04 April, 2015

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

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Chaitra 21, 1421, Jamadius Sani 14, 1436

HAJI SALIM SUPPORTS SAYEED KHOKON PAGE 3

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 2, No 359

GREATER FARIDPUR TO GET ON GAS GRID PAGE 4

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IRAN ISLANDS A TORTURE GROUND

Ansarullah planning silent assassination squads

Money makes not the man, unless he wants to be councilman n Mohammad Jamil Khan Wealth overruled both experience and seniority in earning the Awami League’s blessings for the Dhaka Ward 11 councillor nomination, claimed the aspirants who failed to win their party’s endorsement.

Despite never having attended a political programme nor ever having led the party rank and file, one Awami League-backed hopeful for Dhaka ward councillor won his party’s backing solely on the strength of his wealth, other councillor hopefuls in his party alleged.

A senior AL leader, asking not to be named, said the submission of nomination papers was handled in such a way that only one candidate, wellknown to be a moneyed contender, would be the party’s

sole candidate in the race, despite a ward-level decision to nominate several party leaders.

Five names were put forward as candidates for councillor of Ward 11 and a decision to buy nomination papers for all five proposed nominees was taken at a meeting at the house of Dhaka city AL Treasurer Ismat Jamil Akon Lablu, Ward 11 AL leaders said.

The nominees proposed at the meeting were ward President Abdul Latif, Joint Secretary Hamidul Haque Shamim, Motijheel police station unit AL Joint Secretary Kamruzaman Babul, central AL subcommittee Joint Secretary Nurunabi Razu and Jubo League Dhaka city (South) Organising Secretary Khaled Mahmud Bhuya.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Facebook faceoff n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

murder investigations which might be connected to the group.”

In interrogation, detectives obtained the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Bloggers Rajeeb, Avijit and Oyasiqur were assassinated in premeditated attacks of unspeakable violence carried out by sleeper cells connected to Ansarullah Bangla Team and other Islamist extremist outfits Sheikh Nazmul Alam, deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch of police (DB), said: “We hope that the information they provide will lead us to a breakthrough in previous

PAGE 32

Social media brought on the Arab Spring. It was credited for Narendra Modi’s thumping success in the Indian elections, as well as his party’s embarrassing defeat against Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.

At home, people remember how social media managed to galvanise the popular sentiments that eventually led to the month-long vigil at Shahbagh, giving birth to the Gonojagoron Moncho.

Now with the city elections in just under a month (April 28), Facebook has again become a tool to reaching out to people.

While there is a bar on campaigning before allocation of election symbols, mayor aspirants are using Facebook to discuss their thoughts and civic issues that will surely feature in their pledges when they start campaigning on the ground.

Awami League-backed Sayeed Khokon and Annisul Huq, Jatiya Party-backed Bobby Hajjaj, independent candidates Chowdhury Irad Ahmed Siddiky, Golam Mowla Roni, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh Joint Secretary General Mahi B Chowdhury, CPB-backed

n Mohammad Jamil Khan Together with aggressive members of banned Islamist outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), extremist outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team is planning to form a new platform to commit silent killings using sleeper cells.

The planned outfit, “Al-Jamah,” will see Ansarullah members giving the lead but will employ a brand new modus operandi. It will be led by spiritual leader Jashimuddin Rahmani.

The outfit’s target is to carry out silent assassinations with poison even if machetes and other weapons are used in the attacks.

Detectives learned about this new outfit from two Ansarullah members, Zikrullah and Ariful Islam, arrested in connection with the murder of blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu.

The duo was caught as they tried to flee the scene after killing Oyasiqur on March 30.

Yesterday was the third day of their eightday remand.

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

DT

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Authorities get sabotage warning again n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has once again cautioned authorities concerned as its fear of attacks by the supporters of BNP-led 20-party alliance on key installations across the country is yet to diminish.

The Home Ministry sent the letter to all ministries and divisions on Thursday with instructions to prevent their staff from getting involved in sabotage of public and private installations such as power plants, gas wells, banks, telephone exchanges, mobile phone towers, and railway lines and stations.

According to a ministry official, the letter, signed by the ministry’s Joint Secretary AK Mufizul Haque, said staff members supporting the BNP-Jamaat alliance may assist in such attacks.

