09 march, 2015

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

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Falgun 25, 1421, Jamadiul Awal 17, 1436

BICYCLE BOMB PLOT FOILED IN DHAKA PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 2, No 333

TOO LITTLE AND TOO LATE PAGE 32

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

GOVT AGAINST PADMA SPENDING CUT PAGE 4

Terror funding channels under scan BB identifies 100,000 mobile accounts behind financing arson and violence n Mohammad Jamil Khan The government has decided to bring the existing mobile banking services in the country under close watch to identify the sources of finance of the countrywide arson and violence.

Law enforcement agencies, banks, financial institutions and mobile phone operators have been directed to bring the popular onthe-go service under strict surveillance so that suspicious transactions can be traced and legal actions can be taken.

Under the existing mechanism, people do not need to produce any identification for

‘Laws don’t allow banks to disclose clients’ personal information to anyone without court order or the central bank’s instructions’ sending or receiving money using the mobile banking services. This means anyone can send and receive money through private agents of the service that some banks provide.

On February 5, the PM asked all commercial banks and financial institutions to try and identify the source of finance behind the arson and political violence that have been going on for more than two months and has claimed over 80 lives.

According to sources, intelligence agen-

cies have found that large sums are being transferred – both at home and from abroad – through banking channels, hundi (informal personal channels) and courier services to finance the arson and violence.

Intelligence sources said around 100,000 mobile banking accounts have been created using fake information over the last few months.

Following this information, the Bangladesh Bank has identified more than 98,000 mobile banking accounts who have been carrying out suspicious transactions.

The central bank has brought this matter to the attention of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the mobile operators. The authorities have also been asked to put the activities of these accounts on hold.

“On February 10, we had a meeting with the chief executive officers and the heads of money laundering prevention departments of all the banks,” Bangladesh Bank deputy Governor Abu Hena Md Razee Hassan told the Dhaka Tribune recently.

“The central bank has asked the banks to keep records of suspicious senders and receivers and file regular reports. The banks located in the risky areas will analyse past six months’ financial records of their clients and report on any suspicious activities,” said Hassan who is also the head the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit.

Meanwhile, officials from several district  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Transaction through mobile banking is becoming popular in Bangladesh

Forgers arrested while trying to steal Tk90cr n Munir Momtaj and Abid Azad Eleven people were arrested yesterday for allegedly using fake documents to attempt to withdraw Tk90 crore from the Gulshan branch of Brac Bank.

Gulshan police station Inspector (Investigations) Firoz Kabir said the gang had attempted to use forged papers to withdraw money from an account belonging to a Bangladeshi expatriate living in the United States.

The arrestees are Hasibul Hasan, 34, Mirazul Islam, 34, Sabbir Rahman, 24, Md Nazrul Haque, 42, Shahabur Rahman Babul, 65,

PAGE 5 Traffic diversion for metro rail project yet to be fixed

Khorshed Alam, 34, Delwar Hossain, 45, Selim Ahmed, 44, Shahajahan, 52, Kazi Shahadat Hossain, 57, and Mahbubur Rahman Kajol, 30.

Firoz said the forgers had tried to withdraw money from a Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) held by expatriate Saiful Islam.

The forgery gang had earlier submitted papers to the bank in order to carry out the withdrawal but bank officials detected that something was wrong.

Without notifying the gang of their suspicions, bank officials asked them to come to the branch yesterday, and also notified the police.

Initially, two of the suspected frauds came

PAGE 7 Violence against women rising in Rajshahi

to the bank, but when told by the bank that many more people would be required to carry such a hefty amount, a further nine accomplices came to help. Police arrested all of them.

Asked if bank officials were involved, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Gulshan Division Deputy Commissioner Lutful Kabir said: “We are in the initial stages of the investigation.”

MEHEDI HASAN

Tigers on the verge of making history n Mazhar Uddin from Adelaide

According to police, the main counterfeiter is 57-year-old Kazi Shahadat Hossain, who runs a business importing A4 size paper.

History will beckon the Bangladesh cricket team when they take on England today at Adelaide Oval at 9:30am BST. The Tigers, bidding to qualify for the knockout stages of a multinational event for the very first time, can ensure their progress to the quarterfinals with a win against a demoralised England side.

The last time the Tigers survived the firstround hurdle of a mega event was back in

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Iqbal’s eleven

PAGE 8 Development projects go at snail’s pace in Madaripur

PAGE 9 Sluice gates out of service

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2 NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

AL-led 14-party’s road march begins today n Abu Hayat Mahmud The countrywide three-day road march of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance begins today protesting mindless violence unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat-led opposition combine.

The road march will be staged at all unions, upazilas, municipalities, districts, cities and divisional headquarters across the country.

The showdown will end on March 11.

The ruling alliance has already organised various political programmes, including public rallies, to counter the ongoing

indefinite transport blockade and intermittent shutdown enforced by the BNP-led combine since January 6.

The 20-party alliance enforced the transport blockade on January 6, a day after it was prevented from holding a mass rally at Suhrawardy Udyan to mark the day – the first anniversary of the 10th national election – as democracy killing day.

The 14-party central leaders split in four groups will join today’s road march across the country to justify its position and motivate people to stand up against violence.

Led by Health Minister and Awami League Presidium member Mohammad Nasim, a team will join the road march in Sirajganj today, Bogra on March 10 and Gaibandha the next day.

Headed by Agriculture Minister and Awami League Presidium member Matia Chowdhury a second team will participate in the Gazipur road march today, Manikganj on March 10 and Munshiganj on March 11.

Bridges and Road Transport Minister and Awami League Presidium member Obaidul Quader will lead another team in Chittagong

today. The team will visit Noakhali on March 10 and Feni on March 11.

Team 4 led by Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif will participate in the road march in Kushtia today, and Jhenaidah and Jessore on the next two days.

Many alliance leaders have already reached their assigned areas, but several ministers and ruling alliance lawmakers are still in Dhaka due to the ongoing parliament session. They will go to their designated areas a day before the road march begins there. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Forgers arrested while trying to steal Tk90cr

Terror funding

The suspected forgers claimed they did not know each other and were separately involved in withdrawing money in three or four groups.

Shahadat, believed to be a key player in the attempted fraud, said: “I first came to know about the money from a man named Iqbal Ahmed who identified himself as a consultant of the bank.

“A few weeks ago, he said to me that one of his relatives, a US immigrant, had some deposits at Brac Bank. He suggested that we withdraw the money using a power of attorney.”

Iqbal has still not been arrested by police.

Shahadat said he came to know Iqbal six months ago. They are both from Barisal, he said.

“According to his [Iqbal’s] plan, I agreed to withdraw the money. Later, Iqbal brought a power of attorney form and told me to fill it out properly,” he added.

Shahadat claimed that he does not know the holder of the account.

Shahadat and Iqbal felt that to be successful they needed to bring more people into the scam.

According to Shahadat, more people joined with them in separate groups for different purposes.

Kajol joined the gang because, according to Shahadat, Kajol has a known person

administrations have recently held a meeting with regional bankers, law enforcement agencies and mobile phone operators with the same purpose.

According to the minutes, that meeting was held in Rajshahi district administration office in early February. It discussed that identifying traditional banking transactions is easy, but tapping transactions made through the courier services or mobile banking services are not.

So, the regional area managers of the courier services and the mobile phone operators have been asked to keep records of the senders and receivers for any transaction above Tk20,000.

According to a September 2013 Bangladesh Bank circular, a P2P transaction between two mobile banking accounts cannot exceed Tk10,000. The same circular stipulates that a mobile banking account-holder can withdraw up to Tk25,000 per day and a maximum of Tk1,25,000 every month.

But cracking this stipulation has been easy as one person can have as many mobile banking accounts as the number of registered SIM cards they own. Even one can have mobile accounts in several banks simultaneously against the same SIM card, sources said.

Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Mahfuzur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that the Chapainawabganj deputy commissioner’s office had recently wrote to them, asking for information on the banking transactions made in the district every day. “The existing laws do not allow commercial banks to provide clients’ personal information to anyone without court order or the central bank’s instructions...We have already written letters to the Public Administration and Home Ministries expressing our limitations,” he said.

But the district administrations can seek specific information from the central bank based on specific reports, he said.

Sources in intelligence agencies have told the Dhaka Tribune that some 25 organisation are mainly patronising the terror attacks.

The Bangladesh Bank and police detectives are jointly working to identify and prepare a list of these organisations so that they can be brought under law, the sources said.

According to Monirul Islam, chief of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), arrested arsonists have mentioned the names of these organisations and patronisers during interrogation.

“These organisations belong political parties and their associate wings,” said Monirul but refused to disclose any name just as yet for the sake of investigation. l

Eleven people were arrested while trying to withdraw Tk90 crore with fake documents from a branch of Brac Bank in the capital yesterday. The photo was taken at Gulshan police station DHAKA TRIBUNE at the bank.

Hasibul, an executive of an organisation called the Shuchinta Foundation, was brought into the group by Kajol. Hasibul is the most educated person among them.

But the papers and documents the gang

prepared failed to convince bank authorities.

Inspector Firoz told the Dhaka Tribune that the arrestees were unknown to his police station and police could not say whether the group was previously involved in a similar crime. l

Tigers on the verge of making history the 2007 ICC World Cup when they made it through to the Super Eights. The format was, however, scrapped in the last edition of the flagship event in favour of the more competitive knockout system.

Besides Bangladesh, today’s high-octane clash is also vitally important for England. One win in four matches makes for poor reading and Eoin Morgan’s side will be looking to put it right against the Tigers. The Tigers, on the other hand, have two wins from four matches and have an extra point to their name after their game against Australia was washed out.

England are also lagging behind Bangladesh in their World Cup head-to-head equation. The last time the two sides met in the World Cup four years ago, the Tigers got the better of their more illustrious opponents by two wickets in Chittagong.

All in all, this could be the best opportunity for the likes of Shakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim to inspire their side to glory and really announce themselves as the next big thing in world cricket.

Momentum has pretty much shifted towards the Tigers following their incredible chase against Scotland in their previous match. England, on the contrary, are coming to this match on the back of a nine-wicket thrashing against Sri Lanka.

Prior to the World Cup, Bangladesh’s batting department was their major concern but the situation has changed drastically in a matter of a couple of weeks. It is Bangladesh’s bowling which is worrying the think-tank at the moment. The Bangladesh bowlers looked ordinary against the Scots as the Associate side racked up 318 after being asked to bat first.

In a bid to improve their bowling fortunes, it was learned that the Tigers are likely to go with an extra specialist spinner against England. Either Arafat Sunny or Taijul Islam will be making their World Cup bow today in place of paceman Rubel Hossain, who gave away 60 runs from his eight over against the Scots.

Opener Imrul Kayes, who replaced injured opener Anamul Haque in the squad, is likely to open the innings today alongside Tamim.

Soumya Sarkar will drop down to No 3 after opening the innings against Scotland.

The Adelaide Oval pitch is expected to favour run-scoring and will also have something to offer for the spinners. An extra spin option will, therefore, provide the Tigers more versatility.

England, yearning for a comeback to form, will open their bowling with Chris Woakes and either James Anderson or Stuart Broad, informed coach Peter Moores yesterday. England’s opening bowling duo, Anderson and Broad, have been struggling to give their side a good start so Woakes will come in and try to initiate early breakthroughs.

England’s bowling, like Bangladesh, might be struggling but the Tigers will need to be on their guard against the opposition’s batting strength. England bat deep and two of their batsmen – Moeen Ali and Joe Root – have already struck hundreds in this World Cup. Veteran cricketer Ravi Bopara, who has been overlooked in four matches so far, might return to the side against Bangladesh. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Bicycle bomb plot foiled in Dhaka n Tribune Report RAB yesterday recovered a large cache of explosives in Dhaka and arrested three people who were planning to use an improvised bicycle bomb to launch a largescale attack.

Initially, Rakibul Islam Mandal, 25, was arrested by RAB 2 during a drive at the capital’s Karnophuli Garden City; based on his information, the team also arrested Aminul Islam Rana, 30, and Riazul Islam, 22, from a house at Koltabazar in Sutrapur.

From the Sutrapur house, the elite force recovered a bicycle rigged with explosives, 58 crude bombs, one pipe bomb, 48 petrol bombs and other materials that were supposed to be used in subversive activities, said RAB’s Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Hasan.

The detainees were reportedly planning to destroy some important establishments in the capital. “Rana had collected highpowered explosives from Khulna. To bring the explosives, they bought a bicycle and dismantled its parts.

“They put the explosives inside the iron pipes of the cycle and restructured the frame.

They made it in such a way that the explosives could be set off inside the bicycle,” the RAB media wing chief said.

The RAB claimed that during primary interrogation, the arrestees said they were working for Anisur Rahman Khokon, former organisational secretary of Chhatra Dal’s previous central committee.

The three detained men had reportedly been carrying out subversive activities including blasting crude bombs, torching and vandalising vehicles in the capital’s Gulshan, Badda, Motijheel, Karwan Bazar and Dhanmondi areas.

Rana and Riaz also reportedly recruited activists from the Titumir College Chhatra Dal unit after being directed by the alleged financier of their operation – Khokon.

Indictment order in blogger Rajeeb murder March 18 n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Three men who were arrested with a bicycle bomb and a large cache of explosives are presented before media at the RAB 2 office in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

3 Jamaat-Shibir dens busted in Sitakunda

In an overnight drive, the police yesterday busted three Jamaat-Shibir dens in the hilly forest areas of Sitakunda’s Nunachhara and Yakubnagar areas.

Police also arrested three Jamaat-Shibir men from the spots but refused to give their names “for the sake of investigation.” Preparations were on to file two cases against them.

Based on a tip-off, around 200 police members conducted the drive from midnight until early yesterday.

The dens had been used by the Jamaat-Shibir men since 2013. They carried out attacks on vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway and hid themselves in the dens to avoid arrest, Sitakunda Assistant Superintendent of Police Md Saiful Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

“From the hideouts, the law enforcers

seized 70 petrol bombs, 50 crude bombs, four lighter guns, three rocket flares, 24 cartridges, sharp weapons and kitchen items,” he said.

At least 50 Jamaat-Shibir men used to stay and hold meetings in these places, the ASP said, but they fled the scene sensing the police raid.

District Additional Superintendent of Police (north) Mostafizur Rahman said drives to arrest the fugitive activists would continue.

Police and local sources said many teachers and students of nearby International Islamic University of Chittagong were involved with Jamaat-Shibir politics. A number of students of the university were arrested for sabotages on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in 2013.

Meanwhile, the CMP Detective Branch early yesterday arrested acting ameer of city unit Jamaat Md Ahsanullah from Halishahar area. l

A Dhaka court yesterday fixed March 18 for passing order on whether to indict the accused in blogger Rajeeb Haider murder case.

Dhaka’s 4th Additional Sessions Judge Ruhul Amin yesterday a heard on charge framing matter from both defence and prosecution.

The defence filed discharge petitions with all accused produced before the court. They are Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani; expelled NSU students Faisal Bin Nayeem alias Dip, Maksudul Hassan alias Anik, Ehsan Reza Rumman, Nayeem Sikder alias Irad, Nafiz Imtiaz, Sadman Yasir Mahmud; and former NSU student Rezwanul Azad Rana.

Of them, Rana is also a prime suspect in blogger Avijit Roy murder.

Inspector Nibaran Chandra Barman of DB police submitted charge sheets against the accused on January 28 last year.

The case says Jasim’s sermons instigated the killers to attack Rajeeb. The killers held meetings with Jasim at a madrasa in Dhaka.

Rajeeb was an active member of the Shahbagh movement and vocal on social media against Jamaat-Shibir. He was hacked to death on February 15, 2013, near his Pallabi home.

Several websites, allegedly run by Shibir men, were among the first to report the murder and tried to justify the killing by terming Rajeeb “atheist.”

Victim’s father Nazim Uddin filed the murder case a day after the murder. Two weeks later, the investigating officer arrested five NSU students, none of whom directly witnessed the killing, he said in his report.

The detained NSU students reportedly confessed that they had killed Rajeeb upon directive from the chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team, a Bangladeshi follower of al-Qaeda.

Mufti Jasim was arrested along with 30 others at Barguna on August 12 last year. l

10 instigators of Avijit murder identified

CID asked to submit Rana Plaza probe report n Ashif Islam Shaon n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu The FBI team assisting the probe into Avijit A Dhaka court yesterday once again asked the Criminal Investigation Department to submit probe report by April 15 in three cases filed over the 2013 Rana plaza collapse.

Dhaka’s Additional Senior Judicial Magistrate Nazmul Haque Shyamal set the date as CID officer Bijoy Krishna Kar failed to submit the report yesterday.

On February 1, the court asked CID to submit the reports by Sunday, March 8.

On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, which housed five garment factories, a shopping mall and a branch of a private bank, collapsed leaving at least 1,135, mostly garment workers, dead and 2,000 wounded.

Rajuk official Helal Uddin filed one case against building owner Sohel Rana. Another case was filed by SI Wali Ashraf of Savar police against Rana and several others. Sheuli Akter, wife of victim Jahangir Alam, whose body was recovered from the debris of Rana plaza, filed one more case against Rana, Bazlus Samad Adnan, owner of New Wave Style, and the chief engineer of Savar municipality. l

Roy killing, also suspects that fanatics were behind the murder.

The Detective Branch (DB) of police has prepared a list of 10 people who had threatened to kill Avijit on the internet.

“FBI detectives are collecting evidence.

They said it would be difficult to come to a conclusion so early but strongly suspect militant groups,” DB boss Monirul Islam said.

“They have not yet asked us to arrest anyone nor sought information on any suspect.”

The four-member FBI team arrived in Dhaka on March 5.

Monirul said the detectives wanted to trace the Facebook users who had threatened to kill Avijit and instigate others. But police assumed that the instigators used fake profiles.

Avijit, a Bangladesh-born US citizen, was killed and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonna seriously injured when unidentified criminals hacked them near the TSC roundabout on Dhaka University campus on February 26.

Bonna was flown back to the US for better treatment on February 2.

Former DU Prof Ajay Roy, father of Avijit, suspected that Islamist militants who did not like Avijit’s writings might have killed him.

DB officials also emphasised on this issue.

So far, law enforcers have arrested Shafiur Rahman Farabi, who had issued death threats to Avijit. Farabi, who is now on a 10-day remand, confessed this but denied involvement in the murder. RAB said Farabi was involved with banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

ABT leader Redwanul Azad Rana is the prime suspect in Avijit murder. Police are looking for Rana since they suspect him for killing blogger Ahmed Rajeeb Haider in 2013 as well.

The DB chief said apart from Farabi, they had picked up another youth but released him after interrogation. “The FBI does not have the authority to launch drives. They can also examine any evidence in their labs.”

Bangladesh Police would also support if FBI wants to file a case in the US. “The FBI team will stay in Bangladesh a few more days, if they need,” he said in reply to a question.

Yesterday afternoon, the FBI team visited the CID office in Dhaka. They stayed there for around an hour and then went to the DB

headquarters. Sources said the FBI team discussed about the evidences collected by the CID’s forensic team from the murder spot.

CID chief Saifur Rahman later told the reporters that the FBI team had enquired them about the forensic test facilities and spoke to the forensic officials.

Meanwhile, a three-member DB team from Dhaka conducted a one-hour drive from 11:30am at Farabi’s Sylhet residence yesterday with the help of local Kotwali police.

SI Foyez Ahmed of the police station told our correspondent that Farabi’s mother and sister lived at the rented house at Munshipara in Sylhet city. They were not home during the drive.

Md Rahmat Ullah, additional deputy commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said the detectives had seized a laptop, a CPU and some papers from the flat, rented around a year ago.

Locals said Farabi did not have any companion when he used to offer prayers at the local mosque. “Some devotees rebuked him several times for using internet through mobile phone inside the mosque,” a neighbour said seeking anonymity. l

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4 NEWS

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

PADMA BRIDGE PROJECT

Government against spending cut n Asif Showkat Kallol The government is against reducing its planned annual spending for the Padma Bridge project in the current fiscal year, in order to make sure that foreign investors are not discouraged by any curtailed expenditure plans.

Sources told the Dhaka Tribune that the authorities concerned were alert not to create any negative image surrounding the project that might turn away investors.

“The prime minister is against curtailing spending for the fast-track Padma Bridge project and has expressed hopes that fund allocation for the project will not be slashed for the current fiscal year,” an official of the Finance Division said on condition of anonymity.

