Agrahayan 9, 1421 Muharram 29, 1436 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 229
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION
20 pages | Price: Tk12
B1 | BUSINESS
7 | LONG FORM
9 | HAY FESTIVAL
14 | SPORT
BALI PACKAGE MAKES HARDLY ANY PROGRESS IN ONE YEAR
‘TO ME SOCIALISM IS ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHT TO LIVELIHOOD’
THE ECONOMICS OF LITERARY FESTIVAL
DOMINANT BAYERN EXTEND LEAD IN BUNDESLIGA
‘March-April to see change in power’
Khaleda slams Jamaat inertia n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
BNP claims game-changing movement in the offing to seal fate of government did in Queens University of London. n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla “If political science has any utility, As the BNP rank-and-file have long been irritated at its empty threats of launching a vigorous movement it is now telling them to wait until MarchApril. “Everybody – from shopkeepers to rickshaw pullers – is saying the government cannot stay in the office after March or April,” Goyeshwar Chnadra Roy, standing committee member of the party, told the Dhaka tribune.
‘If political science has any utility, if my thinking is perfect then country’s situation will not remain the same in March-April’ “If people do not want to see them in office then how will they cling to office?” When asked about whether the party has devised any strategy to materialise this goal, Roy said: “Certainly we have some strategies but we will not disclose them.” “When it happens you will all know. It is tough to give any specific date of waging movement,” he said. Pro-BNP intellectual and former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Emajuddin Ahmed also echoed the notion of Goyeshwar. “I hope that Tarique Rahman will deliver the same speech in Dhaka University in the next three months as he
Al-Shabab kills 28 in Kenya n Agencies Somali militant group al-Shabab claimed that they killed at least 28 people in an attack on a bus in northern Kenya. The bus was travelling to the capital, Nairobi, when it was stopped in Mandera county, near the Somali border. Gunmen separated out those they thought were non-Muslim before killing them, officials and witnesses said, reports BBC. Al-Shabab, which has been mounting attacks in Kenya since 2011, said it carried out the attack. A statement on a website linked to the Islamist group carried a statement saying the attack was carried out in retaliation for security raids on mosques in the coastal city of Mombasa earlier this week. One of the passengers on the bus, Ahmed Mahat, told the BBC that there were more than 60 passengers on board when it was attacked, before dawn on Saturday, about 30km (19 miles) from Mandera town. The driver tried to accelerate away, but the vehicle became stuck in mud caused by recent heavy rains, he said. About 10 heavily armed men talking Somali ordered the passengers off the bus. “When we got down, passengers were separated according to Somali and non-Somalis,” Mr Mahat said. PAGE 2 COLUMN 4
if my thinking is perfect then country’s situation will not remain the same in March-April. By the time people’s involvement with the movement will mount. I am waiting for Tarique’s new days,” Emajuddin told a discussion in Dhaka on Tuesday to mark the 50th birth anniversary of Tarique, who is senior vice-chairman of BNP. When asked about how he could be sure of the change in the political ambience in March-April Emajuddin averted the question several times. Meanwhile, frustration still prevails in the party men as they in reality do not know anything about what is going to happen in March-April. “We have never been told about any strategy for the imminent movement,” said a central leader. It is particularly important for the leaders and activists at the mid and grassroots levels to know about when and how the campaign would be carried out. “Because it is them who would spearhead the movement on streets if the BNP has to go anywhere near toppling the government,” he said. By the time BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has held several political rallies in recent times in various parts of the country but nowhere, contrary to the grassroots’ expectation, she announced any definite time-frame for the movement. PAGE 2 COLUMN 3
(Above) A community policeman clad in yellow uniform, courtesy of Champion Malik Samity, demands toll from a bus conductor. (Bottom left) As he refuses to pay the extortion the police makes a phone call to someone and hands over the mobile phone to the conductor. (Bottom right) After he listens to the man from the other side of the phone he finally succumbs to the pressure and paid the money demanded. Community policemen are responsible for extending support to traffic policemen to maintain traffic discipline. They are not assigned to do otherwise SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
ISIS kills 25 in Iraq’s Ramadi n Reuters
Islamic State militants yesterday killed 25 members of a Sunni Muslim tribe during their assault in Ramadi, 130km west of Baghdad, said local officials, in apparent revenge for tribal opposition to the radical Islamists. They said the bodies of the men from the Albu Fahd tribe were discovered after the army launched a counter-offensive against the Islamic State in a village on the eastern edge of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, reports Reuters.
