21 March, 2015

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

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Chaitra 6, 1421, Jamadiul Awal 28, 1436

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 2, No 345

HASINA AHMED: I WANT TUSHAR: OUR FIRST MY HUSBAND BACK PAGE 3 FORMULA RACER PAGE 5

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www.dhakatribune.com | 36 pages | Price: Tk10

OBAMA: US TO REASSESS POLICY ON ISRAEL PAGE 10

Hopefuls belonging to different parties of the ruling coalition got a head start camapiging for the city corporation elections in Dhaka long before the BNP weighed in on whether it would contest them. The billboards have been taken down since yesterday after the Election Commission ordered their removal File photo/SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

BNP in, but movement to continue The party to announce its stand over city corporation polls in a day or two; Mintoo being considered for Dhaka North, Bulu or Goyeshwar or Rizvi for Dhaka South n Mohammad Al Masum Molla The BNP will most likely participate in the upcoming Dhaka and Chittagong city corporation elections, but it will also continue its ongoing campaign to topple the government.

The official announcement on joining the race is expected within a day or two.

Party insiders say the party has been planning to back heavyweight candidates for the mayoral races in the two city corporations in Dhaka and another in Chittagong.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo is likely to run for mayor of Dhaka North. Party’s Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy or either of the two joint secretaries general – Barkatullah Bulu and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi – may run for the South.

The decisions to both continue its anti-government movement and participate in the city polls come in light of suggestions and counsel that Khaleda Zia has had over the past few days from well-wishers.

A pro-BNP delegation, which went to meet

All quiet at Langham Hotel n Mazhar Uddin from Melbourne

The Tigers’ den – the Langham Hotel – was absolutely quiet yesterday. A day after their painful exit in the quarter-final stage of the 2015 ICC World Cup against India, the Bangladesh cricketers were finding it extremely difficult to put their thoughts into words.

The cricketers looked very disappointed

PAGE 2 AL nominates Nasir Uddin for CCC mayor

yesterday and their pain, agony and anger was quite visible for all to see. However, they were unable to express their true feelings and emotions to the media due to the International Cricket Council’s Code of Conduct.

Nasir Hossain was the first Bangladesh cricketer to speak to the Bangladeshi journalists. The demoralised cricketer did sport a  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 3 Ajoy Roy unhappy with progress in Avijit murder probe

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office last night, said she showed positive attitude about the city polls.

Emajuddin Ahmed, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, told journalists after the meeting that Khaleda’s attitude about the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls was positive.

“There are two chains of thoughts,” said BNP policymaker Mahbubur Rahman yesterday. Some people advocated participating in the polls since the party has much popularity, “and the elections should not go

unchallenged,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Another group thinks that the party should boycott these polls since most of the BNP leaders are either in jail or on the run. Many activists of the party have also suffered the same fate. “So, they think it would be unwise to participate in the polls,” said Mahbub, the former army chief.

Bulu has gone underground acting as the BNP spokesman while Mintoo has been on the run. Both Goyeshwar and Rizvi are in jail.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

ICC slams own president for criticising umpires n Reuters The International Cricket Council (ICC) has backed match officials criticised by the governing body’s own president over a controversial no-ball decision in Thursday’s World Cup quarter-final between Bangladesh and India.

India opener Rohit Sharma was caught in the deep off a delivery from paceman Rubel Hossain that umpire Aleem Dar deemed was an above waist-height no-ball, but replays contradicted his opinion, showing the delivery was fair.

PAGE 28 Australia recover from wobble to book India SF

Rohit, then on 90, went on to hit 137 off 126 balls as the defending champions defeated Bangladesh by 109 runs to book a place in the semi-finals.

Mustafa Kamal, a former Bangladesh Cricket Board chief and now the ICC president, was incensed by the umpiring and urged the governing body to look into the matter.

“From what I have seen, the umpiring was very poor,” Kamal told Bangladeshi reporters after the match. “There was no quality in the umpiring.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 32 Titas proposes piped-LPG pilot project

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2 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Family meets Manna n Tribune Report Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna’s wife and daughter met him at Dhaka Central Jail yesterday, a day after he was shifted there from Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Manna, who was suffering from blood pressure and cardiac problem, is under care of the central Jail hospital.

The jail authorities permitted Manna’s wife Meher Nigar and daughter Niloy Manna to meet him around 2pm.

Nesar Ahmed, the jail superintendent, said Manna’s wife and daughter were allowed to meet him for half an hour. During their visit they enquired about Manna’s physical condition.

Manna’s daughter Niloy Manna over cell phone said her father’s physical condition deteriorated. He is hardly able to walk.

He was supposed to undergo NGO gram and MRI tests as were suggested by his doc-

tors but he was taken back to jail without those two tests, added Niloy Manna.

On Thursday evening Manna was sent to jail. Manna was admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on March 10, three days into his second spell of the 10-day remand in a sedition case filed with Gulshan police station.

Earlier, Manna was placed on a 10-day remand on February 25 in a case filed for inciting revolt in the army to grab state power.

Manna was arrested by Rapid Action Battalion on February 24 around 10:50pm and later handed over to the Detective Branch of police.

About Manna’s remand Mahfuzul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of DB police, said they had appealed to the court concerned for the continuation of the remand but the court is yet to give any decision.

Everything now depends on the court decision, he added. l

BNP activist held with AL nominates Nasir 40 bombs in city Uddin for CCC poll n Tribune Report n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A BNP activist was detained with 20 petrol bombs and 20 crude bombs from Jatrabari area in the capital yesterday.

A RAB 10 team raided a house in the area and arrested Rezaur Rahman Fahim, 31, said RAB Media Wing Deputy Director Rumman Mahmud. The bombs were found in a bag the youth was carrying, he added.

The RAB official said Fahim was also a key suspect in the bomb blast incident at a recent procession led by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan near BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office.

RAB officials said Fahim used to work for Abdul Alim Nakib, the secretary of Ward No 19 of city unit BNP. Nakib used to hire people for setting fire on vehicles and hurling petrol bombs.

Quoting Fahim, the officials said Nakib asked the youth to carry out vandalism in Gulshan area and allured him of giving a good political post if BNP comes to power. l

The Awami League has nominated AJM Nasir Uddin as its mayoral candidate for the election of Chittagong City Corporation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the chief of the ruling party, took the decision in a meeting at Ganabhaban yesterday evening, the party’s Executive Council Member Saifuzzaman Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune.

Nasir is currently the general Secretary of Awami League’s Chittagong city unit.

The party’s Chittagong city unit President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, who was the CCC mayor for three consecutive terms, and Treasurer Abdus Salam, who is also the chairman of Chittagong Development Authority, were nomination aspirants from the party.

The Election Commission has fixed April 28 for holding the elections to bifurcated Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations.

The last date for submitting nomination papers is March 29. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ICC slams own president for criticising umpires “It seemed as if they had gone into the match with something in mind. I am speaking as a fan, not as the ICC president. Umpires may make mistakes.

“The ICC will see if this was done deliberately. Everything is on record. The ICC has to investigate and inquire the issue to see if

there is anything to it.”

In response, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson hit back at Kamal for his comments.

“The ICC has noted Mr Mustafa Kamal’s comments, which are very unfortunate but made in his personal capacity,” former South

Africa wicket-keeper Richardson said in a statement.

“As the ICC president, he should have been more considerate in his criticism of ICC match officials, whose integrity cannot be questioned.

“The no-ball decision was a 50-50 call. The

spirit of the game dictates that the umpire’s decision is final and must be respected.

“Any suggestion that the match officials had ‘an agenda’ or did anything other than perform to the best of their ability are baseless and are refuted in the strongest possible terms.” l

The BCB boss was also furious with the shambolic umpiring.

“It is very frustrating for us. Although the result of the match might not have changed, even then, if the umpiring was up to the standard, then we might have had a close game,” he said.

Nazmul said the board would meet to discuss whether or not to appeal the ICC

regarding the pathetic umpiring.

The Tigers yesterday night enjoyed their last dinner Down Under which was arranged by a non-resident Bangladeshi. They will fly for Bangladesh today and are expected to reach Dhaka tomorrow.

The Tigers’ head coach Chandika Hathurusingha left the team hotel yesterday and returned to his home in Sydney. l

ment will put all-out effort to show a huge turnout and tell the international community that turnout in the national election was poor due to BNP’s violent movement,” he said.

A mid-ranking BNP leader said the party was considering Bulu for Dhaka South as a lot of Noakhali-based people lived there and Noakhali happens to be Bulu’s home constituency where he was elected an MP in 2008 elections.

On the other hand, the party is considering Goyeshwar for Dhaka South because he is more competent than the Awami League candidate and has a good idea about the constituency.

Apart from them, a third possible candidate for Dhaka South mayor could be Rizvi who has a clean image and enjoys people’s sympathy.

Election commentators said BNP’s decision to join the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls would bring a change in national politics as people have witnessed a violent protest in the past one and a half months.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, general secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (citizens

for good governance), said: “If the BNP participates in the elections, then the elections would be competitive and bring about a festive mood among voters.

“If the government allows the opposition parties to continue their campaigns freely, that that will bring a relief to the tensed situation.”

Tofail Ahmed, former Chittagong University professor and an expert on local government, said BNP’s participation would be a positive gesture in the national politics.

“There are two implications. If the city polls turn out to be similar to the January 5 national and upazila elections, then the BNP’s movement will get a new momentum because people will get a fresh idea that fair election is not possible under the government. On the other hand, if the elections are fair, the BNP will have to change its strategy,” said Tofail.

Professor Emajuddin Ahmed also said after yesterday’s meeting with Khaleda: “If the BNP participates in the elections, the movement strategy would change too.” l

All quiet at Langham Hotel smile but it was more wry than anything else.

“What should I say now?” said Nasir before adding: “You all saw what happened on the field. We are extremely disappointed.”

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain, who was at the centre of the controversy after a perfectly legitimate full toss to Rohit Sharma was deemed to be a “beamer” said many things regarding the umpiring but asked this

correspondent not to include his comments in this report.

Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan in the meantime tried his best to console the cricketers. The BCB supremo arranged a meeting with all the members of the team and praised them for their heartening performance throughout the World Cup.

BNP in, but movement to continue The ruling Awami League, the main opposition in parliament Jatiya Party and the Communist Party of Bangladesh had already nominated their candidates for Dhaka mayor even before the Election Commission announced that the polls would be held on April 28. The last date for submitting nominations is March 29.

Currently, the BNP and its 20-party alliance have been waging a violent anti-government campaign since January 6 this year marked by blockades and general strikes and deadly petrol bomb attacks.

Having boycotted the last general election of January 5 last year, the BNP and its allies were thrown out of parliament. The Awami League swept the polls virtually uncontested.

The 20-party alliance’s campaign calls for the ruling party to step down and announce a fresh national election.

Seeking anonymity, a senior BNP leader said the general strike might be relaxed in Dhaka and Chittagong for the elections but the blockade will continue across the country.

The national election and local government

elections are different, the leader explained.

“Participating in the local government elections will be part of our movement,” he said.

The BNP leader quoted many leaders at the grassroots as saying victory of the BNP-backed candidates would add a new dimension to the party’s anti-government campaign.

“Blockade and hartal have lost their edge and a good result in the city polls will add fuel to the movement,” he said.

The BNP has convincingly swept the city polls in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur in recent past. But its mayors are either in jail or almost incapacitated by the government.

Another senior BNP leader said the government was constantly changing its strategy, so the BNP should have one to outmanoeuvre the ruling party.

“The BNP should adopt a strategy so that city elections backfire on their [Awami League’s] face and if they decide to suspend the polls that would backfire on them too.

“If the BNP boycotts the polls, the govern-

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SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Hasina Ahmed: I want my husband back n Tribune Report A glimmer of hope flashed in the minds of family members when it was aired on the news on Thursday night that BNP leader Salauddin Ahmed was found in an inaccessible part of Fulchhari under Gaibandha.

But very soon their hope was shattered as Gaibandha police said it was just a rumour.

When contacted, Hasina Ahmed, Salauddin’s wife yesterday told this correspondent: “Everything has happened before your eyes and you media people know all about it. I just want my husband back.”

On the morning of Thursday Hasina Ahmed went to the Prime Minister’s Office and submitted a memorandum requesting the prime minister to look into the issue of her

husband’s disappearance.

After the news of Salauddin’s whereabouts was aired in the evening of the same day Gaibandha police carried out a massive drive in the area but they said they did not find him and termed it a rumour.

BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed has been missing since March 10.

Another BNP leader Ilias Ali too disappeared in the month of April, 2012. He was not taken away from his house like Salauddin.

He was on his way back home when a group of unidentified people whisked him off after they stopped his microbus.

That time too Ilias’s family members sought PM’s intervention in the matter. After his family members submitted a memorandum to the prime minister police conducted

a massive drive but it lost momentum after a few days.

Meanwhile, Aktherul, security guard of the house at Uttara, from where Salahuddin was reportedly taken away by some people identifying themselves as law enforcers on March 10 was sent on a 10-day leave.

This correspondent tried to reach him over phone but his mobile was found switched off.

After Salauddin went missing Akhterul Islam told different media that four to five armed people entered the building around 10:10pm on the day.

“When I asked them about their identities they beat me up and brandished their guns before they forcibly entered the house,” he said.

“Then they went to the first floor and

came back after around 20 minutes with Salahuddin blindfolded,” he said, adding that Salahuddin had taken shelter in the flat four days ago.

However, law enforcement agencies, including Special Branch of police, Criminal Investigation Department, Rapid Action Battalion, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Police Headquarters, denied Salauddin’s arrest.

They later said they were trying to trace Salauddin.

All the four agencies in their reports denied the involvement of law enforcers in the arrest of Salauddin.

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Salahuddin went into hiding and law enforcers were trying to trace his location. l

Farabi placed on fresh four-day remand n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Pahari Chhatra Parishad and Gonotantrik Jubo Forum stage a demonstration at Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University yesterday protesting the recent army-police clash with the adivasis. They also urged the government not to set up BGB headquarters in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and demanded unconditional release of those arrested by law enforcers RAJIB DHAR

A Dhaka court yesterday placed Shafiur Rahman Farabi, the prime suspect in the murder of writer and blogger Avijit Roy, on a fresh four-day remand in a case filed under the ICT Act. Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar Dutta passed the order when the Detective Branch of police produced Farabi before his court, seeking a seven-day fresh remand following the completion of a five-day remand in the case.

On March 14, another Dhaka court placed Farabi on the five-day remand for interrogation in the case filed against him with Shahbagh police station.

On March 2, just four days after the murder of Avijit Roy, RAB arrested Farabi, a student of physics at Chittagong University, from the capital’s Jatrabari area for his alleged involvement in the killing.

On February 26, unidentified assailants killed Avijit, 42, and badly injured his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya on the Dhaka University campus as the couple were returning home from the Ekushey Book Fair. l

Ajoy Roy unhappy with progress in Avijit murder probe n Arif Ahmed

Even though almost a month has passed since the killing of Avijit Roy, there has been no visible progress in the investigation, the father of the slain author has claimed.

Avijit’s father Ajoy Roy, a former professor of the Dhaka University, said he had given the probe team many documents regarding who might have been involved in the killing, but seen no progress since.

“In my personal observations, I have found involvement of some Shibir activists and a Buet teacher who invited Avijit to the book fair on that day [the day Avijit was killed] for a gathering. Regarding these issues, I have provided documents to the Detective Branch; but I have not noticed any progress,” Ajoy told a programme at the university’s RC Majumdar Auditorium.

The event was organised by citizen’s platform Nagorik Committee in the memory of

Avijit, founder of the secular Muktomona blog who was hacked to death by unidentified assailants on February 26 near the TSC roundabout. The attack also critically injured Avijit’s wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya, who is currently receiving medical care in the US. “The attitude and behaviour of [Buet teacher] Farshim Mannan seems very deceptive to me. On that day [February 26], he invited 11 persons at the Boi Mela including Avijit and Bonya where four or five were unknown faces,” Ajoy said.

Those unknown people were invited by Farshim Mannan Mohammadi – a teacher of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology – and might have been Shibir activists, Ajoy added.

Avijit and Bonya stayed at the gathering until around 8pm, while also present there were representatives of magazines “Zero to Infinity” and “Pie” - magazines Ajoy said are suspected of having links to Jamaat-Shibir.

When the unknown men were asked about their presence at the gathering, they claimed to be invited by Farshim Mannan, Ajoy said, adding that the suspicious men left the scene after spotting Avijit and Bonya there.

Also speaking at the programme, DU Vice-Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique vowed to create a social movement against militant forces and demanded that the investigation be completed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, when the Dhaka Tribune contacted Farshim later in evening, he denied having any involvement with the killing.

Farshim, a teacher of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Buet, said he spoke to Ajoy Roy on March 16 to clarify his own innocence on

the issue.

Farshim said there were two or three men at the gathering on February 26, whom he had also never seen before. But as it was an open space, any writer or publisher present there might have invited those individuals, he claimed. l

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SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

PHP to manufacture car for the first time in Bangladesh n

Tribune Report

PHP, a business conglomerate based in Chittagong, is going to manufacture sedan car, aiming to release them in the market by the beginning of next year.

The company signed a deal with Malaysian automobile manufacturer Proton in this regard on Thursday, at Proton Centre for Excellent Complex in Malaysian city Selangor.

PHP is going to set up the industry – the first of its kind in the country – on 30 acres of land in Anwara upazila, with a capacity

of manufacturing 1,200 cars per year. The company is investing around Tk400 crore in the project, which will employ several hundreds of workers, including 50 engineers.

The cars, to be named Proton PHP, will be cheaper than Toyota reconditioned cars available in Bangladesh, said Proton CEO Dato Abdul Harith Abdullah.

However, he said Proton assembles all its vehicles strictly following the international standards, and it would ensure PHP maintained all standards of motor manufacturing.

PHP Vice-Chairman Mohammad Mohasin Chowdhury said the company would bear all repair expenses if the vehicle faced any technical problem within 25,000km of Proton PHP run.

“The company will assure all repair services within 24 hours of reported problem,” he said.