Similar instructions were issued last month along with an intelligence report highlighting four petrol bomb attacks on power grid lines and power plants in Gazipur, Noakhali and Jessore by pro-blockade and hartal activists during January-February. l

20-party demands national election after CC polls without delay n Tribune Report The BNP-led 20-party alliance yesterday demanded national election under a non-partisan and neutral government to be held without delay after the city corporation polls.

“Do so to save the nation from this state of grave uncertainty,” said a press release.

The statement signed by BNP Joint Secretary General Barkatullah Bulu warned that if any illicit ways are adopted in the next national election, the Election Commission and thus the government will be held liable for any unpleasant consequences.

The press release said citizens are fed up of hearing the government and the law enforcement agencies say that the country’s law and order situation is normal.

“There is a limit to telling lies but the way the Awami League ministers and members of parliament, who muscled into power on January 5 [2014], are spreading falsehood, the nation feels tainted,” said the statement.

It also said the country is waiting for the release of all the missing leaders and activists, including BNP’s Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, who the alliance claims have been abducted by law enforcement agencies.

It said the 20-party alliance and the people of the nation hope that the arrested BNP leaders and activists would be released and the ongoing mass arrests would be stopped.

“It is hoped that the government listens to the demand of the mass and take the country out of this state of impasse,” said the press release. l

5 mayoral, 75 councillor aspirants appeal against nomination cancellation

n Tribune Report Five mayoral and 75 councillor aspirants for DSCC and DNCC appealed to the divisional commissioner challenging the cancellation of their nominations.

Shahidul Islam, an official of the divisional commissioner's office, said BNP leaders Abdul Awal Mintoo, Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu and another mayoral candidate Rezaul Karim appealed on Thursday.

Two mayoral aspirants – Babul Sardar Chakhari and Nayem Hasan – appealed on Friday.

Hearing over three mayoral and 22 councillor aspirants will be held on Saturday and others on Sunday and Monday, Shahidul said.

About one and a half thousand councillor candidates and 50 mayoral aspirants are going to contest in the upcoming city corporation polls. The candidates can withdrew their nominations until April 09.

The polls will be held on April 28. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Money maketh not the man, unless But although five sets of papers were collected for the five proposed nominees, AL Treasurer Lablu submitted only two nomination papers – for Shamim and Khaled – to the returning office, according to a party leader who asked not to be named.

Jubo League Organising Secretary Khaled said at the meeting that his voter identity card was not from Ward 11 but from Ward 4, and that it would take a High Court ruling in his favour to allow him to contest the Ward 11 seat.

On Thursday, the High Court rejected a writ application filed by Khaled to submit his nomination for the Ward 11 councillor race.

A senior AL leader who holds a position on the Ward 11 committee told the Dhaka Tribune that Lablu was aware that Khaled would not be able to submit his nomination papers from Ward 11.

He claimed that in exchange for a large sum of money from Shamim, Lablu submitted only Khaled’s and Shamim’s nomination

papers so that ultimately only Shamim’s nomination would stand.

Abdul Latif, the Ward 11 AL president, told the Dhaka Tribune the submission of nominations was a party decision.

“I collected the nomination papers but the party would not submit them and I do not want to explain the reason behind it, but I hope you, as a journalist, have a good idea about it,” Abdul Latif said.

Kamruzzaman Bablu told the Dhaka Tribune that Shamim’s nomination papers were submitted because he has the blessing of some top party leaders.

“Shamim, who never met with the people of the ward, never held meetings with them...I do not know how the party submitted nomination papers for such a candidate,” he said.

“Since I too belong to the party, I must support him. But I doubt he can pass the polls if a normal candidate stands against him,” Bablu said.

Asked what sort of blessing Shamim received, Bablu said: “I do not want to explain it, but everyone can understand how such blessings are collected.”

But Ismat Jamil Akon Lablu, the AL city treasurer, disputed the allegations against him, telling the Dhaka Tribune that the meeting participants had decided to nominate the single best candidate.

He claimed the nomination hopefuls decided among themselves who to field for the Ward 11 race and were responsible for filing their own papers.

Advocate Qamrul Islam, state minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, told the Dhaka Tribune that several Awami League aspirants collected nomination papers for the ward councillor contest, but only one candidate, approved by the party, would be nominated per ward.

