07 march, 2015

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

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Falgun 23, 1421, Jamadiul Awal 15, 1436

SATELLITE LAUNCHING PROSPECTS IN DOUBT PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 2, No 331

TWO MORE ARSON VICTIMS DIE PAGE 5

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www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

ISLAMIC JIHAD BOUNCES BACK

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Two months on, no let-up in sight BNP has enforced nonstop blockade since January 6 demanding fresh polls n Mohammad Al Masum Molla A violent two-month campaign to topple the government has killed 86 so far with no signs of let-up. Many more have been maimed for life besides hundreds, if not thousands, of injuries stemming from deadly petrol bomb attacks.

While campaigners say dialogue pursuant to new elections is the only way out, ruling party leaders say that would set a bad precedence of bowing down to violence which is unacceptable.

Despite repeated calls from civic platforms in Bangladesh, foreign diplomats and the UN, to resolve the imbroglio peacefully, neither the anti-government campaigners nor the government has given any such indications.

Continuous blockade of roads and waterways have spelled doom for commerce all over the country. Farmers are at a despair, seeing their crops rot. Manufacturers are at their wits’ end over shipping off products and brining in raw materials.

BNP’s opposition alliance was thrown out

of parliament for boycotting the last elections.

Party chief Khaleda Zia was prevented from getting out of her office to join a protest rally on January 5 marking one year of the effectively one-sided elections. The ruling Awami League had swept those polls virtually unopposed.

Khaleda declared a non-stop blockade from that day.

A senior BNP policy maker, Mahbubur Rahman, said the only way to put an end to the political crisis was a dialogue between the two camps leading to elections.

“There is no place of rigidity,” he said, presumably alluding to the ruling Awami League’s refusal to sit with the BNP. Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin, an Awami League policymaker, said bowing down to violence would set a bad precedence. He said: “The violence must stop first and then we will see. Even a commitment to a dialogue on condition of stopping violence would be perceived as softening to terror tactics.”

Of the 86 killed, 70 had no political  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Tigers plan English trap with spinners n Mazhar Uddin from Melbourne The six-wicket win over ICC Associates Scotland on Thursday hardly overshadowed the bowling deficiency Bangladesh possessed. The Bangladesh think tank has finally realised that spinners are more crucial in their path to move forward.

Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan yesterday spoke of including specialist spinners against England.

Over the last decade Bangladesh slowly developed spin as their major weapon and it was a real surprise not to see specialist left-armers like Taijul Islam and Arafat Sunny in the first half of the World Cup. Nazmul, who is now in Nelson with the team, said: “We need a specialist bowler and most probably they will pick an additional spinner against England. But it can be different in the game against New Zealand where we can go with eight batsmen.

“What we heard before coming here [Australia-New Zealand] is that the wickets will be bouncy with a lot of swing and we will not be able to bat in these sorts of conditions and it  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 6 Green activists reject UN-govt report on Sundarbans oil spill

Detective Branch official Krishno Pada Roy (second from left) shows the spot where blogger-writer Avijit Roy was killed to the agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI has arrived in the country to help probe the murder RAJIB DHAR

FBI team collects evidence of Avijit murder n Mohammad Jamil Khan and Arif Ahmed A team of FBI agents yesterday collected evidence from the spot where blogger-writer Avijit Roy was killed and some nearby areas on the Dhaka University campus.

Four agents of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation went to the crime scene near the TSC on the DU campus around 1:30pm and took several hundred pictures. They also visited the Bangla Academy premises and the Suhrawardy Udyan and took snaps.

PAGE 7 Sylhet expatriate welfare cell yet to be active in 19 years

Meanwhile, Avijit’s father Ajay Roy, a former professor of physics at Dhaka University, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that local investigators were chasing the wrong people.

An 11-member detective team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) – the first party investigators – accompanied the FBI agents.

Before they left the area in the afternoon, Krishnapada Ray, a deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch, briefly talked to journalists.

He said the FBI team collected related evidence from the spot. “On Thursday, they [FBI

team] sat with the local investigators to discuss how they can support us technically and how we can reciprocate...We expect to work through mutual cooperation.”

Asked whether the US detectives are working independently, Krishnapada said the FBI team is here in Bangladesh to assist the local investigators.

A US-based Bangladeshi, Avijit Roy was hacked to death near the TSC roundabout on DU campus on the evening of February 26. In

PAGE 8 Climate project raises question among local representatives

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 9 Inadequate screening piles up risk of Swine Flu

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

BGB man shot; 108 Rohingyas held n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar A BGB official was shot during a gunfight with a group of traffickers at Panbazar in Balukhali of Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

BGB also detained 108 Rohingyas, who entered Bangladesh illegally through Balukhali border of Ukhia with the help of the traffickers.

The injured BGB official, Fazlul Haque, was admitted to a local hospital after the shootout, which took place around 12:30pm.

The traffickers themselves are also Rohingya people.

Commander of BGB 17 battalion Lt Col Khandaker Saiful Alam said the traffickers

brought the Rohingyas to Bangladesh and made them get into two cars to send them to Kutupalang camp in the morning.

“BGB detained the Rohingyas before they were sent to the camp which is when the gun battle with the traffickers began,” he said.

Saiful said the detainees would be sent back to Myanmar.

BGB also claimed that the local union parishad chairman, Gafur Uddin Chowdhury, had instigated the traffickers to shoot at BGB officials.

Officer-in-Charge of Ukhia police station Jahirul Islam Khan said an operation had been launched to capture those responsible for the incident. l

Historic March 7 today n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Today is the historic March 7, a red-letter day in the history of the struggle of people of Bangladesh to liberate the country from the colonial rule of the then West Pakistan.

On this day in 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a historic speech at the Race Course Maidan, now known as Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka.

In his 19-minute speech, Bangabandhu fervently called people: “The struggle this time is for our emancipation, the struggle this time is for our independence.”

The whole nation responded spontaneously to his call and took part in the struggle for freedom that eventually liberated Bangladesh from the colonial rule of West Pakistan.

On the eve of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, recalled with gratitude the

bold, courageous and farsighted leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in successful implementation of the nation’s journey to freedom through his speech of March 7.

Different political parties including the ruling Awami League, social, cultural and professional bodies have chalked out elaborate programmes to mark the day.

The programmes of the ruling Awami League on the day include hoisting of the national and party flags at 6:30am and placing of wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi at 7am, says a press release sent from the party president’s office at Dhanmondi in the capital yesterday.

The ruling Awami League will also organise a public rally at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan at 3pm while the party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the rally as chief guest. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tigers plan English trap with spinners will be tough for us. But so far we have not seen anything like that.”

Playing eight batsmen was the need of the hour as, Nazmul said, most of the top order batsmen were not in good knick.

“The openers were not getting runs but Tamim’s [Iqbal] returning to form in the last

match is a good sign. Before that we were not getting runs from the top order. The pressure is on Mushfiq[ur Rahim] and Shakib [al Hasan] if we lose a couple of early wickets as we do not have enough batsmen after them. So, they [captain and coach] asked for an extra batsman in the side and that is

one reason why we picked eight batsmen,” Nazmul said.

Bangladesh took their flight back to Australia and reached Adelaide yesterday for their match against England on Monday, which, if they can win, will assure them a lasteight place in the mega event.

Left-hander Imrul Kayes joined the Tigers in place of Anamul Haque whose World Cup ended following a shoulder dislocation while fielding in their last game. Anamul, however, is still with the Bangladesh team and will be assessed further before he is sent back. l

FBI team collects evidence of Avijit murder the same attack, Avijit’s wife Rafida Ahmed Bonna, also an active blogger, got critically injured.

Last week, she was flown to the US under the arrangements of the US embassy in Dhaka.

Before she left Dhaka, an FBI representative stationed in Dhaka met her at the Square Hospital.

According to sources, the US government files a case and holds a symbolic trial at home if one of their citizens dies in a terror attack in another country. The same things may also happen in case of Avijit. That probe and trial will be based on the information that investigators in Bangladesh collect.

Sources said they might even take the accused persons to the US and conclude the trial

there.

Avijit, the founder of a progressive blogging site named Mukto-Mona, had been involved in open rows with orthodox Islamist online activists, especially with an alleged militant named Shafiur Rahman Farabi.

Farabi has in the past openly threatened on social media to kill Avijit if he came to Bangladesh. The couple had come home this year for the February book fair in which two of Avijit’s books were launched.

The couple had gone to the fair to attend the launch and got attacked on their way back.

On March 2, RAB arrested Farabi in Jatrabari area when he was trying to leave Dhaka.

According to RAB, Farabi confessed that he had threatened to kill Avijit but said he had nothing to do with the murder.

Later, he was handed over to DB who showed him arrested in the murder case as the prime suspect. The next day, a Dhaka court remanded Farabi to police custody for 10 days for interrogation. However, the detectives are yet to make any breakthrough.

DB said two young men had come on a CNG-run autorickshaw, attacked the couple and quickly fled the scene going in separate directions.

However, while talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, Avijit’s father Prof Ajay Roy differed with DB’s version. He said Farabi was

not present at the crime scene.

“There were two killers and they fled the scene on a motorbike. They are yet to be arrested. Police should have chased the motorbike after the attack, but they did not,” Prof Roy said.

He also said their family was now seeing a ray of hope after the FBI got involved in the investigation.

“They [FBI] will not drop this matter soon.

They will not leave Dhaka without making a breakthrough,” Ajay said.

The FBI team arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday after the Bangladesh government responded positively to an offer from the US government to engage the agency in the probe. l

Afsan Chowdhury, a political commentator, said common people usually do not bother about politics as the goals of political parties and their demands are not the same.

“It is a crisis of power. Those who were killed or became victims of the programmes are basically poor people, who are known as ‘waste product’ of the society. Victimising the poor people has become the main tools of politics,” he said.

“The government claims that the BNP-led movement is devoid of public support. But can a government, half of whose MPs have been elected uncontested, make such claims?”

Former joint secretary general and BNP whip Ashraf Hossain said no one is practising politics. They are rather trying to assume the office. No one thinks about ideology and the common people have fallen victims.

“There is no sign of relief for the masses and

I think the people are not bothered anymore either. The low income groups are the main victims but they hardly seem to protest. That means people still support the Awami League and the BNP. “Both the parties will unite and try to foil that attempt if people try to unite. It has happened several times,” Ashraf added.

Mizanur Rahman Shelley, a noted political scientist, said the present situation is a result of expansion of the uncertainty created earlier.

“On one hand, there are the clandestine attacks and on the other, there are crossfires. The common and innocent people have become the victims. It seems like the country is at war.”

He also said people are aggrieved but they are not organised. “It is not possible to stand before an organised force. People can be organised but it will take time. And in the meantime, people’s concern, anxiety and sufferings will increase.” l

Two months on, no let-up in sight affiliation. Over 50 were burnt to death in petrol bomb attacks, which include women and children. Another 35 were killed in what law enforcers claim to be crossfire or gunfight.

Remembering his own time in opposition, the Awami League Presidium member said his party was always on the streets. “[The BNP] should exercise democratic rights to mobilise people.”

BNP leaders allege that the government is harassing them relentlessly with criminal cases. Many leaders are behind bars while a good number are on the run. A court issued arrest warrants on February 25 against Khaleda Zia for not showing up at a hearing of two corruption cases. Rumours abound that she might be arrested anytime.

Lenin referred to previous oppressive regimes with harsher injunctions on public gathering. “There were stricter sanctions during Ayub Khan’s regime or the Language Move-

ment. That never stopped the parties from mobilising people.”

He said: “If you have the people’s support, if you have a just cause and if the leaders are bold, then the movement will certainly succeed. But the [BNP] leaders are sitting at home.

You cannot wage a popular mass campaign if you are in a perpetual fear of arrest.”

Political commentators and veteran politicians agree that people are being held hostage.

Decades of self-serving power struggle in the name of politics has resulted in gradually decreasing public participation, they say.

Sultan Monsur, a former Awami League lawmaker, said: “There is no movement now because there are no meetings or processions.

On the other hand, the government is also barring the opposition from taking to the streets.

Everyone tries to go to power by any means… that is the problem.”

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Tk13.5cr in gold seized from N Korean envoy at Dhaka airport n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Different social organisations including Bangladesh Mohila Oikya Parishad and Sammilito Samajik Andolan yesterday place flowers at the spot in the capital’s Shahbagh area where writer-blogger Avijit Roy was killed on February 26 RAJIB DHAR

BANGABANDHU SATELLITE

Political turmoil may hurt launching prospects n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

The government is almost ready to offload an international tender this month for launching the Bangabandhu 1 satellite amid fears that the ongoing political turmoil may deter response.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), along with its international consultant, has prepared the tender documents and now they are scrutinising them, said an official of the telecom regulator.

However, they are not confident about an overwhelming response from international satellite companies because of the ongoing political turmoil here.

BTRC sources said there has been very little verbal response from the international satellite companies who had shown interest before.

“Our consultant contacted a number of satellite companies but they are pointing at our political crisis. But we are hopeful that we will be able to overcome this,” a senior BTRC official told the Dhaka Tribune

requesting anonymity.

According to sources, the BTRC has paid $5.6m or 20% of the total cost to Intersputnik, a Russian satellite company, as the first installment for purchasing an orbital slot on 119.1 East longitude for the satellite.

And now the tender will be floated for other international companies to compete for the physical launching of Bangladesh’s first satellite into its orbit around the Earth.

Last month, a BTRC commissioner said they were ready to float the tender at the start of March; but there is still no sign of that.

According to the contract with Intersputnik, the BTRC will have to pay 30% of the cost or $8.4m within the next 15 months, 25% or $7m within 18 months after that and the rest within further eight months.

The deal with Intersputnik for a 15-year hold on the orbital slot was signed in January 15. The tenure of the “Bangabandhu Satellite Launching Project” is July 2014 to June 2017.

“Although we are already nine months behind schedule, we are very optimistic about finishing the project within the given time that is by June 2017,” said BTRC Commissioner Monirul Alam.

BTRC sources said the project does not have a director although work started long ago.

“We have also written about this to the government and hope that a project director will be appointed within a short time,” Monirul said. l

A North Korean diplomat has been caught trying to smuggle Tk13.5 crore worth of gold into the country, customs officials said.

A joint team of customs and Airport armed police officials challenged Son Young-nam, first secretary of the North Korean Embassy in Dhaka, after he arrived at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport on a Singapore Airlines flight around 11pm on Thursday.

Customs officials impounded 27kg of gold in the form of bars and jewellery seized from the envoy’s handbag.

“We recovered 170 gold bars weighing 19kg and gold ornaments weighing 8kg from his handbag. We have kept the gold, but did not file a case against him as he is a diplomat. We have handed him over to the Foreign Ministry and they will decide what to do with him,” said Kazi Mohammad Zia Uddin, joint commissioner of the airport customs department.

An official who did not wish to be named said the diplomat would not be kept in custody, but might face departmental action from his embassy. According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats must not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. l

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Houses of BNP leaders attacked in Jessore n Our Correspondent, Jessore

Unidentified gun-wielding miscreants on motorcycles hurled crude bombs at the residences of at least six BNP leaders in Jessore town in the wee hours of yesterday.

More than 30 crude bombs were set off in a series of drive-by attacks, but none were reportedly hurt.

Although the police initially claimed that the explosions were firecrackers being set off to celebrate the Holi festival of the Hindu community, they later admitted that the blasts were caused by crude bombs.

The houses that were attacked belonged to BNP Standing Committee member Tariqul Islam, district BNP Secretary Syed Saberul Haque Sabu, district unit Vice-President Golam Reza Dulu, Organising Secretary Delwar Hossain Khokon, town unit Secretary Munir Ahmed Siddiqui Bachchu, and the house of late BNP leader Shahidul Islam Nayan’s elder son Rafiqul Islam Chowdury Biplob.

Security guard Zulqad Hossain, who was on-duty near Biplob’s house, told the Dhaka

Tribune that he heard around ten explosions soon after nine motorcycles – each carrying three people with firearms – drove towards Biplob’s house.

Security guards near the town’s Ghop Central Road area also claimed of seeing over ten motorcycles taking position in the area, before several bike riders took off on foot and hurled crude bombs at Tariqul Islam’s house.

Nargis Begum, wife of former minister Tariqul, said five masked young men – all carrying weapons on their shoulder – came and hurled crude bombs at the house.

Shikdar Akkas Ali, officer-in-charge of Jessore Kotwali police station, said he had been notified about firecrackers being set off for Holi celebrations, adding that law enforcers have been sent to the spots to investigate.

Sub-Inspector Mintu Miah collected evidence of the explosions from Tariqul’s house, but refused to comment on the issue.

Earlier on the night of January 29, the residences of four local BNP leader including the house of Tariqul were also attacked in a similar manner. l

Muhith: Dialogue with BNP not necessary n Our Correspondent, Bhola Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said a dialogue with the BNP was not necessary as the elections had already been held.

“The dialogue was required for holding an impartial election but the BNP chairperson did not respond to the call for talks at the time, which was a foolish act on her part. Now there is no subject to hold a dialogue on,” he told reporters after laying foundations for a museum in Banglabazar of Bhola.

Muhith said Bangladesh would become a middle-income country before 2021, adding that the government was working for eliminating poverty, helping the disadvantaged section

of the society and removing discrimination.

“The country will advance if there is progress in sectors such as education, health and communication, and that is happening now.

But some people are creating troubles at the time of economic progress by resorting to killing and terrorism,” the minister said.

Those who are in favour of the country’s welfare should stop such activities, he added.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, who was present there, said the BNP chief was hindering the country’s progress.

“She [Khaleda Zia] is making students suffer by imposing general strikes and blockade. There are also attempts to create unrest across the country,” he added. l

BNP to welcome any dialogue offer n Tribune Report

International Women’s Day tomorrow n Tribune Report

BNP yesterday said it would welcome any national and international initiative to hold talks to resolve the ongoing political crisis.

A press release signed by Joint Secretary General Salauddin Ahmed expressed BNP’s optimism that the government’s good sense would prevail before the time expired.

“We believe in talks and compromise to resolve country’s political crisis...but if it is otherwise, the government has to shoulder the responsibility for any untoward situation,” he said.

Salauddin alleged that the ruling party was plotting to restore one-party parliamentary system BAKSAL. Quoting media reports, he said the government is planning to formulate a law providing impunity to law enforcers after giving them licence to mass killing to stifle the movement. l

International Women’s day will be observed tomorrow across Bangladesh and the world with “Empowering Women-Empowering Humanity: Picture It!” as this year’s theme.

To mark the day, the socio-cultural organisations will organise programmes focusing on women’s rights and the progress they have made economically, socially, and politically.

The National Human Rights Commission will hold a seminar today at 3pm at the Daily Star Centre. Advocate Sultana Kamal, and NHRC chair Mizanur Rahman will attend the seminar.