Proton began its journey as Proton Saga in Malaysia in 1985. The company sold 13,000 cars of this brand in that year locally, and 83,000 the following year. Proton is now manufacturing cars for different countries, including the Middle East and Australia. l

Marine graduates seek PM’s intervention to alleviate woes n Our Correspondent, Chittagong Marine graduates yesterday sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention to resolve complications and alleged irregularities facing the marine sector of the country.

At a press briefing held under the banner of Ex-Cadet of Bangladesh Marine Academy at Abdul Khalek Auditorium of Chittagong Press Club, graduates shed light on visa issues, job insecurity and corruption affecting their careers.

Imran Wahid Emon, a marine graduate from Bangladesh Marine Academy (BMA), read out a written statement. Emon said that many seafarers could not complete their sea time after graduation as the number of native ships had come down to 38 in 2014 from 70 in 2012. Visa complications bar mariners from securing jobs abroad, he said.

Chief Engineer Md Shakhawat Hossen said: “Three years ago many foreign countries imposed visa restrictions for Bangladeshi seafarers since many of them fled ships.”

“The Continuous Discharge Certificate, which is a seafarer’s identity document and his Certificates of Competency could not be updated with the online verification system,” he added.

About the capsize of a Cambodian ship in Japan last December, he said it was the fault of the unskilled captain and chief engineer, both Bangladeshis, who had forged certificates.

“Unscrupulous academies, with the help of the authorities, were issuing fake certificates and thus damaging our image,” he added.

The ex-cadets demanded the authorities to admit limited numbers of freshers until the issues were resolved. l

Samia Zaman elected a jury of international oriental film festival n Tribune Report Gonojagoron Moncho observes a sit-in programme in the capital’s Shahbagh area yesterday protesting the delay in arresting Avijit Roy’s killers and implementing the death penalty of convicted war criminal Kamaruzzman RAJIB DHAR

Speakers: Textile industry faces many challenges n Tribune Report Existing rules for importing fibres, slow progress in infrastructure streaming to supply chain management and limited control over prices of finished products in global market are the main challenges to the country’s textile industry.

Since the industry is dependent on import of fibres from foreign countries, the government should take steps to make the rules industry-friendly, said Jahangir Alamin, former president of Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA).

He was addressing a session titled “Bangladesh Spinning Industry in Next Decade” at the Global Cotton Summit Bangladesh-2015 in the capital yesterday.

The two-day summit has began at the Hotel Radisson Blue Water Garden in a bid to enhance relations between buyers and suppliers

of the product.

Jointly organised by the Bangladesh Cotton Association (BCA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), Textiles and Jute Minister Mohammad Emaz Uddin Pramanik inaugurated the event.

“We produce a little quantity of cotton. But we need huge amount of raw cotton to meet the local demands,” said Emaz Uddin.

In his speech as the chief guest, he said: “Cheap and competitive price rate of the cotton is mostly essential for us.”

Bangladesh import cotton mostly from India, USA, Brazil, Australia and Africa. But the import of cotton is not always smooth due to volatility in the international market.

“The prices of cotton in international market fluctuate regularly, and it makes a big negative impact on us,” said BTMA President Tapan Chowdhury.

The buyers and sellers face difficulties in

fulfilling and complying with contractual obligations due to the high degree of fluctuation of the prices, he said.

“Cotton exporting countries put export barriers and therefore our import contracts remain unperformed,” he added.

“I firmly believe this summit will provide our members an opportunity to understand the dynamics of cotton, growth, international trade and consumption, the BTMA president said.

According to the BTMA, Bangladesh is the second largest importer of cotton having imported 5.5 million bales worth of $2.56 bn in 2014.

The country’s sinning mills are fully supporting the export oriented ready made garment factories.

The mills can produce 2100 million kilogramme of yearn and supply about 80-85% of knit and 35-40% of woven yarn to the RMG sector. l

Noted media personality, film director and producer Samia Zaman has been invited to be a jury of the short films category at the International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva (FIFOG).

She will be leading the short film jury board of this reputable film festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Organised in collaboration with national and international partners, FIFOG works for cultural diversity and promotes the integration of foreign films in Switzerland.

Through the films of young directors, roundtables, meetings, discussions, animations, an art exhibition and debates, the festival wants to facilitate a dialogue between East and West and diminish preconceived ideas.

One hundred movies, short films and documentaries from Algeria, Belgium, Egypt, the United States, Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, France, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey, Switzerland and Syria will be screened at the festival, which kicked off yesterday and will continue till March 29.

Samia Zaman’s second feature film Aakash Koto Dure (The Distant Sky) was screened at the FIFOG last year. Her directorial debut ‘Rani Kuthir Baki Itihash’ was released in 2006 to popular and critical acclaim. l

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SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Driven: The story of Bangladesh’s first-ever Formula racer With no racing infrastructure here, Tushar must go abroad to drive practice laps n Syeda Samira Sadeque

the feeling of being high on speed. My parents decided it was better and safer for me to do this in India – in a proper setting that was prepared for this level of speed – than for me to try and do it in Dhaka.”

Thus Tushar’s parents supported him to go to India, sparking off his journey.

Sitting down for a chat with the Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh’s first-ever Formula race driver tells me: “There’s this thing about speed. Speed-lovers need to have a speedometer in front of them. They go mad. They just have one thing going on in their heads: How far they can push their limits. How far they can bend the speed mark.”

He is calm, composed. He speaks as though madly watching the speedometer in search of breakneck thrills isn’t a sort of benign madness. He assures me it is the most natural thing he has ever felt.

In 2013, Mahfuzur Rahman Tushar became the first Bangladeshi to officially participate in a Formula racing competition. He has since returned for F4 races in India with the help of sponsorship from Shah Cement.

But he does not have the ordinary background of a race car driver. Most racers, Tushar says, begin as early as the age of six. It takes years for them to complete the various levels of racing.

Tushar’s journey to the race track was, in some ways, way off track. He studied under the madrasa system before attending university, where he studied automobile engineering.

While at university, his brother would send him car magazines to satiate his obsession with automobiles. These publications helped steer him towards racing.

In 2004, while flipping through a magazine, he came across the “World Cyber Games” virtual championships being held in Bangladesh.

Since he was still living in a dorm, he was unable to participate in the virtual race that year.

But as soon as he was free from dorm life, he took part in the race.

He lost in the very first round – a matter of ridicule among his peers, he recalls.

But he wasn’t going to let a little wrench in the works get him down. “It was then that I decided I would win a real race one day,” he says.

Birth of a Formula driver

Following his participation in the training programme, Tushar was given a nod by the CEO to start as an F4 racer.

The hierarchy goes from F4, the basic level, up to F1, a four-rung career ladder that can take a minimum of ten years for a racer to climb.

But the excitement was short-lived.

Tushar’s dreams hit the brakes in 2012, after learning how much the programme would cost. His parents, who had so far been supportive, were unable to afford it.

Tushar realised he would not be able to afford the Formula journey in its entirety.

“So, I decided to go for the first one, thinking maybe if I could bring back some material success, I would be able to get sponsors,” he said, undeterred.

The plan worked. Tushar, who began in the 22nd spot in the race, came 15th and was introduced at the race as the “Bangladeshi Narain Karthikeyan.”

Karthikeyan is the Indian F1 driver who has become a South Asian racing legend.

“No matter where I go or what the outcome was that day, being compared to him and introduced like that has so far been my biggest achievement,” says Tushar.

Upon his return, Tushar was able to secure sponsorship from Shah Cement, and went to India to continue racing last year. He will do so this year as well – and in the years to come.

Fueling a dream

Revving up for victory

Victory came to Tushar via the slow lane during the coming years.

He soon began to participate in go-kart races held at Fantasy Kingdom. Given the lack of any space for speed racing in Bangladesh, this was the most he could do.

“Although this is a mere entertainment in our country, I knew that this was the first step to someday entering the Formula championships. So I decided to go ahead with the resources that were available to me,” he says.

His very first time out, Tushar came in 3rd – that too without having had any practice on the track.

“That is when my parents began to realise that this was something more than a dream or a wish for me – it was a passion,” he says.

“I soon learned about the Federation Motor Sports Club of India (FMSCI) which grooms

‘My parents knew the madness in me. Of the feeling of being high on speed. They decided it was better and safer for me to do this in India – in a proper setting that was prepared for this level of speed – than for me to try and do it in Dhaka’

and trains racers.

“On a whim, I decided to send them a message, deliberately sounding rather crazy, so that they would understand the extent of both my problem and passion.”

Luckily, the madness worked. He soon re-

ceived a response from the CEO of FMSCI and learned that a training session for budding racers was coming up in a few months.

Getting the green light from his parents was not difficult.

“My parents knew the madness in me. Of

Enormous roadblocks to success remain.

Tushar has to cross the border just to practice for a race. There is a serious need for both a physical space as well as a culture of healthy racing to grow here.

Tushar worries that there are too many youngsters who race on city streets. Underlying this lies a bigger problem – the lack of racing facilities in Bangladesh.

Tushar plans to build a track for future generations – his own formula for successfully building up a Formula racing culture.

As someone who began his journey much later than others in the profession, Tushar today is unburdened by inhibition or worry.

Although he is yet to win a race, Tushar has already beaten the odds and built himself a track – spanning two countries – towards the fulfillment of a dream.

Today, it is not just a need for speed, but a passion to make the impossible possible that drives him, whatever detours there may be.

As for the meter: He still has his eye on it and it continues to drive him mad – in search of bigger, bolder milestones. l

DT

6 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Hyped renewable energy plant left flapping in the wind n Aminur Rahman Rasel Ten months after the power purchase agreement was signed, there still has been no tangible progress in the construction of the country’s first 60MW wind turbine power plant in Cox’s Bazar.

The agreement to build the renewable energy plant, signed amid much fanfare, was touted as a major move forward for Bangladesh.

Energy Adviser to the Prime Minister Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, when the deal was inked, called the project a “milestone in the country’s power generation history.”

At the signing ceremony, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid said the wind energy

plant marked the Bangladeshi energy sector’s “entry into a new era.”

After the deal was signed, US-DK Green Energy Managing Director Zahurul Islam Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that commercial operations would be started within 10 months.

Yet key feasibility assessments had still not taken place nearly a year after the agreement was signed.

“Now we are mapping wind resources on the south-east side of the entrance to the Maheshkhali Channel and the north-west side of Buckhali River within the coastal belt of the Bay of Bengal – about 5km from Cox’s Bazar town – to assess the possibility of power generation together with Danish wind-turbine

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India hold a flag meeting at Thakurpur border area of Damurhuda in Chuadanga yesterday. Subedar Shafiqul Alam of Thakurpur BGB and SI Mahendra Singh of 113 BSF battalion discussed women trafficking and drug smuggling, among other issues, at the meeting DHAKA TRIBUNE

1 held with 16 gold bars at Chittagong airport

President for ensuring quality higher education

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

n Tribune Report

A person was arrested with 16 gold bars yesterday in the morning by customs officials at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong city.

The arrestee, Jahangir Alam, 37, of Charati under Satkania upazila in Chittagong, arrived at the airport at 9:55am through an Air Arabia flight from Ras Al Khaimah province of UAE, said airport sources.

Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, Chittagong’s Assistant Director Syed Mukaddesh Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that they conducted a drive at the airport following a tip-off after the plane landed.

“When Jahangir was crossing the green channel at the airport, we found his movements suspicious and stopped him. We found the gold bars, weighing about two kilogrammes and worth approximately Tk90 lakh, in his socks,” he said. l

President Abdul Hamid on Thursday stressed more effective measures by universities to ensure quality higher education in the country.

Speaking at the 14th convocation of East West University, Hamid said in addition to earning certificates, the degrees of graduating students would also bestow responsibilities towards the society, the country and the nation, says a press release.

He urged students to perform the responsibilities through their endeavour and spirit of patriotism in the coming days. “A career is not the only objective of education. The real goal of education is to ensure honesty, justice and patriotism in each sphere of life.”

The convocation ceremony was arranged held at the university’s own campus at Aftabnagar. A total of 1445 students were conferred their degrees, with two of them receiving gold medals. l

company, Vestas,” Zahurul yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune.

Wind mapping is supposed to take place before signing a power purchase agreement, said a Power Development Board (PDB) official, who asked not to be named. He said the contract seemed unusual.

Zahurul said: “We hope that the company [Vestas] will give a result within a few months. We will then start construction work on the plant.”

“We have already sought one more year from the PDB to start commercial operations,” he added.

PDB Chairman Shahinul Islam Khan said the tenure of the contract was under consideration.

On May 15 last year, the PDB and US-DK Green Energy Ltd, a joint venture company, signed a power purchase agreement to build a wind energy plant under the independent power producer (IPP) mode.

According to the agreement for the wind turbine plant, the PDB will buy electricity from the company for the next 18 years at the rate of $0.12 per kilowatt-hour. The contract basis will be “no electricity, no payment.”

The $120m project cost will be carried by different international and local lenders.

US-DK Green Energy Ltd is a joint venture between US-based Taylor Engineering LLC, Denmark-based ph-consulting group and Bangladesh-based Multiplex Green Energy Ltd. l

DT

NEWS 7

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Cuta election yet to be held

No water supply in Barisal General Hospital for 11 days n CU Correspondent n Our Correspondent, Barisal Patients of Barisal General Hospital have been in dire straits as there has been no water supply for 11 days because water pumps are not working.

Consequently, the patients have been compelled to leave without treatment, in many cases with just their prescription.

The hospital authorities, on their part, have limited the number of admissions as well.

Admitting to the problems, the hospital’s Residential Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Delwar Hossain said the crisis brought the number of patients by half and they were admitting only emergency patients.

Doctors were referring most of the patients to nearby Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital, the RMO also said, adding that they had already informed the higher authorities and the local Public Works Department was trying to fix the water pumps.

When contacted, Ripon Hossain, assistant engineer of DPHE, said it would take two weeks more to restore water supply.

It was learnt that all pumps of the hospital went out of order on March 8. l

Chittagong University Teachers Association is yet to hold its annual poll 74 days after the scheduled date of December 31 passed.

Cuta members alleged that the expired executive committee is still conducting organisational activities without holding a general meeting in a bid to approve their additional time in tenure.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune Cuta president Benu Kumar Dey claimed: “Due to countrywide political turmoil the election could not be held on time. However, we have already formed an election commission making CU’s Examination Controller (acting) Professor Dr Mohiuddin chief election commissioner [CEC].”

As per as Cuta constitution if any executive

body fails to hold the general election within the constitutional timeframe, the body would have to call a general meeting where the general members would approve the extra time and fix the next course of action.

CU sources said Cuta had formed a three-member EC on the first week of February making Professor Dr M Abdul Gafur of Botany Department the CEC and announced the election was to be held on February 19.

The EC had postponed the election proceedings later considering the nationwide political unrest after the BNP-led-20-party alliance called the indefinite countrywide blockade with spells of hartal.

After a few days the CEC left the post as he fell ill and was admitted at a hospital in Dhaka. The two others assistant election com-

missioners had also resigned from their post citing personal reasons. Later Cuta formed the second election commission.

Dr Mohammed Mohiuddin told Dhaka Tribune that the commission already fixed the election date to be on April 4 and the updated final voter list was published last Saturday. The last date of submitting the nomination papers in March 21.

Election sources said like in last year AL backed two factions – Yellow Panel and Bangabondhur Adorsha Bastobayon Parishad – have collected two sets of nomination papers.

Election commission informed that they are expecting around 866 voters to cast their votes this year.

Last year, pro-AL backed Yellow panel had swept all the posts in the CUTA election. l

WEATHER

DRY WEATHER LIKELY SATURDAY, MARCH 21 DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:09PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:04AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

34

21

Chittagong

34

22

Rajshahi

33

18

Rangpur

33

17

Khulna

34

18

Barisal

34

20

Sylhet

33

17

Cox’s Bazar

33

23

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.6ºC Cox’s Bazar

15.5ºC Srimangal Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr

4:46am

Sunrise

6:01am

Zohr

12:06am

Asr

4:28pm

Magrib

6:10pm

Esha

7:26pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Guardians of English Medium school students form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday urging both the government and the BNP-led 20-party alliance to resolve the ongoing political crisis immediately so that students can run their academic activities smoothly SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Battery-run rickshaw ban in Chittagong from Monday n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The Chittagong Metropolitan Police announced a ban to be placed on battery-run rickshaws in the port city again on Thursday.

The owners and rickshaw pullers have been given three days to remove the electric motors and batteries from their rickshaws.

After the deadline, CMP would start a drive against the battery-run rickshaws from March 23.

The decision came after a meeting among CMP high officials, battery-run rickshaw owners and pullers associations, and Bangladesh Road and Transport Authority. CMP Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mandal presided over the meeting, said CMP sources.

CMP Additional Commissioner (Administration, Finance and Traffic) AKM Shahi-

dur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune that the six-month time given in a stay order from the High Court on the motorised rickshaws plying the city roads ended on March 15. The battery-run rickshaw owners-pullers failed to avail further extension of the stay order.

“According to the law, we have decided to take the rickshaws off the streets from next Monday,” the AC added.

Earlier, on July 3 last year, the High Court had ordered to stop the battery-run rickshaws from plying Dhaka and Chittagong city roads.

The local administration and concerned government bodies started drives against the rickshaws on August 31.

Later, a group of the battery-run rickshaw owners and pullers pleaded before a HC bench which issued a stay order for six months on the ban. l

Ruta polls today n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi The election to the 15-member executive committee of Rajshahi University Teachers’ Association (Ruta) will be held today.

General Secretary of Ruta Professor Pronab Kumar Panday said the election would be held from 8am to 2pm today at the university’s Juberi bhaban.

All the necessary measures have been taken to hold the polls peacefully, he said, adding a total of 1,169 teachers will cast their vote on the election.

In the election, two panels namely Pro-Awami League and progressive teachers’ “Yellow Panel” and Pro-BNP and Jamaat backed teachers’ “White Panel” will vie.

Ruta sources said Prof Ananda Kumar Saha of Botany department and Prof M Rezaul Karim Badal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department were contesting for the president and general secretary posts respectively from the pro-Awami League and left-leaning yellow panel. l

DT

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

KHULNA-MONGLA RAILWAY PROJECT

New buildings on acquired land for added compensation n Our Correspondent, Khulna The construction work of Khulna-Mongla railway project is underway. The only thing left before the rail lines are laid down is the compensation for the acquired lands. However, owners of those lands are allegedly constructing new buildings in the areas demarcated for acquisition in the hopes of getting increased compensations.