He would not elaborate further about the Awami League’s candidate selection process. l

likes.

Commenting on his network of supporters online, Bobby Hajjaj told the Dhaka Tribune: “I am overwhelmed with the response [on his social media pages]. There are thousands of messages and e-mails every day.”

Mahi B Chowdhury has launched a Facebook poll – “Do you want Mahi B Chowdhury as a Dhaka city mayor?” with options for yes and no – on the Blue Band Call, which is an old initiative but now presumably his Facebook platform for the mayoral campaign. A more detailed questionnaire follows. The page has about 5,000 likes.

Son of former president and BNP leader AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, Mahi said: “Of course, social media campaigns are a good initiative. But if anyone violates the code of conduct, the campaign might backfire as Facebook users are young, educated and aware.”

Asked about his survey, Mahi said: “There

were good responses. I collected the nomination form following those responses. I did not launch any campaign though.”

Taufiq Bappi, in-charge of Media and Public Relations at Ogilvy and Mather Bangladesh, said: “We have seen how ‘Yes, we can’ campaign worked for Obama before the US presidential election. The best thing about a digital campaign is that it reduces chances of ground-level conflicts. The worst thing that might happen is a fiery argument in the form of comments going back and forth.”

Election Commission Secretary Sirazul Islam said: “Yes, we have taken note of the matter but there is nothing we can do under the existing laws. But I will raise the issue with the commissioners to figure out how to go about it.”

There are about 3.1 million voters in Dhaka with 93 general wards and every three of these wards have a female councillor. l

Facebook faceoff Abdullah Al Kafi, and JSD’s Nader Chowdhury have been active on their Facebook pages.

The BNP-backed candidates, however, are not much active on the social media. Both Mirza Abbas and Abdul Awal Mintoo – who failed the EC’s scrutiny but has appealed against the decision – have Facebook accounts, but they are not active.

Business Tycoon Annisul Huq’s Facebook page Amra Dhaka is perhaps the most vibrant with 40,500 likes. It gets frequently updated with a variety of materials, including feature stories such as Birds of Dhaka, city polls news coverage and Annisul Huq’s exploits around town.

Sayeed Khokon also has a large presence on Facebook. A community page named “Sayeed Khokon Fan Club” has nearly 22,000 likes and provides regular updates on the activities of the candidate for the Dhaka South. Another page of Sayeed Khokon also has over 7,000

Ansarullah planning silent assassination squads name of a suspect who may have taken part in the murder of blogger Avijit Roy. Detectives have yet to confirm the identity of the suspect because the name may be fake.

Saiful Islam, DB additional deputy commissioner, said: “Based on the information, we are conducting drives to try to arrest the suspect.”

A DB high official, requesting not to be named, yesterday said interrogations were under way with three arrestees – Zikrullah, Ariful and Ansarullah member Saiful alias Mansur who was previously arrested.

The three, in interrogation, said financiers were being sought to back the new platform.

The arrestees said they were ready to die for their outfit and only those who are totally committed may join it.

No breakthroughs were made from investigating the residential house the Ansarullah members had rented for three months or from interrogating the house’s owner.

Their landlord, former police sub-inspector Sazzadur Rahman, said he rented a unit out to the Ansarullah members because they seemed innocent and gentle.

“I did not see anything suspicious. Although I do not have their pictures, I recorded their names and full addresses when renting the unit out,” he said.

Detectives say they believe that information they obtain from the three Ansarullah arrestees will help solve not only the murders of Oyasiqur and Avijit, but of Daffodil University student Ashraful Alam and Rajshahi University professor AKM Shafiul Islam Lilon.

From Ariful’s cell phone, now being analysed by the police, the entire militant network might be traceable, investigators said.

DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said there were similarities among several recent murders committed inside and outside the capital. “We are hopeful these mysteries will be solved quickly.” l

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NEWS 3

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Haji Salim extends support to Sayeed Khokon for Dhaka South n Abu Hayat Mahmud Dhaka City Unit Awami League Joint General Secretary Haji Mohammad Salim has extended his support to Sayeed Khokon, the party-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

Salim, also an independent lawmaker, yesterday took lunch with Khokon and said he was preparing to campaign for Sayeed Khokon, son of first DCC mayor Mohammad Hanif.