Amrai Pari Paribarik Nirjaton Protirodh Jote will organise an event with Dhaka University at 12:01am on March 8 at Central Shaheed Minar. Citi Bangladesh will launch the “Citi Women’s Network Bangladesh,” whose focus is to connect, inspire and empower women. l

Gonojagoron Moncho stages a demonstration in front of the National Museum yesterday demanding quick execution of war criminal Kamaruzzaman’s death penalty, immediate arrest of the murderers of slain blogger-writer Avijit Roy and an end to the ongoing BNP-enforced transport blockade RAJIB DHAR

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Curfew in Nagaland as mob kills ‘Bangladeshi’ rape suspect n Agencies Authorities in a north-eastern Indian city yesterday said they had imposed a roundthe-clock curfew, a day after a rape suspect alleged to be a Bangladeshi national was pulled out of jail and lynched by a mob while another was killed in the subsequent police firing.

Thirty-five-year-old Syed Farid Khan, who stood accused of raping a woman multiple times and was arrested in late February, was dragged out of the prison in Dimapur city in Nagaland state before being beaten to death and strung up to a clock tower on Thursday.

The alleged rapist was a small-time trader who dealt in scrap and used motor cars, the Indian Express website reported.

According to reports, despite section 144 being imposed in Dimapur since Wednesday evening, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and other local groups called a rally on Thursday to protest against the alleged rape.

In the afternoon, a mob rushed to the jail, broke open the gates by overpowering the security personnel on duty.

Farid was stripped, tied up and dragged to the City Clock Tower area seven kilometres away – being kicked and pelted with stones along the way.

“A 25-year-old youth suspected to be part of the mob was injured in the police firing and later passed away at the hospital,” Jamir said.

Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang said the suspect was a Bangladeshi immigrant, and Dimapur Superintendent of Police Meren Jamir said his killing had been followed by attacks on Bangladeshi-owned businesses, reports AFP. His nationality has not been established for certain. The Hindustan Times website described Farid as a migrant Muslim from Assam, suspected of being a Bangladeshi national.

Tensions had been rising in the district since February 24 when police arrested the alleged rapist over the assault of a 19-year-old tribal

woman, a student of a local women’s college.

Jamir said the situation was “very tense,” but the police were trying to “restore order,” with hundreds of riot police personnel patrolling the streets.

The state has been in the grip of an agitation over the issue of illegal immigrants for the past two weeks.

Nagaland’s indigenous tribal groups have for years accused the growing population of Bangla-speaking Muslims from nearby Bangladesh of illegally settling on their land and eating into their resources, AFP reports.

Chief Minister Zeliang, who is in New Delhi, called up senior ministers and officers, following which a government statement was issued asking people to show restraint.

“Many ugly, objectionable pictures are already on social media, but the traditional media has been requested to be more sensitive and apply self-censorship to help mitigate possible ramifications,” the appeal said. l

Female RU employee held in Shafiul murder n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Detective Branch of Police has arrested a former female employee of Rajshahi University in connection with last year’s killing of sociology department Professor Shafiul Islam Lilon.

The Rajshahi Metropolitan Police DB raided the Meherchandi area yesterday afternoon and arrested Nasrin Akter Reshma, who worked at the university’s accounts section, said Assistant Commissioner Ifte Khayer Alam last night.

Reshma is the wife of Abdus Samad Pintu who is now in jail on suspicion of his involvement in the killing.

On November 15 last year, Shafiul, 48, was hacked to death by assailants in front of his house in Chowddopai area near the university.

Law enforcers have so far arrested 17 people, including activists of Jubo Dal – the youth front of the BNP – and Jamaat-e-Islami and its student front Islami Chhatra Shibir.

DB Inspector Abdul Muzid said the arrestees had disclosed during interrogation that Reshma had a dispute with Shafiul over sexual harassment, which might have led Pintu to kill the professor. l

Man jailed for running away with BCS question

n Tribune Report A man was sentenced to prison as he attempted to snatch away the 35th BCS preliminary question paper from a candidate during the exam at a test centre in Khulna yesterday.

Shafiqul Islam was given a two-year jail term by Executive Magistrate Md Ashikur Nabi Talukdar’s mobile court after police detained him at Government Azam Khan Commerce College test centre.

Asit Chakrabarty, management department chairman at the college, said Shafiqul suddenly entered the exam hall and tried to run away with the question paper but police captured him and recovered a portion of the question paper from him.

A total of 244,107 candidates applied for 1,803 vacant posts this year. The two-hour test began at 3pm.

AEM Nesar Uddin, exam controller of Bangladesh Public Service Commission, said in a notification that 25 candidates could not take the test for being deliberately dishonest while filling out their application forms. l

Traffic congestion remains no less than working days in the capital on the weekly holiday yesterday. The photo was taken from Asad Gate area MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Two more arson victims die n Tribune Report

Two more arson victims succumbed to their injuries yesterday in Chittagong and Rajshahi, taking the blockade death toll to 86.

At the Chittagong Medical College Hospital, 30-year-old day labourer Ranjit Nath – who had 82% burn injuries to his body – lost his battle for life.

Ranjit was admitted to the hospital after pickets hurled a petrol bomb at the autorickshaw he was on near the Chariya Madrasa area of Hathazari upazila on Wednesday night. The incident also left the autorickshaw driver – Md Saber – injured.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Pankaj Barua of

the CMCH police outpost said Ranjit died at around 12:40am at the ICU. Dr Mrinal Kanti Das, head of the CMCH burn and plastic surgery department, said Ranjit was moved to the ICU on Thursday as his respiratory tract was inflamed.

The CNG driver, Saber, is now fighting for his life with damages to his respiratory system.

Following the arson attack, the police filed a case with Hathazari police station mentioning names of 33 BNP-Jamaat men and 15 unidentified others; so far, 17 people have been arrested in this connection.

Meanwhile at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, 40-year-old Selim Sheikh died

from injuries that he sustained from an arson attack in Gomostapur of Chapainawabganj on Wednesday.

Selim, a helper of a truck driver, had suffered burn injuries to 50% of his body including his respiratory system, said the hospital’s Director Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin.

On Wednesday evening, pickets torched a potato-laden truck in Gomostapur – hurting Selim along with truck driver Firoz Uddin, 30, and potato trader Saheb Ali, 40.

Elsewhere, in Lakshmipur sadar upazila’s Bashikpur, miscreants torched the local union land office in the early hours of yesterday, after holding members of the village police

force captive at gun-point.

The blaze burnt important files and papers, said union parishad Panel Chairman Liakot Ali, adding that some 10-12 masked men confined VDP members Anwar Hossain, Abdur Sattar and Belal Hossain before launching the attack.

In the capital, the police yesterday detained at least 12 BNP-Jamaat activists in separate raids throughout the city. They were held allegedly for planning sabotage in the capital during BNP’s ongoing political programmes, according to a text message by the media wing of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Of the arrestees, 11 are BNP men and one is an activist of Jamaat. l

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Green activists reject UN-govt report on Sundarbans oil spill n Abu Bakar Siddique Environment activists have rejected the assessment of the Sundarbans oil spill jointly conducted by the government and the UN to find out the incident’s impact on the mangrove forest’s ecosystem.

Terming the report improper and motivated, Sharif Jamil, joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), yesterday said it was hiding the real damage and was unacceptable.

“The UN-government team prepared the assessment report based on the data they collected two weeks after the incident, which could not have presented the real picture as the spilled oil had already been washed away by then,” he said at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.

The team also did not measure the eco-toxicity of the spilled oil before it prepared the report though it was required for the assessment of the damage; nor did they examine

the hydro-carbon level of water there, which also required to determine the level of pollution in water, he said.

The press conference was jointly organised by the National Committee on Save the Sundarbans and BAPA.

The capsize caused around 358,000 litres of furnace oil to spill in the river, putting the mangrove forest and its natural resources at severe risk The report in question, titled “Sundarbans Oil Spill Assessment,” was published on March 1 and stated that there were no significant visible impacts on the forest floor during the assessment, and it requires long-term monitoring to know the actual damage.

Different socio-cultural organisations including Bangladesh Mohila Oikya Parishad and Sammilito Samajik Andolan form human chain in the capital’s Shahbagh area yesterday demanding immediate trial of the murderers of writer-blogger Avijit Roy RAJIB DHAR

2 held with 32,000 yaba Youth held with

n Our Correspondent, Chittagong A RAB team yesterday recovered 32,000 pieces of yaba tablets from Panchlaish area of Chittagong.

Two persons – Sayed Akbar Hossain, 40, and Nurul Afsar, 37, were held in this connection.

Major Jahangir Alam, second in-command of RAB 7, said the two were held from a building situated in Lalapukur area.

The RAB team recovered 4,000 pieces of yaba tablets from the ground floor of the building owned by a man named Hazi Shafi, he said at a press briefing.

Following the duo’s statements, the RAB team recovered 28,000 more pieces of yaba tablets from a room located on the fourth floor of another building in Sulokbahar area.

Quoting the arrested, the RAB commander said the two were members of a well-organised drug smuggling ring and had been peddling drugs in Chittagong since long. l

counterfeit money n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong Police arrested a person along with fake currency notes worth Tk31,000 in Shah Amanat Bridge area of Bakalia of the port city yesterday morning.

The arrestee, Nizam Uddin, 26, a hawker by profession, son of Nurul Alam, hails from Banskhali upazila, said police sources.

When asked, Bakalia police station OC Mohammed Mohsin acknowledged the arrest, saying 31 notes recovered by them from Nizam’s possession were denomination of Tk1,000 each.

Police spotted suspicious movement of the youth in the area and found the notes after searching his body. The OC said Nizam used to exchange the counterfeit notes with the commoners and traders in disguise of hawker.

A case was booked against him with the police station in this connection. l

However, the report said oil contamination in the aquatic ecosystem may hamper physiological activities, including breeding, of aquatic organisms as well as disrupt the local food chain.

The environment activists demanded a fresh and scientific assessment of the oil spill in the world’s largest mangrove forest to find out the actual damage and a way forward to save the forest from such incidents in future.

The oil spill took place on December 9 last year when oil tanker Southern Star 7 capsized in the Sela River near Mrigmari area on the east of the Sundarbans after being hit by a cargo vessel around 6am. The capsize caused around 358,000 litres of furnace oil to spill in the river, putting the mangrove forest and its natural resources at severe risk.

Later, in response to a request by the government, a 25-member UNDP team, including nine foreign experts, conducted the assessment in coordination with the government from December 22 to December 27. l

Land broker killed in Chittagong n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong A land broker was killed allegedly over a land in Chittagong city’s Sabujbag area on Thursday.

The deceased was Nur Mohammed, 40, a land broker, police said.

Halishahar police station Officer-in-Charge Sayed Abu Mohammed Shahjahan said there was a dispute between Nur and one Khokon over a piece of land located behind Hakkani Petrol Pump in the area.

Quoting the victim’s family members, the OC said some miscreants called the businessman from his house around 9:45am.

Later, they shot and hacked him with sharp weapon in front of Sakhina Manjil, he said.

Critically injured Nur was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

As the news of the death, some followers of Nur torched seven thatched houses and four shops set up by Khokon on the disputed land around 11:30am, the OC said.

Fire fighters doused the blaze after one and a half hour of efforts, said Sanjay Kumar Sarkar, station officer of Bandar fire station.

The body was handed over to the deceased’s family member after an autopsy. l

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Sylhet expatriate welfare cell yet to be active in 19 years n Our Correspondent, Sylhet The expatriate welfare cell in Sylhet, set up to provide various support to the expatriate workers, has failed to do so in the last 19 years due to an ineffective committee.

As a result, hundreds of expatriates mostly coming from the United Kingdom, have been facing various harassment.

In 1995, the Sylhet expatriate welfare cell, comprised of an 11-member committee, was constituted by the Sylhet district administration.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Sylhet range was made the Chair while the Deputy Commissioners of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj, President of Sylhet District Bar Association, President of Sylhet Press Club and Chief Executive Officer of the Sylhet Overseas Centre were nominated as the members of the committee.

Contacted, Iqbal Siddique, president of Sylhet Press Club and member of the cell said the committee had not had a single meeting in the last one and half year.

“We did not receive any invitation for a

meeting till now. There is a serious lack of monitoring ultimately making the committee very inactive,” he alleged.

However, Chief Executive Officer of the Sylhet Overseas Centre Samsul Alam said: “Though the body is ineffective, we have regular consultation with police on expatriate issues. A senior police official have recently invited me to discuss about the cell.”

Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) Kamrul Ahsan said most of the problems were land related where the police could do very little. “However, we are pledgebound to take effective steps to resolve various troubles facing the expatriates,” he added.

The Chair of the committee and also the DIG of Sylhet range Mizanur Rahman could not be reached for a comment in this regard.

Sufi Suhel Ahmed, a UK expatriate described the harassment he faced at the airport and in other places. “But I never got any service from the expatriate welfare cell,” he said.

On this backdrop, the British High Commission in Dhaka organised a conference on the security aspect of Bangladeshi-born Brit-

ish citizens in Sylhet.

The programme, held at a hotel in the city on March 1, emphasised on making the expatriate welfare cell more dynamic. Speakers at the event also urged for a strong law to protect the property of the expatriates.

The conference was addressed by Hasina Rahman, head of consular service of the British High Commission, Kamrul Hasan commissioner of SMP and Iqbal Siddique, president of Sylhet Press Club. Hasina Rahman said most of the Bangladeshi-born British citizens were from Sylhet region.

“At least 90 thousand British citizens live in our country. And most of them face a variety of difficulties. To resolve the problems, law enforcers, lawyers and mass media should come forward,” she added.

Superintendent of Police of Sylhet district, Nur-e-Alam Meena said: “Around 80 percent of the problems are about land disputes.”

ASP Suggan Chakma informed that police received 368 allegations from the expatriates in the last three years and 12 cases were filed in first two months of the current year. l

WEATHER

DRY WEATHER LIKELY SATURDAY, MARCH 7 TODAY SUN SETS 6:04PM

DHAKA

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:15AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

30

19

Chittagong

30

20

Rajshahi

30

14

Rangpur

30

15

Khulna

31

15

Barisal

30

14

Sylhet

30

15

Cox’s Bazar

30

21

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

30.4ºC Sitakunda

11.0ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:00am 6:15am 12:10am 4:25pm 6:04pm 7:19pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

The Readymade Garments Club forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday with a call to ensure accommodation and pension facilities for women workers. The human chain was formed in observance of the International Women’s Day 2015 DHAKA TRIBUNE

4-lane work of Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to be completed by June n Our Correspondent, Gazipur The long-delayed construction work of the four-lane Dhaka-Mymensingh highway is expected to be completed within June this year.

Already 96 percent of the work has been completed.

The Mawna flyover, built at a cost of Tk 70 crore, at Sripur Chourasta will also be open to traffic on the first week of April.

‘I have visited all the four projects related to the highway upgrade today. The Joydevpur to Bhaluka package under the Bangladesh Army will be done within May’ Providing the updates on the work, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the government was overseeing the project on a priority basis.

“I have visited all the four projects related to the highway upgrade today. The Joydevpur to Bhaluka package under the Bangladesh Army will be done within May. They have finished 76 percent of the work,” the minister said this while addressing the journalists after visiting the Mawna flyover at Sripur yesterday.

He further said the rest of the packages will also be completed within May. Commenting on the BNP’s on going political programmes, Obaidul Quader said: “Those who call hartal are not enforcing it themselves.

But instead they are resorting to petrol bombs just to tarnish the country’s image.”

Director of the four lane project Hafizur Rahman, Additional Chief Engineer of Road and Highways Aftab Ahmed Khan, Additional Chief Engineer of Mymensingh zone Sahab Uddin Khan, Major Tamim of Army Engineering Corps, UNO of Sripur Mohammad Sadekur Rahman and OC of Mawna Highway police station Sanwar Hossain were present among others during the visit of the minister. l

Manpower shortage hits SMCH forensic dept n Our Correspondent, Barisal People who come to forensic department of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital are often deprived of proper services as the department itself is facing multifarious problems especially shortage of employees.

According to the medical college sources, as eight out of 10 posts have remained vacant for long, educational activities, forensic test of rape victims and moreover conducting of autopsy are being hampered for manpower shortage.

Currently, posts of one professor cum head of the department, one associate, one assistant professor, three lecturers, one male and one female medical officers are lying vacant.

Finding no way, Akhtaruzzaman Talukdar, assistant professor, with a lecture are keeping functional both the academic and forensic examination works, said Dr Kamrul

Hasan Selim, director of the hospital.

The sources said in average about 350 postmortem examinations and over 100 medical tests of tortured female victims are usually done every year under this department, said Dr Akhtaruzzaman Talukdar, assistant professor and acting head of the forensic section of the SBMC. He said he often fell sick due to workload.

Tortured female who come to the hospital for doing forensic test, feel uneasy to do the test by a male doctor, he said, adding that Dr Sumi Aktar, the lone female medical officer of the department, is now on study leave for higher training.

One-third reports are not submitted every year due to acute shortage of manpower, Dr Aktaruzzaman added.

Not only the posts of doctors, but also the posts of taxidermist is lying vacant, said relatives of deceased.

A fourth class employee is now working as taxidermist.

They told the Dhaka Tribune that he charged Tk400 to Tk1000 to do each autopsy.

Dr Akhtaruzzaman said officially there was no post of taxidermist in any public hospital of the country. However, their works are done by unofficial private arrangements when their services are urgently needed during autopsy of bodies.

Relatives of deceased have to wait for long time to receive the bodies after autopsy due to manpower shortages, said some relatives of deceaseds’ who were waiting in front of the department.

Dr Kamrul Hasan Selim, director of the hospital filling of the vacant posts will remain uncertain due to shortage of experienced as medical students are not feeling interest to work for this department, said Dr Bhaskar Saha, principal of the college. l

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Climate project raises question among local representatives n Our Correspondent, Khulna Public representatives in Khulna’s Koira and Dacope upazilas expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of an internationally funded climate project in the area, questioning the project’s transparency.

Several local administration officials claimed to have no knowledge of the project’s plan or progress while talking to the Dhaka Tribune. “I have seen electric net fences set up around many chars [shoals] in my union.

I don’t know why it was done; I was not notified about it,” complained Abdul Mannan, chairman of South Bedkashi union parishad in Koira.

The project, titled Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods (CREL), is being implemented by US-based Winrock International and some associate organisations. Funded by the USAID, the five-year, Tk300-crore project is aimed at developing the capacity to counter the affects of climate change in Khulna, Sylhet, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar and

develop better, environment-friendly life and livelihoods for the locals.

Sources said since the project’s work in the two upazilas started in late 2013, its progress has been rather slow.

The only visible work seems to be kilometres of electric net boundaries set up in places, parts of which have already started to get damaged.