Even though no one lives in these new houses and buildings, hasty construction work is taking place in nearby areas of Khulna Fultola rail station, Damodor, Moshiali, Atra, Shiromoni; Bil Dakatia, Bil Pabla, Lota, Khamarbari of Dumuria upazila among other places. Concrete structures are being built on empty waterbodies as well.

It is alleged that the land owners are adopting this trick to obtain additional cash in the form of compensation from the railway project with the help of corrupt local administration personnel.

The district administration office stated that legal action will be taken against those land owners who are raising additional buildings in the areas demarcated for the project.

Khulna District Administrator Md Mostofa Kamal said he visited some of the areas including Fultola rail station and found that the newly constructed buildings along the Fultola rail lines do not fall under the demarcated areas. He added that the railway and district administration jointly selected the lands to be acquired and have video documentation to support it. Any new establishments in those areas will be evicted without compensation.

For the Khulna-Mongla railway project, 400 acre land in Khulna, 278 acre in Bagerhat, and 73 acre in Mongla have been demarcated in the acquisition process.

Akram Hossain, 60, a resident of Shiromoni area said he constructed a concrete structure in his acquired four decimal land in Bil Dakatia in the hopes of getting twice the price

for the land and additional compensation. Another Md Kibria did the same on his two-andhalf acre land. They are carrying out these construction works during the night.

Ansar member Mobarak Sheikh, posted as security guard at Fultola rail station two months back, said he had been keeping an eye on the red-flagged lands demarcated for acquisition and saw land owners building various structures there.

The Khulna-Mongla railway construction project was approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council on December 21, 2010. The project is funded jointly by the governments of Bangladesh and India.

On June 14, 2012 a deal was signed with a consulting firm. Afterwards, a deal was signed between Bangladesh and India for the supervision of feasibility study, design, tender request, and construction of the project. Later, India’s Consulting Engineers Group Ltd and Nippon Koei India Pvt Ltd were hired as consultants. l

Zillur Rahman’s 2nd death anniversary observed n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj The second death anniversary of veteran politician and former Bangladesh president Zillur Rahman was observed with various programmes in Kishoreganj yesterday.

In observance of the anniversary, a memorial meeting and milad mahfil was organised at the Kishorganj Press Club.

Meanwhile, local Awami League, its associate bodies also organised various programmes including, laying floral wreath at the portrait of Zillur Rahman, memorial meeting and distributing foods among poor people in the town.

Zillur Rahman, who breathed his last at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on March 20, 2013, was the 19th president of Bangladesh.

He was also the undeclared guardian of Bangabandhu’s remaining family after the father of the nation, along with most of his family members, was assassinated on the fateful night of August 15, 1975.

He was born in on March 9 in 1929 at Bhairabpur Uttarpara Balaki Mollabari in Bhairab upazila in Kishoreganj. l

WIDOW’S RAPE

24 hours ultimatum given to arrest rapists n Our Correspondent, Bagerhat Leaders and activists of Hindu, Budhhist, Christian Oikya Parishad formed a human chain in front of the Bagerhat press club yesterday, demanding exemplary punishment of the rapists, who raped a widow confining her in a house for six days.

Moreover, the community leaders gave 24 hours ultimatum to district administration to arrest the criminal, otherwise they would go on tougher movement. Later, the agitators brought out a procession from the spot that paraded main thoroughfares of the town.

Police on Tuesday recovered a housewife who was gang raped and confined in a house for six days in Kumarkhali village of Rampal upazila.

The gang abducted the woman, whose husband had died a few years ago, on March 12 and took her to a boat where they raped the woman repeatedly.

The criminals later took the housewife to a solitary house and confined her there so that local people could not sense their misdeeds.

Being informed by neighbouring people, Talukder Nazmul Kabir, union parishad chairman, informed police about the matter.

Then, police with the help of local people rescued the woman from the clutches of the rapists in the morning.

But sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the criminals made their way.

In the afternoon, the medical test of the victim, who has a 12-year-old daughter, was done.

Brother-in-law of the victim filed a case with Rampal police station against four unidentified people under Children and Women Prevention act. But police could not arrest anyone involved with the heinous act. Police said they were trying to identify the rapists. l

Once upon a time, fruits trees, including palm and coconut, were seen in plenty of numbers in Barind area under Rajshahi. Now they are disappearing due to felling by locals for their daily needs. The picture taken from Kakon hat area in Godagari upazila shows yesterday a truck, loaded with the logs of the fruit trees, is sent to sawmill AZAHAR UDDIN

Irregularities in teachers’ reqruitment test n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

A high school headmaster and its management committee president has been accused of leaking question paper to two persons applying to become teachers at the school.

Naima Akter, one of the candidates for a teaching position at the school under Karimganj upazila, made the allegation to Kishoreganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) SM Alam yesterday. Besides, she also attached a leaked copy allegedly written by Kandail High

School Headmaster Musfiqur Rahman with her complaint.

According to her complaint, the high school authorities on Wednesday arranged a recruitment examination for two vacant posts and selected Tania Akter and Abul Kasem as teacher for Social Science and Mathematics respectively.

The headmaster and the Management Committee President Tawhid Miah leaked the exam paper to the two candidates for Tk6 lakh from the candidates.

Kishoreganj Government Boys’ High

School Headmaster AKM Abdullah, who attended the recruitment examination as representative from the local director general (Education), said: “We made the question paper on the spot at the examination hall and I am unaware of the leakage.”

Musfiqur Rahman could not be reached despite repeated attempts for comments as his mobile phone was switched off.

When asked, DC SM Alam acknowledged the complaint saying he would take legal action after investigating the allegation. l

DT

ARTS & LETTERS 9

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Eulogy n Zawad Rahman She rarely spoke. She would have seemed like an ordinary young woman to strangers.

Her hair was a tangle of dreads and her eyes, a fierce shade of ocean blue.

She loved hand-made dresses, and summer.

She once bit his arm and told him she loved her brown beanie. That she wore it everyday.

The day they first met, they were sitting across each other on a tram.

He noticed her wounded-looking pouting lips.

She was taking pictures of the sky with her camera and scribbling words on a dirty notepad.

She had a black placebo T shirt on. And fishnet stockings.

She made him smile. He knew he had to speak to her before she disappeared into the crowd.

So he reached out and gently tugged at her notebook.

She looked up and tugged back for a second and then let go with a smile. Quickly, he scribbled a few words on a fresh page.

I can’t remember what he wrote down, but he scribbled down his phone number at the

bottom and got off at the next stop without a word.

He still remembers that afternoon, clear as light.

He remembers how the smell of fresh caught fish wafted off the front steps of Queen Victoria market, mingling with the gentle fragrance of late spring sunshine and lingering quietly in the air.

They’d both been smiling giddy, the whole time.

The night she passed away, she told him that her earliest childhood memory was a vision of her father in a Santa outfit ... standing on the banks of the Murray River at

dusk.

That she’d been five that year.

That she was once happy.

They spoke about little things that night.

They spoke about Pink Floyd, childhoods, roses, and how much they spite her.

They spoke about pain.

In the cross-stitch pattern of the first light of dawn, she fell asleep on a dirty hospital bed next to him and never woke up again.

I guess they had just run out of conversation. ... I guess there was nothing more left to say. l

I was a teenage hand model n Rubaiyat Kabir Ever think about where the phrase “caught red-handed” came from? I’m pretty sure that throughout history there have been no points in which open cans of red paint were considered a commodity worth stealing, so the obvious choice would be someone trying to get away with bloody murder, and that the actual “red-handedness” might have been some kind of clever little exaggeration on the part of the feller who came up with it.

My hands graced the pages of every magazine under the sun, modelling for every product known to man and beast alike

Isn’t it the darnedest thing then that, right now, in this grimy crud-heap dive bar bathroom, I am staring at my hands made literally red by the still-warm blood of some blue collar regular John, probably acting out because his wife was being a total bitch to him?

I was only 14 when I’d met him (different guy, not the bathroom corpse) -- “Karl” -- no last name, like “Cher” but much more … proletariat-ey. Karl had done the impossible, he had noticed promise in a teenager who

was destined to be average -- he had noticed the supple softness of my hands.

“Milky white,” he exclaimed, referring to them, “hands like yours come around maybe once or twice a generation!” Turned out Karl was a talent scout working for one of them California talent agencies where the halls constantly echo words like “baby,” “sport,” and “word.”

I was in, and for the next few years of my life I was the goddamned king. My hands graced the pages of every magazine under the sun, modelling for every product known to man and beast alike (literally, my hands can be seen feeding treats to a rather large Rottweiler in a Milk-Bone commercial from 1995). Needless to say, my hands were in demand.

There were downsides to all the pampering, however. All the money I’d made was tied to some sort of trust or whatever, and it was agency-mandated that I keep regular manual activities to the bare minimum. Not a problem. I was getting free shit and I was a lazy enough guy to feel relieved I won’t have to do much actual work.

However, being a pizza-faced adolescent with raging hormones, there was a certain job that I ached to perform, but alas, wasn’t allowed to (there was an industry-wide cautionary tale that Karl had made me aware of). And of course the company couldn’t hire someone to do THAT for me, could they?

Fast-forward a decade and age has had its way with both my hands and my brains (lost all my money in a Ponzi investment: A miniature electronic piston … with a latex-

lined hole). Weirdly enough, the older I got, the more “feminine” my hands started to become, feminine enough for a dramatic shift in the sort of products I would be modelling for.

My hands went from being photographed holding Sega Game Gears (remember those?) to being photographed cradling big, plastic and glass “accoutrements” … “milky white” had gotten an entirely new meaning.

That’s the only kind of work I can get now; but then again, there’s also my part-time day-job of pretending to be a thousand different people … I feel like I need to explain that a little better: See, hand-modelling for a niche market can only earn you enough for one square meal a day, and the Internet can house both the NC-17 and the PG-13, so I managed to finagle a job coming up with roughly 10,000 words a day writing fake, circle-jerk-ey comments under varying aliases for an arthouse movie blog, run by a buddy of a buddy, for promotional purposes.

“The website’s gonna go big one day!” -- In The American Youth We Trust.

And now I find myself here: Cozied up to a toilet, the generic brand corn flakes I had for breakfast this morning trailing down my shirt, a bloated, bloodied carcass a few feet away, and the thunderous sound of the bathroom door being banged-on by the armed bouncer I’d clocked minutes before entering this dump … the bar that is. What to do, what to do … ‘cept … maybe … hrrm …

The loud noise of a zipper being undone echoes across the bathroom walls. l

DT

10 WORLD

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Top: People see the ‘third contact’ as the sun begins to appear from behind the moon during a total solar eclipse as viewed from Longyearbyen, Svalbard Bottom left; A picture taken yesterday shows a partial solar eclipse over the Arc of the General Staff building in St. Petersburg Middle: ‘Second contact’ is seen with solar prominences (red object at top left of disk) as the sun begins to move completely behind the moon during a total solar eclipse as viewed from Longyearbyen, Svalbard Right: The sun shines through a cloud covered sky as the moon passes infront of the Earth’s star marking the begining of a total eclipse, the only one this year, on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife which along with the Faroe Islands the only place the total eclipse will be visible AFP

Obama tells Netanyahu US to ‘reassess’ policy on Israel, Mideast diplomacy n Reuters, Washington

President Barack Obama told Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Washington would “reassess” its options on US-Israel relations and Middle East diplomacy after the Israeli prime minister took a position against Palestinian statehood during his re-election campaign, a White House official said.

Obama’s telephone call to Netanyahu followed a television interview in which the Israeli leader backed away from his pre-election declaration that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, an about-face apparently aimed at quelling US criticism triggered by his comments.

The White House, unmoved by Netanyahu’s effort to backtrack, delivered a fresh rebuke against him on Thursday and signaled that Washington may reconsider its decades-old policy of shielding close ally Israel from international pressure at the United Nations.

An official statement put out later in the day said Obama called Netanyahu to congratulate him on his election win and used the

opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to a two-state solution, a longtime cornerstone of US policy on the Middle East conflict.

But Obama also delivered a blunt message that underscored the seriousness of the US-Israel rift. “The president told the prime minister that we will need to reassess our options following the prime minister’s new positions and comments regarding the twostate solution,” the White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest warned earlier that there would be “consequences” for Israel as the Obama administration monitors the formation of Netanyahu’s new ruling coalition.

“He walked back from commitments that Israel had previously made to a two-state solution,” Earnest told reporters. “It is ... cause for the United States to evaluate what our path is forward.”

Obama told the Israeli leader he values the close security partnership between their countries and the two agreed to keep consulting on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the White House said in its statement.

“I haven’t changed my policy. I never retracted my speech in Bar-Ilan University six years ago calling for a demilitarised Palestinian state that recognises the Jewish state,” Netanyahu told MSNBC in his first US television interview since winning the bitterly contested Israeli ballot.

“What has changed is the reality,” Netanyahu said, citing the Palestinian Authority’s refusal to recognise Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and the Hamas militant group’s continued control of the Gaza Strip.

The harsh US response signaled that relations with Israel, already at their lowest point since Obama took office, could deteriorate further as an end-of-March deadline looms in US-led nuclear diplomacy with Iran that Netanyahu vehemently opposes.

Among the most serious risks for Israel would be a shift in Washington’s posture at the United Nations. The United States has long stood in the way of Palestinian efforts to get a UN resolution recognising its statehood, including threatening to use its veto, and has protected Israel from efforts to isolate it internationally. l

US Congress speaker Boehner to visit Israel this month

n Reuters Republican John Boehner, the speaker of the US Congress and an ardent backer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will visit Israel at the end of this month, diplomatic sources said yesterday.

The visit will follow Netanyahu’s surprise election victory this week and his speech to Congress earlier this month on Boehner’s invitation, an event that aggravated the White House and drew sharp criticism.

The date of his visit with a Congressional delegation has not been fixed but it will happen before the end of March, diplomats said.

Officials in the prime minister’s office and at the US embassy in Israel had no immediate comment.

Boehner angered President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats by inviting Netanyahu to address Congress just two weeks before the Israeli election. Arrangements were made without the White House being kept informed, and Netanyahu used the speech to criticise the Obama administration’s efforts to strike a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. l

DT

WORLD 11

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

EU ministers set for further Iran talks

n Reuters

The British, French and German foreign ministers are due to meet Iranian nuclear negotiators in Lausanne on Saturday, European diplomatic sources told Reuters, adding that a final decision would depend on talks among officials yesterday.

It was not immediately clear if the foreign ministers would be joined by the Russian, US and Chinese counterparts who are part of a process aimed at ending a confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear program. The sources spoke after the French, German and British leaders met the EU foreign policy chief in Brussels.

“The meeting today on Iran was useful to consolidate a European line,” one diplomatic source told Reuters after European Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini met British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for about 40 minutes before a second day of wider talks at an EU summit. l

French mayor awards honourary citizenship to Asia Bibi

36 dead, 150 injured in India as train derails in UP

Germany condemns Russian deal with South Ossetia as threat to Georgia

n Reuters The German government yesterday condemned Russia’s new treaty with Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia region, saying it posed a threat to Georgian sovereignty and would reinforce Tbilisi’s fears that Moscow was intent on annexing the territory.

“With this treaty Russia is once again casting doubt on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia,” said German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz.

“Moscow is thus impeding ongoing efforts for a peaceful end to the conflict with Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the framework of the Geneva talks,” she said, adding that the treaty reinforced Georgia’s fears of “creeping annexation.” l

Rescue workers work to cut people free from mangled train carriages following the derailment of an express train at Bachrawan in the Raebarelli district AFP

n Tribune Desk

n Tribune Desk

The Council of Paris, the governing body of France’s capital, unanimously adopted a proposal on Tuesday by the city’s mayor, to award honourary citizenship to Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who was convicted for blasphemy in 2010 and has been on death row since.

According to a report published on The Tablet, mayor Anne Hidalgo’s office said in a statement that a new trial should begin regarding Asia’s case as on November 30 2014, the Supreme Court agreed to re-open the case.

“To support her in her fight against ignorance and obscurantism, Anne Hildago wishes that Paris raises Asia Bibi to the level of honourary citizen, a rare distinction granted to the world’s most emblematic defenders of human rights,” the statement explained.

Mayor Hildago reiterated her commitment to continue her support for Bibi until a presidential pardon or a new court sentence restores her freedom. She also restated that Paris would welcome Asia and her family as soon as this freedom is restored to her.

“To be an honorary citizen is to embody the values of Paris, the values of liberty and tolerance. By this bold gesture, I wish to testify to the solidarity of Paris towards the numerous women around the world of all confessions who are religious obscurantism and political extremism,” Hildago said.

In December last year, the mayor unveiled a banner of Asia Bibi which has remained on display on the steps of the City Hall. At the unveiling, Hildago stressed: “We must support Asia Bibi, because women in all regions of the world are the first victims of an order which theocrats, who twist the messages of all religions, try to impose.”

The blasphemy allegations against Bibi date back to June 2009.

Bibi was working in a field when she was asked to fetch water. Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the water bowl. A few days later the women went to a local cleric and put forward the blasphemy allegations.

Last year, Bibi’s husband Ashiq Masih had written to the president to ask for her to be pardoned and allowed to move to France. l

At least 36 people were killed and around 150 others injured yesterday when the engine and two adjoining coaches of the Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express derailed near Bachrawan Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district.

Officials with Northern Railways (NR) said the accident was the fallout of the technical snag in the train engine that was developed soon after the train left Charbagh Station at 7:55am.

Two bogies derailed as the train was passing through Bachhrawan railway station, 50km from Lucknow, around 9am.

The locomotive driver apparently overshot

the signal and as a result, the engine and two adjoining coaches derailed, railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said in Delhi.

Lucknow IG Zaki Ahmad, who is supervising the relief operation, told HT over phone one of the bogies was badly damaged and efforts were being made to cut it to rescue the trapped people.

The state government rushed medical teams and ambulances to the spot for relief work, and railway officers from Lucknow also reached the spot soon after the accident.