Mohmmad Shafiqul Islam, project director for the Padma Bridge project, said they were

also against cutting down the allocation for the project under the revised Annual Development Programme (RADP), adding that no such proposal has been made to the government.

However, Finance Ministry sources said the Bridges Division would not be able to spend Tk1,000 crore from the allocated Tk8,100 crore this fiscal year.

The Bridges Division, meanwhile, last week asked for details to be included on the RADP regarding the funding sources for the construction of the bridge. Zakir Hossain, deputy secretary of the Bridges Division, sent a letter to the Finance Division on this regard.

The letter reportedly claimed that the Finance Division had failed to disclose the funding sources in the RADP, creating difficulties for ensuring funds in the revised budget as

Falu denied bail again n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday denied bail to Mosaddak Ali Falu, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s advisor, in a case filed with Khilgaon police station in the city.

Metropolitan Sessions judge (acting) Imrul Kayes passed the order after the hearing on a petition filed by his counsel Md Sanaullah Miah.

On February 2, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Hasibul Haque placed Falu, also chairman of private TV channel NTV, on a 5-day remand rejecting his bail petition in the case filed on charges of torching a bus in Khilgaon area of the capital on January 30.

Three Dhaka courts placed Falu on a total of 13 days remand on different dates in three cases filed with Khilgaon, Badda and Mirpur police stations of the capital after his arrest in front of BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on February 1. l

ACC summons BDBL DGM n Adil Sakhawat The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday summoned Deputy General Manger (DGM) of Bangladesh Development Bank Limited (BDBL) Safiqul Islam in connection with his alleged involvement in recruitment irregularities and illegal wealth accumulation.

The ACC yesterday served a notice, signed by its assistant director Saiful Islam, on Shafiqul to be present at the ACC head office at 9:30am on March 12 to face questioning, said ACC public relations officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya to the Dhaka Tribune.

A commission official said the ACC has received allegations of recruitment irregularities and illegal wealth accumulation against DGM Safiqul Islam, Sakhawat Hossain, and General Manager (GM) Arfina Begum in January this year.

The ACC has already questioned Arfina Begum after finding the allegation against her. l

Arsonists target land offices n Tribune Report A citizens’ body pressing implementation of vested property return act expressed concern over arson attacks on land offices. In a press release issued yesterday, they demanded that the government takes immediate action against the arsonists.

“The arsonists want to destroy valuable document of land record, especially those owned by minority communities.”

The press release was signed by Ain O Salish Kendra Executive Director Sultana Kamal, Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, Orpita Sampotti Ain Protiroth Andolan President Kamal Lohany, Secretary of Bangladesh Hindhu Boidha, Kristan Oikka Porisad Rana Das Gupta, HDRC adviser Abul Barkat, and ALRD ED Shamsul Huda among others. l

well as the budget for the next fiscal year.

Commenting about funding sources, the Finance Division official who wanted to stay unnamed told the Dhaka Tribune that for the construction costs – the government had allocated $175m from the Indian line of credit provided as project assistance.

When a further $25m is received under India’s line of credit, it would also be allocated as project assistance for the Padma Bridge, the official added.

“We have no decision about collecting foreign assistance from development partners after the World Bank cancelled its funding for Padma bridge,” said the official.

According to the Bridges Division letter, the total cost for the Padma Bridge project is Tk20,507.20 crore, of which Tk4257.68 crore would come from the government exchequer. l

30kg lead worth Tk54 lakh seized at Chittagong airport n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Chittagong Customs House authorities at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong city yesterday seized 30kg of lead from luggage in a cargo plane which arrived from Dubai on March 5.

Chittagong Customs House Assistant Commissioner (AC) Selim Reza, who is deployed at the airport, told Dhaka Tribune they started rummaging through the cargo of an Emirates Airlines plane following a tip-off, and found the banned imported items after scanning the luggage.

The seized lead, worth Tk54 lakh, would be confiscated according to the customs act, while legislative measures would be taken as per as the law, he added. On March 3, the same customs team seized 87kg of lead worth Tk1.57 crore from a flight of Air Arabia from Dubai. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Traffic diversion for metro rail project yet to be fixed n Shohel Mamun

Traffic diversion during the construction work of the elevated metro rail project in the capital has yet to be fixed, even though the geotechnical surveys and soil testing in the project area have already begun.

Workers have been digging in different places between Uttara and Motijheel for the testing, which is creating traffic gridlock in the areas.

The Road Transport and Highway Division had earlier said they would ensure an alternative route for easier traffic movement before starting the work, forming a committee for this purpose.

However, the committee, headed by Road Transport and Highways Division’s Joint Secretary Fakir Alauddin, met only once since its formation in 2013, sources said.

The Dhaka Tribune contacted Fakir yesterday in this regard, who said the full committee would meet soon to take decision about

the diversion road.

“We will sit in a meeting this month to discuss the alternative road for easy traffic movement in the project areas, and after figuring out the possible solutions we will make our recommendation to the higher authorities,” he said.

Mofazzal Hossain, director of the project, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We will finalise the diversion once we receive the recommendation from the committee.”

Recently visiting Farmgate and Mirpur areas, this reporter found enclosures set up by the project workers in the middle of the roads, which is creating disturbances in the usually-heavy traffic movement in those areas.

The 20.1km project is expected to be complete by December 2019.

Trains will run every 3.5 minutes and take 37 minutes to cover the distance between Motijheel and Uttara, with 14 stations in between.

A Japanese consortium is currently working on the detailed design of the project. l

Gold-smuggling N Korean diplomat to be expelled n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

The government has decided to expel a North Korean diplomat who was caught trying to smuggle 27kg gold into the country.

“We will expel him. The process of taking action regarding the crime committed by the North Korean diplomat has started,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official, adding that the process would take a few days.

The first economic and commercial secretary of the North Korean embassy in Dhaka, Son Yong Nam, was detained and later released by customs police on Friday. He enjoys diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Con-

vention on Diplomatic Relations.

“This is a rare event and a government can take one of three actions against the offender,” the official said.

A host government, with the approval of the sending country, can take legal action against an offending diplomat, declare him persona non grata, or expel him by asking the sending government to withdraw its envoy.

“We will be asking the North Korean government to withdraw him,” he said.

“I am not aware of any extra surveillance [for the diplomat],” the official said, adding that until the issue is resolved, the diplomat is expected to remain in the country. l

Another arson victim dies n Tribune Report

Another firebomb victim who sustained burn injuries on February 19 died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday.

Subhash Som, who got 25% of his body burnt in the attack, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital’s burn unit around midday, said Inspector Mozammel Haque, in-charge of DMCH police outpost.

Dr Partha Shankar Paul, resident surgeon of the burn unit, said the bomb attack burnt Subhash’s face.

Eight people, including Subhash, were injured when petrol bombs were hurled at a minibus in Chittagong’s Tiger Pass area.

Subhash was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital but was later brought to the DMCH for better treatment.

At least 87 people have been killed in violence perpetrated across the country since January 6, the day the indefinite blockade of the BNP came into force.

Meanwhile, Chhatra Shibir activist Abdullah Al Mamun was shot in the leg in Dhalpur of Jatrabari yesterday evening, and was taken to the DMCH around 9pm.

Jatrabari police station Sub-Inspector Atik said a group of Shibir activists marching in the area engaged in chase and counter-chase with police.

“They attempted to throw petrol bombs at police, prompting the law enforcement officials to fire at them. Mamun was shot at the time,” he said.

But Mamun, talking to reporters at the hospital, denied that there was any attempt to throw bombs at police. l

A miscreant is caught red-handed by police and the public while trying to vandalise vehicles and explode crude bombs in the capital’s Paltan area yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

BNP: PM renders judiciary useless n Tribune Report The BNP has alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had passed a verdict herself against Khaleda Zia from an open rally that virtually rendered the country’s judiciary ineffective.

“But still BNP will deal with all the lawsuits filed against Khaleda Zia through legal procedure,” said BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed in a statement yesterday.

Addressing a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday, the prime minister said Khaleda

would be tried and punished for the violence that had killed more than 100 people.

Salahuddin said over 13 cases had been filed against the prime minister but she had never appeared before the court. Moreover, all the cases filed against the prime minister have been withdrawn by the “tamed judiciary.”

“The rule of law cannot be expected under a “tamed judiciary”. Because of naked interference in the judiciary the opposition leaders and activists have given up their hopes of getting justice,” he said. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

REB holds video PTA meeting

Prof Jahirul Hoque passes away

n Tribune Report

n BSS

In a landmark move, the Rural Electrification Board (REB) has recently held a performance target agreement (PTA) meeting through video conferencing with its 72 rural power providing associations.

On the occasion, REB Chairman Brig Gen

Moin Uddin gave a directional speech to all the officials and employees of the sub-ordinate associations.

Every year, the REB used to spend a huge amount of money for transport, food and accommodation of all the staffs from the rural associations for arranging the PTA meeting in Dhaka. l

Professor Dr Jahirul Hoque, founder chairman of the finance department and former chairman of accounting at Chittagong University, has died after prolonged illness. He was 73, according to a press release yeasterday.

Family sources said Hoque was admitted

to a private facility where he was kept under life support system until his death on Wednesday due to multiple organ failure. Hoque also served as the dean and head of faculties at different private universities, including the International Islamic University, Asian University and the Eastern University in Dhaka. He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. l

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Violence against women rising in Rajshahi n Nazim Mridha, Rajshahi Repression against women has increased alarmingly in and around Rajshahi city with torture of 191 women in last 12 months.

A research conducted by the Association for Community Development (ACD), a human rights group, yesterday disclosed the statistics over violence against women on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. The study say crimes against women has risen to great extent due to lax monitoring by the law enforcement agencies, delay in getting justice and lack of social awareness programmes.

According to the statistics, a total of 22 incidents of violence against women were recorded in 2010 while the number rose to 191 in the last 12 months.

A total of 191 women were tortured in and around Rajshahi city from March 2014 to February 2015.

Of the total number, 19 women were killed, 48 women committed suicide over family feud, 10 female were raped, 29 women faced sexual harassment, 48 women were assaulted by in-laws, six women were victim of attempt to murder, seven went missing and 12 women were abducted.

The ACD gathered this information from reports published in various national and local newspapers of the country.

Considering the number of women victims, Salima Sarwar, the executive director of the ACD, expressed deep concern over the issue. She said women were being victim of political turmoil, family and social degradation.

She also viewed that following the rape, re-

WEATHER

DRY WEATHER LIKELY MONDAY, MARCH 9 TODAY SUN SETS 6:05PM

DHAKA

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:13AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 33 33 34 33 34 34 34 33

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

21 21 20 17 19 21 16 23

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PRAYER TIMES Fajr Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:58am 6:13am 12:09am 4:26pm 6:05pm 7:20pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

A procession taken out in Rajshahi city yesterday marking International Women’s Day pression, physical abuse and family disputes, the number of suicidal incidents are increasing alarmingly.

The numbers of such victims are more than the statistics which are not published in newspapers, she added.

“Lax enforcement of laws in most of the cases is the main cause for increasing the number of victims in the Rajshahi city,” she said.

Salima, however, urged for strengthening legal assistance and effective enforcement of laws regarding women repression to eliminate the number of violence against women.

Razia Sultana, executive director of Nobodiganta Mohila Uddayan Sangstha of Rajshahi, said: “Most of the victims who come to us are victim of household disputes.

“There is now no alternative but to end

Chhatra League showdown sparks tension at SUST n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Despite a ban on political activities, two rival factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling Awami League, yesterday flexed their muscles at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet.

This has created tension at the campus leading to deployment of extra law enforcers, said Officer in-Charge of Jalalabad police station Akhter Hossain.

Witnesses said the faction, led by BCL committee President Sanjiban Chakrabarty Partha, entered the campus at around 3pm with 30-40 men and staged a demonstration.

General Secretary of the committee Imran Khan and BCL leader Sajedul Islam Sabuj were present at the time.

Hearing about the demonstration, the rival group of committee Vice-president Anjan Roy and BCL leader Uttam Kumar, came to the campus with 20-25 people. They also brought out several processions.

BCL leader Nur-e-Alam said they came to the campus to peacefully demand their place in the university residential halls.

Meanwhile, Anjan Roy said any attempt to take over the halls by outsiders would be resisted with the support of general students.

One of the groups took position at the campus while the other one was in front of the Shah Paran Hall.

Contacted, Emdadul Haq, acting proctor of the university, told the Dhaka Tribune that the BCL groups were asked to leave the campus.

“Both the groups tried to take over the residential halls. But we cannot let them do so until they can ensure a peaceful cohabitation.

There is still a ban on any kind of political activities in the university.”

On November 20 last year, a BCL man named Sumon Das died during a clash between two rival factions over establishing supremacy at the university He further said the decision about their hall allocation would be taken when VC Professor Aminul Haq returned home from his India trip.

The proctor was still holding a meeting with the two factions when this report was filed at 7:30pm.

On November 20 of the last year, a BCL man named Sumon Das died during a clash between the two factions over establishing supremacy in the university. The university was closed for 58 days following the incident.

And a meeting of the syndicate imposed an indefinite ban on political activities on January 10 this year. l

AZAHAR UDDIN

child marriage and dowry system to stop the violence against women,” she said.

Social awareness and social empowerment of women could reduce the number of such victims to a greater extent, she added.

Urging all to be united for strengthening the rights of women, She said: “We should create a congenial atmosphere for women at all spheres so that they are ensured equal rights.” l

Case booked over arson attack on shuttle train n CU Correspondent Bangladesh Railway (BR) authorities yesterday lodged a case in the incident of the arson and crude bomb attacks on the Chittagong University-bound shuttle train.

“Sholashahar Railway Station Assistant Master AKM Farhaduzzaman filed the lawsuit with Government Railway Police (GRP) outpost accusing unidentified miscreants around 11:30 am,” said its OC Himangsu Das Rana.

However, none was arrested in the case until yesterday evening, the OC went on.

When contacted, Farhaduzzaman said he filed the came on the behalf of the BR. On the other hand, Chittagong University Teachers’ Association (CUTA) yesterday protested the heinous attacks.

The CUTA made the statement through a press release signed by its president professor Benu Kumar Dey and general secretary professor Mustafizur Rahaman Siddique.

The organisation’s leaders opined that the offenders were carrying out the attacks on the campus-bound trains in the name of movement to halt the academic activities.

“Miscreants set fire to and hurled crude bombs on the university-bound vehicles as part of well-planned conspiracy to make the CU unstable”, the press release noted.

On Saturday, some unidentified miscreants set fire to a compartment of the train at Sholoshahar Railway Station in the port city. l

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Development projects go at snail’s pace in Madaripur Different schemes of Public Works Department involving Tk150 crore may miss deadline

n Our Correspondent, Madaripur Different development projects under the local public works department have been struggling to get pace as there is no supervision from the authorities concerned.

Consequently, the project works is going on at snail’s pace amid a great apprehension of low quality because of not having any such

‘The chief engineer is aware of the disorder, who recently sent an official to the post on deputation which was later postponed’ type of move.

Besides the under-construction projects estimated about Tk150 crore may miss the deadline as well.

The projects include Rajoir, Kalkini and Dasar police station buildings; Dattapara, Khasrhat and Vodrason police investigation centres; Shibchar fire service station, Shibchar highway outpost, Madaripur 250-bed hospital, district jail and vocational training centre as well as Madaripur ansar VDP headquarters building.

It was learnt that the onus of Madaripur sub-divisional engineer (civil) is to supervise all

local public works there, who was transferred two months back and a sub-divisional engineer (EM) was later assigned to the aforesaid post.

According to the department’s rules, a sub-divisional engineer (civil) has to take duty in case of the gap or the senior sub-assistant engineer (civil) concerned is supposed to discharge the task.

But a sub-divisional engineer (mechanical engineer) was sent there by breaking the rules, who has also no experience in the construction sector.

As a result, the aforesaid anomalies pushed the important projects into a great trouble and apprehension of delay as the new engineer is unable to take necessary decision in this regard.

Some contractors wishing not to be named said they were struggling to get vital order due to unavailability of the sub-divisional engineer (civil) and that was why the works might fail to touch the deadline.

Acknowledging the snail’s pace in the ongoing development works, Madaripur Public Works Executive Engineer Anwarul Nazrul said: “The chief engineer is aware of the disorder, who recently sent an official to the post on deputation which was later postponed. I just know that the assigned incumbent officer is a mechanical engineer.”

“Moreover, I also look over the works and sent a letter to the higher authorities seeking a sub-divisional engineer (civil) for the district,” the official went on. l

Tension grows in Bandarban over opposing programmes n Our Correspondent, Bandarban Tension is mounting in Bandarban ahead of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) leader Santu Larma’s visit and the general strike imposed by Jago Parbatyabashi, a Bangali association.

Santu is scheduled to visit the district on March 12 while Pahari Chhatra Parishad will hold its district council the next day.

Protesting Santu’s visit, Jago Parbatyabashi has called a 36-hour strike for March 12 and 13.

Abidur Rahman, convener of Jago Parbatyabashi and joint convener of Bandarban district Jubo Dal, said the strike was to protest extortion and terror acts of the PCJSS in the hills that had made it difficult for traders to operate their businesses.

He said the association’s activists would hold a protest rally in Bandarban town on March 11.

Meanwhile, Santu, also the chairman of Parbatya Chattagram Anchalik Parishad, will be arriving in Bandarban to attend the Pahari

Chhatra Parishad’s council, which will be held at Faruk Para in Chimbuk Hill.

KS Mong Marma, a central PCJSS leader and a member of Parbatya Chattagram Anchalik Parishad, said he was unaware of the strike imposed by Jago Parbatyabashi.

Jago Parbatyabashi started its journey on February 25 when its activists formed a human chain in front of Bandarban Press Club to protest extortion in hills.

Bangali activists of both the Awami League and the BNP participated in the human chain.

Speaking about the extortion, Bandarban district Sramik League Organising Secretary Abdul Jalil and district Sramik Dal General Secretary Kamal Uddin said the Bangalis need to collect tokens to transport goods in the hills which is not the case for the hill people.

The blockade imposed by the BNP on January 5 and the subsequent general strikes did not affect life in Bandarban at all but locals fear that the upcoming programmes could lead to unrest. l

A procession is brought out in Gaibandha district town yesterday marking the International Women’s Day DHAKA TRIBUNE

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Sluice gates out of service in Khulna n Our Correspondent, Khulna Maximum sluice gates in the district are useless in absence of proper management of the rivers and canals, creating permanent water logging.

The situation has been created for natural disasters, silt accumulation in the rivers and canals for want of excavation and decline in their flow and navigability, said Akram Hossen, engineer of Water Development Board.

According WDB sources, there are 419 sluice gates in Khulna. Of them, six are under Barakpur-Digholia project, four at no. 28/2 polder in Batiaghata, 13 at no. 25 polder, two at no.

26 polder, 14 at no. 19 polder, three at no. 27/2 polder, 11 at no. 17/1 polder, five at no. 17/2 polder, six at no. 27/1 polder in Dumuria, nine at no. 28/1 polder in Dumuria-Batiaghata, three at no. 9 polder, 15 at no. 10/12 polder, 12 at no. 16 polder, four at no. 18/19 polder, 14 at no. 20 polder and 20/1, three at no. 21, 11 at no. 22, 44 at no. 23 in Paikgachha, 23 at no. 30 polder, eight at no. 31 in Batiaghata, 27 at no. 31 polder, 61 at no. 32 and eight at no. 33 polder in Dakope.

‘We urged the government to take steps to operate the gates soon’ Besides, there are 37 sluice gates under Amirpur-Batiaghata-Bhanderkot project in Batiaghata and eight others near the dams to protect the city. Some residents of Batiaghata upazila stressed the need for immediately excavating the rivers and canals to keep the sluice gates in the district functional.

Besides, most of the rivers and canals in the district are filled with silt hampering smooth operation of the sluice gates, they said.

Expressing grave concern, one Makbul Hossain said if the situation continues, people may face severe water logging permanently in the region.

Pijush Krisna Kundu, executive engineer of WDB, said huge money is needed to protect the sluice gates through dredging the rivers and canals. “But it is not possible presently as the government has allocated only one tenth of the total amount, he said.

Mujibur Rahman, executive engineer of the WDB, said : “Once the rivers and canals are excavated, there will be normal flow of their waters and then the sluice gates will be protected.”

Mobarak Hossen Sarder, owner of a shrimp enclosure in Paikgacaha said: “I have cultivated the shrimp on 5,000 bighas land with the help of two sluice gates.” “Now I have to incur losses as the sluice gates are damaged,” he said.

