weekly gain of 1.7%.

Japan’s Nikkei stock average rose 0.6% to hit a 5-1/2-month high, and gained 2.3% for the week.

It came after US employment growth smashed forecasts and unemployment fell to near a six-year low of 6.1%, effectively dispelling fears about the economy’s health after a weatherhit start to the year.

The report helped the Dow Jones industrial average pass the 17,000 milestone and the benchmark S&P 500 rise to within 1 percent of the 2,000 level.

US Treasury yields hit a two-month high, which in turn burnished the dollar’s appeal. The benchmark 10-year yield ended at 2.64 percent after going

Oil prices mixed in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore

Oil prices were mixed in Asia Friday as profit-taking set in after rallying in response to a strong US jobs report, while dealers consider the prospect of an influx of Libyan crude into global markets, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery eased 11 cents to $103.95 while Brent crude rose five cents to $111.05.

On Thursday the Labor Department said the US economy added 288,000 jobs in June, well above expectations of 215,000, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.1% from 6.3% in May.

Singapore’s United Overseas Bank said the latest data was “encourag-

Dhaka Bank Limited yesterday celebrated its 19th anniversary at the bank’s head office in Motijheel, Dhaka. The bank’s founder and director Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed attended the ceremony among others

Jamuna Bank Foundation recently organised a discussion meeting on significance of Ramadan and a Qirat competition for the children of the Jamuna Bank Limited’s officers.

The bank’s chair Shaheen Mahmud was present at the programme as chief guest

ing” as it was the fifth straight month in which more than 200,000 jobs had

been created.

However, while the figures gave a boost to prices initially, UOB said they remained under pressure “as supply fears begin to ease after Libya declared an end to an oil crisis that has slashed exports”.

Crude prices began easing Wednesday after Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thani declared that authorities had regained control of export terminals blockaded by rebels.

Production in Libya, a member of the OPEC oil cartel, has been severely limited for a year after rebels last summer blockaded terminals as part of a campaign to restore autonomy in the country’s eastern region. l

UCash, mobile financial service of United Commercial bank Limited recently signed an agreement with Progressive Life Insurance Company Limited at the bank’s corporate head office on collecting insurance premium of the insurance company through UCash. The bank’s additional managing director Mirza Mahmud Rafiqur Rahman and the insurance company’s managing director Dr Syed Tanvir Alam were present at the ceremony among others

Chairperson of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited’s executive committee, Engr Md. Eskander Ali Khan recently spoke as chief guest at a business development conference held for the bank’s Chittagong North Zone and Chittagong South Zone at Chittagong Club. The bank’s managing director Mohammad Abdul Mannan presided over the conference

as high at 2.69%. Treasuries weren’t trading on Friday.

The dollar was though and it was at a one-week peak against a basket of rivals despite being a touch softer against the yen at 102.05 yen.

The ECB’s loose talk nudged the euro lower to $1.3589 leaving traders wondering whether long-held bets on a rise in the dollar could finally start to pay out.

“It is very fair to say that nobody got the first half of the year right, but I think the second half of the year will be much more in line with what people expected,” said Kerry Craig, a global markets strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management. l

Top economies contract in first quarter of 2014 n AFP, Paris Leading global economies contracted in the first three months of 2014 as companies traded less and ordered fewer goods, and despite a slight rise in private consumption, the OECD said Thursday.

Data showed that economic activity contracted by 0.2% overall in the first quarter of 2014 among the group’s 34 members, compared with the last quarter of 2013. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development had recorded growth of 0.5% in

the previous quarter.

For the third quarter running, private consumption was the biggest contributor to business activity, posting an increase of 0.3% in the first three months of this year, a statement said.

International trade trimmed the overall result by 0.1 percentage point meanwhile, while the drawing down of stocks led to the cut of another 0.2 percentage points.

In Japan, the third biggest global economy, consumption helped achieve overall growth of 1.6%. l

Okapia, a handset brand has recently stepped into the cell phone market of Bangladesh by synchronising a simultaneous launch event at 3,500 shops around 47 locations within the country. The company’s chair Subrata Das and its managing director Tofazzul Hossain were present at an Okapia Service Center at Bashundhara City Shopping Complex in Dhaka during the inauguration

RED, formerly known as Partex Fashions has recently inaugurated its third showroom at Jamuna Future Park. The chair of Partex Group MA Hashem launched the showroom at the presence of Aziz Al Masud, managing director of RED

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, July 7, 2014

China plots its own Asia 'pivot'

Diplomats see Asian infrastructure bank as a possible rival to World Bank and Asian Development Bank n Reuters, Beijing The Silk Road, an obscure Kazakhinspired security forum and a $50bn Asian infrastructure bank are just some of the disparate elements in an evolving Chinese strategy to try to counter Washington’s “pivot” to the region.