Salim collected nomination form to contest the DSCC polls but he was apparently forced to step aside.

Earlier, party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned of tough action against rebel candidates.

After that Haji Salim was reported to go to India for treatment. He did not submit his nomination form. He has also not made any public appearance over the past several days.

Salim attended the parliament session on March 30, a day after the nomination submission deadline ended on March 29.

He told the speaker during the session that his letter of resignation from his MP post had been discarded.

Sayeed Khokon went to old Dhaka yesterday and offered Juma prayer at Chawkbazar Shahi Masjid before he took lunch at Salim’s home.

After the prayer Sayeed Khokon told Journalists: “Selim bhai has invited me to offer Juma prayer and also to take lunch with him.”

Several Awami League leaders – Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Shamsul Haque Tuku, Abdur Razzak, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and MA Aziz – were present on the occasion.

In the Awami League parliamentary party meeting on Thursday night Hasina asked party lawmakers to work together in a bid to

ensure winning of her party-endorsed candidates in city corporation polls.

Sources said, several Awami League senior leaders including Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Food Minister Qamrul Islam and the party city unit leaders held a meeting with Haji Selim at Nasim’s home.

Awami League leaders at the meeting asked Selim to work for Khokon.

Haji Salim, who became an independent MP in the 10th parliament by defeating the party nominee Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin, declared his intention to contend for the Dhaka South mayor’s post.

Elections to Dhaka North, Dhaka South and Chittagong city are slated for Apr 28.

Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina endorsed Syeed Khokon and Annisul Huq for Dhaka North and South respectively and AJM Nasir Uddin for Chittagong City Corporation. l

Noman: BNP will go for mass revolt if EC fails to provide level playing field n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong BNP’s Vice Chairman Abdullah Al Noman yesterday said they are monitoring the activities of the election commission closely, adding that they would be forced to take alternative decision if the EC fails to provide a level playing field.

“The ruling party has been holding the city elections as a trick to overstay their tenure by foiling the democratic movement of BNP. But their trick will boomerang on them as the people will express their dissatisfaction over the government through votes,” he said while speaking as chief guest at a Chittagong city Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal meeting held at the organisation’s city office at Dewanhat area.

“If the government robs the votes, BNP’s movement will turn into a mass revolt. BNP will gear up its ongoing movement by contesting in the city elections,” he also said and urged the EC to make a level playing field for all ahead of the election. l

Five candidates, one supporter fined for electoral code violation n Munir Momtaj

Dhaka Metropolitan Awami League Joint General Secretary Haji Salim who himself had intended to contest the Dhaka South City Corporation polls, exchanges greetings with the party-backed mayoral candidate Mohammad Sayeed Khokon after Jum’a prayers at Shahi Jame Mosque in Old Dhaka yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Five councillor aspirants and a supporter of mayoral candidate Annisul Huq were fined a total of Tk66,000 yesterday for violating electoral code of conduct.

Of them, four are general ward councillor aspirants – Md Hasan Ali (Tk10,000), Nazrul Islam Munmun (Tk10,000), Ibrahim Khan (Tk8,000) and Md Rafiqul Islam (Tk8,000) – and the other, Parvin Hossain Maya (Tk10,000), is a reserved woman ward councillor candidate.

Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam fined them for conducting election campaigns in advance in wards 15 and 16 under Bhashantek area using leaflets and posters.

Besides, Anwar Hossain, a supporter of Annisul Huq, attached posters of the aspirant to walls in Manikdi Bazar that also carried his name. The magistrate fined him Tk20,000.

“Running campaigns before the schedule is a violation of electoral code of conduct, which is why they have faced financial penalty,” said Sarwoer. l

AL: Khaleda’s conspiracy cannot foil city polls n Tribune Report

Awami League senior leaders yesterday said BNP Chief Khaleda Zia cannot foil the elections to city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong in the name movement.

The ruling party leaders made the statement while addressing separate programmes in the capital yesterday.

Health Minister and Awami League presidium member Mohammad Nasim said Khaleda Zia could never be able to thwart the city

corporation polls by hatching conspiracy and burning people alive. Public will give a befitting reply to such anarchism through their verdicts in the polls, he said.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a discussion at the auditorium of Institution of Engineers.