UP cabinet minister Manoj Pandey said had been made in hospitals in Lucknow and Rai Bareli for the treatment of injured people.

Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha is likely to visit the spot in the afternoon. l

Suicide bombers kill 126 in Yemen mosque attacks n Reuters Suicide bombers in the Yemeni capital Sanaa blew themselves up during Friday prayers at two mosques used by supporters of Shi’ite rebels, killing 126 people and wounding 260, medical sources said, in the country’s deadliest militant attack in years.

Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which four bombers wearing explosive belts targeted worshippers in and outside the crowded mosques.

The Sanaa bombings happened as unidentified warplanes attacked the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden for the second day.

Anti-aircraft guns fired on two planes which dropped bombs on an area that includes the residence of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He was unharmed, sources at the presidency said.

Yemen is torn by a power struggle between

the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the north and Hadi, who has set up a rival power base in the south backed by Sunni-led Gulf Arab states.

The mosques in Sanaa are known to be used mainly by supporters of the Shi’ite Muslim Houthi group, which controls most of northern Yemen, including Sanaa.

The rise to power of the Houthis since September last year has deepened divisions in Yemen’s complex web of political and religious allegiances.

A witness said he heard two successive blasts at one of the mosques, known as the Badr mosque, in a busy neighbourhood in central Sanaa.

“I was going to pray at the mosque then I heard the first explosion, and a second later I heard another one,” the witness told Reuters.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned “the terrorist attacks” in Yemen and called on all sides “to immediately cease all hostile actions and exercise maximum restraint,” according to a statement by the UN. l

Russia says sanctions ‘destructive’, will act in own interests

n Reuters

Russia described “sanctions rhetoric” as destructive yesterday and said it would do what is in its national interests after European Union leaders kept economic sanctions in place over the Ukraine crisis.

In comments to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also accused Kiev of violating the terms of a peace deal for eastern Ukraine that was agreed in the Belarussian capital Minsk.

“We prefer to engage in creative matters, not destructive matters such as sanctions rhetoric. So we do not discuss sanctions and the Russian Federation will do what is in its national interests,” he said. l

Islamic State video purports to show Kurdish peshmerga beheadings

n Reuters Islamic State has published a video purporting to show the beheading of three Kurdish peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq by militants who threatened to kill “dozens” more of those being held captive.

The six-minute clip, which appeared timed to coincide with celebrations for the Kurdish New Year, showed the peshmerga wearing orange jumpsuits being decapitated by three black-clad militants, all of whom spoke Kurdish.

The footage could not be independently verified.

The peshmerga have emerged as a key partner for the US-led coalition in its campaign to “degrade and destroy” the extremist group, which they have driven back in northern Iraq with the help of airstrikes.

“To the Muslim Kurdish people: know that our war is not with you, rather it is with those who ventured into an alliance with the Safavids and crusaders to wage war on the Muslims,” said one of the militants, using derogatory terms to refer to Iran and the coalition respectively. Tehran has also provided assistance to the peshmerga. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Cotton summit builds confidence in RMG future

W

e welcome the holding of this week’s two-day Global cotton summit in Dhaka for international buyers and suppliers.

As the first time this event was held in Bangladesh, it represents recognition of the growing importance and scale of the nation’s RMG industry.

Taken together with the announcements made by the leading Swedish multinational retail brand H&M that it plans to pursue an aggressive growth plan for buying goods from Bangladesh, and the new support announced by Denmark for programs to help RMG workers, it is an important vote of confidence in the future growth prospects of this crucial industry.

Political uncertainty and currency fluctuations are currently adding to the huge pressures faced by the RMG sector in keeping the flow of new orders growing to proceed with the sector’s target of doubling exports to hit $50bn a year by 2021.

It is encouraging then to see leading cotton organisations, traders, and shippers from around the world meet in Bangladesh to discuss the industry’s future.

According to the BTMA, Bangladesh is the world’s second largest cotton importing country, with imports growing by 65% in the last decade to reach 5.5 billion bales in 2014.

It is to be hoped the summit will help spinning and textile mills grow further to support the RMG sector.

Building relationships to overcome the pricing and default disputes which fluctuating prices have caused for cotton mills and sharing good practice, are key areas where the conference and Bangladesh’s hosting of the summit can help support and grow the RMG industry.

An important vote of confidence when the industry faces huge pressures

Police must not tolerate unofficial justice

T

he police in Kishoreganj Sadar are to be commeded for arresting a senior member of a school management committee who took it on themselves to rule that the rape of a class V student could be settled with Tk30,000 “to avoid legal complexities.”

The case which occurred this week, follows a similar incident in Natore last weekend where an informal village arbitration fined two youths Tk20,000 for the rape of a local NGO worker and pressured the victim to sign a piece of paper asking her to not to lodge a case with the police.

Despite that incident being much talked-about locally, the OC of the relevant police station said that while the police knew of the incident, they would only take necessary steps “once the victim files a compliant with the police station.”

It appears that the reason why police in Kishoreganj promptly took steps against the arbitrator but police in Natore did not, is because locals there had protested the arbitrator’s actions, while in the other case, the arbitrators had the backing of local influential persons.

These cases highlight clearly the need for law enforcers to take a firm stance against any forms of unofficial and arbitrary justice.

High court directives are clear that extra-judicial punishments have no place in rule of law. The interference of unofficial bodies and “shalish committees,” is particularly problematic for undermining justice when it comes to combating violence against women. Authorities need to be firmer in acting against them when they undermine the laws of the land.

Take a firm stance against any forms of unofficial and arbitrary justice

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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The art of ruling the minds February 24

Sarika Chowdhury It always surprises me how often people fall into the usual AL or BNP camp without realising the system and how the empty rhetoric as a whole are flawed. Good to see there are some dissenting voices still, both in the paper and the comments section itself.

Madiha Another good piece, and another reminder that we need to do something more. The point about all being guilty is true. Even us as the populace, though I would hope to a lesser extent. While we would need to consider concrete options of what that would entail, I am at least glad that someone is not falling into condemning only one side of the situation and actually pointing out its all-encompassing nature.

Amit Not quite sure whether @Sundar was being sarcastic or serious, but the point is that

Farabi arrested over Avijit murder

March 2 Rajasree Dass What a shame. The world would be a wonderful place if everyone respected each others’ religious beliefs. What a wonderful world this could be. Shame on those who are trying to preach hate and not love.

Anirban Pain I support Rajasree didi’s comment.

Adnan Qader Kill him please.

Babul Sarwar What do they read, study, and understand?

My Qur’anic understanding does not make me violent, instead it teaches me to coexist in peace with everything and everyone.

Qur’an repeatedly mentions the One Creator, meaning we have to value everyone no matter what he or she believes in.

we have relied on a false democracy for too long, as the writer has stated. The first step in our case -- and when I say “our” I do not just mean the readers of this paper, but all walks of life in Bangladesh -- is to recognise our system is not the right fit and that we need to actively work to change that.

Then work together -- not an easy task -- to change it. sundar Who will impose and enforce the proposed “ban” order. Definitely an all-powerful authority will be needed. Who will select that authority and by what procedure? If it is a failed state then only God is left with the responsibility to take care of this “janapad.”

And for making necessary appeal to God for that the largest platform in this country is the Tablig party. So let us join all in that party irrespective of caste and creed.

Rakib sundar: You know there is the option to start another party? Or take to the streets like Shahbag (not via another party)? Or to force foreign nations to intervene by making direct pleas (such as contacting the congress in the US or the parliament in the UK)? Many other options too, not all the “right” fit, but to say only one option left is equally like a bekub! Also, op-ed, not policy paper.

DT

It’s time to lose your virginity

February 24 Dreampie This article popped up in my feed during the most ironic of times.

Fathur Shaon Enjoyable, intimate, and an inspiring account of the author’s sublime mix of fresh and engaging personal anecdote(s). However, despite offering a detailed view of his philosophy and practices, the scale of possible achievements, and the persistence and confidence with which they should be executed are still beyond logistical depth of rational understanding, let alone absolute fruition.

In fact, the highly personalised delivery cleverly masks the reality that his endeavours are supported by a large and talented workforce statistics/boolean analysis, and so the significance of talent, timing, luck, and the support of others, is genuinely blurred.

There is no shortage of personality and charisma throughout the narrative, but I was left wishing the article had captured more of the sense that we were a fly on the wall ... relaying the nuances of his interactive style.

DT

OPINION 13

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Maldives: A new democracy in crisis n Selina Mohsin

W

hile the azure blue waters of the Indian Ocean around the capital Male give an impression of peace and serenity, the former President Nasheed is arrested and unceremoniously dragged to jail on trumped-up charges of “terrorism.”

Denied legal representation on time, he is sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment by a bench of judges of dubious reputation.

The world is shocked by President Yameen’s brutality. Nasheed was the country’s first democratically elected president.

In 2008, he had defeated autocratic Gayoom, who had ruled for 30 years. He was ousted in 2012 by a coup that Nasheed claims was engineered by Vice President Waheed and Gayoom.

A presidential election was then held in 2013, in which Nasheed secured 45.45% of the votes while Yameen, Gayoom’s half brother ,won 25.35%, and Gasim 24.07%. Since no candidate won 51% a second round was held.

It was fraught with discrepancies, delays, and illegalities. Supreme Court Judges violated Article 107 of the constitution, despite the speaker’s protest, and again violated Articles 262 and 268 to allow Yameen to win the election.

As president, Yameen has acted as an autocrat but recently found that his ruling coalition was collapsing like a house of cards. He began to purge political opponents. His defense minister was jailed and warrants of arrest were issued against senior members of the opposition. Former President Nasheed’s sentence is an integral part of this “broad sweep.”

Nasheed had already once been jailed for over six years for introducing democracy to the country. He was declared an Amnesty International “Prisoner of Conscience.” After his 2008 defeat of Gayoom in a fair presidential election, he gained international recognition by his climate change initiative to make Maldives “Carbon Neutral by 2020.”

The arrest and jailing of Nasheed is only the latest act of Yameen’s misrule. The chief justice of the Supreme Court and a former auditor general were dismissed by quick legal amendments which reduced the Supreme Court bench from seven justices to five and empowered Yameen to appoint a new auditor general.

Ali Hamid, whose sex tapes with prostitutes at a hotel in Sri Lanka leaked online in 2013, has now been appointed as chair of the judicial service commission.

India’s request to Yameen to release Nasheed and begin a process of national reconciliation failed and Prime Minister Modi dropped a planned visit to Maldives.

Relations between New Delhi and Male have clearly deteriorated.

Indeed there seem reasons to suspect Yameen has a hidden agenda in favour of China. Yameen signed the Maritime Silk Route Agreement with China and a large GMR contract of US$500m has been taken away from an Indian firm and given to China.

In September 2014, China’s President Xi Jinping visited Maldives.

China has shown interest in converting two islands into transshipment ports and in the development of the country’s second

international airport at Haanimadhoo. China also plans to establish a naval submarine base in Marao, a move covered in mystery.

While it is legitimate that China should assist the country in its socio-economic growth, infrastructure, and human resource development, it appears that China primarily aims to secure sea routes for its trade and a degree of control over the Indian Ocean.

How will the Modi government respond?

India has certainly recognised China’s intense interest in the Indian Ocean and the implicit challenge to India’s authority. What might be India’s diplomatic moves at this juncture?

Tourism is Maldives’ largest economic activity, accounting for more than 30% of GDP and over 60% of its foreign exchange.

The second leading sector is fishing, which is declining in recent years. In 2011, excessive spending and low tourist arrivals led to a crisis in the balance of payment which was temporarily eased by a $79.3m IMF agreement.

But after the first two disbursements, the IMF suspended payments due to the growing Maldives budget deficit. In 2012 the government introduced a GST on tourism which eased the situation. But with an unemployment rate of 28% and estimated budget deficit of 12.3% of GDP in 2012, the country faces massive challenges.

In recent years, total foreign reserves have hovered around $300m, only enough to finance two to three months of imports.

Although the GMR contract with India was terminated President Yameen, in desperation, visited India in 2013 seeking a loan of $25m.

Now Yameen is flexing his muscles against domestic opposition, but for how long?

A major threat to Yameen arose when Nasheed’s MDP gained a new ally in billionaire Gasim of Jumhooree Party. Recently, MDP has also adopted a resolution to work with the religious Adhaalath Party who had called for “national unity alliance” against the government.

Opposition to Yameen is gathering momentum. This seems to explain the blatantly irregular arrest and jailing of Naseed, but has already led to mass protest demonstrations.

Besides the possibility of suspension from the Commonwealth and targeted sanctions hitting the tourist industry, Maldives has to import almost all foodstuffs, spices, medical supplies, hospital services, and goods, usually from India, its close neighbour.

Similarly, Bangladesh provides the largest number of migrant workers, a few physicians, and nursing staff. The writer recalls that once when rice and ginger import from India was stopped for a month, Maldives was in a state of panic. India could exercise pressure, without explicit sanctions, by gradually reducing export of essential foodstuffs and goods. Sri Lanka, an ally of India, might do the same.

Maldives’ young democracy is in acute danger. Yameen would do well to remember the country’s manifold dependency. How far would China be able to support him in the face of rising local opposition to his increasingly autocratic rule? l Selina Mohsin is former High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Maldives.

There’s trouble at the Indo-Pak border

WIKIMEDIA

Straw wars n FS Aijazuddin

N

o two countries in recent history have bickered for so long and with such tenacity as India and Pakistan. The Germans argued with the Danes for years over Schleswig-Holstein; it is now a province of greater Germany.

For decades, the Greeks and the Turks crossed swords over Cyprus; this island is now bifurcated into two zones. The British and the Argentines have yet to decide who has sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands.

Since their independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have been wedded to each other physically, geographically, never politically. They are adhesive devoted adversaries, the ageing Beatrice and Benedict of SouthAsia, bandying “word for word and frown for frown.”

Optimists had hoped that with the election of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mr Narendra Modi as prime ministers, relations between the two states would have moved to a more refined level of recrimination. After all, Sharif had hosted Atal Behari Vajpayee in Lahore in 1999 and bandied Punjabi with his successor Manmohan Singh.

Mr Modi, eleven years old when the war over East Pakistan took place, belongs to a younger, less sentimental generation of Indians who see India from a north-south axis, not an east-west one. Yet, it has become clear that, like Shakespeare’s Beatrice and Benedict, each finds it difficult to deviate from a script crafted by playwrights who, like the Bard of Avon, prefer to remain off-stage.

Mr Modi’s constraints are well-known.

He has the unenviable job of keeping his government right of the BJP and left of the RSS. Mr Sharif’s handcuffs by comparison are velvet-lined. He owes his position now to no one, other than General Raheel Sharif, whose army is divided between keeping right-wing militants beyond earshot of Islamabad and protecting the country’s borders.

Some hardliners in Pakistan suspect that the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary Mr S Jaishankar to Islamabad earlier this month was a consequence of President Barack Obama’s visit to India and to the non-visit of the Chinese president to Pakistan.

They believe that both the United States and China have decided to act as prompters, coaxing India and Pakistan, if not to mend their fences, then at least to talk to each other through the holes in them.

The Indian foreign secretary’s visit could have been a useful occasion for determining a framework for future talks at his level. After all, there is still much left to discuss. Borders, for one. Both countries have the example before them of China.

It shares borders with 14 countries. It has resolved disputes with all but two of them, and one of those fractious borders is with India. Pakistan has a continuous thousand-mile border with India, and yet two segments of it remain unresolved -- Jammu & Kashmir in the north, and Sir Creek in the south. To paraphrase Shakespeare, there is small choice in rotting apples.

Terrorism is another. Neither Pakistan nor India is prepared to genuflect before the other and to admit to sponsoring cross-border terrorism. And yet these sores are allowed to fester without the appropriate treatment.

Enhancement of trade between the two countries is the most obvious confidencebuilding measure. Indian and Pakistani businessmen yearn to fill each other’s coffers. Yet Indo-Pak trade is treated by both governments as a weapon. It is the modern Gordian knot, kept deliberately tied by both countries.

If the foreign secretary’s visit was to prepare the ground for Mr Modi’s trip to Islamabad next year (he is scheduled to participate in a Saarc conference), then no harvest should be expected this year. Mr Modi is obviously in no hurry.

His BJP is in alliance with PDP in Jammu & Kashmir. It has both the opportunity and the prospect over the next few years of consolidating BJP’s presence in the valley. He does not need to disinter the Shimla Agreement and engage Pakistan in bilateral talks over Jammu & Kashmir. Nor worry about United Nations’ resolutions.

Will strategists in Pakistan’s foreign office or in GHQ recognise that, following the recent state elections, a perceptible change has taken place in the political demography of that state? One suspects not. Platitudes, like worn shoes, fit tired feet more comfortably.

Should one expect any improvement in Indo-Pak relations between now and the next Saarc conference? Pessimists would say, no.

Optimists would argue, yes. Realists know better. They recognise that both countries, through a policy of deliberate, diplomatic inertia, have reached a plateau in their relations.

It is akin to the same nuclear stalemate that the Soviets and the Americans maintained for years before President Ronald Reagan trumped Gorbachev with his Star Wars gamble. Both blocs recognised then, as India and Pakistan shall have to one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, that their prohibitively expensive, ineffective nuclear weapons cost more than they are worth, that their “lances are but straw.” l FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper.

This article was first published in The Tribune, Chandigarh.

DT

14 OPINION

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

MEHEDI HASAN

Will Khaleda’s arrest quell violence? n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

A

tactically wise prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on March 11, indirectly told parliament that the BNP chief -- her arch-foe -- Khaleda Zia, would face incarceration soon after the court order on her arrest warrant reached the Gulshan police station.

She made this comment while replying to a question from an MP who had asked whether the government would detain Khaleda Zia. The MPs belonging to the ruling Awami League government and the opposition Jatiya Party have been making frequent demands in parliament for the BNP chief to be arrested for the “genocide” her party has been committing -- ie the killing of the nation’s people with the use of petrol bombs in an effort to enforce their hartal and blockade.

During a public meeting on March 7, the prime minister said Khaleda Zia would have to face punishment for killing people, all the while terming the BNP chief as a “militant leader” (jongi netri). She also told parliament that Begum Zia wanted to be arrested to “mobilise public sympathy.”