Khokan Ali Gazi, president of Dumuria Upazila Shrimp Enclosure Association, said the business men had to face a great difficulty as the sluice gates turned useless.

“We urged the government to take steps to operate the gates soon,” he said.

WDB executive engineer Pijush Krinshna Kundu siad for unavailability of fund as per demand, maintenance works of the sluice gates were not possible through proper dredging of the rivers and canals. l

Female farmers receive training from a field official of the Department of Agriculture, Comilla on indigenous perching method. Perching is a system in which pieces of tree branches are randomly set up in a paddy field to protect the field from pest attacks DHAKA TRIBUNE

Laal Bridge point in Pechar Dwip a safe haven for human traffickers n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar

After a long hiatus, the human traffickers in Cox’s Bazar have recently become active thanks to the ongoing political unrest.

Hundreds of people have allegedly been trafficked to Malaysia through the Laal Bridge point of Khuniapalong union of Ramu upazila in recent times.

Locals said the Laal Bridge point has become the choice of departure for the human traffickers due to lax security.

Previously Reju Bridge was the most preferred point. But since the setting up of a checkpost of Border Guard Bangladesh in that area, human traffickers moved to the Laal Bridge point.

Moreover, because of the current political unrest that has been keeping the law enforcers on their toes, it has become easier for the human traffickers to do their work.

The Laal Bridge point becomes active after

the sunset with the presence of the middlemen and Malaysia goers. Human traffickers gather people from Khuniapalong union’s Goaliapalong, Taingakata, Dhowapalong, Noyapara and other places.

They are then escorted through the coastal forest and brought to Mangalapara near the Laal Bridge point. When the darkness descends, Malaysia aspirants are sent away in fishing boats.

Though locals initially tried to stop the trafficking, they have been silenced by the police, who allegedly take Tk1000 bribe per person from the traffickers.

Locals and relatives of those who had already gone to Malaysia named some people who are actively involved in human trafficking.

They are Abdul Gafur, Surat Alam, Md Jafar Alam, Syed Alam Bodu of Pechar Dwip and Mir Kashem of Himchhari.

These human traffickers are working under Abdul Karim, Abdullah, Badsha of Khuniapalong, Rustam Ali, Mahadul Haq Madu, Mo-

1 dead, 50 injured in clashes n Tribune Report

One person died and three other were injured in a gunfight on Saturday night during a feud between two parties of Sorbohara extremist group in Shirkhara union of Madaripur municipality.

Deceased Hiru Sheikh is a resident of Ghunsi village of Shirkhara union.

Madaripur Assistant Superintendent of Police Abu Bakar Siddique said the fight broke out centering establishment of supremacy between the groups of current chairman Mojibor Rahman Hawlader and Habi-Mofej around 8:30pm yesterday. In the fight, four people received bullet wounds.

Three of them were first sent to the Madaripur Municipality Hospital and later to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for better treatment.

After being rescued and taken to Madari-

pur hospital around 11pm, one was declared dead by the duty doctor.

In Baniyachang, Habiganj yesterday five villages got into a vicious battle where atleast 50 people were injured.

Twenty of them were taken to Habiganj Municipality Hospital in critical condition.

The others were given first-aid.

According to police and the locals, Shamsu Mia of Khagaura village and Kamal Mia of the adjacent Ujirpur village were locked in a power struggle for a while.

As a result, the fight between the two groups broke out in the morning yesterday.

Taking sides, people from three other adjacent villages also got involved in the battle.

Officer-in-Charge Nirmalendu Chakrabarty of Baniyachang police station confirmed the incident and said when informed, police rushed to the area and brought the incident under control. l

zammel Haq and Akter Mia of Ukhia.

Locals said these people were well known in the area and had been accused in multiple human trafficking cases. However, police is yet to take any action against them.

When contacted, Sub Inspector Abdul Mannan, in-charge of Himchhari police outpost denied the allegation of collaborating with the human traffickers.

He, however, acknowledged the increased human trafficking through the Laal Bridge point and said police and BGB personnel were patrolling the area.

Officer in-Charge of Saikul Ahmed Bhuiyan of Ramu police station said: “The allegations against us are baseless. Human trafficking may be happening in some places but we cannot possibly patrol the huge coastal area with limited resources.”

He also added that police had been deployed at the Laal Bridge point after they were informed about the trafficking. l

1 dies as trawler sinks n Our Correspondent, Brahmanbaria One person was killed as a trawler capsized in the Meghna River in Ash ganj launch ghat yesterday morning. But identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Barek Mia, a passenger of the trawler, said the trawler had capsized as it was carrying additional goods along with passengers.

He said the trawler left Bhoirab ghat and started for Kishoreganj’s Astogram around 7am.

“The trawler capsized in the river when 10 to 12 passengers tried to board on the vessel in a time at Ashuganj ghat,” he said. All passengers managed to swim ashore.

Deputy Director of Brahmanbaria Fire Services and Civil Defence Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune that firefighters from Dhaka reached the spot soon after the incident.

The firefighters later recovered the body of an unidentified person. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Iran: Key technical roadblocks for nuclear deal eliminated

n AP, Tehran

Iran’s vice president said key technical roadblocks hampering a final nuclear accord with world powers have been eliminated during ongoing discussions with American negotiators.

Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also in charge of Iran’s nuclear agency, told state television on Saturday that Tehran offered proposals to remove “fake concerns” over the country’s nuclear program, paving the way for a final deal.

Salehi is involved in ongoing talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on formulating a comprehensive deal that would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for relief from crippling international sanctions.

Salehi said Iran put fresh proposals on the table to ease concerns over Tehran’s uranium enrichment program as well as the heavy-water reactor at Arak in central Iran. Differences between Iran and the US over the size and scope of Iran’s enrichment program and the plutonium-producing reactor remain the core obstacles to a deal.

“We have taken very good steps and managed to remove, as we believe, their fake concerns and worries through the technical offers we proposed,” he said.

Salehi didn’t elaborate on the proposals Iran put on the table but he has said in the past that Tehran was ready to redesign the Arak reactor so its plutonium output decreases significantly to ease concerns by the West. l

Boko Haram leader pledges allegiance to IS

File photo showing the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau AP

n AFP, Kano The leader of Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants, Abubakar Shekau, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in an audio recording released Saturday.

“We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al-Husseini al-Qurashi,” said the voice on the message, which was believed to be that of

Shekau and was released through Boko Haram’s Twitter account.

Qurashi is better known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the IS group which has proclaimed a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Shekau spoke in Arabic, but the message contained French and English subtitles.

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the message.

Shekau was not pictured, a contrast from most of Boko Haram’s past messages in which the Islamist leader has been shown, often in close up shots.

But Shekau did identify himself in the recording, which was accompanied by the subtitles and a graphic including an image of a radio microphone.

There have in recent months been signs of closer ties between the Nigerian militants and the IS group, with both using similar ways of communicating with the outside world. Boko Haram has notably begun releasing videos that resemble those made by IS. Boko Haram has been waging a six-year uprising against the Nigerian state, which has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Analysts have long debated the extent of Boko Haram’s ties to other jihadist groups, but the evidence was never clear. l

MH370 report: Underwater locator beacon battery had expired n AP, Kuala Lumpur The first comprehensive report into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 revealed yesterday that the battery of the locator beacon for the plane’s data recorder had expired more than a year before the jet vanished on March 8, 2014.

The report came as Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the hunt for the plane would not end even if the scouring of the current search area off Australia’s west coast comes up empty.

Apart from the anomaly of the expired battery, the detailed report devoted pages after pages describing the complete normality of the flight, which disappeared while heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, setting off aviation’s biggest mystery. Families of the 239 people who were on board the plane marked the anniversary of the Boeing 777’s disappearance, vowing to never give up on the desperate search for wreckage and answers to what happened to their loved ones.

Despite an exhaustive search for the plane, no trace of it has been found. In late January, Malaysia’s government formally declared the incident an accident and said all those on board were presumed dead.

The significance of the expired battery in the beacon of the plane’s flight data recorder was not immediately apparent, except indicating that searchers would have had lesser chance of locating the aircraft in the Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed, even if they were in its vicinity. However, the

France PM: 10,000 Europeans could be waging jihad by year-end

n AFP, Paris As many as 10,000 Europeans could be waging jihad in Iraq and Syria by the end of this year, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned yesterday, a three-fold increase on current numbers.

“There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year,” Valls told French television channel iTele.

“Do you realise the threat that this represents?” he asked.

He said there were around 1,400 people who were either already in these conflict zones, who had come back from there or who were planning to go.

“There have already been nearly 90 French people who have died out there with a weapon in their hand, fighting against our own values,” Valls said.

France, along with Belgium, has seen the largest numbers of volunteers leaving to join the Islamic State jihadist group, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq. l

Bloody yesterday commemoration continues in Selma

n AP, Selma, Ala The Bloody yesterday 50th anniversary commemoration continues yesterday with a series of events in Selma before a group retraces the steps that helped secure equal voting rights 50 years ago.

Yesterday’s events are expected to include church services, film screenings and a pre-march rally at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Police beat and tear-gassed marchers at the foot of the bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965 in an ugly spasm of violence that shocked the nation. The attack on demonstrators preceded the Selma-to-Montgomery march, which occurred two weeks later. Both helped build momentum for congressional approval of the Voting Rights Act later that year. l

86 million-year-old oyster fossil found in India

n Agencies

Dai Shuqin, whose sister was on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that went missing on March 8, last year, is stopped by policemen as she speaks to journalists near Yonghegong Lama Temple during a gathering of family members of the missing passengers, in Beijing yesterday AP report said the battery in the locator beacon of the cockpit voice recorder was working.

“The sole objective of the investigation is the prevention of future accidents or incidents, and not for the purpose to apportion blame or liability,” the report said.

Even though the beacon’s battery had expired, the instrument itself was functioning properly and would have in theory captured

all the flight information.

The two instruments — commonly known as “black boxes” — are critical in any crash because they record cockpit conversations and flight data through the end of a flight.

The 584-page report by a 19-member independent investigation group went into minute details about the crew’s lives, including their medical and financial records and training. l

Discovery of around 86 million-year-old fossil of a rare species of oyster, has once again re-confirmed the presence of marine life and sea in central India. Oyster fossil recently recovered from Dhar and Jhabua districts of Madhya Pradesh by palaeontologist Vishal Verma is identified as crassostrea species, which are considered one of the oldest evidence of sea incursion in the Narmada Valley. “Large numbers of good quality marine molluscs as oysters and gastropods are present in the matrix of fossils.

It is one of the best quality samples found from Nimar sandstone of Bagh beds,” said Vishal Verma, adding sediments of this sea arm is defined as Bagh Beds and oyster fossils discovered from here belong to first upper cretaceous age (from 140 to 65 million years ago).

Verma said fossils was discovered when was carrying out fieldwork for the proposed National Dinosaur Fossil Park to be set up in Dhar district. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

NAGALAND LYNCHING

Victim buried as protests rock Assam; internet, SMS services n Agencies Protests rocked Assam, especially in the three districts in the Barack Valley in the state, following the lynching of a rape accused in Nagaland’s Dimpaur town on March 5.

Nagaland Police have arrested 18 people in connection with the lynching.

The arrests were made since last evening after going through the mobile video clippings during the incident and their interrogation is on, they said.

The victim Syed Farid Khan, who was dragged out of jail and beaten to death, was buried at his native village in Karimganj amidst tight security yesterday.

Khan was buried in Karimganj’s Bosla village. A huge turnout was reported with former minister and Karimganj (south) MLA Siddeque Ahmed attending, Karimganj deputy commissioner Sanjiv Gohain Boruah said.

Khan’s body was airlifted to Karimganj last evening after Nagaland authorities handed over his body to the Dimapur Muslim Council.

Khan’s brother Jamal Uddin Khan claimed that his brother was framed in the rape case as the medical examination of the girl, who alleged rape, indicated that there had been no sexual assault. “We are sons of the soil.

We can’t be Bangladeshis just because we are Bengali Muslims,” Nasiruddin, Khan’s brother, told The Times of India.

China: Border dispute with India contained

n Agencies

China yesterday said the border dispute with India has been “contained” and the Indian elephant and Chinese dragon should “do more” to strengthen the bilateral cooperation to facilitate its settlement.

Addressing his annual press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s legislature, foreign minister Wang Yi said a warm welcome awaited Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he makes his first visit to China later this year.

“Last September, President Xi Jinping made an historic visit to India. Picture of the two leaders working at a spinning wheel in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister, has spread far and wide in China,” Wang said in response to a question from PTI about the India-China relations at a nationally-televised crowded press conference.

“Chinese people believe in reciprocating the courtesy of others. I am sure when Prime Minister Modi visits China later this year, he will be warmly welcomed by the Chinese government and people,” he said.

Terming the “China-India boundary question, a legacy of history,” Wang said: “We have worked on it for many years and made some progress in the boundary negotiations.

“This is all the more reason that we do more to strengthen China-India cooperation so that we can enable and facilitate the settlement of the boundary question,” he said. l

Protesters in Tinsukia demonstrate yesterday against the mob killing of a man accused of rape in neighbouring Nagaland state AFP A 12-hour bandh was called which paralysed normal life in three districts of Barak Valley.

The bandh, called by several political, social and business organizations was total with all shops and market places closed and vehicluar traffic remaining off the road, official reports from the districts said.

The day being a yesterday, all schools and

educational institutions, offices and banks were closed.

There was, however, no report of any untoward incident from the three districts of Karimganj, Cachar and Hailakandi of the valley, officials said.

Meanwhile, medical reports related to the alleged rape incident in Dimapur in Nagaland were awaited. l

China defends island building in South China Sea, says not seeking new world n

Reuters, Beijing

China’s foreign minister yesterday defended his government’s controversial policy of reclamation on disputed isles in the South China Sea which has sparked regional concern, and said Beijing was not seeking to overturn the international order.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping tried to set Southeast Asian minds at ease over the country’s ambitions, but Beijing’s reclamation work in the Spratlys underscores its drive to push claims in the South China Sea and reassert its rights.

China claims about 90% of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to parts of the potentially energy-rich waters that are crossed by key global shipping lanes.

China has already undertaken reclamation work on six other reefs it occupies in the Spratlys, expanding land mass five-fold, aerial surveillance photos show. Images seen

by Reuters last year appeared to show an airstrip and sea ports.

The work on the islands has become possibly the most visible sign of Xi’s more muscular form of diplomacy, even as he promises more than $120 billion in funds for Africa, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

Speaking at his annual news conference on the sidelines of the on-going meeting of parliament, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China was undertaking “necessary” construction that was not aimed at any third party.

“We are not like some countries which have carried out ‘illegal building’ in other people’s home, and we won’t accept unwarranted remarks about work on our own home,” he said, in apparent criticism of building by some other claimant states.

China’s hardline stance has stoked fears in Washington, Tokyo and some Southeast Asian capitals that Beijing is increasingly trying to play by its own rules and ignore international norms, as Xi seeks a global position commensurate with China’s new economic power.

Wang said he believed that the current system needed to be updated rather than overturned, to give more say to developing countries, comparing the international order and system built around the United Nations to a big boat. l

More than 40m Pakistanis defecate openly, according to Unicef

n AP More than 40 million people in Pakistan do not have access to a toilet, forcing them to defecate in the open, which in turn is a major contributor to stunting in the country, a top Unicef official said.

“There are 41 million people who do not have access to a toilet in Pakistan and as a result they are defecating in the open. And open defecation has significant health and nutritional consequences,” said Geeta Rao Gupta, deputy executive director at Unicef.

She recently spoke to the AP during a trip to Pakistan to draw attention to the problem.

“Open defecation is a major contributor to stunting and that’s why we’ve got to do all we can to stop it,” she said. The problem can spread disease and lead to intestinal infections, which can contribute to stunting in young children, she said. l

Death row Australians in last-ditch bid to halt executions

n AFP, Jakarta An Indonesian court will Thursday hear an appeal by two Australian drug smugglers on death row against President Joko Widodo’s refusal to grant them clemency, a last-ditch effort to halt the looming executions.

Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug smuggling gang, were sentenced to death in 2006 for trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia. Their appeals for presidential clemency, typically a death row convict’s final chance of avoiding the firing squad, were rejected by Widodo. l

Iran leader appears in public

n AP, Tehran

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a public appearance yesterday amid rumors about his health, as a relative dismissed the claims as gossip meant to derail ongoing nuclear talks with world powers.

State television aired pictures yesterday of the 75-year-old Khamenei addressing a group of environmental officials and activists at his residence in central Tehran. He appeared to look comfortable and healthy in the footage. l

Man spends night on UK parliament roof, arrested

n AP

British police have detained a man who spent the night on the roof of the Palace of Westminster on suspicion of criminal damage and trespassing. Scotland Yard said yesterday it was too early to know why the 23-year-old made his way to the top of Neo-Gothic masterpiece that serves as the seat of parliament in Britain.

The roof of the palace along the River Thames has long served as favored location for stunts by campaigners, such as those opposing the construction of another runway at Heathrow. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Think long-term for a lasting solution

A

generation after the end of military rule, the country still suffers from broken politics.

Both the government and BNP must look beyond the current crisis to effect a long-term solution that not only ends the ongoing series of blockades and strikes, but which also helps to make democracy function in the interests of the people by bringing stability.

The leading parties are stuck in a cycle of seeing elections as the means to enable a winner-takes-all form of government that concentrates powers in their own hands, without regard to the interests of the nation.

We believe the suggestions made by speakers at this weekend’s workshop on “Rethinking Democratisation,” that constitutional reforms are needed to make democracy function properly, warrant serious attention.

Our economy’s potential is regularly undermined by political conflict.

Ways must be found to end the recurring cycle of political deadlock. The country cannot afford to risk perpetuating the cycle of major parties boycotting parliament and holding movements and hartals to change the government.

A constitutional convention that puts everything on the table, from strengthening independent bodies such as the ACC to improve governance, to encouraging decentralisation and reforming the electoral system, can help settle recurring issues and bring the stability which citizens need to build a more prosperous nation.

New ideas such as bringing in referendums or adding a second chamber to parliament, elected by proportional representation, are worthy of consideration, Only long-term thinking can truly bring a long-term solution.

Look beyond the current crisis to make democracy function better and bring stability

Ensure proper precautions for swine flu

A

ccording to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research, three people in Bangladesh were found infected last month with the H1N1 flu virus, which causes the potentially fatal swine flu.

With the ongoing epidemic in India already taking over a thousand lives, the report highlights the importance of taking further precautions against the disease.

A number of existing measures such as heightened-only screening for the flu for those entering Bangladesh from India, could be tightened further.

It is essential the government makes full use of its co-ordination committee formed with the WHO to stockpile drugs and ensure adequate availability of thermal scanners and testing facilities at key points of entry.

Raising awareness of symptoms and risks is key to ensuring preventative measures remain effective before the disease has a chance to sweep through the population.

Placing health offices on high alert for the virus should be backed up by health education campaigns and support.

Focus must be put on ensuring those groups most susceptible to infection, particularly pregnant women, children, and people with asthma, diabetes, and heart disease, are aware of the need to guard against infuenza symptoms by seeking treatment and taking precautions such as washing hands regularly to stop viruses spreading.

There is a real threat posed by the outbreak, but there is no reason why it should not be manageable.

Focus on raising awareness and at risk groups

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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High Court orders government to stop the violence February 16

deep purple blue The government is already using state law and order bodies such as the police, ansars, and the BGB to control the situation, but is largely failing to do so. Police and BGB have resorted to extra-judicial killings to control the situation, now only army deployment and declaring a state of emergency is left.

The court should have gone to the root of the problem, which is political in nature -- holding participatory elections under a

neutral government -- and asked the government to hold credible elections without further delay.

MSirajullah The government should legislate by banning the hartals and blockades forever. Hartals can be allowed for certain industries or businesses, for the interest of the employees of that entity, as it is practiced all over the world.

Nothing like our hartals exist anywhere else.

DT US embassy congratulates Afghanistan for win over Bangladesh!

Mob justice is no justice at all February 16

February 18

Adil Shah Wrong intel by the CIA, as usual. No surprises here folks.

Reazul Karim Adil Shah: They think this trick will bring them closer, hehe … think again.

Shama Shafiq Overcompensation.

Ishtiaq Hossain What a bunch of morons!

Reazul Karim Suckers.

Halima Qader Dufus.

Rashed Islam I’m sure it’s gonna cost someone’s job.

Dentist charged in death of patient getting 20 teeth pulled February 19

Gary Jon Julyan I have false teeth dear. I will courier them over for a scrap and polish this weekend.