While Chinese leaders have not given the government’s growing list of initiatives a label or said they had an overall purpose, Chinese experts and diplomats said Beijing appeared set on shaping Asia’s security and financial architecture more to its liking.

“China is trying to work out its own counterbalance strategy,” said Sun Zhe, director of the Centre for US-China Relations at Beijing’s Tsinghua University and who has advised China’s government on its foreign policy.

Added one Beijing-based Western diplomat who follows China’s international relations: “This is all clearly aimed at the United States.”

President Barack Obama’s pivot as the White House initially dubbed it - represented a strategy to refocus on Asia’s dynamic economies as the United States disentangled itself from costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

China sees the pivot as an attempt to contain its growing influence, especially given the United States is strengthening its ties with Asian security allies such as Japan and the Philippines, which have bitter territorial disputes with Beijing in the region’s waters.

Washington denies this.

One key part of China’s diplomatic outreach has been to breath life into the little-known Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, or CICA, which has languished since Kazakhstan proposed it in 1992 to promote peace and security.

CICA comprises two dozen mostly Asian nations, as well as Russia and some Middle Eastern countries. The United States, Japan and the Philippines are not members.

China took over chairmanship of CICA at a summit in Shanghai in May for three years. There, President Xi Jinping spoke about a new “Asian security

about the optics of these issues rather than the realities of a Chinese-led order,” said Matthew Goodman, senior adviser for Asian Economics at the Center for Security and International Studies in Washington.

Washington watching

US President Barack Obama (R) meets with China's Vice President Xi Jinping in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, February 14, 2012 concept”, saying China would explore the formulation of a code of conduct for regional security and an Asian security partnership programme.

While Xi gave few details and made no direct mention of disputes such as in the South China Sea, he warned Asian nations about strengthening military alliances to counter China, an oblique reference to the US pivot.

“Asian problems must be resolved by Asian people, and Asian security must be protected by Asian people,” Xi said.

A rival bank?

Another Chinese initiative is the $50bn Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which Xi first proposed in October during a visit to Southeast Asia.

Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said this week Beijing would likely have a 50% stake in the bank, which diplomats see as a possible rival to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, though China says its role is a complementary one, not competitive.

Washington and Tokyo have the big-

gest voting rights in both the decadesold institutions.

China sees the infrastructure bank as a way to spread the message of its benign intentions in Asia, where developing countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam accuse Beijing of being the aggressor over territorial claims.

“China upholds a basic guiding principle in regional diplomacy - being friends and partners with our neighbours,” Lou said.

On top of that, China has dangled fi-

REUTERS

nancial and trade incentives to Central Asia, backing efforts to resurrect the old Silk Road that once carried treasures between China and the Mediterranean.

China is also pushing ahead with various trade pacts in the region, but is not part of negotiations for the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation bloc whose two biggest economies are the United States and Japan. Not everyone is convinced China’s initiatives will amount to much.

“Some of those things are more

IMF: Global recovery to accelerate in Dubai says launching 2015, no brutal slowdown in China project to build world’s biggest mall n Global activity is picking Reuters, Aix-en-Provence

Global economic activity should strengthen in the second half of this year and accelerate in 2015 although momentum could be weaker than expected, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said yesterday, adding that the Fund did not expect a sharp slowdown in China.

Lagarde said central banks’ accommodative policies could have only limited impact on demand and that countries should also act to boost growth by investing in infrastructure, education and health, provided their debt stays sustainable.

The IMF’s update of its global economic outlook, expected later this month, will be slightly different from the forecasts published in April, she said.

“Global activity is picking up but the momentum could be less strong than we had expected because potential growth is weaker and investment ... remains subdued.”

Lagarde estimated that growth in

up but the momentum could be less strong than we had expected because potential growth is weaker and investment ... remains subdued

China this year would be between 7 and 7.5%.

“Despite the many responses to the crisis ... recovery is modest, laborious, fragile, and measures to boost demand, despite the goodwill of central banks, will find their limits,” she told a conference in southern France.

“We must therefore take steps to boost efforts to strengthen growth,” she added. “This is the opportunity in a number of countries to relaunch investment, without threatening the vi-

ability of public finances.”

Lagarde said several times in her speech that although now could be the time for some countries to boost public investment, not all of them could afford to do so.

After a first quarter that was “much more disappointing than expected”, there was now a “sensible rebound” in the US economy, she said. Growth should accelerate as long as the Federal Reserve’s withdrawal from easy monetary policy is orderly and there is a precise medium term budget framework.

The euro zone is slowly coming out of recession and it is crucial that countries continue to carry out reforms, including completing the banking union, Lagarde said.

“Looking at emerging Asian countries, and in particular China, we are reassured because we do not see a brutal slowdown but rather a slight slowing of a growth that has become ... more sustainable and that we see at 7 to 7.5% this year.” l

n Reuters, Dubai

Dubai is launching a project to build an entertainment and hotel district that will include the world’s largest shopping mall, the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, said on Saturday.