“What good will the electric net fences will do for the local population’s development?

The project planners have not talked to any of the local leaders in this regard,” claimed Sardar Motiar Rahman, chairman of North Bedkashi union parishad in Koira.

However, local official of the project, Babul Islam, said the boundaries were set up to protect the area surrounding the Sundarbans as well as 85 hectares of shoals.

“We have also planted saplings in different academic institutions. A committee have been formed for their maintenance, which includes local residents,” he told the Dhaka Tribune on Sunday.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday, Koira Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Shamim Osman said: “I was made an adviser to the project implementation committee. If the project is implemented exactly how its plan was presented to us, it will have a significant effect in developing the life and livelihood of the locals. However, I have yet to get a clear understanding as to how well the project is being executed in real life.”

Sheikh Md Ziaul Haq, regional project coordinator, said the project was being implemented with the assistance of the Forest Department, the local representatives and administrations.

However, when asked about the amount of fund allocated for Dacope and Koira, he declined to comment.

Md Osman Gani, general secretary of the project management committee for Dacope and Koira, said there has been some progress in Koira, but the process for Dacope was still at the planning stage. “We have yet to be certain as to how the project should progress.” l

25 hurt over stalking in Gopalganj; 18 held n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj At least 25 people got injured in a fierce clash centring stalking in a local sports competition at Fukra village in Kashiani upazila here on Thursday evening.

Of them, Manto Sarder and Soleman Sarder were admitted to the upazila health complex in a critical condition.

To quell the clashing people, police fired a total of 60 rounds of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets and arrested some 18 people from the spot.

Kashiani police station OC (investigation) Mizanur Rahman said the clash ensued as some unruly youths had stalked school girls at the annual competition of Fukra Madan Muhan Academy around 4pm.

One hour later, two groups equipped with indigenous weapons from Dakkhin Fukra and Kalsi Fukra areas locked in clash on the Dhaka-Khulna highway, disrupting vehicular movement on the busy road. During the clash that continued for about two hours, some nearby business establishments were also vandalised.

A good number of police were deployed in the areas to prevent possible untoward incident further, the OC went on. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Fake DB official held while extorting A team from local Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained a man from Dalakia area in Sadar upazila on Thurdsay night for extorting in the name of a Ditective Branch of police official. The arrestee is Robayet Hossain Talukder, 28, son of Mahfuzur Rahman, a resident of Sakurkanda village in Swarupkati upazila of Pirojpur. When asked, BGB 10 Battallion Commander Mohammad Mukhlesur Rahman said a team from his unit, being tipped-off, caught Robayet red handed while he was extorting impersonating himself a DB official. – Our Correspondent, Comilla

Drugs worth Tk7.5 lakh seized in Chuadanga Members of local Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in drives seized narcotics worth Tk7.49 lakh from different bordering areas of the district yesterday and the previous day. The drugs, liquor and phensidyl, was being smuggled into the country from India. Chuadanga 6 BGB Battallion Commander SM Maniruzzaman said the BGB members seized a total of 808 bottles of Indian liquor and phensidyle from Kutubpur mat of Damurhuda upazila and Utali Chorakata mat in Jibannagar upazila in the morning. – Our Correspondent, Chuadanga

Housewife brutally murdered in Narsingdi Unidentified killers slaughtered a housewife named Rehena Begum, 35, wife of Khoka Miah, at Bhuiyam village in Sadar upazila early yesterday. However, none was reportedly arrested in connection with the murder. Khoka said after returning from his shop around 12am, he entered the residence thorough the back doors not getting any response despite repeated calls and found the Rehana’s slaughtered body laying on the floor. Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

Technicians of Bangladesh Railway repair the rail line damaged by miscreants in Sahapur railgate area between Jaipurhat and Jamalganj railway stations yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Magura Awami League council after 11 years n Our Correspondent, Magura Campaigns have picked up speed ahead of the Awami League council to be held in Magura district tomorrow after around 11 years of the last council held on February 5, 2004.

With hundreds of banners and festoons the town has assumed a festive look while the candidates are busy in lobbying with their central leaders.

Md Altaf Hossain and Prof MS Akbar were elected the president and general secretary respectively of the district council in 2004.

After the death of Altaf Hossain in 2013, senior

vice president of the committee Tanjil Hossain Khan took over the position.

Since then the delay caused in holding council generated despair among the workers of the unit.

With Tanjil Hossain Khan as the convener, a committee has been formed for overseeing the preparations to hold the council. Four upazila committees, one municipality committee and 324 ward committees have been formed.

Awami League General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam are expected to attend the council as chief guests.

Tanjil Hossain Khan, Prof MS Akber, chair-

man of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and Awami League Magura unit General Secretary Sree Biren Shikder are president candidates to the district Awami League committee.

On the other hand, Golam Moula and Abu Nashir Bablu, two joint secretaries of the unit, organising secretary Shafiquzzaman Bacchu and President of the sadar upazila unit Panakaj Kundu have fielded themselves as general secretary candidates.

The workers at the grassroots level expect a new leadership to form through the council as well as the honest and dedicated leaders of Awami League be rewarded. l

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Making shopping bags turns boon for women n Our Correspondent, Jhenidah

With the advent of summer, the underground water level in Rajshahi and Barendra area of Naogaon is declining day by day. As such, the deep tube wells in those areas are failing to provide the necessary drinking water. As an alternative source, the residents of Baichandipur village collect water from the reserve tanks of Barendra development authority in Niamatpur upazila of Naogaon yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

Inadequate screening piles up risk of Swine Flu n Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

Lack of necessary equipment for swine flu screening is increasing the risk of swine flu spreading through the Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj.

Even though a four-member medical team is screening entrants from India for swine flu infection, the investigation is only verbal. No pathological tests are carried out as not even a thermal scanner is available to the medical team. The truckers who carry goods from India, however, are not checked for contamination.

Swine flu is currently pandemic in neighbouring India, and such inadequacy is increasing the risk of swine flu spread through the persons crossing into Bangladesh through

this port. Swine flu related death toll in India has crossed 1,000 in 2015 alone, with more that 20,000 cases registered by the Indian Health Ministry.

Dr Taufiq-e-Elahi, a member of the medical team, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Under instructions form the Health Ministry, entrants from India are being checked for swine flu since last Sunday. We screen only passport holders coming in from India. No infections have been detected so far.

“However, Indian truckers have zero idea about swine flu; hundreds of them make trips across Bangladesh every day.”

About the equipment available, Dr Abdur Rahman, Shibganj upazila health and family planning officer said: “Equipment and medi-

cine required for even the most rudimentary screening has arrived here yet.”

The civil surgeon of the district, Dr Md Alauddin, could not confirm whether the truckers are screened for the infections, but informed that a thermal scanner has been requisitioned; it should arrive shortly.

The immigration officer estimated the number of entrants to Bangladesh through the port at 50 people per day. Since Sunday, when the screenings began, more than 300 passport holders have crossed India into Bangladesh. However, more than 300 truckers have crossed Bangladesh without screening also.

Bangladesh has seen 800 cases of swine flu in total until 2009, and 6 people have died from the seasonal disease, says EGCD. l

They do not have enough money for shopping. But making shopping bags has given them an opportunity to earn money, leading to better lives and a more hopeful future.

Some 400 people are engaged in making the bags at Helai village under Kaliganj upazila in Jhenidah.

Most of the bag makers are women, especially housewives and girl students. They make the bags at their homes to help maintaining their families.

Konica Khatun, 32, wife of a day laborer, is one of the bag makers. She does it after doing all of her household works.

“By making shopping bags, I can earn around 90 taka a day. With the earning, I can help my husband to maintain our family,” she said.

What the women basically do is that sewing the plastic sheets which are cut in different sizes of bags. They do it for some local businessmen who provide them the plain plastic sheets.

Md Salam Uddin, Md Jahangir Alam, Md Tarikul Islam and Ilias Hossain are among the businessmen. They said today, shoppers do not carry bags from their homes, rather they buy it only at Tk5 to Tk7 to carry their goods from kitchen markets.

Salam Uddin said they bought the plastic sheet at Tk90 a kilogramme from Dhaka or Pabna. Some 50 bags are made from a kilogramme of the sheets.

“We pay Tk6 to the bag makers for per dozen of bags. A village women can make 15 dozen bags in a day,” he said.

Another businessman Ilias Hossain said making the bags is very easy for village women.

“Because we supply the sheet to the respective house as they want. We also supply them thread and other equipment,” he said.

Even girl students from poor families are making the bag at their home to meet the expenses of their education.

Parvina Khatun, a student of IX of Salimunnessa Girls’ School, said: “I make at least 10 dozens bags a day. With the money, I buy materials for my education,” she said.

Abdul Kalam is another stakeholder of the bag business. He mainly buy the bags from the businessmen of the village and sell those in different markets in the district as well as other districts.

A school teacher, Solaiman Hossain, said the business had brought a positive change in the lives of people. l

Stalled road repair work brings woes for commuters n Our Correspondent, Habiganj

The much needed repair work of the Habiganj-Baniachang regional highway has been stuck in a limbo since the countrywide blockade and hartals have been enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

About 10 lakh people of the two upazilas have been suffering untold miseries because of the sorry condition of the highway. The unfinished repair work has made commuting even more difficult.

Locals said the regional highway was the only road connectivity between Ajmiriganj-Baniachang upazilas and the district town. Besides, many people of Dirai-Shala upazila of Sunamganj use the road to travel to

Dhaka and other parts of the country.

According to Roads and Highways Department (RHD) of Habiganj, Tk7 crore 54 lakh was allocated to repair the 18-kilometre highway. Mohibur Rahman of Kulaura got the contract for the work.

The work order was given on November 25 of the last year and the work was supposed to be finished within April of this year.

However, a recent visit to the site found very little progress with the renovation.

It was only after the transport workers went on a strike that the contractor began the work and that too just for an eyewash.

On February 14, transport workers of Habiganj enforced a blockade demanding quick repair of the highway. Following the assur-

ance from Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Shamsul Islam, they withdrew the blockade.

15 days later, the contractor began some minor drilling in 20 places of the highway. But after a few days they stopped citing political violence.

These digging, along with the already dilapidated condition of the highway, made commuting even worse.

Bus driver Nibaron said accidents were regularly happening on this road because of large potholes and uneven surface.

Mahmud Akhonji, a CNG-run autorickshaw driver, said it took him about an hour to travel the otherwise 30-min road.

A regular commuter Bajlul Amin Kashem complained about extra fare because of the

poor condition of the road. He urged the authorities to finish the repair soon.

Jahangir Alam, executive engineer of RHD Habiganj, said the contractor could not gather the necessary equipment and materials due to the blockade and hartals. He, however, assured that the work would resume within a week.

Contractor Mohibur Rahman could not be reached for a comment on this.

MP of Habiganj-2 constituency Abdul Majid Khan, at a meeting on law and order, recently said he had instructed the concerned authorities to finish the work as soon as possible.

“I have also talked to minister Obaidul Quader in this regard,” he claimed and hoped that the work would commence without any delay. l

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10 WORLD

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

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Indian widows dance as they celebrate Holi or ‘festival of colours’ in Vrindavan on March 3. Widows congregated on a small patio of the ashram in which they live and danced and played with colored powder to celebrate the occasion. The widows of this and other ashrams in this northern town are sponsored by the NGO, Sulabh International which funds most of their needs. Shunned from society when their husbands die, not for religious reasons, but because of tradition, many Indian widows have been ostracised from society and no longer live with their families and are forced to beg for food. Almost 2,000 of the estimated 34 million widows currently living in India live in Vrindavan and benefit from the welfare extended by the NGO AFP

UN rights chief hails Nepal court for war crimes ruling

n AFP, Kathmandu

The UN human rights chief Thursday hailed Nepal’s top court for barring war crimes commissions from offering amnesty to soldiers and former Maoist rebels in cases involving serious rights abuses.

Nepal is in the process of setting up two bodies to investigate war crimes committed during a decade-long insurgency, which saw security forces and Maoist guerrillas accused of carrying out torture, killings, rape and “forced disappearances.”

Parliament last April gave the two commissions the power to grant amnesty for all crimes except rape, but last week’s Supreme Court ruling revoked that right after a mass petition filed by 234 victims.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, praised the court “for upholding international standards relating to accountability for gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law.” l

Kremlin critic Navalny out of jail, vows to fight on n Reuters, Moscow

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny walked out of a Moscow detention center yesterday and promised that Russia’s opposition will continue to challenge President Vladimir Putin, uncowed by last week’s killing of prominent opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.

But Navalny and other opposition leaders face a tough task getting their message out beyond Russia’s small urban middle-class, especially as they are largely kept off state media and often quarrel amongst themselves.

Wearing a dark jacket and jeans, his face unshaven, Navalny was released after serving 15 days for handing out leaflets in the Moscow metro to promote a protest rally.

He said he would go home to shower and change before heading to visit Nemtsov’s grave, having missed the funeral on Tuesday because of his sentence.

“There will be no let-up in our efforts, we

will give up nothing. This act of terror has not achieved its goal in this sense,” Navalny said after walking out of the detention center through a green metal gate, carrying his belongings in a black sports bag.

“I am not frightened and I am sure my associates are not frightened either.”

Nemtsov was a liberal who had served as deputy prime minister in the 1990s but became a staunch critic of Putin. He was shot by an unknown assailant last yesterday night within sight of the Kremlin walls, becoming the most prominent opposition figure to be killed during Putin’s 15-year rule.

Nemtsov’s allies say it was a political killing aimed at intimidating them. Putin has called it a shameful tragedy, and the Kremlin has denied any involvement.

The opposition has scheduled a protest rally in Moscow for April 19, said Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister and close associate of Nemtsov. l

Revoke ban on December 16 rape documentary: Editors Guild of India

n Agencies The Editors Guild of India yesterday appealed to the government to revoke the ban on the December 16 gangrape documentary, saying the move was “wholly unwarranted” The Guild said in a statement in Delhi that the BBC documentary, ‘Storyville: India’s daughter’, portrayed the courage, sensibility and liberal outlook of a family traumatised by the brutality inflicted on their daughter and the contining “shameful attitudes” towards women among the convict as well as the educated, including lawyers.

“The message that emerges from the documentary is wholly positive and its power is such as to make people re-examine their own attitudes and the attitudes of people around them,” it said. The statement said the rationale that the ban was in the interests of justice and public order as the film “created a situation of tension and fear amongst women” seems to be an after-thought. l

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After Gaza war losses, Islamic Jihad bounces back n AFP In a tunnel dug deep underneath the besieged Gaza Strip, masked gunmen from Islamic Jihad ferry rockets and mortars back and forth, preparing for the next conflict with Israel.

Six months ago, the Palestinian militant group emerged battered and bruised from a 50-day conflict with Israel, where it fought alongside fellow Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza.

Islamic Jihad’s armed wing the Al-Quds Brigades lost 123 men, but fired 3,249 rockets at the Jewish state, it says, including Iranian-made Fajr 5 missiles which reached Tel Aviv and even northern Israel.

The conflict, where Israel tried to flush out Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants by bombarding the coastal enclave, killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 73 people on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.

But the group says it is resurgent.

“We’re at our highest level of alert to counter any attack. We’re used to the occupation (Israel) breaking its ceasefires,” senior commander Abu al-Bara told AFP from one of the group’s tunnels.

“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

We’re gathering all our strength since it’s a

war that never ends. We’re ready to go to another level against the Zionist occupation and carry out actions we’ve never done before,” he said, without elaborating.

The war ended on August 26 with a fragile Hamas-Israel ceasefire brokered by Egypt.

In the meantime, Islamic Jihad has sought to replace its fallen comrades, and its manpower is estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 fighters.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad refuse to specify the number of fighters, or rockets, they currently possess, but both were severely depleted by the Israeli assault, which included fierce ground combat.

Abu Bakr street

Israel’s ground invasion was aimed at destroying the hundreds of tunnels Gaza’s two main Islamist groups had built, both for smuggling supplies and for attacks inside Israel.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas staged deadly assaults on Israeli troops using the tunnels.

For the first time, AFP correspondents were permitted to enter a tunnel, provided they were blindfolded whilst being taken to them, so as not to give away its location.

Inside, placards had been erected on the concrete walls, naming “streets” to help mili-

tants navigate the network.

One route was named after Abu Bakr alSadiq, the first Islamic caliph following the Prophet Mohammed’s death in 632; another, Othman Ibn Affan, a successor.

Quds fighters said the group had a network of tunnels of “different lengths, some with several entrances.”

But they were silent on the network’s location or how it was built.

Their weapons were made inside Gaza, they said, but without elaborating on how the parts were obtained or purchased.

It was an open secret before July 2013 that smuggling tunnels underneath the Egyptian border brought in much of Gaza’s construction and fuel needs, money, and weapons, or the material to make them.

But Egypt destroyed the vast majority after the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and a crackdown was launched against his Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’s ally.

Islamic Jihad, founded like Hamas in the 1980s, traditionally has its closest ties with Tehran, having been inspired by the Iranian revolution.

Mujahedin school

Israel accuses the groups of continuing to

seize construction material entering Gaza to make tunnels and weapons.

“Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have openly declared that they are rebuilding tunnels and testing rockets and other things like that,” army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told AFP. “They’ve been siphoning off from the civilians of Gaza forever,” he said, warning that Israel was prepared for further confrontation.

Underground and overground, the Quds Brigades lie ready.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, a banner reads: “School of the Mujahedin.”

Some 200 new recruits aged 19 to 22 are training at the camp, ducking under live fire, jumping through flaming hoops and shouting “Death to Israel! Death to America!.”

Instructor Abu Ahmed says the masked young men are going through “very advanced training.”

“Their training lasts between 36 days and six months, before they go to a specialised unit like explosives or sharp shooting,” he said.

“We don’t just have tunnels – we also invest in people,” Abu al-Bara interjected.

“With ideas and fighting, it is people who will liberate this land.” l

UN calls on Indonesia to halt execution of drug smugglers

EU hits Syria with fresh sanctions, UN curtails relief food

n AP, Berlin

n AFP, Brussels

The UN human rights office has called on Indonesia to refrain from executing convicted drug smugglers, saying that the death penalty won’t stop narcotics trafficking.

Ten smugglers from Australia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, France, Ghana and Indonesia are scheduled to be executed soon.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says “there is no evidence that the death penalty deters drug crimes.”

Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the Geneva-based agency, said yesterday that the government of Indonesia should exercise its right to grant the convicts clemency.

He said carrying out the executions would weaken Indonesia’s position when arguing on behalf of its own nationals facing the death penalty abroad. l

The European Union imposed additional sanctions against Syria yesterday, targeting backers of President Bashar al-Assad as the bloody conflict gets worse with no prospect of a peace deal.

“Seven persons and six entities providing support to the Syrian regime as well as benefitting from it have been targeted,” a statement said.