Tnx Doc. Kaniz Khan Gary Jon Julyan: Hahahaha ... wait till I have you Gman. No really, this is pathetic. As he shouldve paid attention to her medical history, it’s important.

And 20 teeth in an office clinic? What was he thinking?

Salem Ahmed This is alarming, as a society, where are we heading? A culture of violence and taking law into own hands is not acceptable, but we need to examine the reasons behind. An atmosphere of insecurity is palpable everywhere, and these kinds of accidents are the outcomes of the situation at-hand.

Hasan Imam Parvez I liked your title: Mob justice is no justice at all -- which is applicable to all.

Ireland stun West Indies February 16 zia That should give Bangladesh some relief as they are not the only ones, as Ireland beat West Indies in their group match. If Ireland can start on a positive note and can secure their quarter final, than our Tigers can do it as well. They can beat Afghanistan, Scotland, and Sri Lanka easily. ROAR TIGER, ROAR!

Bite of the underdogs February 16 Evil People Politics The AAP have something that the BJP does not possess, a sense of modesty. But I can see how that alone cannot equate to political success.

DT

OPINION 13

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Adventures in airporting n Towheed Feroze

I REUTERS

What Nigeria faces n Junaed Shahid

N

igeria recently postponed the general election that was set to be held on February 14, 2015. The election commission moved the date to March 28 instead, citing lack of troops to guard polling stations due to ongoing insurgency by Boko Haram.

How they would bolster the number of troops in a month and a half was not explained. Critics think that the government sensed defeat in the elections and postponed it to hinder the momentum of the main opposition party, APC, with some even doubting whether the election would be held at all. The political landscape also shifted significantly over the last couple of years, with many ruling-party lawmakers switching parties to join the opposition.

The 2015 general election is set to be a watershed moment for the people of Africa’s largest nation. The ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), will be headed by the current president Goodluck Jonathan and the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC) party, will have former president and military dictator Muhammadu Buhari as the contender.

Many in Nigeria believe that the current government under President Goodluck Jonathan failed to defeat or even contain Boko Haram, and Muhammadu Buhari’s primary election pledge is to end the insurgency “within months,” if elected.

Despite ongoing efforts by the military and the government, Boko Haram continues to haunt the people of North East Nigeria, particularly Borno state. They also seem to cross the borders at will and threaten to destabilise Cameroon, Chad, and Niger (all bordering Borno). The group has separatist aspirations, and relies heavily on terrorising the people into submission, mainly through indiscriminate killings and kidnappings of unarmed civilians.

The Nigerian military has been mainly playing a role of containment in the past few years, and the government’s will to neutralise the group is regularly questioned by its opponents. From an economic development perspective, the Boko Haram insurgency has nearly crippled the economy of the Nigerian north, especially the north-eastern state Borno.

Nigeria’s second largest city Kano, which is located in the north and has been a traditional trading hub for over a thousand years, is also suffering from economic stagnation and lack of new investments.

Nigeria is no stranger to groups like Boko Haram; the country faced a similar but less deadly situation in the oil rich River delta state. The situation in that case was controlled

by the government through a 2004 peace deal with the local militias. In Boko Haram’s case no such clear-cut solution is in sight.

Boko Haram’s scare tactics have gone largely unnoticed by world media, even though the scale and death toll alone makes it one of the worst terrorist organisations in the world. They have indiscriminately attacked public places, and abducted unarmed civilians at will.

They managed to penetrate the heavily fortified capital city of Abuja on a couple of occasions last year, through attacks in a bus stop in Abuja in April 2014 and a market located in the affluent part of Abuja called Wuse 2 in June, 2014.

This was followed by abduction of 274 girls from Chibok and a fierce attack in Baga this January which might have killed in access of 2,000 people. There were numerous other attacks in Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria in that period that failed to get much international media attention.

Nigeria shares many characteristic traits with Bangladesh. Both countries were part of the British colonial empire, and since independence both faced numerous military coups and political upheavals. Also, rather embarrassingly, both were featured as the most corrupt nations in the world in the past couple of decades and continue to operate along that line at present.

In 2013, the then central governor of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi disclosed that he could not account for $20bn from oil revenues in the period of January 2012 to July 2013.

But his disclosure was faced with a collective shrug from the Nigerian public, who were not terribly surprised by the audacious claim. In Bangladesh, similar events occurred with all the past and present ruling party ministers and affiliates, and in some cases they were caught red-handed and faced limited consequences.

Nigerian politics and governance currently faces many hurdles, similar to that of Bangladesh, but there has been some major progress recently. The political parties in Nigeria are relatively democratic, as the party heads rotate and are nominated to be the presidential candidates to contest for elections.

In addition, the opposition has some form of political space to operate and express their opinion, and the country’s media is relatively free and openly criticises their government.

Despite all the hurdles, Nigeria is sure to face a free and fair election. It would be a step in the right direction, to allow the country to focus on more impending issues like diversifying their economy and defeating Boko Haram. l Junaed Shahid is a development professional.

have this rather annoying habit of looking at the horoscope at the beginning of the month. Sometimes I wonder why I do this since, in most cases, the predictions (the ones that provide the momentary thrills) never come true. The bad ones usually do, or maybe that’s how we think.

So, when the monthly forecast for Aries in March said “prepare for the unexpected,” I never took it too seriously until I ended up at the Shahjalal Airport on March 4, a Wednesday, all prepared to go to Kathmandu to attend an IFC seminar on hydro power.

With me I had none other than Sharier Khan, The Daily Star journalist, who’s also a specialist on energy, power, and water. For starters, the airport looked exceptionally clean, something which I had almost never noticed in the past.

The feeling was compounded when we went to use the toilet inside the immigration lounge. It was spotless and, for once, we could not smell “eau de urine” wafting in the air.

Additionally, the toilets looked as if they were renovated recently. Anyway, in the back of my mind I was waiting for the “flight is delayed” sign. We were flying Biman, and though there have been times when the national carrier kept to its timetable, the childhood memory of agonising waits at the Tejgaon Airport, back in the 70s, refused to go away.

If I remember correctly, back then, on one occasion, when the propeller-driven Fokker 27 failed to arrive after five hours, the announcer, noticing the wilted passengers, decided to add a tad of humour, saying: “Beiman (meaning “ingrate”) would be coming soon, so do not lose hope.”

It surely lifted the spirits of some forty odd desolate people.

Anyway, they do say: Think something nasty and then it happens … in Bengali ... jekhane baagher bhoy, sheikhanei shondhya hoi (darkness comes fast in an area with a tiger threat).

The flight was delayed by an hour! Okay, we thought, that’s not much.

“Shall we try the exclusive lounges on the top floor?” Sharier bhai suggested.

No new information on the flight was forthcoming. After about an hour, sensing something was amiss, we came down but no one could say what was happening.

I called the travel agent and got a real shocker: A Turkish Airline plane, trying to land in poor visibility conditions, veered off the runway and, therefore, the Kathmandu Airport was closed.

Within minutes, we found photos in our smartphones -- it looked ominous: A plane dangerously perched by the main runway, which meant no plane would be able to land unless it was removed.

Strangely, no other passenger belonging to the Kathmandu flight knew anything at all.

They were blithely moving about, looking at shops, young couples canoodling in the corners, and holiday-makers taking the delay in their strides.

A few quick calls confirmed that all flights to Nepal had been cancelled, and that meant other dignitaries, flying to attend the hydro power seminar, would not make it either.

First, go to the airport on-duty police

officer-in-charge, make an application to have the immigration seal cancelled, and then go downstairs to the arrival area and say that your trip has been cancelled. After this, you need to go out and collect your luggage, if you had checked in any suitcases that is.

We hurried to the police area where a stern looking man in uniform directed us to the man in charge, a smart looking fellow in white shirt and trousers, holding a wireless set.

As we began relating our predicament, the officer in charge dropped a bomb. Looking at me curiously he asked: “Aren’t you Toto bhai?” I was stunned -- only people who know me from my childhood and those who played, and still play, with me at the Dhaka University gymnasium field know my nickname. Jhashim, a keen sportsman, was now a responsible officer, a BCS cadre from the 2006 batch. I felt proud seeing him doing well in his career.

Seated in his room, we were given a template application where a passenger wishing to offload simply needs to put his name and signature.

While we waited, the case of a Tanzanian citizen, who had spent nine years in a Bangladeshi prison for illegal entry, was being settled. The man in question walked in and sat near us.

Walking with a limp, his face was the definition of innocence. Maybe looks can be deceiving, but sometimes a face truly speaks of the inner person. Remember what Oscar Wilde said in The Picture of Dorian Gray …

Formalities done, we came out. The luggage was not in the belt but a person from lost and found disappeared behind the conveyor and got the bag.

Cancelled flight, I said, walking out: “Kathmandu was a miss, but the duty-free shop wasn’t.” Out we came on a rain-cooled day, a little wiser about airport rules, carrying with us new memories and a fellow called Johnnie Walker. l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

BIGSTOCK

DT

14 OPINION

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

BIGSTOCK

No colour-blind cosmopolitanism n Garga Chatterjee

S

ince I am a Bengali, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has a special place in my heart. It is the nation-state where the largest number of my co-ethnic people live. Bangladesh was born partly out of a struggle to protect the dignity of Bangla, the mother tongue of many of its people, against assaults from Urdu, Pakistan’s state-sponsored language that served the purpose of fostering “national unity.”

Any multi-lingual nation-state that has policies favouring some languages over others as part of its unifying agenda is a state that is fundamentally insecure about diversity and views that as an existential threat, irrespective of politically correct official stances. “National unity” is the slogan aimed to silence those who point out this basic fact and want to maintain their own dignity.

A few decades after the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, Bangla has emerged as the dominant language of online media. The conscious twinning of vernacular media with technology has been behind this phenomenon of people being able to express and exchange thoughts in the cyber domain in their mother-tongue, including development of mass-manufactured Bangla keyboards.

In the whole of the subcontinent, this is an unmatched achievement. This comes with a very popular and vibrant blog-centric cyber-activism culture in Bangla where many ideological shades are represented -- from Liberation war idealists, Marxists, atheists, Islamists, feminists, secular and non-secular Bengali nationalists and so on. Sometimes blog-debates also influence off-line political discourse. In short, the Bangla blogosphere

plays a role in the political discourse of Bangladesh. This phenomenon is without match in the subcontinent.

Avijit Roy, a famous blogger who founded the blog Mukto Mona (freethinker) and a prolific and popular writer propagating rational and scientific spirit, was hacked to death in the university area of Dhaka on 26th February, in full view of by-standers and security forces.

His wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonna, has been very badly injured while trying to protect her husband. The assailants managed to slip away and still haven’t been found. Ansar Bangla-7, a little known Islamist group, has claimed responsibility for this murder.

He was personally an atheist. It must be supreme irony that atheist Avijit Roy was a “Malaun” (the Arabic meaning is precise -- one who is deprived of God’s mercy) in death. At least that’s how those who are happy about his brutal killing will remember him -- a blasphemous Malaun. There is a difference between those who want to protect the gods and those who believe that gods protect them. I happen to be in the latter category.

Earlier in February, Govind Pansare, veteran communist leader, rationalist, freethinker and social activist, was killed in Maharashtra.

The attack happened in broad daylight. One can be almost sure that his killers won’t be found. We also know typically in what situ-

Those whose mental worlds are colourless without being appendages to white culture and who respond reflexively to white #JeSuis symbolisms might do well to appreciate what a friend from Dhaka says

While there has been widespread condemnation of this event in Bangladesh, many Bengali Islamists have been openly jubilant on social media about Avijit’s death. They rue the fact that Avijit Roy put their religion under the scanner of rationalism and critiqued it thoroughly. Avijit also did this for all religions, including Hinduism -- the religion others falsely but automatically associated with him, given his family origins.

ations the police can’t find the killers. These are unholy times in the subcontinent with the ferocious rise of portable religion with communitarian faith-systems being under constant assault. This is a disturbing scenario. One cannot simply point at an ogre called Pakistan and feel smug anymore.

Some brown people are very sensitive to the plight of whites in Whiteland and take to protesting the horrible killings of French

cartoonists. They have a certain idea of the “world” and the “global.” Of course, the majority of the world appears like backward creatures to them, not worthy of the same kind of sympathy and solidarity.

Some Delhi people had turned up at the French embassy after the cartoonists’ killings. There was no such protest in Delhi for Avijit Roy. It was left to Kolkata to organise a street-protest in solidarity with another Bengali.

That is fine but it’s important to note that the contours of fashionable brown cosmopolitanism has never been colour-blind. Ask them the name of any Indonesian intellectual. Their faces will show 50 shades of incredulity -- Indonesian intellectual?

Those whose mental worlds are colourless without being appendages to white culture and who respond reflexively to white #JeSuis symbolisms might do well to appreciate what a friend from Dhaka says: “There is difference in terms of power between a Hindu blogger, the weakest of weak in Bangladesh, and a satire magazine run by majority white French men in France.”

When you see pictures from the “good days” of 1960s and 70s when Afghanistan was but a cool stopover in the white hippie trail running across many national borders from Turkey to Goa, hold off your identification with that “liberty.”

No group of only browns was allowed to go from Goa to Turkey “for fun.” Let us learn to respect our dead without imported tears.

Before we imagine a world where we will live as one, we first need to stop playing John Lennon’s song as we work towards such a world. l Garga Chatterjee is a political and cultural commentator. He can be followed on twitter @gargac.

16

Pakistan moves to widen tax net, but big fish yet to be caught

17

China takes lessons from Japan, past master on slowdown, deflation

19

Stocks slide for 6th session

20

DT

Business

15

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Muhith: Ill attempt going on to stop economic progress

FBCCI seeks rise in turnover ceiling for VAT in small, cottage industries

n Tribune Report

An aerial view of factories at the Korean Export Processing Zone in Chittagong

KEPZ: Foreign investment hampered by land grabbing n Tushar Hayat, Chittagong Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) authorities alleged that some local influential people had grabbed 11 acres of its land, hindering foreign investment and employment generation in the zone.

Police and district administrations were not doing enough to recapture the lands from the grabbers, officials told a press conference yesterday.

“The land-grabbers are eating into our lands, which prevents development works and foreign investment in the KEPZ. But we are getting no sufficient help from police and district administrations,” KEPZ managing director Brigadier General (Retd) Hasan Nasir said.

He said the local land-grabbers had grabbed 11 acres of land in the name of graveyard.

MD said the district administration, however, retrieved four acres which were yet to be

demarcated.

“We sent 13 letters since 1999. But no response yet and the land-grabbers have been using the chance (of not demarcation).”

The district administration was yet to give them the Deed of Transfer and Mutation of Land, Nasir Hasan said, adding that they were unable to accommodate foreign investors at the zone for this reason.

“We cannot lease out industrial plots to foreign investors as the Deed of Transfer and Mutation of Land have not been provided,” he said.

Youngone have just set up four industrial units at the zone, where 10,000 people have been employed, he added.

MD also said if they got the Deed of Transfer and Mutation of Land, they would be able to increase employment to 50,000 at the KEPZ in two years.

He alleged some local workers drew sala-

ries from KEPZ without doing any work. When the salaries were stopped, they started waging movement against the decision, Nasir said.

Mohammed Saiful Islam, another official, said then Prime Minister approved a proposal of KEPZ on August 3 in 1995.

He said they had applied for land on December 13 in 1996 and received land on August 3 in 1999.

The KEPZ sources said they had built 22 factory buildings, 24 kilometres of roads, a female dormitory for 5,400 workers and a golf course and planted 1.7m trees.

Various other development works are also underway on about 2,500 acres of land in the zone.

A high official of the KEPZ said they were just provided with the licence. He said they could provide jobs to at least 100,000 people of Bangladesh if everything remained in their favour. l

Lending rules for cold storage eased n BSS

Bangladesh Bank (BB) yesterday eased further the procedure of bank loan for the owners of cold storages affected by ongoing political violence, particularly those in the northern region.

The central bank in a circular said the affected cold storages would not have to make fresh down payment in case of taking fresh loan for working capital. However, the goods of the cold storage should cover the loan amount.

Earlier on January 29, the central bank eased the loan repay-

KEPZ

ment for the owners of the cold storages, allowing them five to eight years for paying back their outstanding loans.

The cold storage owners, who borrowed money from banks as project loans, are now getting eight years for loan repayment in half-yearly installments. The repayment period is five years for the owners of the cold storages who borrowed for working capital.

BB also allowed the owners of the cold storages, who rescheduled their loans earlier, get the fresh loan rescheduling facilities. l

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) yesterday urged the government to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) turn over ceiling to Tk36 lakh from existing Tk24 lakh for the small and cottage industries.

FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed made the call at a meeting with the Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his secretariat office in the city yesterday.

The apex trade body also proposed to introduce multiple VAT system instead of flat 15% to help facilitate the small business.

It also argued that this type of rates was being practiced in many developed and developing countries such as France, China, Malaysia and other EU countries.

“We’ve proposed the government to introduce multiple VAT system instead of flat 15%,’’ Akram told the reporters after the meeting.

“Although it won’t be possible for the government to implement all the demands altogether, it will be possible to implement in phases,” said Akram as quoting the minister.

He also mentioned that during the meeting he discussed about 10 recommendations and the minister agreed on five issues while he took note on others for further discussion and consideration. Replying to a question, Akram said: “We will try to help the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to have better understanding about the country’s economic situation and will also consider the logic of IMF’ in this regard.”

He, however, said, “It is not necessary for us to abide by all the IMF conditions.”

A nine-member panel, headed by a former National Board of Revenue member, put forward its recommendations to Finance Minister AMA Muhith early January.

The panel suggested the revenue authority to impose multiple VAT rates, instead of the universal 15% in all areas. It also recommended raising the ceiling of turnover VAT to Tk36 lakh from Tk24 lakh to facilitate growth of small and cottage industries especially in the rural area. l

DT

16 BUSINESS

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Kuwait: Oil price likely to stabilise at $50-60 n AFP, Kuwait City World crude prices are expected to gain this year or at least stabilise at between $50 and $60 a barrel, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Ali al-Omair was quoted as saying.

“Forecasts for the oil price this year indicate that it will gain or at least stabilise between $50 and $60 a barrel,” the official KUNA news agency quoted Omair as saying late on Saturday in Bahrain.

The minister said prices are currently supported by conflict in Iraq and Libya and by a drop in sand oil and shale oil output.

But that is counterbalanced by slow global economic growth, which is dampening demand, Omair said.

World prices dropped at close on Friday as the dollar rose sharply, making dollar-priced crude more expensive for buyers using weaker foreign currencies.

West Texas Intermediate for delivery in April slid $1.15 to $49.61 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, ending near its week-ago level.

Brent North Sea crude for April, the international benchmark, dropped 75 cents to $59.73 a barrel in London. l

Pakistan has begun chasing wealthy tax-dodgers who enjoy lives of extravagance and luxury, but revenue officials face huge challenges in trying to force the very richest AFP

Pakistan moves to widen tax net, but big fish yet to be caught n AFP, Islamabad Pakistan has begun chasing wealthy tax-dodgers who enjoy lives of extravagance and luxury, but revenue officials face huge challenges in trying to force the very richest - and most influential - to pay up.

Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio of 9.5% is among the lowest in the world and the government is under pressure from foreign donors and lenders, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to increase collection to boost the struggling economy.

Revenue authorities say they have identified about a quarter of a million new taxpayers who they project will add around 14bn rupees ($140m) to government coffers.

Broadening the tax base and improving the economy after years of drift and sluggish growth under the last government was a key pledge in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s 2013 election campaign, when he was swept to power for a third time.

Currently less than one percent of Pakistanis pay income tax and the government collected just $8 billion in total income tax in the 2013-14 fiscal year - barely enough to cover just the country’s defence expenditure of $7bn.

The finance ministry is aiming to boost the tax-to-GDP ratio to 15% in the current fiscal year ending June 30.

As part of those efforts, the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) is compiling lifestyle and vehicle data to try to trace unregistered taxpayers, including wealthy landlords and businessmen zipping between their luxury homes

in imported Mercedes.

“We are collecting information from the vehicle registration authority, car manufacturers, utility companies, telecom companies and property registration offices and tracing people who are not paying any tax,” FBR spokesman Shahid Hussain told AFP.

Taxpayer profiles

The data is used to generate profiles of potential taxpayers, after which demands are issued for them to pay income tax.

“FBR has already issued notices to 261,250 potential tax payers,” Hussain told AFP, adding that that new taxpayers have paid 570m rupees since the crackdown started.