Plans for the “Mall of the World” project were originally revealed 18 months ago, helping to trigger a strong rally in Dubai’s real estate and stock markets.

Saturday’s announcement appeared to indicate that substantial work on the project would now begin, though the statement did not say when construction would be completed, how much it would cost or how it would be financed.

“The project will be built in phases in alignment with the gradual growth of family tourism in Dubai,” said Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi, chairman of Dubai Holding, which is Sheikh Mohammed’s personal investment ve-

hicle and will develop the project.

The latest version of the plans includes construction of an 8 million square foot (743,000 square metre) mall, connected to a theme park, theatres, medical tourism facilities and 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings with 20,000 rooms.

The complex would be able to host 180 million visitors annually. Seven kilometres (4.4 miles) of promenades connecting the facilities would be opened to the air during the winter but covered and air-conditioned during the hot Gulf summer.

Dubai is still recovering from its 2009 debt crisis and the International Monetary Fund has warned a slew of new real estate projects could lead to another boom-bust cycle. But officials say they are able to handle the risks, and a strong economy is helping Dubai’s government-linked firms restructure their debt. l

China’s foreign policy since the country began economic reforms three decades ago has traditionally followed the maxim of late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping of “hiding ones’ strength and biding ones’ time”, or keeping a low profile.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier this year flagged China’s more assertive regional foreign policy at his annual press conference and in a newspaper article.

“We must accept the role of a responsible major country in international affairs,” Wang wrote.

Asked this week whether China was carrying out its own pivot, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was pursing a policy of good neighbourliness. A senior Obama administration official said Washington was paying close attention to Xi’s approach to Asia.

“We noted his statement at the CICA conference about Asia for Asians, the growing criticism of US alliances and the Asian infrastructure bank,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“It’s raising serious questions about whether the US vision and the Chinese vision are fully compatible.”

A second senior US official said Washington had not been assured that the infrastructure bank would adopt the high governance and other standards of institutions such as the World Bank and the ADB. He said the administration did not see how such an entity would “add value” for the region and that Washington would be making this point to Asian allies.

While they were not members, the United States and Japan were welcome to join the bank, Lou said.

Top Chinese and US officials will get the chance to discuss the bank and many other issues during annual talks in Beijing on July 9-10, a meeting known as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. l

German industrial orders fall in May n AFP, Frankfurt German industrial orders, a key measure of demand for goods both at home and abroad, were weighed down down in May by declining domestic orders, official data showed on Friday.

Industrial orders were down 1.7% in May compared with the previous month, the statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

In April, German factory orders had jumped by 3.4%.

The figures indicated that domestic orders declined by 2.5% and export orders were down by 1.2% compared with the previous month.

Orders from the eurozone rose by 5.7% however, while orders from outside the eurozone tumbled 5.2%.

By sector, orders for semi-finished goods fell by 3.4%, orders for capital goods were down by 0.7% and orders for consumer goods fell by 1.2%.

Natixis economist Johannes Gareis said that despite this setback, “we expect the upward trend in the German economy to continue in the course of this year.” l

PM: ‘40%’ of French firm to expand Madagascar budget India port with Adani lost to corruption 50 joint venture, Adani Ports said in a n AFP, Antananarivo n Reuters, New Delhi statement on Friday.

A piece of graffiti depicting German chancellor Angela Merkel with a lettering reading 'Money kills Morals' is seen in front of the new tower of the European Central Bank, ECB in Frankfurt/Main, central Germany, on July 3. The bank is to move into the new building end of 2014 AFP

Madagascar’s Prime Minister Roger Kolo has vowed to stamp out corruption after revealing that 40% of his country’s budget is lost to graft.

“Forty percent of the state’s budget is diverted. That’s unacceptable,” Kolo told reporters on Thursday.

“The independent anti-corruption bureau, created in 2004, will be restructured and the second national stage of the fight against corruption will be adopted soon,” said Kolo, who was named prime minister in April.

According to Madagascar’s 2014 Finance Act, its national budget should be 940m euros ($1.3bn).

The island nation is one of the poorest in the world and also suffers from one of the highest corruption rates, coming 127th out of 177 nations on Transparency International’s annual graft ranking. l

CMA CGM Group, the world’s thirdbiggest container shipping group, will partner with India’s Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd to build a new container terminal in western India, the French firm’s first port investment in the country.

The terminal, the fourth at Adani’s Mundra complex in the state of Gujarat, will be built over two years in a 50-

DILBERT

The terminal will add 30% to Mundra’s capacity, making it the biggest port in India, Adani Ports said.

Adani Ports, part of billionaire Gautum Adani’s conglomerate, has expanded its ports business in recent years to become the country’s largest port developer. In May, it said it had bought the port of Dhamra on the eastern coast of India. l