“This brings the number of persons and entities targeted by EU sanctions over the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria to 218 persons and 69 entities,” it said.

The move follows a December decision to extend the sanctions regime to hit Assad and his supporters. The European Union will publish the names of the individuals and entities in its Official Journal on Saturday, bringing the measures into effect. l

UN calls on Indonesia to halt execution of drug smugglers

n AP, Berlin The UN human rights office has called on Indonesia to refrain from executing convicted drug smugglers, saying that the death penalty won’t stop narcotics trafficking.

Ten smugglers from Australia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, France, Ghana and Indonesia are scheduled to be executed soon.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says “there is no evidence that the death penalty deters drug crimes.”

Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the Geneva-based agency, said yesterday that the government of Indonesia should exercise its right to grant the convicts clemency. l

Ukrainian servicemen take part in military exercises near the eastern Ukrainian city of Schastya, in the Lugansk region on March 3. Western leaders called for a “strong reaction” from the international community to any major violation of a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine as they sought to further pressure Russia over the conflict AFP

EU chief speaks out against arms supplies for Kiev n AP, Riga, Latvia The European Union’s foreign policy chief yesterday came out against a bipartisan call in the United States to provide lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed separatists.

House Speaker John Boehner and a group of top Democrats and Republicans wrote to President Obama calling for deliveries but so far have found few backers in the 28 nation EU. Federica Mogherini said yesterday that “the European Union is doing enough” and insisted that the implementation of the peace

deal brokered in Minsk last month “is the way to go forward.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel are been particularly outspoken against pouring more firepower into the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Mogherini said that “what Ukraine needs now is not only the full respect of its sovereignty, of its territorial integrity, but it is also peace.”

Yesterday, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said arms deliveries “would only stoke the fire.”

“Our goal must be a ceasefire, not an escalation,” Kurz said l

UN shrinks food aid to Syria refugees

The United Nations food agency said yesterday it had been forced to withdraw aid from nine Syrian refugee camps in Turkey due to a lack of funds, calling on donors to step up.

“Unfortunately, in February, we were forced to ask the Turkish government to take over assistance in nine camps where we could not continue providing aid because we lack funds,” said World Food Programme spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.

The UN agency needs $9m each month to provide hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in the country with food aid, she said.

It had, in cooperation with the Turkish government, been providing some 220,000 refugees with electronic vouchers in the form of debit cards credited with money, allowing them to purchase the food and supplies they need in stores. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

BTRC must help, not hinder the market

I

t is concerning that the government has not ensured a successful resolution to the various disputes which arose out of its 2013 auction of the 3G spectrum.

With a new auction planned to be held on April 30, for the 1,800 MHz and 2,100 MHz bands, the ICT ministry needs to ensure the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission fully addresses the ongoing concerns being raised by leading telecoms businesses in the country.

The fact that the parent companies of the four leading mobile operators in Bangladesh have all expressed their inability to participate in the upcoming spectrum auction indicates the urgency of the need to resolve outstanding concerns and issues.

If full participation is not ensured, there is a very real risk that the auction will neither raise the hoped for revenue desired by the taxpayer, nor be successful in efficiently delivering improvements for consumers.

The government must act to ensure that BTRC acts as a fair and open regulator. Its prime purpose is to ensure a level playing field of regulation that facilitates the marketplace and encourages investment. This is undermined by concerns about past favoritism shown to for certain operators and bidders and rules discriminating against others.

BTRC must act promptly and impartially to address these types of issue. It also needs to think more broadly about the fitness for purpose of some of the rules governing telecommunication regulation, for instance on VoIP services.

The regulator must function more effectively on helping to open the marketplace, not limit it.

Regulator’s duty is to ensure a level playing field to facilitate investment

Energy efficiency key to sustainable development

W

e welcome this week’s launch of the 3E “Energy Efficiency Engagement “ program of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh.

The project, which has the support of the Bangladesh Bank Governor and Danida, the Danish international development agency, is setting up an Energy Efficiency Secretariat to develop and provide a national knowledge hub on energy efficiency and green technology.

It will begin by providing around 50 companies in selected industrial sectors with free expert consultancy to assess and improve the energy efficiency of their production facilities.

Maximising the efficient management and use of energy consumption in industries and homes is vital to help ensure sustainable growth. Achieved effectively, it can reduce both long-term energy costs and carbondioxide emissions.

Improving efficiency in key sectors such as textiles, RMG, and fertiliser factories can help not only the companies themselves but also serve important national goals.

There is huge potential value in furthering sustainable development in Bangladesh by drawing on global best practice. It is clearly desirable to emulate the experience of countries such as Denmark which has managed a 6% reduction in gross energy consumption since 1990, while growing its GDP by 40%in the same period.

As a nation that needs to raise living standards to increase resilience to climate change, and which faces huge vulnerabilities form climate change, it is vital for Bangladesh to incorporate sustainability into our economic growth. Improving energy efficiency is a proven cost effective way to help these aims.

Improving efficiency is a cost-effective way to lower costs and greenhouse emissions

Be heard

Writeto toDhaka DhakaTribune Tribune Write Tower,8/C 8/CPanthapath, Panthapath, Sukrabad, Shukrabad,Dhaka-1207 Dhaka-1207 FRFRTower, Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Sendususyour yourOp-Ed Op-Edarticles: articles: Send opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

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Our wall of shame February 15

Tushun Rightly said. This disgraceful move is a stain on the nation. There is an easy way out -implement the CHT accord, but its not only the usual idiocy that stops pols from doing so. Its their knowledge that they can rely on a apathy and racism to ignore this shame.

Barely Legal Alien So, what about interracial couples where one is of our indigenous populace? Is the government going to make it mandatory for a military personnel to hover around them, preventing them from communicating?

Zero-Agenda Good, at least this way the CHT people are in no danger of being exposed to our incredulous grossness. Since it is really hard for some to detect tone through text, I would like to spell out that I am indeed being sarcastic here.

Evil People Politics This policy should be scrapped as soon as possible. This is targeted segregation in the highest sense of the term. Absolutely disgraceful!

S Mallik I agree with the point that you attempt to drive but find the reasoning too loose.

Bangladeshis did not support Palestinians because they were the underdogs, rather, because they were Muslims. Drawing a simile between that situation and this and hoping a guilt-tripped conscience will turn around does not work. I do not also see how one can over-simplify this situation, by equating the residents of CTG Hill Tracts to your average hindu friend/therapist/partner in Dhaka.

Agreed though, the law you mention sounds prehistoric. a friend S Mallik: Good points S Mallik, however, the author didn’t really say the therapist/partner etc was Hindu. They could even be Chakma, etc. I personally know foreigners married to Chakmas. So what happens to that dynamic when they visit the Chakma person’s home in the CHT? Secondly, yeah Bangladeshis support Palestine because Palestinians are Muslims.

But we rarely admit the reason, and claim an objective moral high ground. Abak is simply pointing out that hypocrisy. :) vhs Pretty disgraceful.

IrateCitizen Apartheid in the making, huh? I say, good try Hasina. We, the people, shall prevail.

Nina Labeling a group of people as “pahari” sounds pretty racist to me. Doesn’t it, to you? Who are we to call the members of human race anything but? Think on it.

Dr Q Nina: Pahari is just a descriptive term for the community. Whether the word is acceptible or not depends on political correctness or linguistic norms. Right now, the term is fine, and used widely. Seems like an irrelevant quibble when dealing with a very real issue of oppression, particularly when the author is clearly against racism.

NaZmul AhaSan Abak Hussain has asked a question. He said in every part of the Bangladesh law should be implemented equally. There should neither exist “us” nor “them.” Well, please answer then: Why should I be restricted to buy land in CHT? Isn’t it an act of discrimination? If I am not an “indigenous” in CHT, then I am not allowed to buy land there! Is that constitutional?

Hammad NaZmul AhaSan: The right of the indigenous people to hold on to their ancestral lands is not a mere nicety -- it’s linked to their identity, which’ll vanish with the disappearance of their land to land-grabbers and profiteers.

Let me give you an example, you’ll probably agree that New Zealand is a highly democratic country where freedom of opinion, speech, and right to property are very highly valued.

Yet, by law, the Maori communities are not free to sell their land to non-Maori individuals or groups. This was done to prevent them from giving away what are their community treasures in exchange for the modern day equivalent of beads and trinkets.

DT

OPINION 13

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Victims of discourse n Morten Koch Andersen

L

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Terrorism and governance n GM Quader

S

o far as known, there is no concrete evidence that Islamic militancy of considerable dimension has been developed in Bangladesh as yet. But, there seem to be elements which suggest that Islamic militancy is in the formative stage, and is spreading especially among the young generation.

The basic reason is a lack of good governance resulting in the absence of rule of law which precipitates in all social evils, like violation of human rights, corruption, discrimination, deprivation, etc. These are creating frustrations in society, making people aggrieved and the youth desperate for a change for them in the future.

As regards the universal cause of formation of violent extremism, similar views are expressed by John Kerry, Secretary of State of the United States of America, in his op-ed “Our plan for countering violent extremism,” originally published in the Wall Street Journal on February 18, 2015, which says: “The most basic issue is good governance.

It may not sound exciting, but it is vital.

People who feel that their government will provide for their needs, not just its own, and give them a chance at a better life are far less likely to strap on an AK-47 or a suicide vest, or to aid those who do.”

In broader perspective, grievances against the government and loss of faith in the system are the root causes. Those who feel the government would not do anything good for them and the system would not allow better governance are more likely to go astray.

In case a considerable number of people lose confidence in both the government and the system, a breeding ground for extremism -- favourable not only for creating, but also for providing support and protection -- is formed within them. Aggrieved people with poverty, lack of education, and religious backgrounds could become an ideal segment for creating and supporting Islamic militancy.

All these elements exist in our country at the moment.

The violent politics, as seen today, in Bangladesh is a result of the law and order situation. But its root lies in the social unrest formed as a result of certain political moves.

It may not still be considered a case of violent extremism as an outcome of Islamic

militancy.

In the case that it is dealt with as a law and order situation only, and tackled accordingly, with brute force sometimes, allegedly beyond legal jurisdiction, social grievance will likely multiply further. Radicalisation of politics and the enhancement of the causes of Islamic militancy may find an encouraging push out of that dissatisfaction.

Even if the situation normalises after some time, the relative calm may not last long. This would not ensure real peace for a considerable segment of the population, who would feel that an injustice had been done to them. As mentioned by Martin Luther King Jr: “Peace is not the absence of violence, but the presence of justice.”

There should not be any doubt that terrorism or militancy cannot be eradicated by sheer use of force only. Even if each and every extremist is identified and eliminated physically, violent extremism will not end unless the seeds of further growth are not taken care of.

In the rhetoric of John Kerry, in the same article mentioned earlier: “Eliminating the terrorists of today with force will not guarantee protection from the terrorists of tomorrow. We have to transform the environments that give birth to these movements. We have to devote ourselves not just to combating violent extremism, but to preventing it. This means building alternatives that are credible and visible to the populations where terrorists seek to thrive.”

In order to obtain sustainable peace and stable social order necessary for human development and prosperity as against the detrimental violent chaotic conflict prevailing in the country, corrective measures need to be initiated in the political arena to address the social grievance stemming out of that.

An initiative for meaningful dialogue among the feuding sides could pave the way for a resolution in this respect. Conventionally, the onus lies with the government to commence the proposal. As per Dr Rounaq Jahan, a political scientist and academician (in an interview published in The Daily Star, dated March 6, 2015): “One of the best ways to tackle extremists is to ensure space for non-violent and democratic opposition.” l GM Quader is a politician and former minister.

ooking back on the recent years of Bangladesh politics, one cannot avoid thinking about the language and expressions used by its political leaders. It is a fascinating discourse, seen nowhere else in the world.

It is a discourse that embraces, encapsulates, and circumscribes all political practices and activities. It is somehow not to escape or ignore.

On the one hand, we have all the positive words -- liberation, democracy, nation, freedom, language, movement, selfdetermination, etc. On the other, we have the negative -- Taliban, terrorist, killer, treason, murderer, agent, criminal. All commonly used words in media, public programs, and even in the parliament by national politicians.

We have all experienced how this vocabulary finds its way into all sorts of debates and discussions, often out of the blue, and often disconnected from the issue at hand.

Deeds and virtues on one hand, misconducts and wrongdoings on the other hand. Friend and foe, enemy or ally.

By itself, it is just language and words but as a discourse, in the Foucauldian sense as political practice, policy and a way to see and understand the social world, this has some interesting and, as I will argue, maybe detrimental consequences for Bangladeshi society.

It is a fascinating discourse, seen nowhere else in the world. It embraces, encapsulates, and circumscribes all political practices and activities

Part of any dominant discourse is the ability to categorise according to localised domains of morality, the correct and incorrect, the proper and improper, the being and nonbeing.

In other words, establishing a dividing line between those that we accept and those we do not accept as individuals and groups and ultimately as recognised citizens.

This way of seeing the world is political, and it has consequences. As the dominant discourse, it defines not just the ways we speak, but more importantly, the way we think and make the world around us intelligible.

Those within the discourse, be they friend or foe, are seen and heard -- those outside or those that cannot find ways to be recognised as legitimate voices, are not to be seen or heard. New ways of doing and thinking, struggle to penetrate, replace, contribute, or develop already accepted rationalities,

policies, and practices. The defense of the discourse relies on power to define and determine, often in the form of capital and force.

In Bangladesh, it relies on the Iconomic configuration of the political. Iconomic is a combination of icon and economy. This understanding of the political rests on Rounaq Jahan’s idea of Sarkari parties and leadership that emphasises the patronage, combined with the political economy of rewards, benefits, and favours within the political structures.

It is a political discourse where each and every notion refers back to defining moments of an unsettled history, fixed on the war for liberation and the roles and actions of prominent political figures. It is a forceful vocabulary and battlefield of historic definitions.

People are mobilised, they struggle and die over these issues. It is a vocabulary that organises the entire society into two competing groups based on a dichotomy of secularism and religion, where the aim is absolute parliament power, and the prize is control of state and state resources.

And there is no escape, as the discourse encapsulates and embraces all relations and practices reaching all levels and corners of society.

It is a discourse that demands all of your attention to exist in this society.

It directs social relations, livelihood, economy, and security. Promotions, in all sectors of the state, depend on whether one wants to buy into the discourse and comply with the administrating gatekeepers.

To be transferred or being bypassed are everyday consequence of non-conformity.

Business and even justice depends on alignment.

However, with the process of resolving history initiated by the war crimes tribunal, we might begin to set towards a new future, on the other side or beyond current vocabularies.

The trial intends to establish who were the friends and the foes of the liberation, and consequently determines who to legitimately name traitor and terrorist etc.

Contested positions and actions are to be defined through the writing of public history.

This is a process, and will of course yield debate and even public action, such as the Shahbagh movement. It is not a categorical discourse.

Resolving history through courts and law is a global trend. It is a process of settlement. It aims to establish something, to end something, to secure right and wrong through a verdict. As an end, it ends something.

It becomes a landmark for debate on state, nationality, and citizenship. At the same time, it becomes a point of departure for the future, the opening of a new chapter in Bangladesh’s history with a new vocabulary, as a new way of thinking, doing, and being.

Maybe you don’t have to wait for the verdicts to create a new discourse; the young people are present in great numbers in your country. They wait for the future. l Morten Koch Andersen is a researcher of development studies based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

DT

14 OPINION

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

RAJIB DHAR

Not an easy question to answer How does Pakistan today feel about its actions in 1971? This is the first of a two-part opinion piece

n Salil Tripathi

F

ebruary 21 resonates with special meaning for Bangladeshis. That morning in 1952, hundreds of students of what was then known as Dacca University, came to their campus to protest against restrictions placed on public assembly. The students were part of the movement that sought equal recognition for the language spoken most widely in East Bengal, and the mother-tongue of most -- Bangla. Bangladesh was part of Pakistan then, and the national language was Urdu.

The police arrested some students, and more students went to demonstrate at the East Bengal Legislative Assembly. When some students attempted to enter the premises, police opened fire and several students were killed. For Bangla nationalists, February 21 became martyrs’ day; the language movement, which would ultimately culminate in what Bangladeshis call the war of liberation, and the country’s independence in 1971, was now unstoppable.

On February 21 this year, I was in Lahore.

I entered the hall at the impressive Al-Hamra Arts Centre, the home of the Lahore Literary Festival, before a nearly-packed audience of Pakistanis who were curious about my book, The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and its Unquiet Legacy, published last November.

The talented radical musician Taimur Rahman, who is part of the progressive group Laal, and teaches political science at the Lahore University of Management Science, had the unenviable task of steering a discussion about my book -- and the 1971 war, which broke Pakistan -- that was bound to reopen old wounds.

My co-panelists were Sadaf Saaz Siddiqi, a poet from Dhaka who has worked for the rehabilitation of birangonas, as the Bangladeshi women who survived sexual violence in 1971 are known, and the brave human rights activist from Lahore, Hina Jilani, who protested against the war and would later during that hour tell us about her experience of trying to get Pakistanis to oppose violence in East Pakistan by signing petitions on Mall Road in Lahore, only to be ridiculed, and she recalled others telling her they were occasionally spat at.

The audience included at least half, if not more, who weren’t born at the time of the war

Taimur was generous in his praise of my book; he called it “a readable unreadable book,” saying it was easy to read, but the stories it contained made him uncomfortable as a Pakistani. Our initial conversation was like a tense test match -- straight deliveries, played back with a straight bat.

But then Taimur turned, as he should, to the tougher questions: Here I was, in Lahore, telling Pakistanis what they had done. How did I feel?

It wasn’t an easy question to answer.

The audience included at least half, if not more, who weren’t born at the time of the war. They were interested in literature and ideas; they were Lahore liberals, willing to listen to another point of view. They had shown courage in attending a literature festival, taking place within days of a bomb blast. There were security vehicles and armed guards outside the arts complex to prevent any terrorist act; there were snipers on the rooftops, and uniformed men with weapons inside the complex. They knew, and applauded, Jilani’s views on Pakistan’s army.

But what I had written about went close to the bone.

Some probably saw me for what is part of my identity -- a man born in India, with a Hindu name. India, not any other country, but the one with which Pakistan fought wars, and which local textbooks blame for dismembering Pakistan and deviously helping Bangladesh become independent.

We all have our baggage: My textbooks told me that India intervened in 1971 only after the Pakistani Air Force struck Indian airfields on December 2, and that Indian motives were primarily driven by the humanitarian impulse -- to end conflict, to bring peace, and to help the nearly 10 million refugees return home -- a view not only many Pakistanis, but some Bangladeshis too question.