Khaleda Zia now faces charges as the principal accused for the murder of the innocent people killed in the Molotov cocktail attacks on public transports.

So, now the question comes down to whether Khaleda Zia will face arrest. Many

think Khaleda Zia’s arrest will bring back normalcy to the country. But will it be so? I think, not.

Sheikh Hasina is correct, though -- Khaleda does indeed want to be arrested. And that is exactly why it is unlikely that we may get to see Begum Zia behind bars ... at least for now.

The government has established a tight grip on the opposition, however.

At this moment, the ruling party would like to avoid Khaleda earning the people’s sympathy for any action the party might take. It is said that people cannot tolerate tears, even those of a tyrannical ruler.

The sight of a handcuffed Khaleda would

Many think Khaleda Zia’s arrest will bring back normalcy to the country. But will it be so? I think, not

Why? The answer is fairly simple: Since January 6, a majority of the nation’s people has become heavily angered at the BNP-Jamaat for their frequent petrol bomb attacks and other subversive activities carried out in the name of their movement.

It is possible that they are not in fact responsible for many of these barbaric attacks, but most of people do tend to point fingers at them. The indefinite hartal-blockade exists only in paper -- people have been flouting the strike calls, risking deaths by petrol bombs.

definitely earn her the public’s sympathy, and that scenario may be a counter-productive one for the government.

And that is why the warrant order against Khaleda is unlikely to reach the Gulshan police station from the Bakshi Bazar court in the near future, unless an especially grievous situation arises with her party involvement.

It will only be sent out when the government wants it.

Khaleda Zia’s arrest will change the course of the “agitation,” there’s no doubt about

that. The BNP and its allies will then make one demand -- Khaleda’s release instead of a caretaker government to oversee the next polls.

If released, the government’s tight grip will be sure to loosen. People would listen to the “uncompromising” Khaleda, thereby further worsening the political situation. It is also quite likely that the present trustworthy opposition Jatiya Party would have a change of heart and resign from parliament.

On March 12, Hazi Selim, a BNP-turnedAL-turned-independent MP told parliament that Khaleda Zia’s arrest may create a different environment.

He said that the military-backed 1/11 had failed as they took actions against Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina -- “two hot pirs in Bangladesh.”

We have seen Hassan Mahmud and Sahara Khatun become top ranking leaders after Sheikh Hasina’s arrest. And we again witnessed Sanaullah Miah become the BNP’s voice after Khaleda Zia’s arrest.

It is entirely likely that we may see a few more Sanaullah Miahs be created to lead the BNP’s hartal-blockade as soon as Khaleda Zia gets arrested. It is a matter of public support, not about finding a leader for a popular movement. Whatever the scenario, Khaleda Zia’s arrest will not benefit AL ... for now anyway. l Kamran Reza Chowdhury is a journalist.

DT

CAREER 15

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

How to revamp a brand Creating a fresh look for an existing product, through smart marketing, can bring new possiblities

n Career Desk Super Star Group (SSG) is a leading electrical & electronics conglomerate operating for the last two decades. Aftab Mahmud Khurshid, the CMO of SSG, is getting a lot of feedback these days, mostly positive ones, about their recently aired corporate TVC. After joining SSG, he planned a brand face-lift for the organisation and wanted a fresh look to establish a contemporary corporate identity.

With the intention to revamp his brand, Aftab wanted a 360 degree communication strategy and consulted with Outbox Limited to share his approach. He briefed the Outbox team about SSG’s new logo and positioning, and asked for a global communication strategy that would appeal to the global audience.

“Through our slogan ‘Future is bright’ we want to communicate a message of positivity to all our current and potential stakeholders,” says Aftab Mahmud.

Outbox Limited is a new age advertising agency, co-ventured by industry veterans Rasel Bari and Mostafa Kamal Aru in 2012.

They provide creative solutions to local and global companies to create, maintain and strengthen their brands.

Outbox team started to build their story keeping the global concept in mind.

This was a daunting task for Outbox as communicating the corporate brand was somewhat more challenging than usual product communication. However, the entire team accepted the challenge and crafted a script on which the next steps were scheduled. As it was being designed for a

Career mantra n Career Desk Balancing family and career can be a challenge, especially for women. Here is some great advice from Melinda Gates, who is the co-chair of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has gained international repute for her contributions to philanthropy and international development.

“It is hard for women who have families to juggle work and career and busy lives.

On the day I die, I want people to think that I was a great mom and a great family member and a great friend. I care about that more than I care about anything else.

One of the things I was most impressed about when Bill and I met Warren Buffett very early on was he introduced us to his friends.

And Warren has the most high quality set of

friends you could meet, and these are friends that he has had over his lifetime. And it really got me thinking, ‘wow, I better cultivate my friends.’

Warren does little things with his friends, like he will send you an article of something he is thinking about, reading about. That was a way to help me think about my friends.

One more thought: There is a person who helped me in the business community, that’s helped me with some leadership consulting and even management of the foundation.

He has two older sons, and when I was really struggling with three young kids—and with the foundation growing and changing CEOs—he just said to me, ‘Melinda, you don’t get a doover with your kids.’

So, the foundation is a marathon for me, not a sprint. And I always have to remember that, at the end of the day, my kids come first.” l

global audience, Outbox decided to work with people from all over the world to make the film and produce the music. After much hard work, the storyboard was ready, the client had agreed, and the production team was ready to shoot.

The production team was led by talented director Istiak Mahmud. Outbox wanted to bring fresh perspectives to the table and decided to bank on Mahmud.

His venture, BlankBox Films, put up a brilliant show in the end. They began by shooting in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf. Mahmud’s team was made of roughly 200 people

and it was no easy feat to pull off. The shoot took three hectic days to complete.

Rasel Bari, managing director of Outbox, says: “We like to create possibilities for our valued clients with fresh ideas and innovative approaches.”

The commercial was launched on February 25. It is currently being aired across several TV channels and is creating quite a buzz on social media. SSG’s omni-channel promotion has shown promise not just on popular social media, but on print media as well. l

DT

16 LONG FORM

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Spaghetti Western to Eastern khichuri A ride into the political badlands of Bangladesh

n Farid Bakht Joe: Every town has a boss.

Silvanito: Yes, but when there are two around, I’d say there is one too many.

I

f you haven’t seen A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood, click on Netflix and press download. Watch a movie directed by an Italian, filmed in the deserts of cheap, Franco-era Spain, about an American gunman in a Mexican town. That classic 60s Spaghetti Western, sums up the seemingly permanent Khichuri of Deshi politics.

Let us remind ourselves of the story.

The Man with No Name, let’s call him Joe, rides into town, on the prowl for some money-making opportunities. Holing up at an inn in the main square, he asks the world-weary, sad-eyed owner, Silvanito: “Who runs this town?” The answer is simple. On one end of the square we have the Baxters Family. On the other, we have the Rojos, led by Ramon.

Both families vying for control.

Joe: “Baxter’s over there, Rojos there, me right smack in the middle.”

Silvanito: “If you are thinking what I suspect, I tell you, don’t try it!”

Clint Eastwood (Joe) works it out immediately. He figures that the feud can be leveraged, by him in the middle choosing

one family and then promiscuously heading off with a loaded gun over to their enemy.

Playing one off against each other.

Joe: “You shoot to kill, you better hit the heart ... which of the two is stronger?”

Silvanito: “Which of them is stronger?

Well ... the Rojos. Especially Ramon.”

The incumbent regime, with all the organs of state power at its disposal, has to be the favourite to come out on top. In this battle of attrition, it seems single-minded in wiping out the Baxters. In the story, the Baxters are decimated. The Rojo family wins.

If one were a betting person, one would conclude that a family which has to outsource political activism to petrol-bomb throwing desperadoes, doesn’t look like winning this war. Already ideologically hollowed-out, they are hanging on by their fingernails.

For the moment, we are merely impatient observers. We are all #JesuisSilvanito, the innkeeper in this one. We have seen this film being played out on the streets of Bangladesh since 1991. Our eyes are also filled with sadness. We too long for a more fruitful future.

A bigger game

The climax of the film is, of course, the duel between Joe and Ramon. Joe tricks Ramon and then kills him and his brothers. Instead

of taking over, he rides out of town.

So, the triumph of the Rojos over the Baxters did not last for long. The organisational principle of the Rojo Family, the glue that kept their followers together, was based on the destruction of the Baxter family and thus a monopoly where riches could be distributed to the favoured few.

asks if Joe wants to double up. Clint Eastwood considers his options: The imminent arrival of the Mexican government or the US Army.

Joe: “You mean the Mexican government on one side? Maybe the Americans on the other side? Me right smack in the middle?

Uhn-hn. Too dangerous. So long.”

He figures that the feud can be leveraged, by him in the middle choosing one family and then promiscuously heading off with a loaded gun over to their enemy. Playing one off against each other

There was no ideology pursuing the betterment of the people. The townsfolk were to work hard, provide their surplus and forget about challenging the status quo.

At the end, with both families extinguished, the Sad Eyed Innkeeper, Silvanito,

Silvanito: “Adios.”

You see, while these families were enacting their self-destructive, insane struggle, they had not fully appreciated the virtues of their location. The town was situated near the Rio Grande, crossing which led to the rising industrial Superpower of the day, the United States of America. Ramon’s ambition was merely to massacre a group of American soldiers and steal their guns and gold. That is what brought the attention of the Americans in the tale.

Meanwhile, the writ of the Mexican government barely functioned in the town. Had Ramon been more ambitious, less greedy, and more wise, he and his brothers might have understood that there was a world to explore, promising riches beyond their imaginations. That the town might have become a hub, a staging post with hotels, eateries, manufacturing workshops, and a thriving economy where property prices would shoot through the roof. Everyone would get rich.

Alas, he could not see the bigger picture.

As the political village that is Dhaka fights it out, far Greater Powers are indeed circling the place. They sigh at the parochialism of the politicians. Like the Mexican and American governments in the film, will they conclude they have no choice but to clear up the town, all in their own self-interests, of course?

Some Economists, a few knowledgeable businesspeople and surely the Middle Class realise that much grander opportunities await Bangladesh. Which if it played its hand skilfully would transform this nation and the region.

The competing multi-billion dollar interests of India and China, the Silk Roads, the Ports, the new railways, bridges and roads, new industrial sectors and zones, millions of better paying jobs producing higher value products, climbing the technology ladder … maybe Bangladesh could figure out that … on the one hand, there is Delhi, on the other

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

hand, there is Beijing ... or will it say: “Uhm uh. Too big for me.”

Let’s hope it’s bolder and stays for the ride.

In the World of Reality TV

In case you are wondering, in the Director’s Cut, which we naturally don’t get to see, there are media moguls, NGOs with ambitious leaders, and an out-of-his-depth ambassador cheerleading the coup. Perhaps a General saw this flick in 2006. Maybe Moeen Ahmed with his sidekick, Fakhruddin, thought he could ride into town, chomp on his cigar, and wipe out both families. Where else did he figure out his half-baked Minus Two formula?

As it turned out, he was unceremoniously turfed out with his mule. The General hadn’t done his homework. As we now know the military-NGOisation of politics in 2007 did not last long.

The Director also heard that it is unlikely to make a comeback because those ageing NGO leaders aren’t taken seriously by the people so that formula of regime change is defunct. Hence, it’s not part of the story. In any case, The Families returned to town and got back to what they know best. Normal service resumed.

You might have noticed the movie hardly shows ordinary people. When Joe rides into town, we see the individuals closing their shutters, mothers scurrying their children into their homes, the streets rapidly emptying of life. They are in self-imposed permanent Hartal, resigned to their misery.

After the film ends, and both families have been eliminated, what would the people have done? One imagines they emerge from their homes with their arms in the air, smiles on their faces, praising God for their escape from a nightmare. We could assume that

they democratically elect a local government where DNA doesn’t count. Where the new political currency is ability, honesty, and sincerity. Where a new consensus is formed, constructed with the welfare of the people as its central mission.

Government for the people by the people.

Or, more depressingly, the Mexican government might have come in and stuck a typically ruthless corrupt bastard of an oligarch in charge. Misery returns. Back to square one.

Within the reality that is Bangladesh, should the townspeople just sit at home and hold their heads in despair?

A World where no one rides in to town

Imagine Joe hadn’t come to town. What then? The Rojos were always going to win against the Baxters, without the need for external intervention. Lording it over the place, without any rivals, one can imagine success might have then gone to their head. Wiser counsel would have suggested they embark on a mission to modernise the town, creating higher paid employment and allowing businesses to thrive. Thus, the Rojos would bask in everlasting gratitude. The Baxters would be quickly forgotten and erased from

the history books. There would be no further challenge to the power of the Rojos and they could cement their control for eternity.

However, would the more likely scenario not have been a slide to tyranny? Given the paucity of independent counsel, the intoxicating success of the triumph over the Baxters would have led to an explosion in demands from all the gunmen in the Rojo’s pay. They would have demanded their share of the spoils for their years of loyalty to the Rojo cause. Where would this come from?

The only source would be the long-suffering townspeople, forced to hand over even more of their harvests while the Rojo family and its henchmen engaged in ostentatious consumption. There would be no scope for the people to seek redress for their grievances since there no longer existed an Opposition.

The Rojos would occasionally tell their “subjects” they would lead them to a glorious future of middle income status and prosperity. All the people saw, however, was that a few grabbed the bulk of the riches, very little trickled down and where it did, it took an eternity to do so. There was little visible sign of the kind of modern economy they had heard about the rising superpower across the nearby frontier. The people would have concluded that the Rojos had forfeited their chance, they had made life intolerable and they would have to go too.

Would the people have to wait till Ramon got old and couldn’t aim straight any more?

Ah, but what if he had children, who would all learn to shoot from an early age? Then what? The cycle of violence would continue from generation to generation. Waiting or playing the long game therefore would not work.

Perhaps one day the citizens would have had decided they had had enough. They

might have calculated that Ramon only had six bullets in his gun. That if the people in their hundreds and thousands all rushed the square at once, that the gunmen could be overwhelmed or would be too scared to pull the trigger once they saw the masses in front of them.

Well, we are all waiting for that remake.

Nevertheless, within the reality that is Bangladesh, should the townspeople just sit at home and hold their heads in despair?

There are enough intelligent, smart people around who can see they can do better. That this place can reach the level of much of the rest of Rising Asia but only if (new) leaders, on all sides, would single-mindedly focus on the modernisation of the state, rather than wallow in petty rivalries.

Two years after A Fistful of Dollars was released in the US, in the real world, the people of East Pakistan poured out onto the streets in a mass upsurge and very soon after, they earned the right to rename their land as independent Bangladesh.

As for the Western setting of the film, many might be surprised to know that A Fistful of Dollars was actually a rip-off of Kurosawa’s Japanese film called Yojimbo. It was set in the East, after all.

Let us end with this dialogue which seems to capture the essence of what is wrong with basing one’s Deshi politics on Dead Heroes: Joe: “Sometimes the dead can be more useful than the living.”

Silvanito: “I'm alive, and I want to remain with the living, understand? And when I'm dead, I want to remain with the dead. And I would be unhappy if somebody living forces me to remain with the living.” l Farid Bakht is a writer, activist and political commentator. Contact him on Twitter @Liquid_ Borders @China2Bengal.

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18 HERITAGE

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

French lessons In their own way, the French give us a picture of our land in the 17th century

n Tim Steel

T

he sources of our historic, European perspectives on the lands that are now Bangladesh are plentiful, and in the conspicuous limitation of local writing, especially translated, they tend to form much of the source material for documentary reference to the unquestionably rich history and heritage of the nation.

To the enigmatic traveller, known as Delestre, we owe a somewhat lyrical description of Bengal

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, in view of the complete domination of most of these lands by the British from 1764, after the conclusive battle of Buxar, the majority of these records tend to be in English. But, just as China and Iran have offered their own historic records relating to the lands, so, too, we can find other European sources, especially, prior to Buxar and Plassey, French and Dutch sources.

It seems that neither of these two nations took much interest in the saltpetre deposits, of which Bengal and Bihar are believed to have held over 70% of world deposits known in the 17th century. Only with Napoleon did, belatedly, France awaken to the real importance, and potential, of those deposits.

His attempts to invade Egypt, and blockade Britain’s eastern interests were, it may be reasonable to suspect, more focussed on gunpowder than just trade. Perhaps Nelson’s victory in the Battle of the Nile was, in fact, of even greater importance than, so far, recognised!

The interests of the Europeans until then, seem greater in the trade of manufactured goods, and the geopolitics of Asia and southeast Asia.

We do, however, have the journals of Jean de Thevenot, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, an enigmatic traveller known as “Delestre,” and Francois Bernier amongst those who visited, and wrote extensively, about these lands in the 17th century.

Tavernier travelled extensively in the subcontinent between 1638 and 1649, and from 1657 to 1668. His great interest as a jeweller was obviously in gems, but in his record of travels, like any well educated man, he took a distinct interest in all that he saw.

Thus, in reference to Bengal, “Butter is to be had there in great plenty ...” (in fact, he may well have been referring to ghee), but the mention indicates no lack of diet for the inhabitants. Then, “Bengale bears rice in that abundance ... and ‘tis transported by Sea to

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HERITAGE 19

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Maslipatan, and so many other ports of the Coast of Coromandel. Besides ‘tis sent away to forrain Kingdoms, and principally into Ceilan (Ceylon) and the Maldives.”

That export business, we can believe from the journals of other earlier visitors, had been going on for at least 250 years before Tavernier’s time.

As a businessman, Tavernier also, inevitably, was as much interested in wider realms of commerce.

peans for whom, in the previous century or so, the India of the “great mughals,” proved an irresistible attraction, much as travels into space have proved in the past 50 years or so of our age.

He made sweeping generalisations of India and the Mughals: “The country was kept in far better order under the Pathan Kings, before the Mogols were masters of it.”