It is not just dodgy businessmen who have been caught - several lawmakers have been found paying either no tax or very little and not filing their mandatory annual tax statements.

The FBR has taken punitive measures against some “chronic defaulters”, freezing nearly 300 bank accounts, seizing more than 100 vehicles, putting 78 properties up for sale and issuing arrest warrants in 40 cases.

“Employing information technology, the FBR is creating a central database which would contain information about all taxpayers and nobody will be left undetected,” Hussain said.

A new FBR department tasked with broadening the task net started working in July 2013 and within one year it started showing results, he added.

But Pakistan is a country where wealth and political influence go hand in hand.

For generations, landowners and industrialists have given patronage to political parties and scant attention has been paid to their assets by the taxman.

Changing this privileged arrangement is a tricky proposition.

Umar Cheema, an investigative journalist for Pakistani daily The News who has done several major exposes on tax-dodgers, says the FBR’s commitment is encouraging, but he does not expect them to net any big fish.

‘War on tax cheats’

“FBR is after those who can’t influence them,” Cheema told AFP, citing several well-known tycoons considered among Pakistan’s richest whose names were missing from a list of the country’s top 100 taxpayers.

“It can be done only by waging a war against tax cheaters without discrimination of good and bad cheaters,” Cheema said.

Pakistan’s central bank said in a recent report that tax revenue growth was not keeping up with budget targets.

The tax take grew 11.7% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, against an annual target of 26.9% - but this was only half the growth of the same period during the previous fiscal year, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The central bank has urged the government to simplify tax procedures and do more to increase the documentation of the economy.

A vast amount of business in Pakistan is done off the books, making transactions hard to trace and levy dues on. l

Apple takes leap into new territory with smartwatch n AFP, San Francisco Apple’s hotly-anticipated smartwatch is expected to debut today as the trend-setting firm sets out to make stylish wrist-worn computers must-have accessories for modern lifestyles.

Industry trackers say Apple Watch will star at a media event being held at the same San Francisco theater where the California tech giant introduced the iPad. Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook has revealed little about the sophisticated wrist wear, but has said that he “can’t live without it.”

The company announced its plans for Apple Watch last year to much fanfare and has said it would begin shipping in April.

It will mark Apple’s first new product type since the iPad in 2010.

Apple has indicated that the entry price would be $349 in the United States, and that two different sizes would be available in three collections, including the “Apple Watch Edition,” featuring 18-karat gold cases in yellow or rose, sapphire crystal and finely crafted bands and closures.

The Apple device will connect with the iPhone, and also have a range of apps and sensors, notably for health and fitness.

The watch is also expected to include map software that guides people to destinations with gentle “taps” on the wrist.

Fitness apps on the Apple Watch and its rivals could spell trouble for makers of fitness bands from companies like Jawbone, Fitbit and Nike.

“Apple is poised to once again show how computing platforms are won or lost on the one-two punch of eager consumers and hungry ecosystem partners,” said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey.

Apple reportedly had to scale back health tracking features on the watch after some sensors didn’t rise to the challenges. l

DT

BUSINESS 17

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

China February trade surplus hits record $60.6bn n AFP, Beijing

Workers set up a scaffolding on a building site in Shanghai

AFP

China takes lessons from Japan, past master on slowdown, deflation n Reuters, Shanghai Chinese regulators are turning to Japan for lessons on economic history, determined to keep the world’s second biggest economy from taking the same path of recession and deflation that has blighted its neighbour for the past 20 years.

Beijing views Tokyo’s handling of the liberalisation of capital flows and the yen over 30 years ago as key factors that led to the creation and subsequent bust of the asset bubble in Japan in the early 1990s, according to Japanese government and other sources who are in direct contact with Chinese regulators.

“They aren’t a single bit interested in Japan’s successes. Their biggest interest is in Japan’s mistakes,” one China-based source who is directly in touch with Chinese regulators told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“Japanese and Chinese economies do share many similarities, so I assume there is quite a lot to learn from our experiences.”

Chinese policymakers and analysts at government think-tanks are already well versed in the experiences of Japan and other countries, and the sources say two-way communication at both government and private-sector level continued even through a chill in diplomatic ties after a territorial spat in 2012.

But as economic growth slows and signs of deflation emerge, China’s interest in Japan has increased notably around policy details, according to the sources.

At an annual parliamentary meeting that began on Thursday, China announced an economic growth target of around 7% for this year, down from 7.4% in 2014, already the slowest in 24 years.

Lost decades

china is carrying out three key financial reforms Japan undertook over the past decades - liberalising interest rates, internationalising its currency and opening up its capital account.

These reforms should help develop the economy, but mis-steps could have huge repercussions.

Chinese policymakers see the 1985 Plaza Accord between Japan and the Western powers, which effectively approved a stronger yen and the opening up of the capital account during the 1980s and 1990s, as pivotal events for Tokyo which ultimately led to the Japan’s “lost two decades”, sources say.

The surge in the yen that followed the agreement hit the country’s main exports; Japanese auto makers, for example, started shifting more production overseas. This started to hamper economic growth and prompted the Bank of Japan to ease monetary policy.

However, much of the cash from the easing, along with hot foreign money that followed the liberalisation of the capital account, flowed into stocks, property and other assets, often magnified through leveraging.

“China is already applying lessons from Japan’s experience. Even when growth is slowing, Chinese policymakers aren’t taking policy measures that could heighten financial imbalances. That’s very wise of them,” Bank of Japan board member Takahide Kiuchi told a news conference in Maebashi, north of Tokyo, on Thursday.

He said that even when asset bubbles were forming, Japan wasn’t able to tighten monetary policy because of the impacts it would

have on the United States, its biggest partner.

“One of the lessons from Japan’s experience is that achieving domestic economic stability should be the top priority for policymakers (rather than international considerations),” Kiuchi added.

Debt risk

china has other challenges that echo Japan’s past.

Its property market has cooled since the government tightened policy to prevent overheating and due to oversupply, and that, coupled with economic slowdown, is raising fears of a rapid rise in bad loans at banks and a further dent in local government finances.

Sources said regulators have also been asking how Japan dealt with bank bankruptcies, and that could be a signal Beijing is preparing for a likely consolidation in the fragmented banking sector once interest rates are liberalised.

“It makes perfects sense for them to look to Japan rather than other countries since our financial systems are very similar,” said another Shanghai-based source.

Like Japan, Chinese firms rely heavily on bank loans to meet their financing needs as opposed to debt or equity issues. Also China heavily regulates its banking sector, for example by limiting the number and locations where banks can open branches, similar to Japan in the 1970s and 1980s.

“The consolidation in the banking sector Japan saw in the 70s and 80s was mainly a result of stronger banks rescuing weaker ones so they could expand their network. It’s possible this kind of move will happen in China,” the source said. l

China’s monthly trade surplus hit $60.6bn in February, the government said Sunday, a new record for the world’s second-largest economy.

Exports leapt 48.3% year-on-year to $169.2bn while imports fell 20.5% to $108.6bn, Customs said on its website.

The country’s trade surplus, long a source of tensions with its trading partners, rose above a previous all-time monthly high of $60bn recorded in January.

But analysts were pessimistic about the outlook for China’s exports and blamed the weak imports reading on falling commodity prices, with stringent bank financing for traders also a factor.

China is a key driver of global growth but its economy grew 7.4% in 2014, its weakest for almost a quarter of a century, and recent indicators show signs the slowdown is continuing.

Customs attributed the surge in exports to a rise in outbound shipments ahead of the Lunar New Year, which fell on February 19 this year.

“Affected by the Spring Festival factors, export companies in the country again rushed to export ahead of the holiday and only resumed working after it,” the statement said.

The Lunar New Year fell on January 31 in 2014, followed by a week-long national holiday, leading to a low comparison base for this February.

For the first two months of the year, China’s trade surplus totalled $120.7bn, said the statement.

The figure stood at $8.9bn in the same period last year, Customs data showed.

“We still see strong headwinds facing China’s exports this year,” ANZ economists Liu Ligang and Zhou Hao said in a research note, pointing to a continuing contraction streak in export orders.

Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday announced a lowered growth target of “approximately seven percent” for 2015, and - underscoring concern - the central People’s Bank of China last weekend cut benchmark interest rates for the second time in three months.

Li also cut China’s trade growth target for this year to “around six percent”, after trade expanded 3.4% last year, below the 7.5% goal and the third consecutive year it had been missed amid softened domestic and foreign demand.

China’s huge trade surpluses were long a source of friction with the United States as the workshop of the world pumped out manufactured goods and US debt mounted, but the issue has receded in more recent years.

In the January-February period, China’s exports to the European Union, the United States and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the top three trade partners of the country, increased by 13%, 21.2% and 38.4% respectively.

But imports from all three regions declined, falling 10.3% with the EU, 16.7% with the US and 18.2% with the ASEAN countries, indicating domestic demand in China remained weak.

China’s exports to Japan, with which it is embroiled in bitter disputes over maritime territory and wartime history, fell 4.1% in the two-month period, while imports from the neighbour decreased by 13.8%. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures UNIONCAP: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014. Date of AGM: 31.03.2015, Time: 10:30 AM, Venue: Spectra Convention Centre Ltd. (2nd floor), Gulshan-1, Dhaka. Record date: 16.03.2015. The Company has also reported consolidated net profit after tax of Tk. 199.99 million, consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.65, consolidated NAV per Share of Tk. 14.95 and consolidated NOCFPS of Tk. 0.91 for the year ended on December 31, 2014 as against Tk. 141.76 million, Tk. 1.17 (restated), Tk. 16.63 (restated) and Tk. 2.79 (restated) respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2013 SHASHADNIM: (Q3): The Company has reported its profit after tax Tk. 89.05 million and basic EPS Tk. 1.85 for the 3 (three) months ended on 30 September 2014 (Jul 2014Sep 2014) as against profit after tax of Tk. (42.08) million and basic EPS of Tk. (0.88) for the same period of the previous year. It is to be noted that basic EPS has been calculated based on weighted average Pre-IPO paid-up number of shares i.e. 48,076,200 shares for both periods. However, considering Post-IPO 98,076,200 number of shares the Companys basic EPS for the 3 (three) months ended on 30 September 2014 would be Tk. 0.91. For the period of 9 (nine) months (Jan 2014 to Sep 2014) ended on 30 September 2014 profit after tax was Tk. 96.55 million and basic EPS was Tk. 2.01 as against profit after tax of Tk. 107.86 million and basic EPS of Tk. 2.24 for the same period of the previous year. It is to be noted that the said EPS has been calculated based on weighted average Pre-IPO paid-up number of shares i.e. 48,076,200 shares for both periods. However, considering Post-IPO 98,076,200 number of shares, Companys basic EPS would be Tk. 0.98 for 9 (nine) months ended on 30 September 2014 (Jan 2014 to Sep 2014) and NAV per share would be Tk. 45.68 as on 30 September 2014.

BSC: In connection with the Corporations earlier news (disseminated by DSE on May 04, 2014) the Corporation has further informed that a proposal of procuring 6 (six) new vessels under Preferential/ Concessional loan of Chinese Government has been approved in the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase.

KPCL: In connection with the Companys earlier news (disseminated

by DSE on November 13, 2014) the Company has further informed that the Honble High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has sanctioned the Scheme of Amalgamation (without modification) proposing merger of Khanjahan Ali Power Company Ltd. & Khulna Power Company Unit II Ltd. (Transferor Companies) with Khulna Power Company Ltd. (Transferee Company) vide a judgment and order dated 03.03.2015 passed in Company Matter No. 322 of 2014. As a result, Khulna Power Company Ltd. shall take over, amongst others, all licenses, permissions, assets and liabilities of the Transferor Companies and shall continue to be as a going concern whilst the Transferor Companies shall be stricken out from the Company register kept with RJSC.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company Ifad Autos -N Shahjibazar Power-N Anwar Galvanizing-B National Polymer -A WesternMarine -N SAIF Powertec-N PrimeFin. 1st MF-A National Feed-N SonarBangla Insu. -A Shurwid Ind. -N

Closing (% Change) 9.89 7.75 7.37 6.96 6.92 6.19 5.22 4.94 4.52 4.42

CSE GAINER Company PrimeFin. 1st MF-A Ifad Autos -N Hakkani P& Paper -B ISN Ltd. -Z AMCL 2nd MF-A WesternMarine -N Shurwid Ind. -N Sinobangla Indu.-A SAIF Powertec-N Reckitt Benckiser -A

Closing (% Change) 9.92 9.91 9.65 9.48 6.82 6.70 6.28 6.08 5.89 5.76

DSE LOSER Company Fareast Finance-Z Provati Insur.-A Imam Button -Z LafargeS Cement-Z Meghna Con. Milk -B Sonali Ansh -A Meghna PET Ind. -Z National Tubes -A BATBCL -A GreenDeltaInsu -A

Closing (% Change) -12.26 -5.81 -5.50 -5.16 -5.06 -4.72 -4.62 -4.52 -4.04 -3.89

CSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Fareast Finance-Z Peoples Insur -A Dhaka Bank -A Apex Tannery -A Kay & Que (BD) -Z Imam Button -Z LafargeS Cement-Z Bata Shoe Ltd. -A AMCL (Pran) -A Islamic Finance-A

-9.68 -8.33 -7.65 -7.32 -7.04 -6.36 -5.84 -5.70 -5.21 -4.49

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features March-8, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

2,490.67 57,006,762 91,114

Traded Issues

305

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

85

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

211

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

9

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,512.26

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.45

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 184.88 143.63 28.25 519.08 65.97 364.69 2.08 316.35 233.81 11.95 163.16 11.16 12.93 160.79 54.74 12.18 29.24 72.30 14.62 88.77 0.09

% change 7.42 5.77 1.13 20.84 2.65 14.64 0.08 12.70 9.39 0.48 6.55 0.45 0.52 6.46 2.20 0.49 1.17 2.90 0.59 3.56 0.00

Million Taka 19.73 5.38 1.87 42.42 2.94 30.45 49.50 14.76 1.80 8.90 0.25 1.17 20.39 4.51 0.26 2.10 13.90 3.35 13.23 0.02

Average (% Change) 7.41 5.57 6.56 2.60 3.78 3.10 9.44 4.05 5.00 2.74

Average (% Change) 9.21 7.02 9.60 7.93 6.33 4.17 4.11 3.63 2.90 5.76

Average (% Change) -9.23 -6.13 -6.12 -1.37 -4.45 -3.27 -4.76 -4.17 -3.05 -3.23

Average (% Change) -7.37 -8.24 -7.50 -7.32 -7.04 -6.63 -2.87 -5.70 -5.21 -4.04

CSE

ClosingAvg. 58.14 237.74 36.06 78.47 43.70 65.21 14.26 27.26 16.17 23.27

ClosingAvg. 14.35 57.79 25.00 12.52 4.70 43.71 23.32 27.15 64.96 1322.00

ClosingAvg. 13.97 16.09 10.28 110.65 7.51 110.90 6.20 119.71 2925.41 57.29

ClosingAvg. 14.21 17.60 18.13 125.41 13.20 10.28 110.09 1,273.10 200.00 14.97

% change 8.33 2.27 0.79 17.90 1.24 12.85 0.00 20.89 6.23 0.76 3.76 0.11 0.49 8.60 1.90 0.11 0.89 5.87 1.41 5.58 0.01

Closing 60.00 244.80 36.40 81.40 44.80 66.90 14.10 27.60 16.20 23.60

Closing 14.40 59.90 25.00 12.70 4.70 44.60 23.70 27.90 66.50 1322.00

Closing 13.60 16.20 10.30 110.30 7.50 109.00 6.20 118.30 2895.50 56.90

Closing 14.00 17.60 18.10 125.40 13.20 10.30 109.60 1,273.10 200.00 14.90

Million Taka 204.62 149.01 30.12 561.50 68.92 395.14 2.08 365.85 248.57 13.75 172.06 11.41 14.10 181.18 59.25 12.45 31.34 86.20 17.96 102.00 0.10

DHIGH

DLOW

60.00 247.00 36.70 82.90 45.00 67.30 14.50 27.70 16.90 23.90

DHIGH 14.40 59.90 25.00 12.70 4.70 44.90 24.00 28.00 66.70 1322.00

55.00 230.00 34.10 76.30 41.90 63.00 13.90 26.40 15.10 22.70

DLOW 14.00 55.70 25.00 11.70 4.70 41.70 22.60 26.40 62.60 1322.00

DHIGH

DLOW

14.60 16.30 11.10 115.90 7.60 115.00 6.50 125.00 2960.00 58.20

13.60 16.20 10.00 109.50 7.40 108.00 6.00 116.00 2870.00 56.80

DHIGH

DLOW

14.40 17.60 18.20 125.50 13.20 10.30 115.00 1,273.10 200.00 15.30

Total

14.00 17.60 18.10 125.40 13.20 10.00 107.00 1,273.10 200.00 14.70

% change 7.50 5.46 1.10 20.59 2.53 14.49 0.08 13.41 9.11 0.50 6.31 0.42 0.52 6.64 2.17 0.46 1.15 3.16 0.66 3.74 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

Turnover in Million

Latest EPS

155.247 160.909 7.572 57.249 74.435 65.279 8.935 21.325 0.072 9.460

Turnover in Million

1.92 8.68 0.64 3.30 1.76 2.50 1.13 1.37 1.77 0.72

Latest EPS

1.104 12.953 0.025 0.225 0.002 14.424 1.293 0.723 5.048 0.001

Turnover in Million

30.3 27.4 56.3 23.8 24.8 26.1 12.6 19.9 9.1 32.3

Latest PE

1.13 1.92 0.42 0.13 0.84 1.76 0.72 1.27 2.50 42.33

Latest EPS

4.592 0.028 0.238 129.853 0.226 2.025 0.075 12.792 2.706 0.275

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

12.7 30.1 59.5 96.3 5.6 24.8 32.4 21.4 26.0 31.2

Latest PE

1.88 1.97 -1.48 2.43 -4.42 0.64 -0.44 -1.36 104.70 2.96

Latest EPS

0.397 0.018 0.002 0.031 0.001 0.064 16.170 0.004 0.009 0.219

7.4 8.2 -ve 45.5 -ve 173.3 -ve -ve 27.9 19.4

Latest PE

1.88 2.25 1.36 3.38 -1.41 -1.48 2.43 52.96 6.50 1.21

7.6 7.8 13.3 37.1 -ve -ve 45.3 24.0 30.8 12.4

CSE key features March-8, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

236.94 6,369,463 16,266

Traded Issues

223

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

82

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

133

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,389.21

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.96

DT

BUSINESS 19

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Stocks slide for 6th session n Tribune Report

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Shahjibazar Power-N Ifad Autos -N Shasha Denims -N LafargeS Cement-Z SummitAlliancePort.-A IDLC Finance -A WesternMarine -N SAIF Powertec-N National Polymer -A BD Submarine Cable-A

Square Pharma -A Khulna Power-A Quasem Drycells -A ACI Limited- A Beximco Pharma -A

VolumeShares 676,833 2,670,315 3,630,860 1,173,530 1,413,761 1,144,865 1,703,315 1,001,114 729,605 358,688

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Shasha Denims -N Shahjibazar Power-N LafargeS Cement-Z WesternMarine -N Ifad Autos -N BD Submarine Cable-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A MJL BD Ltd.-A SAIF Powertec-N Singer BD -A

National Feed-N Social Islami. B-A SummitAlliancePort.-A HeidelbergCement -A Square Pharma -A

163,515 745,069 609,121 85,366 615,383

VolumeShares

962,753 77,152 146,874 330,016 224,127 83,556 174,487 42,218 77,708 18,093

140,782 234,718 55,319 6,223 11,790

Value in Million 160.91 155.25 134.29 129.85 91.58 79.05 74.44 65.28 57.25 47.28

42.35 40.74 38.29 35.50 34.37

Value in Million

35.49 18.25 16.17 14.42 12.95 11.06 5.50 5.16 5.05 3.96

3.85 3.64 3.59 3.19 3.05

% of TotalTurnover 6.46 6.23 5.39 5.21 3.68 3.17 2.99 2.62 2.30 1.90

1.70 1.64 1.54 1.43 1.38

% of TotalTurnover

14.98 7.70 6.82 6.09 5.47 4.67 2.32 2.18 2.13 1.67

1.63 1.53 1.51 1.35 1.29

ClosingP 244.80 60.00 37.20 110.30 64.70 68.80 44.80 66.90 81.40 130.60

259.30 55.10 63.60 414.10 55.80

ClosingP

Change % 7.75 9.89 0.27 -5.16 -0.46 -1.99 6.92 6.19 6.96 -2.76

0.43 -1.61 3.75 -0.91 -1.24

Change %

37.20 234.50 109.60 44.60 59.90 130.50 31.60 122.70 66.50 217.90

27.60 15.50 64.90 513.80 259.10

0.27 2.85 -5.84 6.70 9.91 -2.90 0.32 0.33 5.89 -0.59

3.76 -1.90 0.00 -0.43 0.04

ClosingY 227.20 54.60 37.10 116.30 65.00 70.20 41.90 63.00 76.10 134.30

258.20 56.00 61.30 417.90 56.50

ClosingY

37.10 228.00 116.40 41.80 54.50 134.40 31.50 122.30 62.80 219.20

26.60 15.80 64.90 516.00 259.00

DHIGH 247.00 60.00 38.00 115.90 65.50 70.00 45.00 67.30 82.90 135.40

262.00 56.10 63.90 419.70 56.90

DLOW 230.00 55.00 36.20 109.50 64.00 68.50 41.90 63.00 76.30 130.00

258.00 53.50 61.20 413.00 55.40

DHIGH

DLOW

38.00 246.50 115.00 44.90 59.90 135.00 31.80 123.40 66.70 221.90

36.00 226.20 107.00 41.70 55.70 129.50 31.30 121.00 62.60 217.10

27.70 15.70 65.50 515.00 261.00

26.60 15.30 64.10 510.20 258.20

AvgPrice 237.74 58.14 36.99 110.65 64.78 69.04 43.70 65.21 78.47 131.81

259.00 54.68 62.85 415.84 55.85

4624.94864

(-) 0.86%

1712.29821

(-) 1.06%

14140.89530

(-) 0.84%

11720.08460

(-) 0.53%

8623.98810

(-) 0.56%

ANALYST

AvgPrice

36.87 236.54 110.09 43.71 57.79 132.42 31.54 122.32 64.96 218.88

27.35 15.49 64.86 512.15 259.07

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index :

Stock markets ground lower yesterday amid concerns about possible bleak economic outlook as a political deadlock continued in the country.