Those in the audience in front of me were not responsible for what Pakistan’s army did in 1971. Yahya Khan wasn’t elected; his was a military dictatorship that was refusing to hand over power to the AL, which had won the majority of seats in the elections.

All Pakistanis did not endorse the government. So I mentioned some courageous, posi-

tive examples -- like the story of an air force officer who became conscientious objector and refused to bomb civilians; of a colonel who left the army, and over the years wrote poetry and tried to reconcile the two nations; of another officer, who wrote about the incidents of rape he knew were happening; of an anguished Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who would write the moving ghazal, known as Dhaka se wapasi: Ham ke thehre ajnabi itni madaaraaton ke baad Phir baneinge aashna kitni mulaaqaaton ke baad (The Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali translated it as: After those many encounters, that easy intimacy, we are strangers now – After how many meetings will we be that close again?)

Horrible things were done in your name and there has been no accountability, I said to the audience.

Hina Jilani was not one to let her compatriots off easily. She challenged my interpretation; she said that hardly any Pakistani spoke up. She recalled how her father, who wrote a letter to General Yahya Khan protesting the military crackdown, was arrested and was kept in jail from March to September 1971. She recounted the humiliating taunts pacifists on Mall Road endured. Things were done, she said; we were silent, she reminded the people; we were responsible. And she got resounding applause. l Salil Tripathi is a London-based Indian journalist and writer, currently serving as contributing editor for The Caravan and Mint. His latest book is The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and Its Unequal Legacy (2014).

DT

CAREER 15

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Verbal don’ts at the office Things you say that hinder your way

n Career Desk Sticks and stones may break your bones, but these words can ruin a workplace atmosphere.

‘This can’t be done’

What to wear to a job interview Not your usual fashion article

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Open an internet search box and type in the title, and you’ll be inundated with sartorial advice. But there’s more to dressing for an interview than your clothing choices, and that’s exactly where we come in.

Research

It takes about ten seconds for someone to form a first impression, and a lot of that is inferred from what you’re wearing. This is why a little research can go a long way towards impressing your prospective employers. If you can make some enquiries and case the joint, so to speak, to get an idea of what the workplace environment is like, you can dress accordingly, and have the interviewer think of you as a good fit for the team. You don’t want to dress too starchy and stiff for a casual workplace, and you definitely don’t want to be the funky stand-out in a conservative atmosphere.

Grooming

There’s no point in burning a hole in your wallet on an outfit only to turn up for the interview looking like a hobo in a shiny suit.

Take some time off before the interview to get a trim. On the day off, remember to

shave. There’s a place for stubble, and the interview room isn’t it. If it’s too expensive to get a mani-pedi, make sure you’ve at least trimmed and buffed them.

Posture

Even the perfect outfit can fail if you’re slouching in it. Not only does it ruin your silhouette, but you can look several pounds heavier if you’re hunched over. Stand up straight, square those shoulders, and even your thrift store buy will look premium. In addition, good posture will not only make you look confident, it will actually make you feel more confident, and help you ace that interview.

Attitude

So you’ve got your foot in the door, and you’re sitting straight, looking sharp and confident. How you carry yourself will determine how the rest of the interview goes. If you’re on the nervous side, take a breath, and slow down while talking. It will make you appear more thoughtful and intelligent. On the other end of the spectrum, confidence is admirable; arrogance is not. If you’re feeling pumped, remember to rein it in. Be assertive but respectful, firm but gracious, and you’re on your way to a job. l

Nothing kills a positive, productive mood than a naysayer who sees a problem in every proposal, instead of finding a creative way to make it work. Imagine if the Wright brothers gave up after the very first time someone told them they were being ridiculous for thinking humans could fly. A better way to phrase it would be: “How about we try a different approach?”

‘Should’ve/would’ve/could’ve’

Hindsight is never perfect, and if, instead of focusing on the problem at present or steps to be taken in the future, you find yourself harping on all the things your colleague did wrong in the past, you’re wasting everyone’s time. While it is important to learn from past mistakes, you’ll have a far better reaction from your co-worker if you phrase it as “for the future, it’s better ...” or “moving forward, we should remember not to ...”

‘I’m not getting paid enough to’

The moment you say this, you lose the sympathy of everyone around you and end up sounding like a whiner. This kind of phrasing totally displays a career-limiting bad attitude. If it’s your supervisor making what you think is an unreasonable request, a better way to wriggle out would be to politely state that you already have a lot on your plate, which needs to be prioritised before this task.

The key word to remember is “positive.”

No one likes an energy drain; not your coworkers, not your boss, and certainly not your underlings. Even a conflict situation can be made less tense if you can rephrase everything in a positive light and assign blame away from the person and focus it on action instead. l

Saying it is not enough The difference between being an entrepreneur and self-proclaiming as one

n Rad Sharar Bin Kamal Entrepreneurs love business -- this line has been heard and misinterpreted by much too many. They do, no doubt, but it is not the rewards (profits) from the act of business they are addicted to; it is the act itself.

There are thousands of people who possess winning ideas of a business but are never able to achieve it and put it into a successful reality, yet referring to themselves are entrepreneurs. They did not have the passion, ambition, and compromising ability required to make it, and are commonly driven by tangible goals -- money, fame, success etc. A real entrepreneur is different and may be distinguished from the rest in three fundamental traits:

The love of business itself

Even when they have millions in their bank

account, entrepreneurs will still beat the sun out of the bed and hit the office, and not because they want another million. It’s because they love every aspect of it. They keep moving forward just to push themselves and see how far they can reach, attain selfactualisation, and persist even further. A challenge motivates them, while the profits are seen as how well their businesses are doing, not what they are earning.

On the other hand, many are motivated by the mere idea of being an entrepreneur. The image appeals to them rather than the love of the game.

The willingness to act

There’s a thin line here, but essentially it is the ability to take risks. Now, every entrepreneur has to take risks, but the difference is why they take it. Every failure is seen as

a learning experience and cherished. They accept failure and provide rational reasons for why it occurred, and adapt from it.

But when one regrets a failure and looks at it as a bad experience, that’s where he/she fails altogether.

The ability to let go

They did not have the passion, ambition and compromising ability required to make it, and are commonly driven by tangible goals – money, fame, success etc.

A nice central office. The title of CEO. Answerable to no one. Flexible hours. These little aspects are what many expect the entrepreneur’s life to be like. But it isn’t! It’s hectic, confusing, difficult, and vague. They have moments of complete insanity switching wildly to miraculous happiness. The idea of sacrificing time, effort, family and friends occurs to them, and they will go the extra mile to balance it. Unlike the superficial dreamers, these choices are always part of the equation for the real entrepreneur.

Simply put, entrepreneurs love what they do, and that makes all the difference in their world. l

DT

16 ARTS & LETTERS

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Two poems by Shaheed Quadri Translated by Shawkat Hussain

Before Going to the Saloon My hungry hair flies wildly in the air Not easily tamed.

Many times, many times, Have I tried to feed it well And put it to sleep. “The monster is coming … sleep my baby,” But nothing works.

My hair stands sleepless Like a Santal Sardar with his lean muscular body, unclad; Or like some motionless, unblinking rebel Unbent by storms or bowed down by the rain, He stands for ages, for ages.

This mad, black horse Terrifies everyone, threatens to disrupt Afternoon traffic, injure friends and relatives.

Everybody says the same thing, “It’s grown too long, cut it down to size,” It’s grown too long, past the ears, Down to the shoulders.

There’s nothing to do.

It’s my hair, but not within my control.

It grows on its own, moves and scatters, Flies like a rasping crow, Invades someone else’s sky Like its own, uses it with reckless abandon.

My hair is like some truant schoolboys Covered with dust from head to foot, Obsessed with the dream of possessing a football; It is like some maverick player Dominating the field Like a stubborn monarch, Heedless of the referee’s whistle.

So this is my hair, my ruffled, unruly hair, Somehow sticking to my perplexed skull.

Suddenly, like a traffic signal, My wild, disorderly hair will be tamed When the barber’s firm, active scissors Snip them off— And so I would go to the best saloons, To discipline my hair.

The arrogance of my hair Is not acceptable to members of civilised society, It has to be cut, shortened.

My head has to be like ten other heads, Like ten other heads in society, And so it must be cut down, Trimmed and flattened, silenced over my skull, It must lie quietly plastered over my head Like a cold mat.

Still, it is my hair!

Blind, silent, and deaf, It springs up again Like an injured horse Even before the month is past. l

Left Right Left When you talk about the State It reminds me of armored battalions Parading on Independence Day, It reminds me of the barbed-wire fences of the Race Course, Of curfews and Section 144, It reminds me of a Minister’s black car Behind olive-colored jeeps, Of witness boxes and state witnesses Standing in rows …

When you talk about the State It reminds me of the face of my younger brother Who never returned from the procession Of Tejgaon Industrial Area, Of the faces of injured labourers Lying in hospitals.

When you talk about the State It reminds me of banned pamphlets, Of underground print shops, of placards At the Medical College intersection— “Mob dispersed, Two Killed, Five Injured”— Of rows of photographers, Of posters on walls, A lone microphone standing on an empty raised dais At noon.

The State means nationwide strikes, Cancelling a date with your girlfriend, It means fruitless seminars On foreign policy issues.

It means the widow of a dead soldier, It means limping on crutches.

The State means the futility of the United Nations And that means …

Left Right Left Right Left. l Shaheed Quadri is a poet and writer. He is a recipient of the Ekushey Padak and the Bangla Academy Award.

The R-Word n Ikhtisad Ahmed I do not know if using the R-word, I will stay alive in Bangladesh; Life over death the easy choice, Caution preferred when possible; Self-censorship for survival, sensible?

I am ashamed nonetheless.

Pen mightier than sword They say, they greatly pontificate; Should I take their word for it?

Paper-cuts hurt, They know from experience – Convinced, no more shall I prevaricate.

Ikhtisad Ahmed is a columnist

Arguments confidently offered, I think, therefore I articulate!

My undeniable rights I assert, I celebrate!

Venture into the R-word I do As a self-proclaimed Roy or Bruno.

Most profound, the R-word: Religion, rationality, Better still, reason!

The sweet embrace of the ultimate freedom Before succumbing to lamentable martyrdom, Except, they will say it was treason. l

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ARTS & LETTERS 17

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Bloodstains n Zawad Rahman There was an old grimy boxing gym that planted stories in me when I was a younger man. I like to think of that place sometimes.

God, it smelled!

The floors were always filmed with sweat, grime and caked blood from too many underground fights.

It was in an old concrete warehouse south of the river where they now have the floating boat markets.

You wouldn’t know it.

It’s a forgotten river now.

It has barely much left in it to distinguish it from a weak diabetic stream of piss, and shit and all sorts of other floating, broken things (invisible to the naked eye).

But there were other memories that came flooding back with the morning tide that day.

I could see him clear as the daylight on my skin. So scrawny and malnourished!

Wiry, lean … graceful.

Every time he stepped into that ring (bare knuckled; luminous with inhuman hate) … he orchestrated a thunderstorm of choreographed chaos that left his audience breathless, terrified, and mesmerised.

Perched at the ledge of a wooden boat floating midstream, I closed my eyes and I

tried, to remember. Remember him.

(Remember where I last left him.)

There he was … Taunting a brutish giant three times his size.

I can still hear the cracking sound of his rib cage fracturing as the bigger man pounded him over and over and over, tenderising him like a pound of meat.

His front teeth were scattered across the dirty floor. His eyes were so swollen, he could barely see through them. He lay there, in a pool of his own blood, groaning from a ruptured spleen, shattered knee caps, a collapsed lung, and god knows what else.

The way he lay there coughing out blood and laughing like a lunatic terrified even the hardest of them.

The ref threw in the towel. It was enough

for the day.

I still remember. I remember his laughter.

How it echoed across the concrete walls pickling fear with oil and preservatives in a dirty jar.

■ Seems like a lifetime since I’d been back.

I never really believed I would (go back).

I like that life can still surprise me like that.

It’s comforting that I can still embrace irony with bemused acceptance.

There’s peace in that.

Oh, the river recognised me by the way.

“Look at you all grown up!” it squelched as I tiptoed from boat market to rotting boat market gently floating in the humid sunlight.

“Look at you, all dried up,” I whispered back.

I wanted to explain that I hadn’t come chasing demons this time.

Or memories.

I’d merely come to honour a wish that I hadn’t yet made.

To extract a gift that wasn’t yet promised.

But I didn’t.

Explain.

And anyway, I didn’t think there was much point talking to a withered river.

(Or reliving old stories when there are so many new ones I haven’t written yet.)

You see, as decades roll on, all the years we’ve survived have an uncanny habit of bunching in on themselves.

Time loses perspective.

Vision loses meaning.

Twilights come bearing different gifts.

Hope humidifies the chill of regret.

Beauty redefines the meaning of our deepest, most private losses.

Some ghosts come alive for an intimate tango, as we strut about the hazy alleyways of past lives.

And if we’re lucky, some of them ... finally choose to say goodbye. l Zawad Rahman is a fiction writer

Amitabh was not a coward n Dwitiya Jawher Neethi Satyajit Ray’s classic still invites new interpretations Amitabh Roy (Soumitra Chatterjee) is a scriptwriter who is on a journey to find inspiration for his work. His car breaks down in a small town and Bimal Gupta (Haradhan

Bandopadhyay), a tea-estate manager, offers him room and board for the night. Upon reaching Gupta’s lavish tea-estate bungalow, Amitabh meets Karuna (Madhabi Mukherjee), his old lover who is now Gupta’s wife.

Ray’s brilliance is shown in the encounters between Amitabh and Karuna at Gupta’s bungalow -- Amitabh, nervously and guiltily, approaches Karuna and tries to talk to her when Bimal is not around. The scenes never seem dramatic or stealthy -- but are just the right portrayal of how a man might look for opportune moments to talk to an old lover.

Karuna is cold and mysterious to Amitabh. She answers his questions in a sardonic and snide way that confuses him even more. It is also quite clear, that her wounds have not healed.

Amitabh was a struggling student with artistic aspirations who lived in a teen kona ghor in Kolkata. Karuna comes to him one day and tells him that her uncle is moving to Patna and taking her with him. Amitabh knew how Karuna’s uncle never approved of their relationship.

She tells Amitabh that her uncle must have

taken the transfer so that he has better control over her and can separate her from Amitabh.

She seemed adamant to not let anyone else decide her fate. She said that she will take a job and quit art school. She had her graduate degree- so life should not be so hard.

Amitabh tells her that Kolkata is a “ruthless city.” He says that he understands that she wants to marry him and not go back to her uncle, but emphasises the extent of such a decision. She was accustomed to the comforts of life and Amitabh was only making ends meet and living in a hostel. She was going to leave for Patna in three days but Amitabh asked her to give him some time to think about it.

Karuna replies : “Tomar ashole jetar obhaab, sheta toh shomoy na. Onno kichu.”

Amitabh is the title’s coward. But is wanting to contemplate upon a major decision a sign of cowardice?

Amitabh was young and marriage is a big step. He wanted some time to come up with a solution which may or may not be marriage. He was not indifferent to Karuna’s plight and wanted to be close to her too. He was only being practical. But is left to feel

like a coward for all his life.

Karuna was being separated from her lover against her will and of course, she turned to him for shelter and protection. But upon hearing Amitabh’s reasoning, Karuna could have also tried to find other solutions. She could have stayed with a friend or relative while her uncle moved to Patna. That would be less of a rebellion than eloping, and the two of them could still be in the same city.

Amitabh was not a coward. But the look of guilt never quite fades from his face. Especially in the scenes with Karuna. All he wanted to know was if Karuna was happy. He asks her but fails to get a clear answer. He manages to slip her a note that he will wait for her shesh muhurto porjonto.

The movie ends at the train station. Amitabh is waiting for the train. Waiting also for Karuna and deliverance from feeling like a coward. Karuna does come.

She asks him for the sleeping pills that he had borrowed. Takes the bottle and leaves.

Amitabh is left guilty. Karuna -- sleepless. l Dwitiya Jawher Neethi works at the Dhaka tribune

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18 HERITAGE

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

The maid of Patiya Pritilata Waddedar’s story remains vital in the fight for freedom

T

n Tim Steel he small town of Patiya, that lies beside the ever busy main road from Chittagong to Cox’s Bazar, retains the sure signs of a considerable population of the Hindu faith, with many temples, old and new, and countless small shrines around.

All this, despite the massacre of about 300 of its Hindu inhabitants by the Pakistan Army, and its allies, in 1971.

Injured by a gunshot, she took refuge, but, wounded, and realising herself trapped, she bit into the cyanide capsule that Sen had instructed all to carry

With a literacy rate significantly higher than the national average, and a thriving market, it is, to the passer by, nevertheless, a very typical Bangladeshi town, slow to make progress.

But the same passersby, and probably many of the inhabitants, are perhaps completely unaware of the brief life, and death, of one of the more notable of those for whom it was their birthplace. Someone, whose life story and youthful martyrdom, might well be read, and is then hard to forget.

To die, at her own hand, by swallowing a cyanide capsule, this young woman ended her life rather than surrender, not to Pakistanis, but to the British administration, against whom, in 1932, she led an unforgettable attempt to strike a blow in order to obtain the respect and independence so many of her fellow Bengalis sought.

Pritilata Waddedar was born in this small community in May 1911, the daughter of a clerk in the civil administration of Chittagong, which had, after all, been the first city occupied by the British as early as 1760, when it was ceded to the East India Company by the Governor of Bengal to create

a buffer between Bengal and the rampant Burmese.

The girl grew up in a very anglicised environment, being admitted to Khastagir Girls School, where she was quickly recognised as a star pupil.

Moving to Eden College in Dhaka, in 1929, she passed with first place, in the Intermediate Examinations, and moved on to Bethune College in Calcutta, where she graduated, with distinction, in Philosophy, in 1931.

At Eden College, she had already joined Sree Sangha, one of the numerous movements aimed, perhaps, as much at achieving respect as seeking independence, and her commitment to such activity continued throughout her time in Calcutta.

History does not relate whether her family were aware of her activity in such movements, but she returned to Chittagong in 1931 with a distinguished academic record that obtained for her the place as headmistress at a local English Medium school, Nandankanan Aparnacharan.

There were, throughout Bengal, many well established “resistance” groups dedicated

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to reformation, or destruction of the British rule.

And it cannot be surprising that in the city that had, by then, already been under the administration of Britain for 170 years, such resistance was amongst the most active.

Not least, of course, because of the racism so readily demonstrated by British residents.

The early nineteenth century had seen the reform of British administration of its Indian territories, bringing to its work far more lower middle class employees who often sought refuge from their alienation in both religion and racism.

A woman, and a Hindu.

Both identities so frequently forgotten in the moving

And since Chittagong had been, from the beginning, a major base of British activity, there were probably more British residents, and more British-only facilities, than in most other parts of India.