He clearly spent much of his time in India in the west, commenting much on the life

Just as China and Iran have offered their own historic records relating to the lands, so, too, we can find other European sources

“As to the Commodities of great value, and which draw the commerce of Strangers thither, (to Bengale) I know not, whether there be a country in the World that affords more and greater variety: For, besides Sugar … there is such store of Cottons and Silks, that it may be said that Bengale is as ‘twere the general magazine thereof, not only for Indostan or the Empire of the great Mogol, but also for all the circumjacent Kingdoms, and for Europe itself. I have sometimes stood amazed at the vast quantity of Cotton-Cloth of all sorts, fine and others, tinged and white, which the Hollanders alone draw from thence and transport to many places, especially into Japan and Europe, not to mention what the English, Portingal, and Indian Merchants carry away from these parts.”

De Thevenot, however, was more of a philosopher; a linguist, natural scientist, and botanist.

His travels in the east lasted the four years from 1663 to 1667. Yet another of the Euro-

and times of Afghanistan and the lands that are now mostly in Pakistan, but remarking the wealth in those parts of the subcontinent, which other travellers regard as incapable of comparison with Bengal.

However, his commentary on Dhaka is, perhaps, more descriptive than most: “Daca, or Daac, is properly the capital City of Bengala; it lies upon the banck of the Ganges, and is very narrow, because it stretches out near a League and a half (about 6km) in length, along the side of the River.

Most of the houses are only built of canes, covered with Earth: The English and Dutch Houses are more solid, because they have spared no cost for the security of their Goods: The Augustines have a Monastery there also.

The tide comes up as far as Daca, so that the galleys which are built there may easily trade in the gulf of Bengala; and the Dutch make good use of theirs for Commerce.”

Clearly, Thevenot’s take on Bengal was more social than economic, but his journal

throws an interesting light on both the conspicuous lack of any French presence, and the domination by the Dutch of the trading environment at the time.

To the enigmatic traveller, known as Delestre, we owe a somewhat lyrical description of Bengal: “The country, Bengal, which is one of the most beautiful in the world, is extremely fertile; there are a number of woods and forests of orange and lemon trees ...

Sugar is very common there, as well as ginger and long pepper, which is preserved when it is green ... The pasture age is excellent, and produces such an abundance of milk, that an enormous amount of butter and cheese is exported into adjacent and maritime towns, and even to the most distant countries, especially Batavia (Indonesia).”

Francois Bernier, however, was a surgeon, and one who spent 12 years at the Mughal Court from 1658 to 1669, and was, therefore, intimately involved with the palace politics that brought Aurangzeb to the throne as sixth Mughal emperor in 1658, after arresting his father, and before finally fighting off and murdering his brothers.

Bernier was, in fact, originally physician to Prince Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan’s eldest son, until his murder by Auragzeb, when he joined Aurangzeb’s Court, and subsequently had something of a “Court Eye” view of Mughal India of the time.

Inevitably, it is to Bernier that both we, and a number of other 17th century writers owe a detailed description of the playing out of the politics that saw the 5th Emperor, Shah Jahan, imprisoned by his son, and the various battles that led to the murder of his siblings by Aurangzeb, with little more of interest for students of the history of Bangladesh than his descriptions of Shah Suja, and his eventual disappearance, in either Arakan or Manipur, depending on which outcome to the Prince’s tragic story you accept.

To Bernier’s courtly location we also owe Aurangzeb’s reported sigh of relief on hearing of the death of Emir Mir Jumla, in 1663: “Now I am absolute Emperor of India.”

Each of these French travellers, in their own way, give us, perhaps, a more detached picture of the mid 17th century in these lands of Bangladesh, of which Dhaka was the unquestionable capital. A vivid picture of lands, with the early years of European onslaught beginning to affect and influence them; lands that were outstandingly beautiful, with an incredibly rich and flourishing economy, but in the throes of political turmoil.

From them all, we can take something of a lesson, in French, about the history and culture of an important period of that history. l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

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20 JURIS

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Tort law: A basic remedy we are missing

A

n Salvia Jannat Mercedes ran over a rickshaw nearly killing a 13-year-old boy and the sole reason behind the accident was negligence on part of the car driver. The rickshaw-puller asked for compensation, but the car driver denied giving him any. Instead, the rickshaw-puller was blamed and beaten for the whole incident, and was left with a broken arm.

This is a hypothetical case, but such unfortunate incidents happen in every corner of our streets every day. If something similar happened in the UK or in the US, would the Mercedes owner go unpunished and the rickshaw-puller uncompensated? The answer would be in the negative, even for the trivial accidents. So what is it that makes their system so responsive and ours not?

It is the day to day application of tort law.

Tort is an interesting branch of law which provides for compensation, often in the form of money, for damage which cannot be assessed by any fixed formula. Thus, it leaves for the court to decide on the best compensation scheme on a case by case basis.

The range of wrongs for which the law of tort provides remedy is as interesting as diverse. It allows you to sue for compensation if a restaurant negligently serves you unhygienic food and you suffer from diarrhea as a result, if someone enters into your house without permission, if someone slaps you in anger, if someone spreads vile rumours about you, and even if someone entices your wife away.

These are not just some theories that have never been put into practice. In 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman, suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region after accidentally spilling hot coffee, bought from a McDonald’s, on her lap. She was hospitalised for eight days due to the burns and

Tort is an interesting branch of law which provides for compensation, often in the form of money, for damage which cannot be assessed by any fixed formula underwent skin grafting. She needed medical assistance for two years.

Liebeck claimed that McDonald’s coffee was too hot (82°–88°C) and as such, more likely to cause injury than other coffee served at lower temperatures. The jury found against McDonald’s and awarded Liebeck $2.86 million.

In another interesting case, Janvier vs Sweeney, a private detective, pretending to be a police officer, threatened a woman that she was in danger of arrest for association with a German spy. The detective bluffed with an intention of accessing the correspondence of

her employer. The woman suffered psychiatric illness as a result of this statement, and the court awarded her compensation.

Such incidents are not very rare in our society, but you would not find a similar case even after searching the length and breadth of all law reports published since the independence of Bangladesh. Wrongs which could have been remedied by the application of tort laws go unattended by the court day in and day out.

One of the most striking examples would be the Rana Plaza collapse of last year, which caused 1,129 deaths and approximately 2,515

injuries. Though the Rana Plaza building was constructed for offices and shops, it was lent out to garment factories. Eventually, it failed to hold on to the weight and vibration of heavy garment machineries and collapsed.

That the collapse was a result of negligence on the part of the relevant regulatory bodies as well as the building and garment factory owners has been mentioned widely by the experts and the media. What, however, has not been done is holding the authorities and owners responsible for their negligence under tort law.

Since the independence of Bangladesh more than 40 years ago, we have seen only a handful of tort cases going to the court, and astonishingly fewer numbers coming out successfully. A rigorous search of the law reports reveals only about half a dozen reported successful tort law decisions.

Though many of the core legislations including the Penal Code 1860 and the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 have codified principles of tort law, incidents like Rana Plaza collapse remind us that there still remains a legal black hole and we are often being let down by the limited or non-application of tort laws.

The law of tort has been adopted by many countries worldwide. It is in wide practice in many of our neighbouring countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India. The reasons behind the limited application of tort laws in Bangladesh are manifold. Main reason being the striking odds of receiving a favourable judgement as the statistics of only six successful tort decisions suggest.

Until and unless both the bar and the bench come forward to practice and popularise tort cases by delivering more successful cases, the possibility of extensive application of the tort law will remain bleak. l Salvia Jannat is LLB student at Dhaka University Law Department. The article was first published in Dhaka Law Review.

How customary international law works n Naimul Muquim

O

ne of the most substantial sources of law in the vast expanse of international law is that of customary international law. This is founded upon the idea that countries are obliged to certain norms of international law, according to acts demonstrating their commitment to be bound. Although there is no precise universal agreement on its definition, it is nonetheless a practice that states respect not by blind political regard, but because they reckon and trust that they have a legal responsibility to do so.

Customary international law denotes international obligations resulting from recognised state practice; this is distinctive to the notion of obligations that arise out of signing, acceding or ratifying international treaties. It essentially results from an overall unwavering and consistent practice of states. The principal foundation of this also lies with the declarations of states regarding international law as evidence of custom. Custom in its legal sense suggests something more than simple agreement or usage; this is due to the fact that it is a practice felt by those countries that respect it to be a compulsory one.

On the other hand, international agreements

generally establish the practice of states and therefore, can contribute further to the development of customary international law. Conversely, one may beg the question as to how we ought to determine

Governments of different countries, including Bangladesh, maintain to comply with customary international law, and habitually integrate its norms into domestic statutes whether a state acts from being conscious of a legal obligation or instead from a sense of mere courtesy or by convention. The answer to this may be derived from the appreciation of a state’s responsibility to a specific practice that is implied by its own acts or omissions.

Article 38(1)(b) of the Statute of the Internation-

al Court of Justice (ICJ) provides an authoritative elucidation of the basis of customary international law as one of the sources of international law itself.

It prescribes that customary international law may be established by exhibiting state practice and “opinio juris.” “Opinio juris” is another element which is a subjective responsibility needed to create a legitimate compulsory custom. The starting point of this was shaped by the decision of the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Case of the SS Lotus (France v Turkey) in 1927. Another landmark judgement of the ICJ’s North Sea Continental Shelf Cases (1969) has similarly observed this.

In addition, the ICJ in Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v United States of America) (1986) had also held that some provisions in the United Nations Charter are regarded as international customary law norms.

Another vital element in this scenario is something called “jus cogens.” These are “peremptory norms” from which derogation by states is strictly not allowed. Due to the all-encompassing weight of such norms, they are largely recognised by all countries.

These are limited in number and comprise actions that a particular state cannot condone, such as crimes against humanity, genocide, apartheid, slavery, and torture.

A country’s laws, including its legislation and judgements of the courts, are the bases of its state practice to the degree that it could pursue to define its own practice and duties under international law. Governments of different countries, including Bangladesh, maintain to comply with customary international law, and habitually integrate its norms into domestic statutes. Correspondingly, when applicable, national courts also apply customary international law as a rule for providing decisions.

In the current era, international customary law is perhaps still one of the most debated and explored sources of international law. For instance, questions such as when does a particular state practice truly develop to a legally binding state practice continue to emerge.

Some contend that the concept of customary international law is still somewhat inexplicit, and the issue of “opinio juris” is rather arduous to determine. Nevertheless, the idea and elements of customary international law continue as a central foundation of international law jurisprudence that is applicable to all nations. l Naimul Muquim is an alumnus of School of Law, BRAC University and legal intern at a law firm in Dhaka.

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21

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

T-JUNCTION

Lazy Saturdays INSIDE Burning questions: Mr Mo, on endurance, polygamy and more. Have a burning question for him? Submit it on our Facebook page.

Panels in history The first episode of graphic novel based on the autobiography of Bangabandhu.

22

drama mama

Sibling rivalry

23

letter to venus

When the pond is full of fish letter to mars

Losing touch

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22 T-JUNCTION

Tact

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

drama mama

Sibling rivalry n Dina Sobhan My elder son is 11 years old and his little brother is three. Despite the innocence of his age, my older son, B, holds an intense grudge towards his baby brother. For eight years together, B had all of my unconditional love and now he seems to resent having to share me. I do not love any of my sons more than the other, but I just can’t get him to understand that. The little one is quite young and therefore might need a little more attention, but according to B, the extra care means something else. I can see him drift away from me and his little brother, and I just can’t do anything about it. Maybe he’ll grow out of it, but I’m terrified to think of what might happen if he doesn’t.

Some degree of sibling rivalry and jealousy on the part of the older sibling is quite common with the introduction of a new baby to the family. However, it is less common for those feelings to last three years and in a child of B’s age. If your attempts at explaining your respective relationships to B have not been successful at changing his feelings towards his little brother, it may be because your words do not correlate to your actions. As much as you may have tried to avoid showing favoritism to your younger child, perhaps you are unconsciously doing so in the amount of time you spend with him or the attention you show him. To counteract this, you should reschedule your time to incorporate B into your day more. Put aside time everyday to do something that he really enjoys and plan special weekly activities that are suggested by him. It’s very easy to overlook the needs of an older child for a younger one, but they are both children who need their mother equally, if in different ways. l

Dina Sobhan is a free-lance writer, a part-time counsellor and a full-time mom.

Photo: Homayra Adiba

think like a man

Your weekly ‘stache of wisdom Your weekly ‘stache of wisdom Dear Mr Moustache, I see my friends going crazy over the World Cup cricket series. While I support Bangladesh in spirit, and always pray they win, I’ve never been a fan of the sport, and haven’t watched a single match this season. My friends are refusing to speak to me. Is it so wrong to think differently from the herd?

Sincerely, Not a Cricket Fan

Dear Not a Cricket Fan, You don’t have to move with the herd. I never have. If you like cricket, fine. If you don’t, don’t watch it. Your time can be better used doing things that are you. Just be yourself. If somebody asks, politely tell them you’ve been busy. It’s not a lie.

Dear Mr Moustache, I’ve known this person for years. He’s been a sort of permanent fixture in our circle of friends, and thinks of me as a very good

friend. However, I personally find him annoying, and his company exhausts me. I am considering ripping the bandage off and terminating the friendship for good. Is that too unkind?

Dear Unkind, If this person is a offensive to your presence, don’t waste your time on him.

No need to be rude - just excuse yourself from his company. There are more than enough humans in the world for you to choose from. l

Famous moustache in history

Adolf Hitler is as well known for his moustache as he is for all the atrocities he committed before and during WW2.

Technically called the “toothbrush” moustache, it was a style favoured by comedians in the 1900’s in America.

Interestingly, a younger Adolf Hitler actually preferred a handlebar style with twisted ends. When fighting in the trenches during WW1, he found that this style interfered with his gas mask. Choosing life over facial hair, he trimmed away the sides to help the mask fit. The style stuck, and eventually became his signature.

T-JUNCTION 23

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Tell

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

letter to mars

Losing touch

letter to venus

When the pond is full of fish n Agony Aunt My boyfriend broke up with me seven months ago, without giving me any reason. He cut me off completely without giving me any fair warning. He won’t return any of my calls, and I have been a mess ever since. How do I find closure if he won’t talk to me? I cannot find peace when I don’t have all the facts.

I can understand your feeling of helplessness, at not knowing why, it makes you feel powerless. But do you really want to know? Sadly it is clear: he does not want to be with you. Why is not a necessary

n Agony Aunt I have been married to my wife for over six years, and I have to say, these six years have been the best years of my life. I just wish I could say the same for my wife. For the last two years, she has been quite unhappy with our marriage. I tried to sort things out with her, but she just wouldn’t open up to me.

Anyway, last month I realised she might be having an affair with another man. I know I’m supposed to be angry, but I’m really not. It has been partially my fault since I cannot spend as much time with her any more. Despite my tolerance regarding her extra-marital affair, I think it might be a while before I could start trusting her again. Is this marriage worth fighting for?

I am wondering how the last two years, could have been wonderful: unless you were out of your home and with yourself most of the time. An unhappy wife, does not make for a happy marriage. I once saw an embroidered cushion in a Fifth Avenue shop in NY which

ARIES (MAR 21-APR 19)

said: “if a woman ain’t happy, nobody ain’t happy.” So, you ignored her unhappiness because? Every marriage is worth fighting for. Communication or the lack of it is at the root of most problems in relationships.

Ask your wife to forgive you for neglecting her. In general, women want little attentions that men give them while courting, and men promptly stop as soon as they are married.

That kills most marriages. See your wife as the woman you really like, not just for her beauty. Be tender with her, get up and prepare a lovely breakfast for her in the weekend, even if you have domestic help.

Believe me, women love little gestures, more than diamonds. Unless they really married for diamonds! l Our Agony Aunt is a Life Coach and Relationship Coach as well as a Corporate and Organisational Consultant. AA lives and works in Bangladesh but travels extensively around the world to give seminars and to see her clients

TAURUS (APR 20-MAY 20)

This week is a great time for you to be making new connections, at work and in your personal life. The social ties you think don’t mean anything will actually come in handy in tight situations.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 20)

HOROSCOPE

You will be feeling an extra wave of ecstasy, which will be followed by an almost involuntary will to get things done.

Make the most of this time; have everyone know what you’re really capable of.

question. Here is the good news, his actions belong to him. He behaved badly. Do you want to be with someone who can behave like this? I think the angels protected you!

Look at the silver lining: it is not about you, it is about him. Get your ego in check and talk to it and say, “Wake up darling, it is not because you are not good or beautiful, it is because of who he is.” Open your eyes.

That is not the whole of you that is in pain, it is only the part of you that feels not good enough. Don’t let it win over your emotions.

Instead of focusing on a small pond looking for a fish, turn to a larger pond filled with fish! l

You may be experiencing new conflicts with people close to you. Have patience, and wait for this surge of bad luck make its way out so you can continue to be normal and happy once again.

try to keep your priorities in check, and everything will work out just fine.

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 22)

Present circumstances might push you into taking initiatives, but if you don’t feel confident about something, you should probably not go with it. This is not a good time for risks.

CANCER (JUN 21-JUL 22)

LEO (JUL 23-AUG 22)

The atmosphere encourages you to take on new challenges. Don’t let this time pass you by, and don’t be scared of additional workload. It will eventually pay off.

Things are changing suddenly and very fast, and you might find yourself tangled in the absurdity of the whole situation. Just

CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 19)

Problems that you have been avoiding need to be dealt with at the soonest.

Sending them to the backburner will only make them worse.

LIBRA (SEP 23-OCT 22)

Someone close to you may get into trouble, and you will be expected to help out.

Support them, and be there for them as much as possible.

Take this week to smooth edges in your personal relationships. If your loved ones need you to spend a little more time with them, do it.

second wind. It might give you an impulse to dive into something new, or even avoid it altogether. However, try to make the most of this week.

AQUARIUS (JAN 20-FEB 19)

If you’re offered a new opportunity, don’t hesitate to take it, even if you might think it may not be good for you. Every failure is a lesson.

SCORPIO (OCT 23-NOV 21)

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22-DEC 21)

Old ideas and relations are finding their

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 20)

New expenses and risks will become a part of your life very soon. Tighten the strings on your purse, or you will be in for a lot of trouble. l

DT

24 T-JUNCTION

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

Written in the stars

changemakers

History becomes art

For the first time in Bangladesh, our upcoming generation is gifted with a series of graphic novels from promising youngsters. The matter of joy is the journey with the autobiography of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and limbering up for a new doorway to our history and our culture

n Saudia Afrin On March 17, a hall was filled with colourful little angels awaiting for a book filled with lots of colours, characters and a history of Mujib and his unknown moments as the architect of our nation. The first episode of the autobiography of Bangabandhu, with eleven more episodes calculated to be published spread more light on his great humanity and leadership.

Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy and ABM Salauddin Shuvo put in their dedication to make each and every corner of the graphic novel immaculate. At the inaugural ceremony, the duo shared their story of their journey and how it became possible with help of CRI. Tanmoy, scriptwriter and illustrator of the book, said, “It would be really exciting for the reader as we are picturing Bangabandhu’s life’s 34 years from his birth based on his Oshomapto Attojiboni.

The stories popularly come across as mostly war or politically significant timeline.” He also believes that a lot has been done about Mujib but this is the first that when the unknown pages of his life are being rendered in visuals for the youth who haven’t read his autobiography. “I’m eagerly awaiting to see how the future generation gets motivated to read the lesser known parts of his life. This book is focusing more on human history.”

ABM Salauddin Shuvo, colourist, put in many colour formations to explicitly illustrate each emotion to the reader while simultaneously retaining the international graphic novel colouring style. He said, “At the beginning, when Bangabandhu was inspired by his family members to write about his life, we used blues and a monochromatic look. When his story

became more eventful came upon, we made it colourful.” He also mentioned using fewer dark colours to make it enjoyable for junior readers.

While taking, Shuvo became a bit nostalgic and said “Tanmoy and I always wanted to create a comic on local super heroes. And then, suddenly both of us thought about Bangababdhu, the real hero of our country.” Tanmoy added, “However, our dream would have remained just a dream if we couldn’t get the opportunity from CRI.” A glimpse of Comments Radwan Mujib Siddiq, grandchild of Bangabandhu, trustee, CRI, shared his childhood memories of how they were so passionate to know about his grandfather.

He said, “‘Whenever I talked about my grandfather, my teacher panicked and got nervous and used to say, ‘don’t say it in school.’ One day a teacher said to me, ‘your grandfather wasn’t Bangabandhu, rather than enemy of Bangladesh.’ But my mother taught told us to stay as patient as our grandfather.’”

Kids and teenagers express their joy in having a historical book like Mujib. In addition, they want more of the sort, having knowledgeable content in the arena of books, movies etc.

Cartoon maestro Ahsan Habib feels it is a gigantic kick off for the comic, graphic and cartoon industry. He reckons this initiative is the easiest way to reach out to the history of father of the nation.

Mentioning the initiative as a knowledge hub for kids, Rafiqun Nabi, artist and cartoonist, considers the fictitious settings of cartoon novels may be in danger of being percieved as fiction more what it really

aspires to. He said, “ Bangabandhu is real.”

Sara Zaker, social activist added, “If calling it something else except for a novel will make it clearer to the reader that it isn’t fiction at all.”

Meanwhile, clearing out the confusion about the graphic novel concept, Sabbir Bin Shams, Executive Director, CRI, said, “‘To create a distinguished look to it, we use the very contemporary term ‘Graphic Novel’ currently used by most of the popular publishing houses. Publishers have taken it as a good practice in book publishing art.

Many historically important and famous men like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Steve Jobs are being portrayed through graphic novels as well.’”

“However, it is true that there is a fictitious characteristic to the novel. For example, this book has a ancestor character

of Bangabandhu that is depicted entirely from imagination. Also there is a dialogue, where Bangabandhu said, “Erokom kore keno Baba?” which was not in Oshomapto Attojiboni. There is lots of scope for imagination but the facts are from the Oshomapto Attojiboni. On top of everything, CRI is eagerly awaiting comments, criticism and feedback.”

Graphic Novel Visualisers: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy and ABM Salauddin Shuvo Editing: Shibu Kumar Shil, Copyright Centre for Research andInformation Publisher Nasrul Hamid, State Minister for Energy, Power & Mineral Resources, and Radwan Mujib Siddiq, Trustee, CRI, are publishers Distributor Charchaa l

Atletico will face Real in the Champions League last eight. Paris St Germain and Barcelona were paired together having met in the group stage. Porto will face 2013 champions Bayern Munich and Juventus will take on Monaco in the other ties.

Sport 26

RISE OF THE TIGERS IN WORLD CUP 2015

28

AUSSSIES RECOVER FROM WOBBLE TO BOOK INDIA SF

29

25

DT

MADRID DERBY

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

UZBEKISTAN U23S ARRIVE EARLY FOR QUALIFIERS

Misbah, Afridi bow out in frustration n AFP, Adelaide

Misbah-ul Haq and all-rounder Shahid Afridi bowed out of one-day international cricket with their dreams unfulfilled on Friday as Pakistan crashed out in the World Cup quarter-finals against Australia

Pakistan players Misbah-ul Haq (L), Shahid Afridi (R) congratulate Australia batsman Glenn maxwell (C) for their victory in the 2015 Cricket World Cup quarterfinal at the Adelaide Oval yesterday AFP

Tearful Tamim apologises to nation Mazhar Uddin from Melbourne Bangladesh were under the cosh against Scotland following the first innings at Saxton Oval on March 5. And while chasing 319 for victory, the early departure of opener Soumya Sarkar hardly helped matters.

Fellow opener Tamim Iqbal, however, was still there. In what could have been a tricky chase soon turned into a gettable total, thanks largely to Tamim’s heroics. Tamim smashed 95 off 100 balls with the help of nine boundaries and a six as Bangladesh romped home with six wickets in hand. Tamim struck several delightful cover drives while some of his one-legged pulls and hooks brought back memories of the great West Indian batsman and former Bangladesh coach Gordon Greenidge.

However, that proved to be the only notable knock from Tamim in the ongoing World Cup. Overall, the swashbuckling southpaw totaled 154 runs from six matches at an average of 25 and apart from that match-winning knock against the Scots, Tamim’s other scores read 19, 0, 2, 13 and 25.

While some Bangladeshi fans praised his efforts, the others have been not so generous as cruel Tamim jokes and memes did the rounds in the social networks. Many even called into question Tamim’s commitment to the Bangladesh cause.

Having witnessed and heard all the criticism, Tamim was hurting, deeply.

“I am also a human being and it hurts when someone says bad things about your wife and parents. I think my family is not responsible for my poor performance,” said a teary-eyed Tamim during an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune in Melbourne yesterday.

“Honestly, I am very disappointed with my

performance. I want to say sorry to my fans and all the Bangladeshi supporters. I have let them down. I wanted to do something good for my country in the World Cup,” Tamim said before quickly adding, “If I am unable to score runs, it is natural that my fans will critisise me and I accept that. But, sometimes I get to see that some of them attack me personally. A few of them said bad things to my family members.

“Honestly, I know how much the people of my country love me. I am aware that they support me through thick and thin. To be frank, I always try my best to return their love whenever I wear the Bangladesh jersey. However, sometimes I am not able to perform. Not only the people, those bad performances also hurt me from the bottom of my heart.”

Birthday boy Tamim, who turned 26 yesterday, went on to request his countrymen to back him so that he can continue to perform for the Tigers for a long time to come. l

in Adelaide.

Both the senior players had announced they would retire from one-day cricket after the World Cup with skipper Misbah continuing to play Tests while Afridi will feature in Twenty20 cricket.

Misbah, 40, failed to get a one-day hundred in his entire career of 162 one-day internationals. His final run tally was 5,122 runs - the most runs by any player in one-dayers without a hundred. The captain managed 34 in Pakistan’s sub-par total of 213 all out against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.

The co-hosts overhauled the target in 33.5 overs for a comprehensive six-wicket victory, earning a place in next Thursday’s semi-final against defending champions India in Sydney.

Afridi, famous for his 37-ball hundred in only his second one-day international made against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996, fell five wickets short of the 400-mark.

Afridi, 35, who scored 8,064 runs in his 398 one-day internationals, could have been the only all-rounder with over 8,000 one-day runs and 400 wickets.l

DT

26 Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

#RISEOFTHETIGERS #CWC15 HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORE

MOST HUNDREDS

BEST BOWLING FIGURE IN AN INNINGS Rubel Hossain 9.3-0-53-4 v England at Adelaide

Mahmudullah 2 (365 runs in 6 innings)

Mahmudullah 128* off 123 balls v New Zealand at Hamilton

Mahmudullah 73.00 (365 runs in 6 innings)

Mahmudullah 6 (30 boundaries)

HIGHEST PARTNERSHIP

Shakib al Hasan 5.16 (57.4-1-298-8)

BATTING PERFORMANCE Player

Soumya Sarkar 6

BEST ECONOMY RATES (min 10 overs)

MOST SIXES

Mushfiqur Rahim 105.67 (298 runs off 282 balls)

MOST CATCHES

Nasir Hossain 24.75 (19-0-99-4)

Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim 3

HIGHEST STRIKE RATES (min 50 balls)

Nasir Hossain 28.5 (19-0-99-4)

BEST BOWLING AVERAGES

MOST FIFTIES (and over)

HIGHEST AVERAGE

BEST STRIKE RATES

Mahmudullah, Mushfiq 141 5th v England at Adelaide

HIGHEST TOTAL

LARGEST VICTORIES BY RUNS

322/4 v Scotland at Nelson

105 Runs v Afghanistan at Canberra

MOST EXTRAS IN AN INNINGS

LARGEST VICTORIES BY WICKETS

16 (4B 7Lb 3W 2N) v India at Melbourne

6 Wickets v Scotland at Nelson

Inns

NO

Runs

HS

Ave

SR

100

50

4s

6s

Mahmudullah

6

1

365

128*

73.00

81.83

2

1

30

6

Mushfiqur Rahim

6

0

298

89

49.66

105.67

0

3

26

5

Shakib Al Hasan

6

1

196

63

39.20

93.77

0

2

18

3

Sabbir Rahman

6

1

182

53

36.40

98.37

0

1

18

5

Soumya Sarkar

6

0

175

51

29.16

88.38

0

1

23

3

Player

Tamim Iqbal

6

0

154

95

25.66

75.86

0

1

17

1

Taskin Ahmed

Anamul Haque

2

0

58

29

29.00

59.18

0

0

5

1

Rubel Hossain

Nasir Hossain

2

0

46

35

23.00

112.19

0

0

6

1

Mashrafe Mortaza

4

1

28

14

9.33

121.73

0

0

5

Imrul Kayes

3

0

9

5

3.00

25.71

0

0

0

BOWLING PERFORMANCE Inns

Overs

Mdns

Runs

Wkts

6

51.0

6

50.3

Shakib Al Hasan

6

57.4

0

Mashrafe Mortaza

5

0

Nasir Hossain

3

BBI

Ave

Econ

SR

4

1

325

9

3/43

1

298

8

4/53

36.11

6.37

34.0

0

37.25

5.90

37.8

1

298

8

4/55

37.25

1

5.16

43.2

1

47.0

2

250

7

3/20

19.0

0

99

4

2/32

35.71

5.31

40.2

0

24.75

5.21

28.5

5

16.0

0

104

0

1

1/47 104.00 6.50

96.0

0

1/31 135.00

Mominul Haque

2

0

4

3

2.00

66.66

0

0

0

0

Sabbir Rahman

Arafat Sunny

1

1

3

3*

-

100.00

0

0

0

0

Mahmudullah

5

24.0

1

135

1

2

7.0

0

32

0

-

-

5.62

144.0

0

4.57

-

0

Taskin Ahmed

3

1

1

1

0.50

25.00

0

0

0

0

Soumya Sarkar

Rubel Hossain

4

3

0

0*

0.00

0.00

0

0

0

0

Arafat Sunny

1

8.0

0

42

0

-

-

5.25

-

0

Taijul Islam

1

10.0

0

58

0

-

-

5.80

-

0

DT

Sport 27

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

4TH QUARTER-FINAL Played: 60 Tied: 0 No result: 7

NEW ZEALAND 23

Wins

WEST INDIES 30

At Wellington Regional Stadium today (7AM)

Umpires

Richard Kettleborough (ENG), Bruce Oxenford (AUS) TV Umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS) Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

Weather forecast

Fine and dry with northerly breezes. Maximum temperature of 18 Celsius.

Pitch prediction

Westpac Stadium’s drop-in pitch supports swing, as Tim Southee’s 7-33 against England showed. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson says it has “unusual” bounce, which might disconcert the West Indies. There have only ever been eight 300-plus ODI scores at the venue, two at this tournament.

PLAYERS TO WATCH Brendon McCullum

West Indian batsman Chris Gayle practices during a training session, at the Daniel Vettori of New Zealand bowls during a training session at the Basin Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday AFP Reserve in Wellington yesterday AFP

A unified West Indian team is an absolute necessity to overcome the in-form Black Caps n Yousuf Rahman (Babu) It is sometimes hard and often painful to imagine that the glorious days of West Indies cricket are long gone. When I was a child, I grew up reading about and at times, when opportunity came our way, watching and idolising some of the greatest gentlemen cricketers from the Caribbean islands. My first experience of a West Indian team was in Dhaka in 1959 when Test matches were played on matting wickets. Led by Gary Alexander, it was a team that consisted of Sir Gary Sobers, Sir Wes Hall, Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Basil Butcher etc. Subsequent years saw the Caribbean cricketers evolve themselves into world-class players and in the 1970s the West Indian side was on top of the cricketing world. With the likes of Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Brian Lara to name but a few, this band of cricketers dominated the game with lethal efficacy. It won the first two World Cups with ease in 1975 and 1979 and was easily the favourites to win the third one in 1983 only to be shocked by India in a low-scoring match.

New Zealand on the other hand has been on the other side of the spectrum. They

played decent cricket in the 1980s and onward but never had the “killer punch” to move far into the tournaments. They made six World Cup semi-finals but then just did not have the grit to go beyond. Over the years, the Kiwis produced several world-class cricketers. Martin Crowe, Sir Richard Hadlee, Glen Turner and Chris Cairns come to mind automatically.

This time, they look a completely different team than any other team of the past.

Led by the super aggressive Brendon McCullum, this team knows what winning is all about. It has a top-class bowling attack and a sound batting line up to get the runs.

However, this is a quarter-final of the World Cup and so the entire environment is different. Win or go home. It is as simple as that. The West Indian side has problems, more of a managerial nature than anything else. It certainly does have the players to create an impact and change the course of the match. There is adequate batting fire power in players like Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell and some high quality fast bowlers like Jerome Taylor and Jason Holder.

The big question is whether they will come to play. The nomination of Holder as captain,

the omission of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have not gone down well with many of the senior players and their discontent expressed through a nonchalance approach seems to be quite obvious on the field.

If for some strange reason, the West Indian squad finds the right “karma” and decides to play together as a unit, things could become very interesting. With the match being played in Wellington, needless to mention, the Kiwis will have the upper hand but don’t count the Caribbean outfit out.

It will be an exciting duel between Brendon and the West Indian quick bowlers. If Brendon sets the tone, the others around him such as Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson will bat with good effect to take the game away from the West Indians quite early.

Unlike the lop-sided results in the three quarter-finals, this one could live up to its billing as a close and thrilling encounter. While the Black Caps will play for the affirmation of its billboard rating as one of the favourites to win the Cup, the men in maroon will not give up the chance to regain some of its glory days and bring back the faith and respect that West Indian cricket so richly deserves.l

(New Zealand) The fearless New Zealand captain holds the key to all aspects of the Black Caps’ match blueprint.

He opens the batting with the firm belief he is there to score fast and ease pressure on those who follow. Proving the point, he hit the fastest World Cup half-century on his way to a rollicking 25-ball 77 against England.

His leaping and diving fielding exploits to save ones, twos and boundaries, regardless of any physical cost, has rubbed off on the rest of the New Zealand side, who pride themselves on being one of the sharpest fielding units around.

McCullum’s support for his bowlers, setting aggressive fields and encouraging them to bowl to take wickets has led to three New Zealanders being among the tournament’s top ten wicket-takers.

Chris Gayle

(West Indies) The explosive Gayle can determine the outcome of match single-handedly if he gets away and his 215 against Zimbabwe in the pool phase is the highest individual innings at any World Cup. With his long reach, excellent hand-eye co-ordination and ease playing both sides of the wicket, Gayle can be a bowler’s nightmare although of late the left-hander’s form has been inconsistent He followed his double century with three against South Africa and 21 against India, suggesting to New Zealand he is due another big score again.

Although Gayle is suffering from a long-term back injury, he is expected to play.

DT

28 Sport

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

PAK v AUS

TALKING POINTS

PAKISTAN Shehzad c Clarke b Hazlewood Sarfraz c Watson b Starc Haris c Haddin b Johnson Misbah c Finch b Maxwell Umar c Finch b Maxwell Maqsood c Johnson b Hazlewood Afridi c Finch b Hazlewood Riaz c Haddin b Starc Ehsan c Starc b Faulkner Sohail c Haddin b Hazlewood Rahat not out Extras: (lb5, w5)

R 5 10 41 34 20 29 23 16 15 4 6 10

Some cracks in Australian armour but Pakistan still cannot sneak through

Total: (all out; 49.5 overs)

213

Although Pakistan played true to form as far as batting goes and predictably managed to barely go past the 200-mark, opportunities were given by the mighty Aussie batting line-up. Wahab Riaz bowled, perhaps one of the most aggressive spell of fast bowling in this tournament. Had Rahat Ali taken the sitter at deep fine-leg off a Shane Watson top-edge when he was on four, this match could have been a photo finish. Records indicate that Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis got more than 60% of their wickets on LBW and bowled decisions. They could not rely on the Pakistan fielding then and the bowlers of today cannot rely on its fielding unit now.

India will be closely watching this Aussie side and particularly look for cracks in its daunted batting order.

1-20 (Sarfraz), 2-24 (Shehzad), 3-97 (Misbah), 4-112 (Sohail), 5-124 (Umar), 6-158 (Afridi), 7-188 (Maqsood), 8-188 (Riaz), 9-195 (Sohail), 10-213 (Ehsan)

AUSTRALIA–PAKISTAN, 3RD QUARTER-FINAL Yousuf Rahman (Babu), former national cricketer, vice captain and first centurion writes from New York for Bangladesh fans all across the globe.