The benchmark DSEX index lost almost 40 points or 0.9% to settle at 4,625, extending its losing streak for the sixth straight session.

The Shariah index DSES was marginally down 9 points or 0.9% to 1,103. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,712, dropping18 points or 1%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, declined 49 points to 8,617.

“Fear over the economy battered by the blockades and strikes continued to weigh on stocks,” said a stock broker.

The country is suffering from non-stop shutdown and a series of strikes countrywide since January 6 called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance demanding fresh national election under the neutral government.

Trading activities also continued the declining trend, as most investors remained inactive in putting funds on stocks. Turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange stood at Tk249 crore, down 6.5% over

the previous session.

Almost all the sectors also closed red, except telecommunication and power which ended marginally higher.

Cement sector lost lustre slipping 3.5%, dragged down by heavyweight Lafarge Surma Cement that lost over 5% due its lower-than-expected dividend decelerations. The company announced 5% cash dividend for its shareholders for the last year.

Food & allied has also posted heavy losses of more than 3%. Other sectors such as banks, non-banking financial institutions and pharmaceuticals closed lower.

IDLC Investments said depression eclipsed the market as solution to political uncertainty seems farfetched, in the near term.

“With terror in the back of mind, investors stood on their toe to sell off their holdings at signs of worsening. As a result, market faced persistent gradual downtrend with occasional shakeout in specific sessions.”

Despite its share trading now under regulator lens due to recent abnormal price hike, Shahjibazar Power Company continued to flex its muscle, as it gained highest of 7.7% and topped the turnover list with shares worth Tk16 crore changing hands. l

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Depression eclipsed the market as solution to political uncertainty seems far-fetched, in the near term

DT

20 BUSINESS

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Kamal asks officials to implement projects timely to save money n Tribune Report

Despite efforts like guarding goods-laden trucks during the blockade, the country’s economic activities get hampered

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Muhith: Ill attempt going on to stop economic progress n BSS Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith yesterday said Bangladesh is already on the path towards becoming a middle-income country, but ill attempt is being conducted to stop its socio-economic progress.

Mentioning it as a temporary crisis, Muhith said the government along with the common people’s heroic role would resist such anti-people activities within a short period.

He made the remarks while placing a report on the first and second quarter implementation, progress, trend of earnings and expenditure as well as macro economic analysis on the current year’s budget in the House.

“The revenue income has gone up by 13.2% during the July-December period in the current financial year over the corresponding period of last fiscal year,” Muhith told the house.

But the government’s expenditure went down by 1% to Tk76,798 crore during the period in the current fiscal year against Tk76,854 crore spent during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year, he added.

Besides, the implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) increased by 10% in the same period of the current Fiscal Year compared to the last year’s July-December period, he said.

He also told the House that the export earnings increased to US$14.9 billion in the first two quarters of the current fiscal year, 1.6% higher than that in the July-December period in 2013-2014.

During the same time, the country’s imports rose to US$ 22.3 billion, 18.3% higher than that of the corresponding period of the last fiscal year, the Finance Minister said in his report.

According to the report, the opening of the

Letters of Credit (LCs) and their disposals increased to 13.2% and 10.1% respectively during the July-December period of the current financial year.

The minister said the country’s remittance earning during the period rose by 10.6% from 8.5% of the same period during the last fiscal year, thus the foreign currency reserve reaching to US$22.3 billion till December last.

Muhith in his report also said that the inflation rate on a point-to-point basis declined to 6.1% in December last from 7.3% of the previous year’s same period.

Meanwhile, the government implemented the major portion of the previous year’s budget promised in 2013-2014,” the finance minister said, adding, “the people are now getting the fruits of the government’s relentless efforts exerted over the last five years in the key sectors like power and energy.” l

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday said development works to upgrade living standard of the people are not affected by the ongoing countrywide blockade and strike.

“The pace of ADP (annual development programme) implementation in the first eight months of this year is as good as it was in the same period a year ago,” said the minister in reply to a question.

He was briefing the newsmen after a meeting with heads of development and planning divisions of all ministries at the NEC conference room yesterday.

Since January 6 last, the non-stop transport blockade and a series of strikes enforced by the 20-party alliance continued in the country.

The renewed political strife was triggered by not allowing the alliance to hold a rally protesting the national election held on January 5 last year when the ruling party came to power through “controversial” election.

The planning minister asked the officials to take right decision in right time to implement the development projects within the timeframe. “It will automatically reduce wastage of money, if project implementation period is not extended.”

He also directed them to be innovative in making such projects so the country gets benefits of employment generation and increased production within a shortest possible time after the investment.

Laying emphasis on bringing down time between project adoption and its approval, he said it would help save time and implement the projects fast.

About the mode of projects in the next fiscal year, the minister said the projects will be taken keeping sustainable economic development in mind by creating employment and boosting production. “Importance will also be given on human resource development, education, IT sector and social safety net programmes.”

The meeting also discussed about the strategy to remove difficulties in implementing development projects faster. l

7th PSDPCC meeting to be held in April

CSE organises training programme for n Tribune Report TREC-holders A delegation of BUILD-led by its Chairman Asif Ibrahim met the Prime Minister’s Princin Tribune Business Desk pal Secretary Abul Kalam Azad at PMO in the The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) yesterday organised a day-long training program for TREC holders on Anti-Money Laundering & Combating Financing of Terrorism, Good Governance and Compliance Awareness & Surveillance.

The program was held at the conference hall of CSE Chittagong office.

The training program included four sessions-Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism, Good Governance, Compliance Awareness and Surveillance. l

city yesterday.

Build Chairman urged the Principal Secretary to give his consent for holding the upcoming 7th PSDPCC (Private Sector Development Policy Coordination Committee) Meeting to be held in the first week of April.

During the meeting, Abul Kalam Azad put more focus on Public Private Dialogue (PPD) though BUILD and give his consent on the meeting.

Asif Ibrahim briefed the activities of this

Public Private Dialogue (PPD) Platform and underlined some successes of the first-ever PPD Platform established for research-based

The aim of BUILD is to bring reforms in business policies and procedures to improve the country’s investment climate in Bangladesh advocacy to address private sector policy and regulatory constraints, working under the close supervision of the PMO in Bangladesh.

BUILD Team also handed over a set of Busi-

ness Licensing Guide Books to the Principal Secretary.

The BUILD delegation includes Alhaz Nurun Newaz Salim, chairman of NCC Bank LTD and senior vice president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a partner organisation of BUILD, Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO, BUILD and Nafiul Islam, Director-I of PMO. Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD), a first-ever public-private platform designed as the bridge that connects the public and private sector for better communication, coordination and collaboration.

The aim of BUILD is to bring reforms in business policies and procedures to improve the country’s investment climate in Bangladesh. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Fuzzy feelings Model: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy Photo: Sabiha Akond Rupa

INSIDE A fresh take: Cats Eye’s latest ensembles under the tag “Trendy Youth,” have been all the rage this season. Shifting more towards a unisex colour palette, each and every ensemble from their collection seems to be on spot.

Odours from within:

22

The most common bad breath myths busted! Ditch the icky odour with these easy peasy steps.

fiction

school survival

To err is human Avalanche Of emotion

23

The wonderful world of beards

24

The wonderful world of beards

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Schoologistics

school survival

To err is human A little polish, and you’re all set

n Pragya Rahman English, for some of us is our first language since we familiarise ourselves with the letters of the alphabet before we jump onto the Bangla curriculum. For those who went to English-based schools from nursery and reception know that it’s easier to learn to speak, read and write in English than it is in Bangla. Which is why such schools start teaching you Bangla after a certain age, when you’ve grown up a little and can handle it. Most of us from these backgrounds are bilingual and it’s pretty amazing to be a part of this community, but that doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes.

We tend to make mistakes in both languages, after all no one’s perfect and we’re all human. We don’t even realise the most common mistakes that we make whilst speaking.

The most unnoticed and common mistake: For starters, this one has to be awarded to the students all around, because they

do tend to mix this one sentence up. The sentence is pertaining to an exam and it’ll be something along the lines of: “When I was giving my math exam earlier today, I was so nervous that I was sweating like a pig.” The correct version of that sentence should have been “when I was taking my math exam earlier today, I was so nervous that I was sweating like a pig.” If you look closely you’ll see how one word makes all

the difference in the world. You can barely notice it but when you do and it hits you, it starts to make a lot more sense. Another

fiction

Avalanche Of emotion After all’s said and done

n Zubaida Rana Rahman I didn’t like a lot of things about her. I didn’t like the way she would make stupid puns. I didn’t like the way she would trail off to a completely different topic without taking even a breath in between.

I didn’t like how that one strand of hair always covered her eyes. I didn’t like the way she made me feel so comfortable. I didn’t like the way she could figure me out without even trying.

She possessed her own kind of magic. I saw it run through her veins, just like I saw the galaxies in her eyes. She was beautiful; with her long, tousled hair and sharp nose. She could light up the whole city with that award-winning smile of hers. She was beautiful for her glowing soul and admirable heart.

And she was mine.

She didn’t like that I smoked. I told her it made me feel like I had flowers inside my lungs. Every night she’d replace one of my

cigarettes with a flower and say, “you said you felt flowers inside of you, after all.” Somehow, I was okay with that. Somehow, it made me smile.

She was so kind; so crushingly radiant. I didn’t like a lot of things about her but I loved the way her stupid puns made me smile.

I loved the way she talked for hours on end because her voice was breathtakingly soothing. I loved the way she made me feel so comfortable. I loved the way she didn’t even have to try to figure me out.

She scared me. She ignited feelings in places I didn’t even know I had in me. She unearthed universes within me and opened up the skies in my arteries. When things “didn’t work out,” she told me she made a fool of herself because I didn’t love her back. It burned my tongue to say so. My bones ached even when I heard her name four months later, because oh boy, did I love her. l

common mistake is when people mix up the meaning between borrow and lend. When someone comes up to you and asks, “can you borrow me some money?” what they really mean to say is “can you lend me some money?” Alternatively it’s the same when someone says “I borrowed some money to Joe last week, he still hasn’t paid me back” when what they’re really trying to say is, “I lent some money to Joe last week, he still hasn’t paid me back.”

It’s funny when people use the word

“literally” a bit too much in their sentences, like “I literally died out of laughter.” Well if you had died out of laughter then how’re you still sitting here right next to me, to tell the tale? That’s another common mistake people make, taking the word “literally” for granted and I mean literally taking the word for granted. Dear storyteller, you figuratively/metaphorically died out of laughter which is why you’re here today alive, and kicking and hopefully going to live a long and healthy life. l

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Tempt

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

MODEL: BAIZID HAQUE JOARDER

The wonderful world of beards Lumberjacks or a spring stubble, here’s how to trim and tame those beards, gentlemen

n Mahmood Hossain Before we get into the specifics, let’s get some ridiculous myths out of the way.

1. There are certain foods that can actually make your beard grow quicker. Not. You won’t find any magic beans, Jack. Sorry to disappoint. However, men do need amino acids and protein in their diets to grow hair properly. So eat well, fellas.

2. The more often you shave, the fuller your beard will be. Nonsense. The same goes for your chest hair, except we recommend you don’t shave your chest hair. Trim it as you would your beard.

And there is no shame in having a clean

shaved face, but it might make you look younger than you’d like. We’ll get to that later.

3. Grey beards, as you get older, tend to be coarser. Rubbish. What happens is that, as you age, your hair follicles become smaller. If you don’t care for your facial hair properly, you’ll end up with split ends. Yes, that happens to beards as well.

From the 5 o’clock shadow to the glorious Santa beard, jotting down these dos and don’ts would be a wise thing to do.

• Do it with a straight razor. Those beautiful beard linings on celebrities and

MODEL: ANIK KABIR

models are due to the close shaves from straight razors. If you want the same grooming appeal, the best way to get it done is to head to your trusted barber.

And that extra blade on the back of your Gillette Fusion is really for the tight spots. You won’t achieve the same effect that you can get from a straight razor.

• Don’t speed through, Schumacher. This should be an obvious. Never, and we mean never, blaze through a shaving session. Even if you’re using that extra Fusion blade to reach those difficult corners. Your skin isn’t used to so much aggressive pressure, and it never will be.

Save yourself the bleeding and the razor bumps, please.

• Do warm it up before taking the next step. Whether it’s shaving or trimming the beard, it should be a good habit to pat down your face with a warm towel. Open up those pores and let your skin breathe for a smoother shave or trim.

• Don’t mess with those ingrown hairs.

They are not pimples, gentlemen.

Whatever dirt in your nails are present may lead to infections.

Let it grow, let it grow! Once you’ve grown your beard to its full length, or far enough,

here’s how to give yourself a facial fade with a beard trimmer.

1. First things first, make sure you have yourself an adjustable beard trimmer, preferably a Philips NorelecoNorelco.

You can’t go wrong with something so well established.

2. Set your trimmer’s guard to three and buzz your entire beard. You’ll see plenty of hair on your sink, but it’s better to sweep them up for the trash bin.

3. Set your guard to one and start buzzing your lower neck. This area contains your Adam’s apple to just two inches below your jaw line.

4. Switch your guard up to two and buzz the two-inch zone mentioned in step 3.

5. Get rid of the stray hair by taking the guard off and buzz it clean. Remember, it’s best to line up what you’ve trimmed off at the barber shop.

The truth about facial hair is that it’s not for everyone. The same goes for men who have solid beards. Most likely, you’ll look terrible with a clean shave. Leave that to the men who look handsome without the hair. And if you happen to be blessed with Greek mythological looks, shave or grow your beard whenever the hell you want. We envy you. l

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Take Care

internal clock

Curfewed nights What’s actually messing with your inner clock and sleep cycle

n Khan N Moushumi

With our smartphones, smartwatches, tabs, and whatnot we’re always just a click away from being linked to the rest of the outside world but here’s the bad news - being glued to your smart devices becomes an everyday habit and it slowly turns into an addiction that you can’t say no to. Almost every smartphone user complains about being sleep deprived. Why? Because “these people are exposing their eyes to streams of photons from these objects that basically tell your brain to stay awake - it’s not time to go to bed yet,” says Dr Dan Siegel,

clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) School of Medicine. These photons signal your brain not to secrete melatonin.

What are sleep and awake hormones?

Let’s just break it down a little more. When it’s bright, your brain releases the awake hormones also known as cortisol and suppresses the release of sleep hormones called melatonin. When it’s dark, it does exactly the opposite. When cortisol is released, your brain is wired in such a way that you feel the urge to get up and get moving.

Why do we need sleep?

Sleep allows brain to rejuvenate and reorganise. Studies on rats prove that sleep deprivation can even lead to death. And you can die faster from sleep deprivation than food deprivation.

What happens without it?

Except for only a small percentage of people, who are genetically different and don’t need

that much of sleep, the rest of us need to snooze for at least seven to nine hours on a day to day basis.

When you go on for days without sleeping properly, your tension will be faltered, memory impaired, and your ability to process and organise information will be challenged. In addition to all these, “The insulin responsible to regulate your metabolism will be messed up, so you will be more likely to gain weight from what you eat and you’ll eat more,” adds Siegel.

What you need to do?

You know the drill. Cut the cord and go cold turkey. Chuck that smartphone out of your bed at least an hour before you hit the hay.

Shut it off or keep it in a drawer with its ringer turned off. The same stands for other tabs and gadgets. Basically any electronic devices that have got you hooked.

Now you know what gets in the way when you’re trying to score some shut-eye and you know what to do. l

teen health

3 myths about bad breath Dragon breath? Here’s why

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad If you’re wondering why people lean back whenever you start speaking, the answer could very well lie in the smell of your breath. Last year, we had interviewed close to 100 teens about their oral hygiene, and a shockingly high percentage of them scored poorly in basic hygiene practices. Even the ones who scored well in practice, seemed to have a few common misconceptions. Here are the top three bad breath myths, busted.

Mouthwash and chewing gum kills bad breath Umm, nope. They may be a temporary solution, but unless you do something about the bacteria in your mouth that’s causing the halitosis, you’ll soon be back to blowing holes through tin plates. When buying kind, look for the anti-bacterial mouthwash that also deals with plaque.

And when using mouthwash, remember to take a whole capful and swirl it inside your mouth for a good 30 seconds before you spit it out, for it to be truly effective.

PHOTOS: BIGSTOCK

Remember, mouthwash is not a substitute for brushing and flossing.

Just brush, and the bad breath is history Ever heard the saying “It’s not what you do, but how you do it, that counts?” This also goes for brushing. When brushing your teeth, remember to take time (2 minutes, minimum, as opposed to the average 45 seconds people spend brushing their teeth), and to clean your tongue, which is where the bacteria hang out. The average Bangladeshi teen doesn’t brush their teeth before bed. This is a serious no-no. You should be brushing at least twice a day, and flossing at least once.

Want to check if you have bad breath?

Breathe into your hand Unless you’re making like Shahrukh Khan and breathing out words from the epiglottis, you’re not calling hair from the back of your mouth where bad breath forms and chillaxes, and even then, we’re so used to our own odours, we’re not the best judge. When in doubt, excuse yourself and

go to the bathroom for a quick gargle. Keep sugar-free mints handy as a temporary solution.

If you brush and floss regularly and have good oral hygiene in general, halitosis, under normal circumstances, shouldn’t be a problem. If bad breath persists, make an appointment with your doctor, as it may indicate some health problem. l

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara became the first batsman to score hundreds in three consecutive World Cup matches when he made a brilliant run-a-ball century against Australia in Sydney yesterday.

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UNDER PRESSURE MOORES UP FOR CHALLENGE

28

MAXWELL MAIDEN TON SINKS SRI LANKA

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25

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LANDMARK

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

MESSI, SUAREZ MOVE BARCA TOP OF LA LIGA

5 REASONS TO FEAR TIGERS 2011 Don’t mention 2011. Bangladesh’s victory over England in the last World Cup was overshadowed by the craziness of Ireland’s triumph in Bangalore but it was a superb performance - England bowled out for just 225 and then Tamin Iqbal and Imrul Kayes (who are likely to open the batting again on Monday) getting the chase off to a great start. It is a video that Bangladesh will surely have on endless repeat in the dressing room as inspiration. At least England can console themselves that only three members of the XI that played four years ago are in contention to line up again.