Amongst the British facilities was Pahartali European Club, which, as was not uncommon, bore at its gate a notice that symbolised the sad sense of insecurity felt by so many of these lower middle class British.

The notice read: “Dogs and Indians Not Allowed” … except, of course, as servants.

Unsurprisingly, the great independence leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, himself a welleducated Indian, said of such notices: “In India every European, be he German, or Pole or Romanian, is automatically a member of the ruling race.

Railway carriages, station retiring rooms, benches in parks etc, were marked “For Europeans Only.”

This was bad enough in South Africa or elsewhere, but to have to put up with it in one’s own country was a humiliating and exasperating reminder of one’s enslaved condition.

Like Nehru, Pritilata herself had every reason, with a level of education, no doubt superior to most of the British themselves, and considerable exposure to Western lifestyle, to feel humiliated and exasperated, if not simply insulted.

It may, certainly, be a fascinating speculation to wonder if, had the British appreciated that the rising tide of antiBritish emotion may well have been more anger at the lack of fundamental rights and recognition, rather than simply occupation, the benefits of which many still acknowledge, history might have taken a different course.

However, during visits home from Calcutta, Pritilata found her own brother already a member of an anti-British group, which certainly facilitated her entry into their work.

Called upon, at first, to discharge messages, rather than missions, by the group led by Surya Sen, known as Masterda, on her final return to her home, she became a trusted and respected member of the group.

In June 1932 she was called to his hideout at Dhalghat, to meet with Sen, but arrived to find the hideout surrounded by police and army; in the ensuing confrontation many of the group lost their lives, but she and Sen

were amongst those who managed to escape.

Returning to her school, she quickly realised that she had been identified, and was being sought, and, together with another female member of the group, she went underground.

In September of that year, because of the untimely arrest of her female colleague Kalpana Datta, she was assigned by Sen to lead an attack on the Pahartali Club, with its loathsome sign.

On September 23, dressed in male attire, she led eight associates to attack the club in the late evening.

if not the mistress of, the terrorist Biswas who was hanged for the murder of Inspector Tarini Mukherjee, and some reports indicate she was the wife of Nirmal Sen who was killed whilst attempting to evade arrest at Dhakghat, where Captain Cameron fell.”

Today, it is not hard to recognise her, as the Birkannya Pritilata Trust describes her, as a “beacon of light for women.”

It is also not hard to add that like numerous martyrs across the world, young people who have sacrificed their lives for causes in which they believed, their beliefs subsequently justified by events … one

Pritilata herself had every reason, with a level of education, no doubt superior to most of the British themselves, and considerable exposure to Western lifestyle, to feel humiliated

Injured by a gunshot, she took refuge, but, wounded, and realising herself trapped, she bit into the cyanide capsule that Sen had instructed all to carry. The next morning, her body was found by police, who immediately identified her.

The chief secretary of Bengal forwarded to the authorities in London a report of the incident, replete with the slurs on the young woman with which freedom fighters have long been familiar.

“Pritilata has been closely associated with,

thinks of 17-year-old Kevin Barry, fighting for Irish Independence, who, at 18 years of age, in 1920, also died in a similar cause ... she represents the best, not only of womankind, but also humankind.

A woman, and a Hindu. Both identities so frequently forgotten in the moving, and ultimately powerful story of the fight of Bangladeshis, first to free themselves from Britain, and then from Pakistan. l Tim Steel is a tourism consultant.

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20 SPECIAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Rebirth of a people Forty-four years ago, we were given a rare second chance. Reprinted here is a piece first published in Forum magazine on March 13, 1971

n Rehman Sobhan

F

or the first time since the Battle of Plassey, Bengal is free. This is not freedom in the juridical sense. Nor does it ignore the guns which remain pointed at us. But today for the first time in two centuries decisions are being made by the people of Bangladesh directing the course of their politics and economy without reference to the vested interests of alien ruling groups. The presence of these groups has in the course of 10 days which shook the nation, been restricted to fortified enclaves within Bangladesh.

Here they remain islands in a hostile sea with not a friendly face to turn to. To reimpose their will on BangIadesh will for all practical purposes represent to the people, an act of aggression, analogous to the French and Dutch attempts to reoccupy Indo-China and Indonesia from “free” governments set up after the people’s anti-Japanese war.

No longer will this act of reconquest be seen as the act of a legitimate government enforcing its writ, but will appear to the people as an act of reusurpation against which resistance will become a sacred act.

To dream of any return to domination by the West ruling elite is absurd from the very outset. All that they can hope for is to continue their genocide until the bullets are exhausted. They can seek to cripple the economy through a scorched earth policy and thus bring death and chaos to this land.

But they cannot rule us again no matter how much they reinforce their isolated enclaves.

Awareness of this reality can point to only one course for any civilised and rational hu-

man being. Yahya must come to terms with Sheikh Mujib by accepting his four points.

The four points merely asks for legal recognition of a de facto situation and requires no concession on Yahya’s part.

Yahya must know that the trade and aid on which Mr Bhutto thought to break Pakistan are lost forever since no exchange can accrue to them without exports moving out of BangIadesh.

Nor can resources be drained with a total boycott in operation against West wing goods and no taxes accruing to the centre. This, however, presupposes rationality. If the bloodlust alone predominates they may yet seek revenge in death and destruction and leave us a wasteland before they pull out.

Against the threat of economic war, the people must be vigilant and all factories and economic assets must be guarded by the workers and the people as the property of BangIadesh.

We should here expect democrats, socialists, and all people of human impulse in West Pakistan to see that this holocaust does, not take place. Our war was never with them and they must now from a shared humanity and history see that sanity prevails amongst their rulers, to socialists it may be said that a just society in West Pakistan can never be built from the blood and bones of the peasants, workers and students of BangIadesh.

We will rise from the ashes of destruction to rebuild a new order but for their connivance they will forever be held under the jack boot which tried to crush us. Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis and even the common man of Punjab will be bound to dictatorship with the progressive leader of today becoming the

slave master of tomorrow.

To the world at large again Bangladesh makes its appeal. Chinese guns, American ammunition, British and Soviet equipment are being used in this act of genocide. Today the selfish interests of the great powers leave BangIadesh without sympathy. If these powers were to simply express their displeasure at the course of events and indicate that their own tools could not be used to commit genocide, this ramshackle machine of repression would grind to a standstill.

Till then we must stand alone and appeal over the heads of governments to the people and ask them to tell their governments that the status quo itself is ephemeral and that any future they seek in this region lies only with the people and not their oppressors.

Today only our will, courage, unity and capability to resist remain our assets. Out of adversity have emerged new reserves of strength from the people. Today the middle class is camp follower rather than leader of the movement.

They are uneasy of the consequences of confrontation. They will continue to breathe fire into their now tax free beer and take violent resolutions to fight to the last drop of someone else’s blood but secretly they can safely abuse compromise whilst enjoying its fruits.

Before setting out to a day of rhetorical aggression, they see that full use has been made of drawing right from the banks. Vital supplies are hoarded for emergencies and cars are full of petrol. Whilst troops are away they will march the streets but will make sure to be indoors during curfew whilst praising the courage of curfew

breakers.

Luckily for BangIadesh the movement is no longer led by these forces.

Today the character of the resistance has changed. It is the students, workers, the lower middle class, the bustee dweller and rickshaw puller, even the escaped convict who dominate the mood, They are no longer afraid of death, The threat of genocide itself springs from this new courage.

If people were cowards of spray of bullets would tranquilise any movement. But today millions are there to replace the thousand who are fallen, and this must haunt their leaders as much as their oppressors.

The character of the movement must therefore not only condition the response of the leadership but the social order. These men are not shedding their blood so that their bourgeois masters can safely emerge from their homes to dominate the economy and return to the good life.

This must be one war where the warriors share the spoils. Seeing workers and clerks taking responsible decisions on how to run their enterprise, one sees that they must be made the owners of the wealth they produce.

A socialist order must emerge out of this upheaval for then it will be the people who will fight to defend their gains. We must never again repeat the experience of 1947 when all the enthusiasm generated by the struggle was dissipated in building a society of privilege and greed. We have had the rare opportunity of a second birth.

Let us build with and for the people. l Rehman Sobhan is an economist and FounderChairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Ivory isle INSIDE Burning questions:

A fresh take:

Mr Mo on endurance, polygamy and more. Have a burning question for him? Submit it on our Facebook page.

Get the scoop on the recent success stories of different individuals, organisations and people both at home and abroad.

22 diy

Good old pearls safekeep

Pearl care

23 tease

6 body language signs that show he’s interested etiquette

Book of rules

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

Try Out

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

diy

Good old pearls Because an original Tom Binns will slice a hole in your pockets

n Adila Hoque For many of us, a single strand of pearls is just way too simple. Yes, we know it’s classy and nice, but it can also be a little grandmaish for some of us folks who just can’t pull everything off. However, a little metal here and there will add more dimension to your pearls without you having to go to the trouble of getting an original Tom Binns!

Now come on, get your Grandma’s pearls out of the jewellery box before you pass it on to the next generation unused:

You will need: A single strand pearl necklace A handful of small and medium-sized gold safety pins Directions: 1. Starting in the middle of the necklace, attach 1-2 safety pins between each pearl, working outwards. Remember to connect vertical safety pins with a horizontal one.

2. Continue adding safety pins between pearls, and it is probably a good idea to

alternate between the two sizes of safety pins to break the monotony of the piece.

3. Keep connecting the vertical pins, sometimes even attaching 4-5 ones with a single horizontal one.

4. Continue until done.

Keep in mind, the messier the combination, the better.

So there you have it, your very own Tom Binns. l

safekeep

Pearl care

Here’s how you take care of your precious pearls Step1: Make sure they are the last thing you wear after you've put on your make-up, hairspray, etc. and the first thing you take off before you begin to remove your make-up. This is because pearls are easily damaged by chemical components that most cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries are made of.

Step 2: When you take them off at the end of the day, wipe your pearl jewellery with a soft piece of cloth, otherwise and leftover dirt, sweat or moisture will take a toll on the pearl’s luster and longevity.

Step 3: Give your pearls a monthly cleaning by mixing baby shampoo with some water and gently brushing the residual dirt off your pearls with a soft brush. l

T-JUNCTION 23

DT

Tell

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

tease

6 body language signs that show he’s interested Read between the lines

n Khan N Moushumi You may have been under the impression he’s really that into you but little do you know about the heartache that’s heading your way. In a recent survey conducted by an American–based, body language expert and author Patti Wood, here’s what we learnt about men and their body languages.

Leaning towards you

Dilated pupils If he ever leans towards you when you two are in a conversation, it means he’s falling for you and needs a clearer look of your lips moving. But if you two are in a noisy, congested place, scratch what we just said.

Unless you two are in a really dark room, this one means he finds you attractive and intriguing. “Dilation (expanding or enlarging) is a brain response that occurs when you like and are attracted to something you see,” says Wood.

Angling the pelvis in the right direction

Your weekly ‘stache of wisdom

n Mr Moustache Dear Mr Mo, With so many hartals messing up my class schedule and taking up my weekends, these days, I find that it takes a lot of effort just to will myself to get out of bed. I mean, what’s the point of it anyway if I’m just going to vegetate at home?

Hello. I’m glad you asked that. My motto is get up, clean up, show up. No matter what, because the point of the day won’t come to you if you’re lying around in bed. You have to go out there and make it! Now go!

Dear Mr Mo, For some reason, I’ve managed to get a “player” reputation at my university. I can’t help it. I get huge crushes on the pretty new girls I see each semester, but the attraction quickly fades. Many of these girls have accused me of not knowing what love is.

Maybe they’re right. Does the love of the music videos and Hallmark cards really exist, or is it all a big consumerist fantasy?

Love does indeed exist, but like a moustache, it requires time, effort, and the patience to endure criticism. Be patient. Don’t expect it to come from hallmark cards, but from

within. Don’t be afraid to be called a player, I’ve had the same happen to me in my day.

Famous moustache of the week: The Clark Gable Frankly, my dear, whether or not he gave a damn about anything else, the grooming on that signature pencil-thin stache was testament to the fact that some things, Clark Gable did care about, and how. In fact, the two things the 1930’s screen legend is most referenced for is his famous line in “Gone with the Wind”, and that moustache.

A 3-5mm breadth, a pronounced vertical part right at the centre, and carefully groomed straight lines framing your lips, what other style of mo’ exudes that oldschool class and attitude the way a Clark Gable moustache does? l

etiquette n Mr Manners

Since this particular body part is overtly sensitive, it often translates to sexual interest when angled towards you. But if he’s angling his hips away from you, he’s probably saving himself for someone else.

Side by side

Grin on display

If he’s steps ahead while you two are taking a stroll, this could translate to being non-interested in you, unless he’s guiding you through a congested place or the Sundarbans. l Subtle smirks won’t cut it, we’re on about those ear-to-ear grins. They just go to show he’s genuinely having fun. “Guys stop smiling like this around the age of five unless they’re really happy,” Wood says.

Must ask the Moustache

Book of rules

Eyebrows raised

This is something you’d normally do when you see something that arrests your attention, right? The same stands true for most men as well, and if he’s raising his brows while you’re talking to him, honey, he adores you.

mailbox

The Situation: Being invited over to a home for a meal can be a lovely visit.

What can go wrong, right? You are warmly welcomed by the host, be it an acquaintance, friend or family, get on with the pleasantries, and make your way to the dining room. The food? It might be amazingly delicious, mouth watering to the point you’re aiming for another plate. All is well and dandy, until there’s a creeping, uncomfortable feeling in your stomach. Ah, the tell tale signs of nature calling. And we aren’t talking about releasing all the fluid you managed to consume in glasses.

Most people aren’t afraid of letting go in the bathroom in the comfort of their own homes. But what happens when you cannot hold it any longer as a guest in somebody’s home? This is no laughing matter, clogging up someone’s toilet is an absolute travesty, let alone disgusting.

Worry not, there is a spoil proof procedure to avoid such sticky situations.

The Solution: First things first, get on with your business. Second, there’s the courtesy flush. Performing a number two in the bathroom comes in separated periods. Look at this as a football match, a game of two-halves. The first half is the initial release, this is where you flush for the first time. It’s called the courtesy flush for a reason. You eliminate any foul odours that might sneak out without you knowing. And of course, less of a chance of clogging. Once the first half is over, you take care of the rest and reach for the home stretch. The second flush should be the last and final. Once your business is done, you can walk out of the bathroom as if you’ve done your host a favour. Smiles and hearty laughs all around. You’ve just dropped the kids at the pool, and no one is the wiser. Unless, of course, you took a little too long in the bathroom. l

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24 T-JUNCTION

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Written in the stars

changemakers

Promoting positive Bangladesh AddressBangladesh, a social-online network vowed to work on the ongoing developments and possibilities in our nation. This fresh, openplatform integrates most of the necessities of the daily virtual lives of our promising future generation

n Saudia Afrin AddressBangladesh ambitiously brings forward all the success stories of organisations and people, to inspire and encourage indigenous beings everywhere in the world. From the tiny corner of a village cottage to the Facebook page, there are so many self entrepreneurs, small businesses and social development organisations.

Notably, AddressBangladesh takes the initiative to create a learning environment for any young would-be entrepreneurs. The organisation features guidelines essential to aspire a knowledgeable and skilled generation.

In order to work towards a positive Bangladesh, the developing sectors of the country, ICT based organisation DEN (Digital Equality Network) and DEN Web Canada, have launched this portal to encourage

and support the constructive changes that has come about by the many local and international initiatives.

Along with several modules, this open platform uses social media networking to reach out to the young entrepreneurs.

Anyone can participate, share and post in AddressBangladesh. It is basically a combination of social networking, feature, page, group, blog and e-learning. Each segment of the site is specially designed to shed light on the growth of different sectors in Bangladesh.

This platform intends to open a doorway not only in our economic sector but in any sort of social welfare sector through highlighting the latest advancements in Bangladesh. Any concern over Bangladesh and the society including economics, education, agriculture, garments, real-estate, entertainment, women empowerment,

you’ll even lose your job. Whatever it is, try to stay positive. Keep in mind that it could be much worse.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 20)

HOROSCOPE

You may have been planning to try things you never have before. It could be a cuisine you’ve been thinking of trying for a while, or maybe even buy that expensive dress you always thought was a rip-off. Do not give into temptation; it will cost you.

CANCER (JUN 21-JUL 22)

ARIES (MAR 21-APR 19)

Everything you have been working towards all these days might meet a speed bump and you’ll feel like your life is crashing.

Don’t panic, and wait this period out.

Things will get better on its own.

TAURUS (APR 20-MAY 20)

It looks like your life will undergo a massive change this week. Maybe you’ll lose a close friend, maybe you will have a fight with a family member, or maybe

It looks like you will have superhuman self-control this week. Even in the face of the most difficult situations, you will be able to suppress your emotions and face reality. Don’t make snap decisions, and this week will be a breeze.

LEO (JUL 23-AUG 22)

In sharp contrast to last week, this time you’ll face a lot of heated confrontations with family, friends or even co-workers. Don’t lose your head; try to reason with them and if it doesn’t work, give it time to cool down, and sort things out at a suitable time.

sports and every other aspect of the country will be focused in a microscopic view on this platform.

Thus, people and organisations can share their success stories on the website, which will hopefully inspire others.

Any fresh or old organisation, is welcome to open its own page and group in the portal with detailed information in order to broaden the audience. Quite certain that after scrutiny, such a page/group will give rise to a load of questions, suggestions and feedback from any visitor who enters the portal. To clear out on any discussion or a grey area, a visitor is given the consent to ask the staff desk about it through status updates or messages. Also the organisational group can open a discussion group on any particular issue for the users.

AddressBangladesh believes that without the presence of all the stakeholders in any discussion and debate, no real changes can be brought about. Thus the website provides easy access to its users so they can participate in any conversation, question and bring about different viewpoints of general people through blogging in the portal.

Besides, it also creates the opportunity to encourage more active participation from

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 22)

If you have introduced new changes in your life, brace yourself for the good and the bad. Your social circle is likely to thrive this week, and it is also possible that you will fall behind with studies, chores or work.

LIBRA (SEP 23-OCT 22)

All week you’ll feel like you’re constantly on edge. Keep a firm hand on your temper and everything should be fine. If you don’t, things will probably blow up in your face and you won’t be able to help yourself.

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21) Like Librans, your unusual calm is usually a sign of trouble. If there is something bothering you at the back of your mind, get to it immediately. Don’t stall. Get things done as soon as you can to keep yourself busy.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22-DEC 21) Some old problems might find their way back to you. You’ll find yourself haunted by them night and day, but you don’t

The initiators of AddressBangladesh, Tarik Alam and Mahmud Tokon, jointly said, “DEN is working in the ICT and Development sector since 2003.