Fall of wickets

Bowling Starc 10-1-40-2 (2w), Hazlewood 10-1-35-4 (1w), Johnson 10-0-42-1 (2w), Maxwell 7-0-43-2, Watson 5-0-17-0, Faulkner 7.5-0-31-1

Did Pakistan miss an opportunity by ignoring Yasir Shah?

Yasir’s chance of exhibiting his trade in a World Cup has come to an end. The 2019 ICC World Cup will be in England and by that time he will have added another four years to his age. At 32, and the way Pakistan cricket is managed, he will have disappeared into the horizon hardly leaving any trace of his skills. Pakistan probably missed the boat by keeping him sidelined.

Not the best farewell to Misbah-ul Haq and Shahid Afridi Both of them have served Pakistan cricket well, however, both will be disappointed with their own performance as well as the overall performance of the team. They struggled throughout the tournament and never looked like a team that could run away with games.

Afridi went through the motions and, unlike his usual self, hardly made a worthwhile contribution. In seven matches, he painfully managed to pick up only two wickets and that too against lowly-rated UAE. His batting performance has not been anything to rave about.

Misbah will frame his bat on the wall and will reflect on being the most successful player to lead Pakistan with the most Test wins. In spite of all the Pakistani naysayers who vehemently disapprove his style of leadership, his absence will severely affect the calmness of Pakistan middle-order batting. l

AUSTRALIA Warner c Rahat b Riaz Finch lbw b Sohail Smith lbw b Ehsan Clarke c Maqsood b Riaz Watson not out Maxwell not out Extras: (w9)

R 24 2 65 8 64 44 9

Total: (for four wkts; 33.5 overs)

216

B 23 5 69 11 66 29

Fall of wickets 1-15 (Finch), 2-49 (Warner), 3-59 (Clarke), 4-148 (Smith)

Australian calm prevails Credit is given where it is due and Pakistan succeeded in creating some sort of a wobble in the Australian top-order. Neither David Warner nor Aaron Finch were allowed to get off the blocks and were dismissed fairly cheaply. However, the Australian calm in the middle exhibited by Steve Smith set the tone for Watson and Glenn Maxwell to see the team home.

B 13 16 57 59 25 44 15 22 22 5 21

Bowling Sohail 7.5-0-57-1 (2w), Adil 5-0-31-1, Rahat 6-037-0 (1w), Riaz 9-0-54-2 ( 6w), Afridi 4-0-30-0, Haris 2-0-7-0 Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz (L) reacts after bowling to Australia batsman Shane Watson during their World Cup quarterfinal in Adelaide yesterday AFP

Australia recover from wobble to book India SF n Reuters, Adelaide Shane Watson scored a half-century after being dropped on four to guide Australia to an emphatic six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Adelaide on Friday and send the co-hosts into a blockbuster World Cup semi-final with reigning champions India.

Fired by a four-wicket haul from recalled paceman and man-of-the-match Josh Hazlewood, Australia bowled out Pakistan for a modest 213 and after surviving a wobble in the chase, all-rounder Watson (64 not out) and Glenn Maxwell (44 not out) reeled in the total with more than 16 overs to spare.

Steven Smith was also instrumental, scoring a classy 65 to steer Australia as Watson weathered a furious short-pitched attack from fast bowler Wahab Riaz.

Pakistan’s bowlers had little to defend at Adelaide Oval and were let down badly by two spilled catches that could have changed the complexion of the match.

Australia were vulnerable at 83-3 under a fiery spell from Wahab, but Watson was dropped on four hooking straight to Rahat Ali at fine leg, the simplest of chances bouncing straight out of his hands.

Maxwell later sent a top edge soaring

but Sohail Khan put down another gettable chance on the run to leave Wahab grimacing in frustration.

Hazlewood, who replaced young seamer Pat Cummins, combined with left-armer Mitchell Starc to remove Pakistan’s openers cheaply and returned to punch a hole through the Asian team’s middle-order on a sun-drenched autumn day.

Misbah won the toss and opted to bat first but the move backfired with openers Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad both out within three balls before the sixth over.

Sarfraz was out for 10, edging Starc to Watson who took a fine, low catch in the slips, while Hazlewood (4-35) removed Shehzad for five.

Misbah was nearly out for a duck two balls later when the ball brushed his stump after clipping his thigh pad, but the bails stayed intact.

He and number three batsman Haris Sohail battled to steady the innings but after bashing Maxwell over the fence twice, Misbah holed out to Finch, breaking the 73-run partnership.

Infuriatingly for Pakistan fans, Umar Akmal (20) and Shahid Afridi (23) repeated their captain’s horrid dismissal to leave their team reeling at 158-6. l

Result: Australia won by six wickets Man of the Match: Josh Hazlewood

Lucky to get through Wahab spell: Watson n AFP, Adelaide Shane Watson admitted he was fortunate to escape Wahab Riaz’s classic spell of intimidatory, eyeball-to-eyeball fast bowling in Friday’s World Cup quarter-final between Australia and Pakistan.

Watson ended the game on an unbeaten 64 off 66 balls but he was dropped on four by Rahat Ali at fine leg off a 145kmh Riaz bouncer as the veteran Australian all-rounder was under physical siege.

Riaz charged in, peppering the batsman with a series of short-pitched deliveries and sarcastically applauding and even blowing the 33-year-old a kiss at one stage.

“Wahab gave it everything, he was right on the money and there were some really nasty balls in there,” said Watson.

“I was lucky to get through that spell.”

Riaz finished with two for 54 but he should have had more wickets, with Sohail Khan displaying similar butter-fingers to Rahat when he dropped Glenn Maxwell late in the innings.

“We watched how the Australia guys play and had a chat before the game and put plans in place. I knew Watson was not so good with short balls so I knew I had to attack. The plans were successful at times but unfortunately we could not win the game,” Riaz told Sky Sports Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq hailed the fiery Riaz.l

DT

Sport 29

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

The Uzbekistan Under-23 football team jog during a training session at the BFF artificial turf in Motijheel yesterday

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 1, 3 7:00AM ICC Cricket World Cup QF4: New Zealand v West Indies

Star Sports 2 Spanish La Liga 9:00PM Atletico Madrid v Getafe 11:00PM Rayo Vallecano v Malaga 1:00AM Levante v Celta de Vigo 3:00AM Athletic Bilbao v Almeria

Star Sports 4 English Premier League 6:30PM Man City v West Brom 9:00PM Newcastle United v Arsenal 11:30PM West Ham v Sunderland 1:45AM Italian Serie A Milan v Cagliari

Ten Action 1:30AM French Ligue 1 Toulouse v Girondins Bordeaux

Ten Sports 6:15PM Sky Bet Championship Bournemouth v Middlesbrough 8:30PM French Ligue 1 Olympic Lyon v Nice Cote Azur 12:00AM ATP: BNP Paribas Open IW Semifinals

Uzbekistan U23s arrive early for Qualifiers n Raihan Mahmood In order to acclimatise to the conditions, top-seeded Uzbekistan Under-23 football team arrived in Dhaka yesterday, a week before the start of the AFC U-23 Group E Qualifiers.

Forgetting the 12-hour jet-lag, the Uzbekistan footballers rushed to the artificial turf of the Bangladesh Football Federation and enjoyed a stretching session. Coach Bakhtiar Ashurnatov appeared extremely serious.

“The difference in conditions between Uzbekistan and Bangladesh is our headache. It is totally different so we have come early to adapt to the conditions. We are not familiar with these conditions,” said Bakhtiar.

The coach was straight-forward regarding his goal. “We want to qualify for the [2016] Rio Olympics. We failed to qualify for the [2012] London Olympics so we are not taking anything lightly. The hosts are always a tough opponent while India and Syria are also strong opponents. In football nothing is easy so we have to put our best,” said the coach who took charge of Uzbekistan a few months ago.

Bakhtiar revealed that only four members of their squad played against Bangladesh before, in the Asian Games. He also said prior to coming here, they played practice matches against Vietnam and a local Uzbek club.

He has urged the BFF to arrange practice sessions at the natural turf today.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Armanitola, Khanjanpur complete Nat’l School Hockey semi line-up n Raihan Mahmood Armanitola Government High School and Khanjanpur High School, Joypurhat reached the semi-finals of the First Security Islami Bank National School Hockey after winning their respective quarter-finals at the Moulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

In the third quarter-final, Armanitola beat Rafikuddin High School, Comilla 2-0 while Khanjanpur outplayed Bindubasini High School, Tangail 3-0 in the fourth and final quarter-final.

Armanitola will meet Dinajpur High School in the first semi-final tomorrow and it will be followed by the second semi-final between JM Sen Lane High School, Chittagong and Khanjanpur High School. The final will be held this Monday.l

Bangladesh Navy, Police, Army post victories in Kabaddi n Raihan Mahmood Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Army registered victories in the Walton-Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Independence Day Kabaddi at the kabaddi stadium yesterday.

In the first match of the day, Bangladesh Navy beat Bangladesh Jail by 25-12 points while in the following match, Bangladesh Police outplayed Bangladesh Fire Services by 23-11 points. The last match of the day pitted Bangladesh Army against Bangladesh Air Force as the former romped to a 17-5 victory over the latter.

A total of seven teams are participating in the event. l

A monitor displays the names of clubs after the draw for the Uefa Europa League quarter-final matches at the Uefa headquarters in Nyon yesterday AFP

DT

30 DOWNTIME

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Burial places (5) 4 Headwear (4) 7 First woman (3) 8 Help (3) 9 Mental discernment (5) 12 Fly upwards (4) 13 Unauthorised school absentees (7) 15 Armed conflict (3) 16 Secret agent (3) 18 Female deer (3) 19 Male swan (3) 21 Brought into accord (7) 24 Article (4) 26 Trap (5) 27 Precious stone (3) 28 Female swan (3) 29 Anon (4) 30 Unwanted plants (5)

DOWN 1 Examine (4) 2 Carry too far (6) 3 Bill of fare (4) 4 Sibilate (4) 5 Bustle (3) 6 Regretful (5) 10 Tool (3) 11 Make into a statute (5) 14 Moves at easy pace (5) 17 Looked narrowly (6) 18 Falls in drops (5) 20 Hair arrangement (3) 21 Prayer ending (4) 22 Back of the neck (4) 23 Lairs (4) 25 Self (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 15 represents M so fill M every time the figure 15 appears.

You have one letter in the control grid to start you off. Enter it in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

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

SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2015

WHO AM I?

Can you name these iconic directors?

My father was a noted poet of his time. I shot to international fame with my very first film, and remained a Cannes favourite till my death. My films, which all have the sound of falling water in them, often got me into trouble with the Soviet regime.

It is said that children understand my films better than adults do. My wife and I both died of the same type of lung cancer; conspiracy theorists say I was murdered by the KGB.

I have about 13 feature films to my credit, including arguably one of the best space movies of all time. All my feature films were adapted from novels, and most featuring a plan that goes horribly wrong. My favourite themes to explore involve the dark side of human nature, especially dehumanisation. I was infamous for my exorbitant shooting ratio and endless takes. I was born in New York, but died in England.

CELEBS ON SOCIAL NATASHA BEDINGFIELD @natashabdnfield Friends can turn up in expected places . True friends build you up when u r down.

ADAM LEVINE @adamlevine Sweet moves @ pharell, sweet sweet moves.

Thank you for not karate chopping your way into that one.

The son of a famous writer, I am I started out as a painter before I still considered one of India’s went into films. I was an enormous most important directors. In fan of John Ford, and influenced addition to directing credits, I by his films; interestingly, my own am also the author of several films continue to be adapted into science-fiction short stories, and Westerns by Hollywood. I enjoyed have designed numerous book adapting Shakespeare’s plays into jackets and magazine covers. feudal Japanese settings. Even My niece married the legendary though my films are considered the Kishore Kumar. archetype of samurai films, they Check back next week for the answers. were actually atypical in Japanese cinema.

PHARRELL WILLIAMS @Pharrell @FollowTheBUSH: For your viewing pleasure: #PeachesNCream music video by @snoopdogg ft. @imcharliewilson #BUSH http://smarturl.it/ PeachesVideo

WHAT TO WATCH TELEVISION BOLT B+ STAR MOVIES 09:00pm Check out this animated motion picture about a dog who plays a hero in a hit television show and believes that his powers are real.

Voices: John Travolta (Bolt), Miley Cyrus (Penny), Susie Essman (Mittens), Mark Walton (Rhino), Malcolm McDowell (Dr. Calico) INSIDIOUS A HBO 11:20pm This horror film showcases a family who recently moved into a new home, which is haunted. Watch them try to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell HAPPY NEW YEAR CZee Cinema 08:30pm A comedy where a team of losers win the love of millions in their quest to pull off the biggest diamond heist ever by team India.

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Shah Rukh Khan, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah

SATURDAY SPECIALS Whether you’re starting a brand new week, or winding down at the end of one, start your Saturdays with some fun and games, courtesy of the Showtime team. From trivia to quizzes to games, we’ll bring you a tasty tidbit every week. Stay tuned!

DT

32 BACK PAGE

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015

WILL KHALEDA’S ARREST QUELL VIOLENCE? PAGE 14

FRENCH LESSONS

TEARFUL TAMIM APOLOGISES TO NATION PAGE 25

PAGE 19

M

A

R

C

H

1

9

7

1

D

I

A

R

Negotiating from strength

Y

This extract is part of 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. This was first published in Forum on March 20, 1971

n Rehman Sobhan Protests and demonstrations continue in the capital a day after Bangladesh lost in the ICC World Cup quarterfinals against India. Tiger fans brought out a procession in the capital’s Shahbagh yesterday protesting controversial decisions by the match umpires RAJIB DHAR

Titas proposes piped-LPG pilot project n Aminur Rahman Rasel The state-owned gas company, Titas Gas, is proposing to pipe Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to houses that are off the natural gas grid, in a bid to deal with the shortage of natural gas.

The aim of the project is to distribute cooking gas at an affordable price.

“We have prepared a proposal to distribute piped gas to new areas under a pilot project based on LPG,” the general manager of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, Mir Moshiur Rahman, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Piped LPG can offer a substitute to the natural gas grid, which will eventually become defunct. LPG imported from abroad will ensure the flow of gas. Local LPG will be used in the pilot project.

“We have chosen locations like Savar and Narayanganj and conducted consumer surveys to determine whether there is interest in getting LPG,” Moshiur said.

“We will send the proposal to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division through Petrobangla. If the proposal is approved we will start the project work. We will go for a bigger project if it is successful,” he added.

On March 6, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu said he favoured scrapping the supply of gas by pipelines for use in vehicles and for cooking purposes. The minister added that a proposal in this regard had been sent to the prime minister.

“The reserve is being depleted because gas is being wasted. The waste can be cut by supplying gas in cylinders for household purposes like in other countries,” Amu said.

Petrobangla sources said currently more

than 2,300 million cubic feet of gas was supplied every day against a daily demand of 2,700-3,000 million cubic feet.

LPG is now sold in cylinders in the country at a cost of Tk1,600-1,800 per 12kg cylinder.

“Initially, we will supply gas to 2,000 household consumers. Local LPG will be used in the project,” Petrobangla Director Jameel Ahmed Aleem said.

“In the new initiative, government will set up stations where LPG will be stored and supplied to consumers in the same way that Titas serves its clients. The LPG circulation system however, will not have any link with the national gas grid,” he said.

“A few years back a project was undertaken at the Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (KAFCO) housing colony in Chittagong as the gas connection was off. That project was successful. The project was eventually wound down because the government began to supply gas from the national grid using the same pipeline,” Deputy General Manager of KAFCO, Mohammad Kamal Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune.

“This is a good initiative. In can also be done in big apartments or small areas where more than 100 families live. This system is commercially viable as it will cost less than cylinder LPG gas,” he said.

A High Court ban on providing new gas connections was lifted after three years in May 2013. Then officials of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division said at a press briefing that gas connection will be given only where gas lines currently exist Consumers Association of Bangladesh Energy Adviser Prof Dr M Shamsul Alam said the project should be done efficiently and transparently. l

The movement for Bangla Desh is completing its third week. By now the transfer of power within Bangla Desh to the people’s representatives is total.

The opposite side of the coin, non-cooperation with Islamabad, continues.

No civilian official went to receive the president on his arrival. MLR directives to civilian employees of the security forces to join work on March 15 were ignored in spite of the contingent hazard of 10 years’ RI, and workers donated a day’s salary to the Awami League Relief Fund. Eleven thousand civilian employees of the ordnance factory at Joydebpur joined them in a boycott of work.

The population continues its refusal to provision security forces and the quarter master general of the army has had to personally fly into Dacca to examine the supply position and make alternative arrangements, which, it is reported, included the flying of tinned provisions from West Pakistan by giant C-130 transport planes.

On the other hand, the military build-up goes on. Additional troops have been flown in though it is not certain if the N5C cargo of 7,500 auxiliaries have as yet disembarked at Chittagong. From Comilla the SSG commando unit has reportedly been brought into Dacca and tanks designed for securing our borders have been brought down to Dacca from Rangpur.

It was in this atmosphere that Yahya flew into Dacca unannounced at 2:30pm on March 15. In fact, All India Radio announced

the news of his departure for Dacca before Radio Pakistan.

His arrival however was hardly secret, since a massive contingent of police, EPR and army lined the airport to President’s House and provided him with an escort of exceptional ferocity.

It is not clear precisely what all this was about but Yahya’s drive was greeted only with stony silence and the still black flags which bedecked his route.

His arrival however was hardly secret, since a massive contingent of police, EPR and army lined the airport to President’s House and provided him with an escort of exceptional ferocity There was much speculation about his entourage and some suggestion that the entire war cabinet including Generals Hamid and Gul Hassan had accompanied the president.

It is confirmed that he was accompanied

by Lt. Generals Peerzada, principal staff officer to the president, and Ornar, security boss of the services, though ex-Law Minister Justice Cornelius flew in on March 17 in his new capacity as legal adviser to the president.

In fact, the chief of Inter Services Public Relations, Brig. Siddiqui, was at great pains to impress newsmen that there was no special complement of generals accompanying the president, though this did not put speculation at rest that Hamid and Gul Hassan were holed out in the cantonment keeping a watching brief on the talks. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com