Spinners Spinners are England’s never-ending fear. Bangladesh have various options. Shakib-al-Hasan, two wickets in the 2011 success, has sent down 28.5 overs at this World Cup for fewer than five runs per over with Mahmudullah not too much more expensive. Sabbir Rahman also bowls legspin. Spinners have been less successful than pace bowlers so far in this World Cup, but England could change those stats if they bat badly.

Tamim Iqbal Bangladesh cricket team players busy in warm up exercises during a training session ahead of their match against England at Adelaide Oval yesterday

Confident Mashrafe all in Mazhar Uddin from Adelaide

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza termed their World Cup Pool A match against England today as one of the most important matches they have played till date. A win will see the Tigers reach the second round of the multinational event and at the same time shatter the English dream of progressing further.

“Asia Cup final was very important for us and there were a few matches definitely, but this is one of them. If we can win this match, it will be a great memory for everyone involved with this team,” said a confident Mashrafe during the pre-match press conference yesterday.

Mashrafe and his troop started brightly with a win over Afghanistan before sharing points from a Gabba washout with co-hosts Australia and they were tested against a spirited Scottish side where they eventually came out on top chasing 318 runs, only the second team to win chasing over 300 in a World Cup. The last time these two sides met was

in the 2011 World Cup where Bangladesh beat England by two wickets in a thrilling match in Chittagong. However, 31-year-old Mashrafe realises that time has changed and they must put their best out there to repeat a similar result.

“It’s a pressure match, but the boys are looking very confident, especially while chasing 318 in the last match. Doesn’t matter who they’re against. So, the boys are very confident, which is more important, and they’re ready to give their best tomorrow (today),” he said.

Despite having five points from four matches, it all comes down to today’s match as Mashrafe anticipated the situation saying, “Before the tournament the equation was that we have to beat Afghanistan and Scotland and then take a chance against a big team. Everything now depends on us, how we are doing. The real challenge is now to see if we can achieve that. We are all confident.

Of course there is some pressure which is normal. We know 160 million people back home are looking up to us. Even here (Australia) we have many fans waiting to see us do well.

Coming out of this pressure is a kind of joy,” Mashrafe added. l

AFP

Tamim Iqbal is just the sort of whirlwind lefthander that England will undoubtedly bowl too short to. He has tucked into the England attack before, having slammed 125 from 120 balls in an ODI in Dhaka in 2010 and brings tidy form into this match with 81 in a warm-up against Pakistan and 95 against Scotland earlier in the week: Bangladesh’s highest score in World Cups. He is by a long distance Bangladesh’s most successful opening batsman in ODIs and gave Bangladesh’s chase a bright start in the 2011 upset over England with 38 from 26 balls.

Unpredictableity England will plan and prepare with their blend of nuclear science and homeopathy but which Bangladesh will they be preparing for? The Bangladesh who racked up over 300 to handsomely win against Scotland or the Bangladesh who were bowled out for just 58 chasing 106 to beat India back in June? The Bangladesh who skittled Afghanistan for 162 or the team who allowed Scotland to rack up 318? The unpredictability of Bangladesh’s performances must be providing the ECB Match Planning (Select) Sub-committee with sleepless nights.

The Vibe South Africa did not have “the vibe” in Auckland when they lost to Pakistan. England have not had the vibe all tournament. They would not know a vibe if it stopped them in the street.

England is sleeping through most of the tournament and disenchantment is rife. There is little evidence of confidence or purpose. They feel got at and unloved. Being an England player in Adelaide must be a lonely place to be.

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Barmy Army respects Tigers n Mazhar Uddin from Adelaide The Barmy Army is a group of fanatic English cricket fans who are widely famous for their relentless support. The group supports its cricket team through thick and thin and follows them to all corners of the globe.

It was back in 1994/95 when the Australian media termed the passionate English supporters as the “Barmy Army”. A struggling England toured Australia for the infamous Ashes and despite their side’s flagging fortunes in that particular bilateral series, the Barmy Army still drove to the grounds in numbers.

The Barmy Army is usually prominent for its vociferous support and is also known for tempting the opposition through unusual chants, songs, banners and flags. And when England face Bangladesh today in a do-ordie Pool A match at Adelaide Oval, the Barmy Army will no doubt be full of emotions.

However, in spite of its customary hostility towards the opponent, the Barmy Army supporters actually looked busy yesterday taking autographs of the Bangladesh cricketers. An unusual sight indeed.

John Hasting was one of the autograph-hunters. Hasting, in his mid fifties, did not hesitate to take autographs of each and every Bangladesh cricketer although he does not know any of them with the exception of opener Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Shakib al Hasan.

“I have seen this young boy playing some good innings back in England a couple of years ago (indicating Tamim’s back-to-back hundreds at Lord’s and Old Trafford in 2010).

And that boy, I guess he is the number one all-rounder (Shakib),” he said.

Under pressure Moores up for challenge n Mazhar Uddin from Adelaide

England’s Moeen Ali (R) gets ready to bowls as the team’s coach Peter Moores (L) looks on during a training session at Adelaide Oval yesterday AFP He went on to ask, “Who is the captain of your side?”, which clearly indicates that the travelling English fans are taking an interest in the Tigers.

Even though Hasting will undoubtedly support England today, the respect that the Barmy Army has reserved for the Tigers is

an unusual development, given the group’s chequered history.

The Tigers fans on the other hand are also famed for their unwavering support. Perhaps, the day is not far away when the Bangladesh supporters will also be famous throughout the cricketing world, just like the Barmy Army.l

Vettori passes 300 in NZ win n Reuters, Napier Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor got some valuable time at the wicket as New Zealand did what they needed to looking ahead to the World Cup quarter-finals with a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan at McLean Park on Sunday.

Guptill, who had got starts in all four of his previous innings, was run out for 57, while Taylor, who had scored just 29 runs in four previous innings, was 24 not out as New Zealand scored 188-4 in 36.1 overs.

Afghanistan had been dismissed for 186 in 47.4 overs with Daniel Vettori becoming the 12th man to take 300 one-day international wickets when he produced

Team

POOL A P

W

L N/R Pts NRR

New Zealand

5

5

0

0

10 +3.090

Australia

5

3

1

1

7 +1.597

Sri Lanka

5

3

2

0

6

Bangladesh

4

2

1

1

5 +0.182

-0.151

England

4

1

3

0

2

-1.201 -1.881

Afghanistan

5

1

4

0

2

Scotland

4

0

4

0

0 -1.423

another impeccable spell of left-arm spin bowling.

Captain Brendon McCullum had given his side a rollicking start with 42 runs from 19 balls before Kane Williamson (33) and Guptill took them to 111 for one without looking troubled.

Taylor and Corey Anderson (seven not out) saw New Zealand home after Vettori had taken 4-18 from 10 overs.

The 36-year-old has taken 12 wickets in the tournament at an average of 11.33 and economy rate of three runs per over.

Vettori bowled the third over of the match to enable Tim Southee and Trent Boult to swap ends and bowled Usman Ghani on his first delivery, then took Nawroz Mangal’s (27) wicket in the 16th over for number 300.

He is the ninth player to take more than 300 wickets in both tests and ODIs and later took two wickets in successive deliveries in the 20th over but missed the hat-trick.

Vettori’s first over had put Afghanistan on the back foot after captain Mohammad Nabi had chosen to bat on a wicket considered the best batting surface in New Zealand, before Boult struck twice to reduce them 24 for three. l

The arrogance of the English media was not the same as before as journalists took the chair for the pre-match conference of England coach Peter Moores yesterday. Moores’ expression and gestures spoke of how much pressure his team and he is under and it did not take long for him to face the big question.

The English coach admitted of psychological pressure against Bangladesh and said, “Certainly pressure on us as a team because we haven’t played as well as we’d like to. We know we’ve got to win the game, and that is part of international cricket, its about being able to handle pressure. We’ve had some challenges, that’s for sure. We’ve got a mix of experience and young players who have the ability to handle pressure and playing under pressure is part of the job for an international player. So that will be the challenge of the players. We’re very aware of it, and I think we’re very up for that challenge,” said Moores.

Moores shrugged off any bitter memory from the 2011 World Cup defeat to the Tigers and said they have a different group of players who are very focused on their match (today).

The England coach faced a lot of questions regarding his team’s confidence level ahead of the match while the English media repeatedly asked if the players had any “fear” facing Bangladesh. This was the highlight of the briefing session.

The coach also hinted that Chris Woakes will be opening the bowling as their prime bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad have struggled so far with the new ball. l

302

ODI wickets for Daniel Vettori. He is the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand with 294 (eight wickets were for ICC World XI), and three short of equaling Jacob Oram’s 36 World Cup wickets, which is New Zealand’s best.

12

Wickets for Vettori in five games in this World Cup, next only to Trent Boult and Tim Southee’s 13.

229

Runs scored by Brendon McCullum in the first ten overs in this tournament, out of his tournament aggregate of 249. He has scored those 229 runs in 108 balls.

621

The sum total of balls to spare after New Zealand’s last four wins. They won with 151 balls to spare against Scotland, 226 versus England, 161 against Australia, and 83 against Afghanistan. strike rate in his 110-ball 49.09 Shenwari’s innings, which is one of only five World Cup innings of 100 or more balls since 2003 to finish with a strike rate of less than 50. Three of them are by players from non-Test teams.

50

Number of wickets taken by New Zealand in five games. The only other team to bowl the opposition out every time in the tournament so far is India - they’ve taken 40 wickets in four games.

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Kiwis or Aussies? Too hard to choose: Nabi n AFP, Napier

Bangladesh must execute to replicate England’s nightmare in Chittagong Yousuf Rahman (Babu), former national cricketer, vice captain and first centurion writes from New York for Bangladesh fans all across the globe.

Almost four years ago to the date, inside a capacity filled stadium in Chittagong, a vociferous and ecstatic crowd saw Bangladesh come out of nowhere to stun a well-balanced and experienced England team. It was March 11, 2011. A match that every Bangladeshi had given up as a lost cause, turned on its head when a young, unassuming Shafiul Islam along with Mahmudullah pulled the rug under the Englishmen’s feet with a dramatic ninth wicket partnership of 58 runs. That win propelled Bangladesh forward and created an opportunity for it to qualify into the quarter final stage of the 2011 ICC World Cup, which it lost as it was cruelly overwhelmed by the South Africans. The West Indies and Bangladesh were tied on points but the Caribbean unit edged the hosts out as run rate came into play.

Well, this time around, the cruel factor of the run rate shall not come into play if the Chittagong drama is repeated. Bangladesh has a luxury point in the bag, which one may term as a bonus point - courtesy of the Brisbane washout against Australia.

Going into this “do or die” fixture, there are a few positives that the Bangladesh outfit should take inspiration from. Firstly, their two wins against Afghanistan and Scotland displayed adequate examples of the team’s ability to perform well, more as a batting unit than anything else. In spite of the pitch being super friendly for batsmen, it takes courage and tenacity to gun down a score of 318 and

win with nearly two overs and six wickets to spare. Secondly, the fact that England is struggling may create a window of opportunity through which Bangladesh may sneak in.

No one is denying the fact that England will go into the match as favorites. The bookies will have the odds in England’s favour. With Adelaide using a “drop in” pitch, there will be plenty of runs to play for. Bangladesh’s biggest worry is its bowling. Other than Shakib al Hasan, I do not see anyone worrying the top order of England. Mashfare bin Mortaza is struggling with his bum knee and whether he will be cleared to play remains to be seen. This pitch is not going to behave like the Zahur Ahmed Stadium pitch of four years ago and unless the bowling unit is on target, we may see a huge total confronting Bangladesh. The strength and penetration of Bangladesh’s bowling lies within its spinners led by the ebullience and experience of Shakib. It may be advisable to field a second specialist spinner to support Shakib. The part time spinners like Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain, if relied upon, could be an expensive proposition.

England’s biggest worry is the inability of James Anderson and Stuart Broad to make the expected inroads into the opponent’s batting line up. So far, between the two of them, only four wickets have been taken in the competition. Anderson is easily one of the most dangerous new ball bowlers because of his ability to swing the ball and reverse it over time. He has not been able to accomplish either. His tournament could have started off with a bang had Chris Woakes not dropped Aaron Finch in his first over of the World Cup. Finch went on to make a fantastic hundred that sealed the fate of the Englishmen

and set them on their journey to the coal-pit.

Since that opening match against the Aussies, they got thrashed by the Kiwis, beat a lowly Scotland and then got embarrassed by Kumar Sangakkara and the Lankan Lions when they failed to defend a total of 309.

England will be wary of Bangladesh and will not take the match lightly. Bangladesh on the other hand should approach this match with an open mind, since there is no pressure from any quarter, and look to produce its free spirited cricket. Whether the opening pair of Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar will be maintained is something to ponder upon.

England’s opening duo of Moeen Ali and Ian Bell have produced important partnerships and their contrasting approaches serve England well. This opening pair is followed by a fairly decent power packed middle order.

With both sides batting reasonably well, this can be a high scoring match. Anything below 280 will be sub-par so scores of 300+ is a number that one should not be surprised of. Bangladesh, on the field cannot afford to have the lackadaisical approach that it exhibited against Scotland if they want to stay in the match. If they do, England can and will run away with the game leaving the Bangladeshi spirit chasing the winds of Adelaide. This match will be decided by the bowlers. Those that show up with their boots on and come up with telling penetrative spells will lead their team to safer waters.

This is one fixture that the world, specially the Australians, will watch very closely. Some of the Aussie veterans will probably be in the commentary box and I assure you that they will all silently root for a Bangladesh victory as will every single global individual donning the red and green. l

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi could not separate New Zealand and Australia when it came to choosing between the form teams in the World Cup Sunday.

The Afghans played the two frontrunners and World Cup co-hosts in quick succession and were soundly beaten both times.

After losing to Australia by a massive 275 runs last Wednesday in Perth they suffered a six-wicket thrashing by New Zealand in Napier on Sunday.

“New Zealand, they’re quite good. Also Australia,” Nabi diplomatically said when asked to rate the two sides after comprehensively losing to New Zealand by six wickets.

“I’m not saying that Australia is the best or New Zealand is the best, both of the teams are quite good and quite balanced.”

Afghanistan, making their World Cup debut, scored an historic win over Scotland and were impressive when losing to Sri Lanka before falling apart against Australia and New Zealand.

Nabi believed more substantial performances by the top order Afghanistan batsman would have made a difference. Against Australia they were 103-6 and against New Zealand the situation was more dire at 59-6.

“In the whole tournament, the top five batsmen didn’t click in five games,” he said.

However, he saw positives against New Zealand with Najibullah Zadran and Samiullah Shenwari putting on an Afghanistan seventh-wicket record partnership of 86. l

AFG v NZ AFGHANISTAN Ahmadi lbw b Boult Ghani b Vettori Mangal b Vettori Stanikzai c Guptill b Boult Shenwari c Taylor b Anderson Nabi c Taylor b Vettori Zazai lbw b Vettori Najibullah c Vettori b Milne Dawlat c Ronchi b Boult Hamid c Milne b Anderson Shapoor not out Extras (lb5, w9)

R 1 0 27 9 54 6 0 56 1 16 2 14

Total (all out, 47.4 overs)

186

B 7 3 46 18 110 15 1 56 5 21 4

Fall of wickets 1-5, 2-6, 3-24, 4-49, 5-59, 6-59, 7-145, 8-151, 9-166, 10-186 Bowling Southee 10-0-43-0; Boult 10-2-34-3 (2w); Vettori 10-4-18-4; Milne 10-0-38-1 (4w); Anderson 6.4-0-38-2 (3w); Elliott 1-0-10-0;

NEW ZEALAND M Guptill run out (Shenwari) B McCullum b Nabi K Williamson c Shenwari b Shapoor R Taylor not out G Elliott run out (Nabi) C Anderson not out Extras (lb2, w4)

R 57 42 33 24 19 7 6

Total (4 wkts, 36.1 overs)

188

B 76 19 45 41 28 8

Fall of wickets 1-53, 2-111, 3-143, 4-175 Bowling Dawlat 9-0-51-0 (3w); Shapoor 10-2-45-1; Hamid 7-1-36-0; Nabi 7.1-0-39-1 (1w); Shenwari 3-0-15-0; Man of the Match: Daniel Vettori New Zealand won by six wickets

DT

28 Sport

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

51

Balls taken by Glenn Maxwell for his hundred - the second-fastest in World Cups after Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball hundred against England in 2011.

195.12

Strike rate of the partnership between Maxwell and Shane Watson - the second highest in a century partnership by an Australian pair in ODIs.

n AFP, Sydney

160

Runs added by Maxwell and Watson - the second-highest fifth-wicket partnership in World Cups.

376

Total conceded by Sri Lanka in this match - the highest conceded by them in World Cups, beating the 373 for 6 scored by India in Taunton in 1999.

FASTEST ODI 100s

Balls

Player

Match

31

AB de Villiers

SA v WI

Year 2015

36

CJ Anderson

NZ v WI

2014

37

Shahid Afridi

PAK v SL

1996

44

MV Boucher

SA v ZIM

2006

45

BC Lara

WI v BAN

1999

45

Shahid Afridi

PAK v IND

2005

46

JD Ryder

NZ v WI

2014

48

ST Jayasuriya

SL v PAK

1996

50

KJ O’Brien

IRE v ENG

2011

51

GJ Maxwell

AUS v SL

2015

Bold indicates World Cup

AUS v SL AUSTRALIA D Warner c Prasanna b Malinga A Finch st Sangakkara b Prasanna S Smith c Perera b Dilshan M Clarke b Malinga G Maxwell c Malinga b Perera S Watson c Chandimal b Perera J Faulkner run out (Mathews) B Haddin c Perera b Mathews M Johnson not out M Starc run out (Perera/Mathews) X Doherty not out Extras: (b1, lb1, w4)

R 9 24 72 68 102 67 0 25 3 0 0 6

Total (9 wkts, 50 overs)

376

B 24 12 88 68 53 41 1 9 3 0 1

Fall of wickets 1-19, 2-41, 3-175, 4-177, 5-337, 6-338, 7-368, 8-373, 9-374 Bowling Malinga 10-0-59-2 (1w); Senanayake 9-0-59-0; Mathews 7-0-59-1 (2w); Prasanna 10-0-77-1; Perera 9-0-87-2 (1w); Dilshan 5-0-33-1

SRI LANKA R B L Thirimanne c Haddin b Johnson 1 5 T Dilshan lbw b Faulkner 62 60 K Sangakkara c Finch b Faulkner 104 107 M Jayawardene run out (Clarke) 19 22 A Mathews c Haddin b Watson 35 31 D Chandimal retired hurt 52 24 T Perera c Doherty b Johnson 8 3 U Tharanga c Warner b Faulkner 4 5 S Prasanna b Starc 9 11 S Senanayake c Doherty b Starc 7 8 L Malinga not out 0 2 Extras: (b2, lb5, w4) 11 Total (9 wkts, 46.2 overs)

Maxwell maiden ton sinks Lankans

312

Fall of wickets 1-5, 2-135, 3-188, 4-201, 5-283, 6-293, 7-305, 8-307, 9-312 Bowling Starc 8.2-0-29-2 (1w); Johnson 9-0-62-2 (2w); Watson 7-0-71-1; Doherty 7-0-60-0; Maxwell 6-0-35-0; Faulkner 9-0-48-3 (1w) Man of the Match: Glenn Maxwell Australia won by 64 runs

Australia supplanted Sri Lanka in second spot in World Cup Pool A propelled by a ‘big show’ ton from Glenn Maxwell before they weathered Kumar Sangakkara’s third consecutive century in Sydney on Sunday.

The Australians, aiming for a fifth World Cup triumph, amassed 376 for nine, Maxwell lighting up the Sydney Cricket Ground with 102 off 53 balls and then restricted Sri Lanka to 312 for nine to win by 64 runs.

It was a crucial win by the co-hosts, leapfrogging Sri Lanka into second spot behind New Zealand with one more group match to play.

Victory secured Australia’s place in the last eight and made a quarter-final against South Africa less likely.

In a high-scoring match before almost 40,000 fans, plenty of them Sri Lankans, Maxwell produced one of his famed ‘big shows’ with a pulsating maiden one-day international century off 51 balls to leave Sri Lanka with a massive run chase.

No side batting second have made more to win a World Cup match than Ireland’s 329 for seven against England in Bangalore four years ago.

The mighty Sangakkara gave it a big shake, raising his third consecutive ton at the tournament off 100 balls and his 24th century in his 402nd ODI. But the Australians breathed easier when he holed out to James Faulkner for 104 giving Aaron Finch a running catch to end his otherwise chanceless knock.