Through Global House of Advanced Technology (GHAT) they are working successfully at the root level. After working in the development sector for a decade we wish to work more towards capacity building. This will be a wonderful platform as we want people to know the success stories.

We want them to be inspired and work towards a positive goal.”

Bengalis all over the world.

A single click on the e-learning bar will unbolt the most amazing feature of this portal in front of the users; it offers many essential workshops and trainings for skill development and capacity building among people.

While keeping the saying, “the more you share the more you will be able to aware the citizen” in mind, they make sure that any essential information about the country is being encouraged to share on the blog, page or through group activities.

AddressBangladesh has already set on a voyage to ensure benefits to the country by all means. They want to gather all the young generation and set a good example in front of the world. To discover more, visit the following link www.addressbangladesh.com. l

have anything to worry about. Solve your problems, and if need be, even turn to an old friend to help out.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 19) If your life has been smooth these past couple of days, try to keep it that way.

Don’t make changes. Don’t start up arguments even when it might seem right. Keep to yourself, and reign in your emotions when needed.

AQUARIUS (JAN 20-FEB 19)

This week you’ll find yourself surrounded by temptation. Don’t be distracted by seemingly fun but currently useless activities. Instead, spend your time doing something that might actually benefit you in the future.

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 20)

You may have had big plans for this week, and they will probably be squashed.

Try to understand that you cannot have control over the technicalities. You gave your best and it didn’t work. Maybe next time it will. l

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Sport

NEMESIS

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Umesh Yadav has bowled nine balls to Denesh Ramdin in ODIs and has dismissed him five times

WI v IND WEST INDIES R D. Smith c Dhoni b Shami 6 C. Gayle c Sharma b Shami 21 M. Samuels run out (M Sharma/Kohli) 2 J. Carter c Shami b Ashwin 21 D. Ramdin b Yadav 0 L. Simmons c Yadav b Sharma 9 D. Sammy c Dhoni b Shami 26 A. Russell c Kohli b Jadeja 8 J. Holder c Kohli b Jadeja 57 J. Taylor c and b Yadav 11 K. Roach not out 0 Extras: (lb5, w16) 21 Total (all out, 44.2 overs)

B 20 27 7 43 1 22 55 8 64 18 1

182

Fall of wickets 1-8, 2-15, 3-35, 4-35, 5-67, 6-71, 7-85, 8-124, 9-175, 10-182 Bowling Shami 8-2-35-3 (5w); Yadav 10-1-42-2 (5w); Ashwin 9-0-38-1 (1w); Sharma 9-2-35-1 (4w); Jadeja 8.2-0-27-2 (1w)

INDIA R. Sharma c Ramdin b Taylor S. Dhawan c Sammy b Taylor V. Kohli c Samuels b Russell A. Rahane c Ramdin b Roach S. Raina c Ramdin b Smith MS. Dhoni not out R. Jadeja c Samuels b Russell R. Ashwin not out Extras (b1, lb3, w19, nb3)

R 7 9 33 14 22 45 13 16 26

Total (six wickets, 39.1 overs)

185

B 18 14 36 34 25 56 23 32

Fall of wickets 1-11, 2-20, 3-63, 4-78, 5-107, 6-134 Bowling Taylor 8-0-33-2 (1w), Holder 7-0-29-0 (1w), Roach 8-1-44-1 (2nb,5w), Russell 8-0-43-2 (1nb,9w), Smith 5-0-22-1 (3w), Samuels 3.1-0-10-0 India won by four wickets

India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni (L) takes a run past West Indies bowler Jerome Taylor during their 2015 Cricket World Cup Pool B match in Perth yesterday AFP

Dhoni, bowlers shine as India book QF place n Reuters, Perth Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a calm unbeaten 45 to guide India to a four-wicket victory over West Indies on Friday which sent the holders into the World Cup quarter-finals.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami (3-35) returned from injury to torment West Indies with three wickets as the Caribbean side were bundled out for 182 after opting to bat first.

West Indies captain Jason Holder (57) hit his second half-century and highest score in one-day internationals to give his team some sort of a total to defend against India, who

won their fourth match in a row at the tournament.

India also struggled on a pitch offering plenty of bounce for the tall West Indies fast bowlers and kept losing wickets during the chase before holding their nerve to get over the line with 65 balls to spare.

Dhoni showed why he is known as ‘Captain Cool’ and top- scored for his side, who were reduced to 107-5 at one stage.

The right-hander added 27 for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (13) and an unbroken 51 for the seventh with Ravichandran Ashwin (16 not out) to take India home.

Virat Kohli also contributed with a confident 33 off 36 balls and added a crucial 43 for the third wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (14).

Jerome Taylor (2-33) dismissed openers

Shikhar Dhawan (nine) and Rohit Sharma (seven) cheaply to boost West Indies’ chances of defending the low score.

The Caribbean bowlers were also guilty of bowling 19 wides and three no-balls.

Shami, who missed India’s win against the United Arab Emirates with a knee injury on Saturday, put West Indies on the backfoot early by dismissing hard-hitting openers Dwayne Smith (six) and Chris Gayle (21) with the new ball.

Shami and fast bowling partner Umesh Yadav (2-42) started well, bowling fast and short on the WACA pitch, considered the quickest in the world, as India dominated the explosive West Indies batting lineup.

Gayle, who hit the World Cup’s highest individual score of 215 against Zimbabwe last week, offered two difficult chances before

he pulled Shami straight to Mohit Sharma at deep square leg. He was also guilty of running out Marlon Samuels (2).

With their talisman gone, West Indies were reduced to 35-4 and then 85-7 on the first ball of the 25th over before some resolute batting from the tail saw them through to the 45th over.

Right-arm paceman Shami came back with an older ball to take out former captain Darren Sammy (26) to end a promising 39-run stand for the eighth wicket before Holder added 51 for the ninth with Taylor (11).

Holder hit four boundaries and three sixes before becoming the last man to fall for West Indies off the bowling of Jadeja.

It was one of two wickets for the left-arm spinner to complete another strong bowling display by the two-time champions. l

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26 Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

AB is our Matrix’s Neo, says Steyn n Reuters, Auckland South Africa captain AB de Villiers’ batting blitzkriegs in the last two months have been so good that even his own team mates are in awe of them, fast bowler Dale Steyn said on Friday.

De Villiers has scored 241 runs in four innings at the tournament, including a stunning 162 not out against West Indies from 66 balls. He has a strike rate of almost 162 and has the most sixes (11) and fours (22) in South Africa’s vaunted lineup.

Prior to the tournament, he belted a 31-ball century against West Indies, smashing the old record for the fastest ODI ton by five balls.

“Oh, man, it’s like watching ‘The Matrix’ movie, really,” Steyn told reporters in Auckland on Friday, a day before his side face Pakistan in their Pool B clash at Eden Park.

HEAD TO HEAD

PAKISTAN 23

Wins

SOUTH AFRICA 47

Out of the box?

Should we open with Irfan? n AFP, Auckland Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq hit back at criticism from ex-players who advised him to think out of the box, asking should hapless tailender Mohammad Irfan be sent in as a World Cup opener?

Pakistan’s top order has flopped in the last four games with opening stands of 11, 0, 1 and 10 which put enormous pressure on the middle-order.

Pakistan tried veteran Younis Khan as opener in the first match against India after regular starter Mohammad Hafeez withdrew from the tournament following a calf injury just a week before the start of the World Cup. But that didn’t work.

Recalled opener Nasir Jamshed, who replaced Hafeez in the squad, fell for nought, one and four in his three innings, leaving Pakistan to consider using wicketkeeper/batsman Sarfraz Ahmed as opener in Saturday’s crucial match against South Africa in Auckland.

When asked what he thinks of former captains, Javed Miandad and Ramiz Raja’s advice of thinking out of the box, Misbah quipped: “Out of the box? Should we open with Irfan?”

Irfan, the 7-foot fast bowler, is a “bunny” with the bat, scoring just 43 runs in the 44 one-day matches he has played.

Misbah said that Sarfraz Ahmed is being considered as an opener.

“He (Ahmed) has opened the innings in the United Arab Emirates,” said Misbah of last year’s one-day series with Australia and New Zealand. “But here the conditions are different.” l

“There is Neo for you right there. He just doesn’t understand how good he is.

“I think he’s actually figured out now ... there is no roof or cap on how good he can possibly be.

“He’s one of those players that’s proven in this year especially just how good he is. I think he’s starting to realise that now.

“Bowlers are struggling to find a way to get this guy out. The only way to get him out is when he gets himself out.”

Steyn felt sorry for some of his fellow bowlers having to face his captain, though he said if he had to bowl to de Villiers he had a cunning plan that may work.

“I’d trip him on his way out of the hotel ... and hope that he breaks his ankle,” Steyn said while laughing.

“He’s a phenomenal player and seeing the ball like no other player is seeing a cricket ball before, and he’s playing shots that I don’t think most people have seen before.

“Hopefully he comes out and executes those same skills tomorrow and going forward in this competition.”

While Steyn had played against Ireland in Canberra on Tuesday, he said he had been distracted for much of the week with bushfires in Cape Town threatening to engulf his home.

He received about 80 messages and 30 missed calls one night from friends looking

after his house, who relayed they had been given five minutes to pack what they could carry and get out.

“I’ve never been more scared in my life,” he said.

“I’m sitting halfway across the world, and everything that I’ve ever earned or gotten in my life ...is in that house.

“It’s a pretty tough time back home right now.” l

Pollock sees South Africa v Australia final n AFP, Auckland

Former South African great Shaun Pollock Friday predicted the Proteas would win a first World Cup by beating Australia in the final, helping to make-up for his own personal setbacks against the four-time champions.

“If you want to write a perfect script for South Africa then it will be to beat New Zealand in the semi-finals in Auckland and then go on to play the final against Australia and win at Melbourne,” Pollock told reporters.

South Africa have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the World Cup since their readmission to international cricket in 1991.

Pollock was part of the squad in 1996 when South Africa lost to the West Indies in the quarter-finals in Karachi before he took five

wickets in the tied semi-final against Australia at Birmingham in 1999.

Eventual winners Australia qualified for the final on account of winning the group match against South Africa.

Pollock was then captain in 2003 when South Africa crashed out in the first round.

South Africa were also losing semi-finalists in 2007 and went out in the quarter-finals in 2011.

“For me, the top four teams will be Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and India,” said Pollock.

“I think New Zealand have done well and if it goes as per the plans then it will be a South Africa v New Zealand semi-final in Auckland,” said Pollock of the second semi-final.

Pollock said South Africa, who play Pakistan on Saturday in Auckland, are in great

form.

“Five of the top six South African batsmen have scored hundreds so far and the sublime form of AB de Villiers gives them the edge,” said Pollock.

“They had a low key game against Zimbabwe and then it was a wake-up call against India but since then they have been wonderful,” said Pollock of South Africa’s three wins in four games.

Pollock praised captain de Villiers who smashed 166 in 62 balls in the crushing victory over West Indies.

“Just watch his performances and how destructive he can be,” said Pollock.

“He is the number one ranked batsman.

Chris Gayle is very destructive, but de Villiers is destructive 360 degrees.l

Buttler suspects changes are afoot for Bangladesh match n Guardian Jos Buttler suspects that changes will be made for England must-win Cricket World Cup game against Bangladesh in Adelaide on Monday.

England have stuck with the same XI throughout the tournament but succumbing to three heavy defeats in four games – against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia – has left them on the brink of an early exit.

Gary Ballance’s position at No3 appears most at threat after his return of 36 runs in four innings, with Alex Hales his most likely replacement, although England’s bowlers might not feel completely secure either after Sri Lanka comfortably completed a record

pursuit of 310 with 16 balls to spare last time out in Wellington.

England returned to training in Adelaide on Friday, after three days off, and Buttler believes the uncertainty over selection will create an added spark in the days leading up to their critical clash. “I think so and I think that would be good for us,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said.

“We’ve got three training days here where guys who aren’t in the side they are desperate to put their hand up to say they should be playing and the guys who are in the side and haven’t performed as well as they would have liked want to get some form and say: ‘No I am the right man and stick with me.’ l

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Sport 27

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

10 talking points from the third week 1. Al or nothing

Given the overwhelming clamour for change, there is an almost crushing inevitability that England will troll the lot of us by naming the same team for the fifth match in a row when they take on Bangladesh in Adelaide on Monday. But say, for sake of argument, they did opt to tinker with things, should they call upon the services of Alex Hales? Gary Ballance looks the likeliest fall guy with scores of 10, 10, 10 and six after being dropped into the No3 position at the start of the World Cup – a slot he does not occupy for his county – having faced only 81 balls in the middle since the end of last summer.

2. A great big buffet Twenty-seven games of 49 down and we have already witnessed 19 innings in excess of 300 runs, two more than the 2011 World Cup which, in producing 17, was the previous record holder. South Africa have racked up back-to-back scores over 400, while Australia posted the biggest in the tournament’s history when their 417 for six blew way Afghanistan’s attack. The removal of the fifth fielder outside the circle has not just made things tricky for bowlers in 50-over cricket, it’s held up a whopping great “all-you-can-eat sign” above their heads.

3. Proteas firing While a question posed here last week regarding South Africa’s ability to chase remains, totals of 339 for four, 408 for five and 411 for four only cement further this batting lineup’s reputation for posting monster scores first up. Cripes, five of their batsmen have centuries already while the frighteningly talented Rilee Rossouw has just announced himself to the tournament with two scores of 61, from 39 and 30 balls respectively. And for the all the headline-grabbing exploits of the immortal-in-the-making AB de Villiers, it is worth reiterating the feat achieved by Hashim Amla too, when his career-best 159 against Ireland made him the fastest man to 20 one-day centuries in his 108th innings – a full 25 fewer than India’s Virat Kohli. They are setting the bar high, this lot.

4. Quick game is a good game Cricket is the king of all sports when it comes to aiming a blunderbuss at its feet and pulling the trigger. It many ways, bizarrely, it’s one of its charms as we all enjoy a collective moan at the all-too-regular defenestrations of common sense. India’s win over the United Arab Emirates had a whiff of such gunpowder about it when, for the second time in the tournament, a side found itself a handful of runs short of victory when the interval was called.

We had already seen New Zealand’s batsmen hauled off requiring 12 runs complete their flattening of England. Here MS Dhoni’s men were 15 short of the 103 they needed in Perth. The audience, both in the ground and at home, then had 45 minutes of standing around before the inevitable result inevitably occurred. Commitments to commercial partners was one theory given as to why the umpires do not have the power to wrap such matches up sharpish. But what about their flexibility when rain falls? Here’s to a contingency for such eventualities that sees the match completed, the square roped off and the spectators allowed to stroll on to the out-

field for a party while the rest of us are spared the “you never know …” gags in the studio.

5. Shaiman-ism It has seemed fitting that, ahead of India v West Indies overnight, the leading run scorer for a tournament engulfed by a wider debate about its future size should be Shaiman Anwar of the United Arab Emirates. Not only has this 35-year-old right-hander racked up 270 runs at an average of 67, he has shown that the world stage is not just the domain of the big beasts and earned the nickname of “Sir Viv” among his team-mates. In the proposed 10-team format, where the number of games is unlikely to be reduced, where will such heart-warming stories come from? This is not to patronise the associate players but simply to fear how much of the additional sparkle they bring to proceedings will be missed. If in 2019 the runs flow solely from the bats of protagonists we are already familiar with, won’t it all be a little less fun?

6. Shed a tear Spare a thought for Nasir Jamshed, if you can, as a World Cup to forget is unveiling itself

before his eyes. The left-hander has gone 1, 0, 1, 4 since arriving in Australia and is having a personal nightmare in the field with two clumsy drops and some, ahem, ropey boundary work. His captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, sees his patience with the bat divide opinion among the Pakistan fans at times. His patience with Jamshed, betrayed only by the occasional grimace, should be applauded.

7. Sumits not right A fire burns within Virat Kohli that makes him a truly compelling player to watch. And so the news he confronted a journalist at training in Perth to unload a barrage of abuse, in a case of mistaken identity, was not the biggest surprise this World Cup has thrown up. Step forward India’s fire-fighting media manager Dr Baba to defuse things after Jasvinder Sidhu of the Hindustan Times had taken the bizarre step of making a formal complaint to the ICC. “There was a misunderstanding and no abusive language was used, Virat has spoken to the concerned gentlemen immediately and [the] matter ends.” Despite leaving little wriggle-room, the matter did in fact not end there, with Sid-

hu going on to write an article explaining how Kohli’s apology had actually come via a third party, with a fellow reporter Sumit Ghosh relaying the message. Kolhi is a fine cricketer but he is also a Test captain. And if you are going to have a go at the wrong bloke in person, surely the red-faced climbdown that follows should be delivered in the same way.

8. India keep quiet The BCCI’s follow-up to that explosion came in the shape of a statement on Thursday that while insisting Kolhi has been told to “maintain the dignity of the Indian team at all times” also made the assertion that the governing body “respects the role played by the media in covering and popularising the game of cricket”. For anyone lucky enough to receive media updates from the likeable Dr Baba, that line can only have raised a smile.

While media appearances from the Indian team are as chaotic as they come, their scarcity and the word “respect” doesn’t quite tally up. As this tweet from the New Zealand journalist Dylan Cleaver illustrates …

9. Scotland have earned the right to be criticised That England were hoping Scotland could do them a favour against Bangladesh says a lot about the hole they find themselves in right now. But Scotland’s subsequent failure to defend 319 was, like the efforts of Eoin Morgan’s men against Sri Lanka, not good enough.

Kyle Coetzer’s superb 156 will go down as the highest individual score in a losing cause and it leaves Preston Mommsen’s side, with Australia and Sri Lanka up next in Hobart, looking likely to finish with six defeats from six. With a now fully professional squad, and a greater domestic pool of players than Ireland, they were rightly targeting a first win in their third appearance at the tournament, with England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh the prime targets. That it is yet to materialise does not mean that Scotland have been unworthy of their place in the tournament. Nor should their associate status, and the uneven playing field that comes with it, be used to shrug off a disappointing campaign. They can do better – and that’s a good thing.

10. Build a team plan and stick with it Amid the slightly premature post-mortem of England’s World Cup campaign, which appears to have begun with the corpse still twitching, came the suggestion from one correspondent that the 50-over side identify 17-or-so players and give them four years to gel as a unit ahead of the 2019 edition, irrespective of early results. But does anyone do that? The figures say no, with England actually the second most loyal team in the top six of the ICC rankings behind Sri Lanka when it comes to the ratio of players used to matches played in the four years between World Cups.

The numbers are not wide-ranging either, with the following deployed during that time: India 49 players used in 99 matches, Australia 43 in 83, Sri Lanka 42 in 118, New Zealand 36 in 62, England 34 in 82, South Africa 33 in 69.

The difference is the others, while running the rule over resources, were forming a plan that would see their team peak in early 2015.