“While they were combing the territories they are liberating, security forces found 25 corpses in the Shujariya area,” Hathal Al-Fahdawi, a member of the Anbar Provincial Council, told Reuters. Albu Fahd tribal leader Sheikh Rafie al-Fahdawi said at least 25 bodies had been found and said he expected the total to be significantly higher. He said the bodies were found scattered around with no signs of weapons next to them, suggesting they were not killed during fighting. The killings echoed the execution
Sunni tribesmen have recently joined the battle against IS in Anbar
REUTERS
HT Imam a BNP man!
of hundreds of members of the Albu Nimr tribe last month by Islamic State fighters trying to break local resistance to their advances in Anbar, a Sunni Muslim province they have largely controlled for nearly a year. Islamic State, which has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, continues to gain territory in Anbar despite three months of U.S.-led air strikes launched against the group. On Friday it launched coordinated attacks in central and outlying areas of Ramadi in an attempt to take full control over a city which is already mostly in its hands. Gunmen opened fire from rooftops at a complex in the heart of Ramadi which houses the governorate and police headquarters, but local officials said security forces managed to hold off Islamic State fighters trying to advance toward the buildings. The road from Ramadi to the military air base of Habbaniya, about 25 km (15 miles) to the east, remained under Islamic State control, Hathal Fahdawi said, preventing the army from reinforcing security forces in the city. He said tribal fighters backed by army tanks were trying to secure the road to allow forces through from Habbaniya. Islamic State’s lightning offensive through northern Iraq in June plunged the country into its gravest security crisis since the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and raised concerns that its radical ideology will spread across the Middle East. l
n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
11 | Op-Ed
15 | Entertainment
BNP chief’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan yesterday claimed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Political Adviser HT Imam was a part of the BNP. He also asked the government not to harass Imam. “HT Imam is our man. Do not touch him. We have our people everywhere. He [Imam] and Abdul Latif Siddique [a former Awami League minister who was sacked for his derogatory comments on Hajj and the premier’s son] said the truth,” Maruf said while addressing a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. “Many others will say the truth like the duo did. Do not touch him [Imam],” Maruf said. Jatiyatabadi Sechchasebak Dal, volunteers’ wing of the BNP, organised the discussion to mark the 50th birthday of BNP’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, also elder son of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia. Standing Committee member Rafiqul Islam Miah, Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and some other senior BNP leaders were also present at the programme. But they did not echo Maruf to claim that Imam was part of the BNP. HT Imam has received huge criticism from inside and outside the Awami League for his recent remarks that the ruling party men had helped a lot winning the January 5 election. He also said the party would consider the Chha-
INSIDE 3 | News
The influence of leaders of Shibir in Rajshahi University (RU) was so significant in 2008 that a US embassy team found them to be potential for its future interests.
4 | News
Uncertainty about the Uttara Apartment Project heightened as ENA Properties Ltd owned by AL lawmaker Enamul Haque along with two other Korean companies has completed only 4% of the work in last two and a half years.
6 | Nation
Influential people have allegedly grabbed around 32 decimals of land worth around Tk7crore and a CNG-run filling station at Sripur upazila in Gazipur.
8 | World
Obama will attend India’s Republic Day celebrations as chief guest, a sign of steadily expanding ties between two countries that share concerns about China’s growing power in Asia.
With the murkiness surrounding the death of Rajshahi University Professor AKM Shafiul Islam, the credibility of the entire investigation process seems to have come under public scrutiny.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday slammed key ally Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami for its inactivity in the BNP-led 20-party alliance programmes. The alliance chief scolded the Jamaat representative saying: “You [Jamaat] talk big but are absent on the field of action. You have called hartals but your people did not enforce it; life went on as normal.” Redwanullah Sahedi, the Jamaat leader present at the alliance meeting yesterday night at Khaleda’s Gulshan office, remained silent during the reproof. The meeting was called to analyse the political situation of the country and plan the next course of action. Khaleda, in earlier meetings with party leaders, stressed the importance of leaders’ presence on the street at the upcoming movement. Khaleda reportedly blasted standing committee members for their lack of street level action and their failure to publicly highlight the government’s failings. The former premier asked alliance leaders to commit to the upcoming movement to compel the government to hold elections under a non-partisan government. An alliance leader, on condition of anonymity, said alliance leaders had suggested calling hartals in December centring on the government’s plan to prepare a new list of freedom fighters if pro-BNP freedom fighters are excluded from the new list. The leader said others suggested protesting proposed gas and electricity price hikes in January. Some leaders suggested enforcing a non-stop movement to topple the government, the leader said. Khaleda did not make up her mind, saying programmes would be finalised after completing the Comilla rally on November 29, the leader said. The BNP chief focused on demanding the presence of all leaders on the street when the programmes are launched. l
Apurbo, one of the busiest actors of recent times, made his breakthrough in modelling career by conquering the title of “Mr Bangladesh” in 2002.
tra League leaders in the BCS exams. However, later at a press conference Imam alleged that the media had distorted his speech and that he did not make such comments. Maruf said: “Conspiracy is on to split the BNP. This attempt was initiated earlier also. Many bigwigs left the party but it did not matter [for the BNP]. We have our people everywhere.” He said the BNP would not submit any prayer to the government to facilitate Tarique’s return. “He was in the country when it was in a bad state
HT Imam is our man. Do not touch him. We have our people everywhere. He and Abdul Latif Siddique said the truth during Fakhruddin-Moeen Uddin government. He will return to Bangladesh once he is physically fit.” Tarique, the BNP’s second man, has been staying in the UK on parole for treatment. Rafiqul Islam Miah said his party would not indulge in corruption and criminal activities once it assumes office. His comments came a day after Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury had asked the BNP chief to vow so by PAGE 2 COLUMN 3