Maxwell thrilled the SCG full house with his audacious reverse sweeps, flicks and powerful hitting in an innings he has threatened to unleash in his previous 44 ODIs. ‘The Big Show’, as he is known, blasted his half-century off 26 balls with a pulled six off

Thisara Perera and was particularly brutal with Seekkuge Prasanna, hoisting the leg-spinner for

34 off just 12 balls.

Maxwell and Shane Watson, back in the side after being dropped in Australia’s previous match against Afghanistan for repeated failures with the bat, plundered 160 runs off 13.4 overs.

The Sri Lankans were at their wits’ end trying to find ways to stop the run riot as Maxwell and Watson took the bowlers apart.

Maxwell had a life on 93 when he top-edged Mathews and wicketkeeper Sangakkara scurried back and made his ground only to drop the catch, but he was out soon afterwards when caught by Lasith Malinga at mid-on.

Maxwell narrowly missed out on equalling the 50ball record for the fastest World Cup hundred set by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien against England in 2011.

In a solid effort by Australia’s batsmen, Watson struck 67 off 41 balls, Steve Smith hit 72 off 88 balls and skipper Michael Clarke chipped in with a run-aball 68.l

TALKING POINTS Age is only a number and Sangakkara is living proof Kumar Sangakkara made his debut in 2000 at the age of 22 as a law student. At 37, Sangakkara is and, has been for quite a while, the cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s batting success. He has more than 14,000 ODI runs, averages over 50 and is the first batsman to score three consecutive World Cup hundreds. Today, chasing a mammoth total of 377 against the Aussies, he once again took complete charge and nearly turned the tables with his intelligently crafted innings that provided the Lankan Lions the self-belief of gunning down the total. Australia eventually won the day but Michael Clarke did not get to relax until the seventh wicket was taken. The three “aged Musketeers” of Sri Lanka will ensure that this team goes deep into the tournament.

Maxwell got a hundred in 53 balls and Chandimal was blazing away on 52 runs in 24 balls when his hamstring had the better of him. With his retirement went Sri Lanka’s chances. Chandimal was well on course with Angelo Mathews to steer the Sri Lankan ship into the harbour.

The concerned look on Clarke’s face when these two were batting is ample evidence of the fact that the Aussie score of 377 could be toppled.

Perfect batting approach for ODI and the Australians seem to have found the groove Calculated power to start with, cool, calm and collected in the middle, high powered explosion to wrap things up – The Australians have exhibited this through David Warner and Aaron Finch as the starters with calculated power, followed

by Steve Smith and Clarke to ensure calmness in the middle and then Maxwell and Brad Haddin to explode at the end. New Zealand comes close to the Aussies in this respect.

Fitness is an individual responsibility and the price for losing it can be heavy

Which bowler can bowl the most yorkers?

Dinesh Chandimal was about to replicate a Glenn Maxwell explosion. In the first session

In one of my write-ups, I had mentioned that with the pitches being hugely in favour of the

Yousuf Rahman (Babu), former national cricketer, vice captain and first centurion writes from New York for Bangladesh fans all across the globe. batters, the team that has smart and accurate bowlers will win the World Cup. So far, Mitchell Starc is head and shoulders above the others. Statistics show that he bowls more than 30% of his deliveries as yorkers, which are hurled at nearly 150 km per hour. This makes him an unplayable bowler at the death. He is a carbon copy of Lasith Malinga at his best, only faster.

Starc almost won the day for the Aussies against the Kiwis defending a meagre total of 151.

How many times do you see a team batting second score more than 300 and lose?

A month ago, no one would believe that a team after scoring 300 runs batting second would end up losing the match. It has happened twice already in this World Cup. First it was Zimbabwe that lost to Ireland trying to gun down 331 and ended up with 326. Now we have Sri Lanka scoring 312 and losing to Australia by 65 runs.

Where will this bizarre run chases end? There may be some change of rules for the 2019 World Cup so that contest can be an even one between bat and ball.l

DT

Sport 29

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

Messi, Suarez move Barca top of La Liga n AFP, Madrid

QUICK BYTES Milan coach Inzaghi has no thoughts of quitting AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi had not thought of quitting after his stuttering side were held 2-2 at home by modest Verona, who equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Saturday. “It’s not a question that should be directed at me, I’m going to carry on with my head up, trying to do my best,” he told Sky Sport Italia after being asked about his future. “I’m looking ahead to the next match against Fiorentina which will be difficult. “There is determination and the right spirit but, of course, we have to do better.

We are not the Milan that everyone expects,” he added. Milan have won only two out of 10 matches since the Christmas break and are a modest ninth in Serie A. “It’s disappointing to concede a goal seconds from the end, we were silly,” said Inzaghi. “The lads were very disappointed, it’s difficult to react after a draw like this, but that’s football. “The team that scores at the end can celebrate, the team that concedes can expect some difficult days.”

Inzaghi is in his first senior coaching role after being promoted from his previous role as head of the under-19s before the start of the season.

–Reuters

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (R) and Luis Suarez celebrate after scoring during the Spanish league football match against Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou yesterday AFP

Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga for the first time since early November as Lionel Messi struck his 32nd hat-trick for the club in a 6-1 thrashing of 10-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday handed Barca the chance to overtake the European champions and Luis Suarez wasted no time in taking advantage as he slotted home his sixth goal in as many games.

Gerard Pique doubled the hosts’ advantage just after half-time before Messi added a third from the penalty spot at the second attempt thanks to a reprieve from the referee after his initial effort was saved by Cristian Alvarez and Tito had been sent-off for a second bookable offence.

There was no controversy over the Argentine’s final two goals, though, as he moved level with Cristiano Ronaldo on 30 league goals for the season.

Both sides ended with 10 men when Dani Alves was shown a straight red card for bringing down Alberto Bueno inside the area and Bueno converted from the spot.

However, Barca had the final word when Suarez slammed home his second of the afternoon from Messi’s through ball.

Suarez has found his scoring touch in recent weeks after a slow start to life at the Camp Nou and was razor sharp in front of goal just six minutes in as he rolled his defender before flicking the ball past Alvarez with the outside of his right foot.l

Make-or-break for United, Arsenal in FA Cup

U-23 freshers seek Kruif’s style n Tribune Desk

LA LIGA Barcelona

Deportivo Riera 28, 72, Perez 90+3-pen

Athletic Bilbao

Considered among the best young bowlers in the world when he was hit with a five-year fixing ban in 2010, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Aamer embarks on the long road to redemption Monday in his return to domestic cricket. The 22-year-old left-armer is set to play for Omar Associates in the Patron’s Trophy Grade-II national tournament - one rung below first-class - at the quiet Army Cricket Ground in the garrison city Rawalpindi near the capital. Half a world away in Auckland, a trio of fellow southpaws closed out a hard fought victory for Pakistan against the mighty South Africans in an electrifying World Cup clash Saturday, highlighting how far former teenage prodigy Aamer will have to go to reclaim a place in the international arena. Aamer was one of three Pakistani players banned from the game for at least five years for arranging no-balls to order in a Test against England at Lord’s in 2010.

He was also jailed in Britain in 2011, along with former captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

–AFP

Camacho 57-og

9:30AM ICC Cricket World Cup England v Bangladesh

Star Sports 2 2:00AM Italian Serie A Juventus v Sassuolo

Star Sports 4 1:45AM English FA Cup Manchester United v Arsenal

Bueno 81-P

3-4

Sevilla

Vitolo 33, 52, Gameiro 65-P, Sidnei 83-og

1-0

Real Madrid

1-0

Almeria

1-0

Malaga

Aduriz 26

Elche

BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga TV Star Sports 1, 3

Rayo Vallecano

On Saturday

Aamer set for domestic return

DAY’S WATCH

6-1

Suarez 6, 90+1, Pique 49, Messi 56-P, 63, 68

Rodriguez 6

Granada

n

AFP, London

The FA Cup has been an underdogs’ tournament this season, but its first genuine heavyweight clash arrives on Monday when holders Arsenal visit old rivals Manchester United in the quarter-finals.

The eliminations of Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton have cleared the route for United and Arsenal, and it is an opportunity that both teams are desperate not to squander.

Recent events have left the FA Cup as the last realistic opportunity for both sides to apply a silver sheen to seasons that are rolling towards uncertain conclusions.

The pair remain well placed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with Arsenal currently third in the Premier League table and United a point back in fourth.

But Arsenal are on the brink of elimination from this season’s Champions League after a 3-1 first-leg loss to Monaco in the last 16, while doubts continue to dog United as they struggle for form under Louis van Gaal.

Arsenal have won four matches in a row in the league, but recent history has given them reason to fear trips to Old Trafford.

Arsene Wenger’s side have not won there since September 2006 - a run of 10 matches that includes two FA Cup defeats and a scarring 8-2 annihilation in the league in August 2011.

The Arsenal manager refuses to entertain talk of bad omens, however, saying: “I don’t believe too much in history. I just believe in the performance on the day. At the moment we are doing very well away from home.

“The size of the pitch is exactly the same everywhere. It is just down to how much we turn up and how much effort we put in to win

the game. Both teams will think, ‘If we get over this hurdle, we have a good opportunity to win the competition.’

“We are confident from our Premier League run, so we go to Manchester United to qualify and to give absolutely everything.”

With 11 titles each, United and Arsenal are the two most successful teams in the history of the FA Cup. l

The intention behind calling up 37 booters in the Bangladesh U-23 training camp is simply to grow the young players with the existing style of play and get accustomed to Lodewijk de Kruif’s philosophy.

The residential training camp ahead of the AFC Under-23 Championship qualifiers is scheduled to begin from tomorrow at BKSP with the preliminarily selected 37 players among which only 14 players have the national team experience.

“Kruif gave me some direction before leaving Dhaka. As the new players are not known of his playing style and philosophy, he instructed me to align them with the playing style of national team,” said Bangladesh’s assistant coach Saiful Bari Titu yesterday.

“We don’t have much time. We have to finalise our squad soon. They are currently analysing the match videos of our opponents Syria, Uzbekistan and India. The opponents are tough,” added Titu.

Bangladesh’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif is likely to arrive in Dhaka by March 16 to take charge of the team and till then Titu will guide the footballers.

Hosts Bangladesh were placed in Group E alongside Syria, Uzbekistan and India. The home side will face Syria in their opening match on March 27 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Bangladesh will then take on Uzbekistan and India on March 29 and 31 respectively. Only the group champions will progress to the final round.l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Smallgoods favourite (6) 5 Was ahead (3) 7 First woman (3) 8 Wait on (6) 11 Droop (3) 12 Destroys utterly (5) 14 Noteworthy act (4) 16 Encounters (5) 18 Command (5) 20 Food (4) 21 Proverb (5) 23 Band’s engagement (3) 24 Settle cosily (6) 27 Neckwear (3) 28 As well (3) 29 State as true (6)

DOWN 1 Briny (3) 2 Permit (3) 3 Warded off (7) 4 Bill of fare (4) 5 One granted a lease (6) 6 Abstract (6) 9 Layer (4) 10 Not bright (3) 13 Retributive justice (7) 14 Fail to recall (6) 15 Slowly (mus) (6) 17 Lofty (4) 19 Moved quickly (3) 22 Obtains (4) 25 Golfing aid (3) 26 Newt (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 16 represents H so fill H every time the figure 16 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

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

For the love of the nation

CELEBS ON SOCIAL BRUNO MARS @BrunoMars I’m writing songs again. :)

ELLIE GOULDING @elliegoulding Well this is bloody CHILL taylorswift @selenagomez @ haimtheband

n Raisa Rahim March is recognised as one of the most important months of the year in the history of the Bangladesh Liberation War. To mark the notable speech delivered by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7th, 1971, Young Bangla, a platform for the youth, initiated by Centre For Research and Information (CRI), organised the “Joy Bangla Concert” on Saturday, March 7th at the Army Stadium in the capital. l

Wait for it n Sabah Rahman Metal heads rejoice! Iron Maiden’s new album is all wrapped up, but the veteran rockers aren’t going to make a move until front man Bruce Dickinson has completely healed. Dickinson has recently been through a course of chemotherapy and radiology that lasted seven weeks after a small cancerous tumour was found on his tongue. While the treatment has been a success, the multi-talented vocalist still needs a few months to be at his best. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the 16th album from the metal maestros.

Nicko McBrain, the legendary band’s drummer shared his thoughts in a recent interview, “We have made an album.

The album was ready to go this year…

And it still is. We were planning on going out and doing some work around the album, which now, we’re all just holding on, and once Bruce is up and running, hopefully in the next couple of months…

You never know when this might happen. You just never know, do you?”

Here’s to wishing Mr Dickinson a speedy recovery. l

Turn it up

SOUND BYTES Incursion Music will launch Fuad’s Hit Factory, featuring various artists which include Zohad, Upol, Moury, Shuvo, Anila, Shumi, and Arifin Rumy, brought to you by Bellissimo. The launch will take place at Bellissimo Lounge in Banani, on March 19th, where fans will get to meet with the artists, buy the album and score autographs.

n Showtime Desk We’re kick starting our new column for Music Monday’s and who better to start with, but Abrar Athar? This illustrious man took some time out from his busy life, what with having to juggle being your favourite, witty RJ at Radio Foorti, playing the drums for the band, 12 A.M., taking care of his beautiful wife and son as well as fighting off mobs of overheated lady fans.

Here is what’s on repeat on Abrar’s playlist: 1. Beck- Hell yes ( Beck is the perfect mix of alternative rock, hip hop, electronica, pop and everything in between) 2. Jack White- Lazaretto (This song is definitely all about that bass! The drums too) 3. Dandy Warhols- Sleep (We’re not friends if you haven’t heard Thirteen tales from Urban Bohemia. Brilliant Album) 4. GZA ft Tom Morello- The Mexican (GZA and Tom Morello together! Wu Tang and Rage have made me who I am today!)

5. Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars- Uptown Funk (There’s always room for more funk in this world and Bruno Mars is

ALIA BHATT @aliaa08 We are stronger than people think we are. We are MORE than equal!

More power to all the women/girls out there!!! #HappyWomensDay

On March 26th, Savagery will launch their much anticipated double disc album along with the re-issue of Parthibo’s anthology album with a new music video and availability of the anthology discs.

TUNE IN our only hope today) 6. Cat Empire- Lost Song (Cat empire is easy listening world music that you’re bound to play on repeat) 7. Passenger- Scare away the dark (The lyrics couldn’t be more relevant today.

Brilliant song) 8. Incubus- Absolution Calling (They are one of my favourite bands and I’m really hopeful about their new album.

You have to check out S.C.I.E.N.C.E and Fungus Amongus, their first two albums) 9. Arctic Monkeys- Come Together (Arctic Monkeys covering the Beatles!)

10. Foo Fighters- Learn to Fly (This song never gets old. It’s the first Foo Fighters track I heard and I’ve loved the band since) l

What to listen to: Radio Shadhin 92.4FM Bossbreak 12-3pm Sreyoshe 3-5pm Bombastic 5-8:30pm

MUSICAL MONDAYS From hypnotic tunes to concert dates, Mondays are now dedicated to the universal language called music. Every week, Showtime will provide the right dose of news and reviews. Take a seat, grab your headphones and turn up the volume.

DT

32 BACK PAGE

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

KEPZ: INVESTMENT HAMPERED

BY LAND GRABBING PAGE 15

CONFIDENT MASHRAFE ALL IN PAGE 25

FOR THE LOVE OF THE NATION PAGE 31

Too little and too late n Rehman Sobhan

A torch procession is brought out in DU marking Int’l Women’s Day yesterday

MEHEDI HASAN

Women’s Day observed n Tribune Report International Women’s Day was observed around the country yesterday with a call for establishing the rights of women at every sphere of life in society.

Various socio-cultural organisations arranged different events to highlight women’s rights and their progress in economic, social, political and other areas.

On the eve of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, urged all to work together for ensuring women empowerment, their equal rights and opportunity.

Hundreds of people, including the students of Dhaka University, gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar at midnight for the occasion.

Later in the day, the Ministry of Women

and Children Affairs organised a programme at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Addressing the event as chief guest, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said some people misinterpreted religion to prevent women from progressing. “No society or country can develop by leaving behind a part of it.”

At Jahangirnagar University, a colourful grand rally was brought out by hundreds of students, teachers, university officials and staff.

Addressing the rally, JU Vice Chancellor Farzana Islam, the country’s first female VC, said: “Empowerment of women and humanity is necessary to maintain social equilibrium.

We should create a congenial atmosphere for women everywhere.”

Programmes were held in Chittagong. Chuadanga, Rangamati, Netrokona, Mymenshigh, Rangpur and other districts too. l

Connecting young voices n Syeda Samira Sadeque

Young women shared their experiences on gender discrimination at a programme marking International Women’s Day yesterday at Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre.

“Back in 2013, I filed a complaint against my father at Ain O Salish Kendra,” a participant shared at the event.

“And I knew the next time he wanted to hit me, I could ask him not to because I had just filed a complaint against him.”

Her story resonated with many in the room at BYLC’s event, where UNDP Country Direc-

tor Pauline Tamesis and Barrister Nihad Kabir also spoke.

Some shared stories of bravery, while some expressed opinions on how to tackle the nuanced gender discrimination woven tightly into the fabric of our society.

“The main obstacle I faced is the mindset of questioning whether women can be as effective professionally as men. To respond to that, there is no alternative but to work hard, to be good at what you do,” said Nihad.

Tamesis, from UNDP, said she believed in the power of women coming together and using their networks to reach other women. l

The crisis long predicted in these columns and which we along with many others throughout the country had tried so hard to avoid is upon us.

The future of this nation is at stake. If it survives this moment of peril it can never be the same again.

The people of Bangla Desh have had to take to the streets to re-win the right to self-government they had sought to establish three months ago at the polls. Then they did indeed speak their minds unequivocally. And today those same people are in the streets, armed with only primitive weapons but sustained by indomitable courage and faith in the justice of their cause.

The interests that have provoked this conflagration are the same as those which attempted to preserve the nation as a playground for their greed and ambition. It is however only fitting that the instrument for their design should be none other than Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, chairman of the People’s Party, pledged to emancipate the people from these same vested interests.

Less than a month ago there was hope in the air. The polls had made it sufficiently clear that Bangla Desh was solidly committed to Six-Points. The victors in West Pakistan had no campaign commitments against Six-Points which could have inhibited a settlement with the Awami League and which could prevent them from honouring their economic commitments to their electorate.

A constitution based on Six-Points, but taking care of the special problems of West Pakistan, could have been jointly framed without prejudice to the rights and interests of the common people of West Pakistan.

A peaceful transition to a democratic order, which for the first time in two decades would have put inter-wing bickering at an end and left parties free to get on with the task of engineering social revolution, was distinctly possible.

All these hopes are ashes. Mr. Bhutto’s refusal to attend the Assembly indicated that he has made common cause with the “hawks” in the power elite, and had the strength to force the postpone-

ment, sine die, of the Assembly.

The long delay between election time and the summoning of the Assembly had already generated enough tension so that March 3 was not a day too soon. Anyone with the slightest notion of the mood in Bangla Desh knew this would push the self-restraint of the people over the brink.

The reasons put forward by the great chairman for not attending the National Assembly were too puerile to be taken seriously. The notion that a National Assembly is merely a ratification chamber for clandestine agreements is part of the Byzantine politics which the chairman learnt for 8 years at the feet of his spiritual father.

If a parliament is not meant to discuss basic issues, to examine them closely in committee sessions, to seek settlement and to vote on them if positions are irreconcilable, why was so much blood shed in the cause of parliamentary democracy?

All this Mr. Bhutto knew and had made clear to him, not just on his visit to East Pakistan but by the powers-that-be, when he ignited the flames of crisis. It was therefore a cold-blooded act which could have no other end than the death of peasants, workers and students in the streets of Bangla Desh.

He has worked hand and glove with the hawks who have now come up with their proposal of a National Assembly held under the shadow of the gun. A five-hour session with the president before his provocative broadcast has proved this collusion without a shadow of doubt. His so-called progressive supporters should take note of the role of their chairman’s collaboration with the forces of oppression.

Dictatorship has been given a new lease of life and they would do well to realise that their own freedoms may be trampled in the dust along with the blood of workers and students in Bangla Desh. l This piece is the first in a series that will run until March 25, in which we reproduce Rehman Sobhan’s contemporaneous account of the events of that momentous month in Bangladeshi history, originally written for Forum magazine.

This piece was first published in Forum on March 6, 1971, and we publish it in two parts. The concluding part of the article will follow tomorrow.

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