They did not rip that plan up at the last minute, either. l

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28 Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

National School Hockey final round begins today n Raihan Mahmood The final round of the First Security Islami Bank National School Hockey, comprising 32 teams who have qualified from 11 qualifying zones across the country, gets underway at Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium today.

The 32 sides have been split into eight groups containing four teams each.

Only the group champions will move into the quarterfinals.

The organising committee of the tournament declared a purse of Tk300,000, 200,000 and 100,000 for the champions, runners-up and third-place finishers respectively. To inspire the budding players, the committee also announced a kitty of Tk20,000 each for the best defender, best midfielder, best forward and best goalkeeper.

It would be mentionable that 120 schools across the country participated in the quali-

fying stage. The final is billed to be held on March 23.

In a press conference held at the Dutch-Bangla Bank auditorium of the Bangladesh Olympic Association yesterday, Mamunur Rashid, the secretary of the tournament committee, said the quality of the players has improved. “I must say this year the players are playing better hockey tactically and technically,” said the former national captain.

Azam Khan, the head of development and marketing of First Security Islami Bank, hoped to see the future stars within a short span of time. “This is the second year we are sponsoring the event and we are encouraged to see the improvement. We hope to see the players in the big stage,” said Azam.

Hockey Federation member Rafikul Islam Kamal and tournament official Zafrul Ahsan were also present on the occasion.l

The captains of the last edition’s semifinals faced the media in the presser of the final round of the First Security Islami Bank National School Hockey at the BOA auditorium yesterday COURTESY

Top-flight football from April 3 n Raihan Mahmood The Professional League Committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation yesterday decided to start the Bangladesh Premier Football League from April 3, rejecting the proposal of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee previously proposed to kick the league off from March 9 as per their earlier decision taken about a month ago. But, the League Committee, comprising the representatives of the 11 top-flight clubs, decided to start the league following the AFC Under-23 Qualifiers.

The five-day Qualifiers, featuring Uzbekistan, India, Syria and hosts Bangladesh, will begin from March 27. Moreover, the Bangabandhu National Stadium will be occupied for the preparation of the Independence Day Parade right before the AFC U-23 Qualifiers.

The collision with the Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games was also an option but it was learnt that the Games between the two Bangla speaking zones of Bangladesh and India will not be held in the first week of next month.

Abdus Salam Murshedy, Chairman of the League Committee, said the date was fixed as per the demand of the clubs. “All the clubs

wanted an uninterrupted league. They all opposed playing two rounds of the league and going for a two-week break due to the AFC U-23 Qualifiers and also the Independence Day Parade. We hope to kick off the league from April 3.”

It was also learnt that the clubs demanded increment of the appearance money from Tk1m to Tk2.5m for all the participating teams.

Murshedy also added that the clubs have agreed to play the Independence Cup and the Super Cup after the conclusion of the league.l

Evans, Cisse charged over spitting incident n AFP, London Manchester United centre-back Jonny Evans and Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse have been charged over allegations they spat at each other, the Football Association announced on Thursday.

The incident occurred during United’s 1-0 Premier League win over Newcastle at St James’ Park on Wednesday. Evans has denied spitting at Cisse, but the Newcastle striker has issued a public apology for his behaviour.

Both players could face six-game bans if the charges against them are proven. l

Bangladesh Police begin with win in Throwball n Raihan Mahmood

Bangladesh Police beat Glorious Sporting 254, 25-18 in the inaugural match of the Walton 1st National Throwball Championship at the kabaddi stadium yesterday.

In the other matches of the day, Khulna Throwball Academy defeated Firoz Smriti Sangsad by 25-13, 25-19 and 15-10 points.

In the women’s section, Khulna Throwball Academy outplayed South Point School and

Bangladesh Rugby team

Bangladesh Rugby set for international exposure n Raihan Mahmood Bangladesh national rugby team departed for India to play an international tournament for the first time on Thursday. The team will participate in the Olympic pre-qualifying Seven’s Rugby event in Chennai. The participants are Nepal, UAE, India A and Bangladesh.

Mousum Ali, the general secretary of Bangladesh Rugby Federation, said earning experience is the only motto of the tour.

“It the first international exposure of the national team, we are not aware of the standards, however it will be a great learning experience for the players” said Mousum Ali. l

College 25-7, 25-10 while Magura Throwball Academy overpowered Bagerhat Throwball Academy 25-13, 21- 15 and 15-8.

Earlier in the day, FM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn, the president of the throwball academy, inaugurated the event as the chief guest.

The sports ambassador of Walton, Zobera Rahman Linu, and the treasurer of the throwball federation, Ashik al Mamun, were also present on the occasion. l

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

Tough trip to euphoric Athletic awaits Real n AFP, Madrid Real Madrid’s search for a return to form will be severely tested when the La Liga leaders travel to face an Athletic Bilbao side still high from reaching the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.

Madrid saw their advantage over Barcelona at the top of the table cut to two points after being held 1-1 at home by Villarreal last weekend.

Los Blancos have dropped seven points in their 10 La Liga matches since ending a trophy-laden 2014 on a 22-game winning run. And with a potentially decisive El Clasico clash with Barcelona now just two weeks away, Madrid can’t afford many more slip-ups in their quest for just a second La Liga title in seven seasons.

However, Bilbao is often a treacherous destination for the European champions with last season’s 1-1 draw in which Cristiano Ronaldo was sent-off a case in point. l

LA LIGA FIXTURES Deportivo Athletic Bilbao Elche Granada

v v v v

Sevilla Real Madrid Almeria Malaga

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 1, 3, HD 1 7:45AM ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 South Africa v Pakistan

Star Sports 2, 4, HD 2 9:15AM ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Zimbabwe v Ireland 1:40 AM Italian Serei A Milan v Verona

Star Sports 4 8:50 PM English Premier League QPR v Tottenham 10:55 PM Spanish La Liga Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid 4:15 AM (Sunday) ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 New Zealand v Afghanistan

Ten Action 2:30 PM A-League Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory 10:00 PM French Ligue 1 PSG v Lens Evian Thonon Gaillard v Monaco

Ten HD 9:00 PM Sky Bet Championship Ispwich Town v Brentford

Neo Prime 8:30 PM Bundesliga Hannover v Bayern Munich 11:30 PM FSV Mainz 05 v Monchengladbach

Ireland cricketers Paul Stirling (L), Ed Joyce (C) and William Porterfield play rugby during a training session at the Bellerive Oval ground yesterday

Ireland face Zimbabwe test n AFP, Hobart Ireland and Zimbabwe face each other in a Pool B clash at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Saturday in a match that could have a key bearing on both sides’ chances of reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The Irish are just ahead of Zimbabwe in the standings with four points from three matches compared to the Africans’ two from four.

Zimbabwe have two handicaps going into the match against Ireland, arguably the most impressive of all the four non-Test or Associate sides at this World Cup. They will be without captain Elton

Chigumbura after the 28-year-old all-rounder suffered a thigh injury when he tripped and fell while chasing a ball in Sunday’s 20-run

HEAD TO HEAD

IRELAND 1

Wins

ZIMBABWE 3

loss to Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The nature of that defeat was also something of a body-blow to Zimbabwe, whose only win at the tournament so far was a hard-fought success over the part-timers

AFP

from the UAE. Zimbabwe held Pakistan to a modest 235 for seven but, despite several batsmen getting starts, they came up short in their chase.

However, Taylor insisted Zimbabwe were not that far away their best form.

The Irish too will come into this match on the back of a defeat, a 201-run thrashing

by South Africa where the Proteas pair of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis both scored hundreds in a massive total of 411 for four.

It was Ireland’s first loss in Pool B after wins over the West Indies and the UAE. But given South Africa made 408 for five against the West Indies in their preceding match, this defeat may be easier for Ireland to brush aside as “one of those things” than Zimbabwe’s loss to Pakistan will be for the Africans. l

Salah hands Juventus first home defeat for two years n Reuters, Milan Mohamed Salah kept up his excellent Fiorentina form by netting twice, including an outstanding solo effort, in a 2-1 Italian Cup win that handed Juventus their first home defeat for two years on Thursday.

The Egyptian opened the scoring in the semi-final first leg when he collected the ball inside his own half, burst clear of the defence and fired an unstoppable shot into the top far corner in the 11th minute.

Juventus levelled midway through the first half with a much more mundane goal, Fernando Llorente’s header from a Simone Pepe cross going in off the inside of the post.

Fiorentina refused to lie down and nearly regained the lead when Matias Fernandez’s shot was palmed away by Marco Storari and then Jose Basanta headed against the post.

The visitors took control of the game at the start of the second half and deservedly went in front in the 56th minute with another Salah goal. This time the 22-year-old dispossessed Claudio Marchisio, carried the ball into the area and slipped his shot past Storari for his sixth goal in seven games since joining on loan from Chelsea.

Serie A leaders Juventus had gone 47 matches unbeaten at home since they lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in April 2013. l

Fiorentina’s Mohamed Salah (R) shoots to score during their Coppa Italia match against Juventus in Turin yesterday AFP

DT

30 DOWNTIME

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Water filled trench around castle (4) 4 Postpone (5) 8 Incentive (6) 9 Cried (4) 11 Craze (5) 12 Table-shaped hill (4) 14 Melody (3) 15 Quickly (mus) (6) 19 Bring into being (6) 21 Metal (3) 22 Venture (4) 24 Mistake (5) 27 Microbe (4) 29 Hostility (6) 30 Tribal symbol (5) 31 Catch sight of (4)

DOWN 1 Cut grass (3) 2 Electrical unit (6) 3 Small children (4) 4 Obscure (3) 5 Dodge (5) 6 Marsh (3) 7 Sanity (6) 10 Eastern ruler (4) 13 Liable (3) 14 Take that offered (6) 16 Colour (3) 17 Emphasise (6) 18 Layer (4) 20 Make up for (5) 23 Malarial fever (4) 25 Rodent (3) 26 Edge (3) 28 Month (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 13 represents C so fill C every time the figure 13 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, 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.

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

SUDOKU

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 31

FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Guess the celebrities from their eyes

INSTAGRAM FEED Follow these non-celebs on Instagram All the way from Norway, Ida Skiveness is a food artist. Literally. @IdaFrosk

CAN YOU GUESS THE CELEBS FROM THEIR EYES? These stunning starlets and their famous peepers have mesmerised audiences through countless films and public and TV appearances, but can you identify them by their gaze alone? Post your guesses on the brand-new T-Junction Facebook page. One lucky winner will be featured in next week’s Saturday Special, when we reveal the correct answer.

Guess who are these prom king/queens?

5 things you didn’t know about Kim Kardashian

Here’s a teenager who isn’t afraid of heights. Check out all the breathtaking snaps from the thrill seeker, Humza Deas. @humsadeas Jaemy Choong is absolutely hilarious when it comes to his family and friends portraying popular movie posters. @jaemyc You might have spotted one of Murad Osmann’s gorgeous photos on the web, led by his girlfriend around the world. @muradosmann

n Showtime Desk

WHAT TO WATCH

Kim Kardashian has made millions from being one of the most followed reality starts. Despite being followed by camera crews for her reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians, as surprising as it may sound, there are a few things that she has still managed to keep under the wraps. Today we bring to you seven lesser known facts of the socialite and model.

TELEVISION JACK THE GIANT SLAYER HBO, 6:50pm Casts: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Eddie Marsan A reignited ancient war between humans and giants when Jack, a young farmhand and opens a gateway between the two worlds.

Anna Wintour, the Editor of Vogue banned Kim Kardashian from the Met gala in 2012. She let her attend in 2013, but banned her mother Kris Jenner.

Funny enough, she put Kim on the cover of Vogue in 2014.

1

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT Star Movies, 4:24pm Casts: Lucas Black, Zachery Ty Bryan, Shad Moss A teenager who moves to Tokyo to eventually become a major competitor in the world of drift racing.

Before her rise to fame, Kim used to be a stylist for actress Lindsay Lohan and singer Brandy.

2

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Movies Now, 1:50pm Casts: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell Abraham Lincoln is on a mission to eliminate vampires who are planning to take over.

Despite being of an affluent family and living in Beverly Hills, it is said that religion played a great part in Kim’s life. It is reported that the three siblings would go to church every Sunday.

3

As famous as Kim Kardashian is for

4 her wholesome physique, there have

been rampant rumours regarding her getting plastic surgery. However, Kim has admitted to getting Botox injections, but denied all claims of plastic surgery on her behind, front, eyes and cheeks. In 2008 she posted a picture of herself as a teenager to prove to the world that she was, in fact, born with all that bass.

5

A social media maven, Kim Kardashian constantly tweets and instagrams,

SATURDAY SPECIALS

however, it’s advisable not to believe her tweets since she has been paid $25,000 by a brand to tweet about its products. l

Starting this week, Saturdays are all about fun and games. Whether you’re starting your week, or ending it, do it on a relaxing note with our fun quizzes, trivia, and other cool activities. So hop on board and let us help you de-stress!

Answers Brad Pitt Britney Spears George Clooney Jennifer Aniston Jessica Alba Sandra Bullock

DT

32 BACK PAGE

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

VERBAL DON’TS AT THE OFFICE PAGE 15

REBIRTH OF A PEOPLE PAGE 20

DHONI, BOWLERS SHINE AS INDIA BOOK QF PLACE PAGE 25

Jatka selling goes on despite restrictions n Adil Sakhawat The conservation of ilish continues to be threatened each year by unscrupulous fishermen and traders as well as uninformed consumers – who all defy an annual government ban on catching or selling ilish fry between November and late-June.

Visiting different fish markets in Dhaka and Savar in recent days, the Dhaka Tribune found that ilish fry or jatka – which are less than 10 inches in length – were being sold flouting restrictions, with traders claiming that they were able to sell the jatka without facing any government action.

Jabbar Mollah, a fish trader in Savar’s Nama Bazar, said trucks brought jatka every day to the local wholesale fish market, from where fish traders like him bought the ilish fry and sold them for around Tk250 per kilogram.

Traders at the fish market in the capital’s Mirpur 1 said they collected their supply of jatka from the Karwan Bazar fish market, where the Dhaka Tribune also found traders selling jatka in broad daylight.

“A middle-class family can afford to purchase ilish only when they are sized under 10 inches, while the retail fish trader can earn some profit by selling jatka in this season,” Bashar, a fish trader in Mirpur explained the rationale behind breaking the rules.

He also blamed the entire jatka supply chain for flouting the restrictions. “Every fish trader knows about the ban. But how does the jatka come to the market from the river? It becomes available only after fishermen catch jatka in the rivers during the ban.”

The government restriction against the catching of jatka stays in effect from Novem-

ber 1 to June 30 – as ilish fry are spawned during October and it takes until May for them to reach full size.

According to authorities concerned, anyone found storing, transporting or selling jatkas during the restricted period may face a fine of Tk5,000 and two years’ rigorous imprisonment.

However, fish traders said they have been able to continue selling the jatka without facing any action by law enforcement authorities.

Sources at the Department of Fisheries said each year the government offers alternative employment and 40kg of rice to ilish fishermen every month, in a bid to prevent them from going out into the waters to look for ilish fry.

But the Dhaka Tribune’s district correspondents from Barisal, Patuakhali, Barguna, Chandpur and Shariatpur informed that unscrupulous fishermen in those districts have been netting jatka after sunset in order to dodge the eyes of law enforcers.

Admitting that jatka was indeed being caught and sold during the restricted period, the director general of Department of Fisheries, Syed Arif Azad, told the Dhaka Tribune that the production of jatka was increasing despite unscrupulous fishermen’s netting of ilish fry.

Commenting on the lack of initiative to carry out drives against jatka catchers and sellers, the DG said: “The district-level officials of the Fisheries Department are conducting drives against the fishermen netting jatka during the ban. We have to depend on them as we have shortage of resources like law enforcement agencies.

“However, the Ministries of Fisheries and Water Resources are going to organise gatherings next month with the fishermen – where lawmakers will also stay present – to make the fishermen aware about safe spawning of mother ilish and how the lawmakers can play a role in protecting the jatka.”

Conservationists, however, also pointed out that the consumers should also share the blame for buying jatka during the restrictions.

The consumers, not only the fishermen, need to be made aware about the issue the most, said Zahid Habib, director of the project titled Jatka Conservation and Alternative Income Generation and Research.

If the consumers turned away from buying jatka, the fishermen would also stop catching ilish from the river confluence, Habib said, adding that if the ilish were allowed to reach Padma River, the country would be able to earn an extra Tk10,000 crore every year.

According to a government estimation, if the ban of jatka fishing is strictly implemented, then 50,000 tonnes of ilish resources can be increased every year.

For safe ilish spawning and to protect jatka, the government allotted Tk3.72 crore for the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to the Fisheries Department website. l

People smear coloured powder on each other to celebrate Holi, a festival of the Hindus, in Old Dhaka’s Shakhari Bazar area yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

UN: IS jihadists bulldozing Nimrud a war crime n AFP

The United Nations yesterday condemned as a “war crime” the bulldozing by the Islamic State group of the ancient city of Nimrud, the jihadists’ latest demolition of Iraq’s cultural treasures.

After rampaging through Mosul’s museum with sledgehammers and torching its library last month, IS on Thursday “bulldozed” the nearby ruins of Nimrud, according to the Iraqi Tourism and Antiquities Ministry.

Antiquities officials said the IS militants had moved trucks last week to the site, which overlooks the Tigris river, 30km southeast of their main hub of Mosul.

“Until now, we do not know to what extent it was destroyed,” one official said on condition of anonymity.

Nimrud was the latest victim of what appears to be a systematic campaign by the jihadists to decimate Iraq’s rich heritage.

“I’m really devastated. But it was just a matter of time, now we’re waiting for the video. It’s sad,” said Abdulamir Hamdani, an Iraqi archaeologist from Stony Brook University in New York.

He said the site’s guards were denied access to Nimrud, which was founded in the 13th century BC and was once considered the

jewel of the Assyrian era.

A collection of 613 gold jewels, ornaments and precious stones found unearthed from a royal tomb in 1988 has been described as one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

“Their plan is to destroy Iraqi heritage, one site at a time,” said Hamdani.

“Hatra of course will be next,” he added, referring to a 2,000-year-old Unesco-listed site known for its beautifully preserved temples blending Hellenistic, Roman and Eastern influences.

Irina Bokova, the head of the UN’s cultural body Unesco, yesterday condemned the destruction of Nimrud “with the strongest force.”

“We cannot stay silent. The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage constitutes a war crime, and I call on all political and religious leaders in the region to stand up against this new barbarity,” she said.

The Unesco has called for tougher action to protect the many heritage sites in the cradle of civilisation but little can be done in areas under jihadist control.

Stuart Gibson, a Unesco expert on museums, said pressure from the international community would have little impact on the IS. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com