Urging Khaleda Zia not to create any anarchy or plot over the city polls the AL leader said: “The government is determined to hold a free and fair polls.”

In another programme, Awami League

Advisory Council member Suranjit Sengupta said BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is the main barrier to creating a level-playing field in the city corporation polls.

Suranjit Sengupta, a senior parliamentarian of the ruling Awami League, was speaking as the chief guest at a discussion in the city.

Pointing at Khaleda Zia, Suranjit Sengupta said: “How will your voters be able to cast votes during blockade and shutdowns? You have to take the first step to create a level-playing field discarding illogical blockade

and strikes for the national interest.”

Turning to the plea of Khaleda Zia’s counsel that she will appear before the court if she is provided with security, the senior Awami League leader said: “Who is hindering her security? She is passing her days in security.”

In reply to some BNP leaders’ demand for deployment of army in the city polls, Suranjit asked as to why army will have to be deployed during the polls and whether the army has been imparted with training on conducting polls.” l

DT

4 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Heedless of cost concerns, government opts for LNG n Aminur Rahman Rasel Failing to develop domestic coal or offshore gas, the government is now opting for an even costlier method of generating electricity than either gas or coal.

It plans to generate 8,125MW of electricity by installing seven power plants run on imported re-gasified liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Importing LNG is now on the cards because the country is reeling from an acute gas crisis because of the fast depletion of current reserves and a lack of new discoveries of sources where fuel might be extracted.

Despite staggering losses and controversies in recent years, the government shows no sign of moving away from private rental power plants.

Since taking office in 2009, the Awami League government has built around 30 fuel oil-run rental and peaking power plants with a combined capacity of 3,000MW in a bid to meet growing demands, but costly fuel oil has meant very high costs for the operation.

In its second successive term, the Awami League government is planning to install LNG-fired power plants whose generation costs will be even higher than either gas or coal.

Currently, the cost of electricity produced in a gas-run plant is less than Tk2 per unit, coal costs Tk6 per unit and the cost of electricity produced in a diesel or oil-run plant is Tk14 to Tk18 per unit.

Electricity produced in an LNG-based plant will cost Tk16-18 per unit.

Power sector leaders earlier called for the development of domestic coal in order to hit the electricity generation capacity target of 40,000MW by 2030.

Currently, the country has an installed power generation capacity of 11,609MW which includes 500MW imported from India.

“We have made a mega plan to construct LNG-based power plants for sustainable energy security,” Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

“It is a new option for us to provide electricity for all,” he said.

Energy experts have said the government should focus on gas and coal-based power plants and move away from a dependence on fuel oil and LNG. “We are not seeing a resolution to the primary energy crisis.

There has been no positive progress on the coal issue.

“The productivity of gas has increased but is not sufficient to meet demand,” Professor Ijaz Hossain of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

That is why the government is planning to build new LNGbased power plants, he added.

The plants are to be operated by both public and private sector companies.

The state-owned North-West Power Generation Co Ltd is planning to build a 750MW-850MW plant in Khulna while stateowned Power Development Board will build two 1,000MW plants in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar.

MPC-Bangla Power, a joint venture of Meiya Power Company Limited and Trade Matrix Venture Limited, will also build a 1,075MW plant in Maheshkhali.

Summit Group is looking to build a 700MW plant and United Power Generation and Distribution Co Ltd is planning on a 500MW plant in Chittagong.

Indian conglomerate Reliance Group will build a 3,000MW LNG-based combined cycle power plant. l

IGP lauds Hasina for police force’s advancement under her leadership n UNB, Syhlet Describing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a world-acclaimed leader, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque yesterday said the advancement of the police force is going on under her leadership.

He made the remarks while addressing a function marking the inauguration of the Range Reserve Force barrack at Lalabazar in South Surma upazila of Sylhet in the morning.

The IGP also said the Prime Minister is working relentlessly for the welfare of the police members.

Observing that the BNP-led 20-party alliance wanted to weaken police through carrying out petrol bomb and crude bomb attacks in the name of movement for the last three months, he said their efforts went in vain.

“They (20-party alliance) wanted to sap police’s strength through carrying out petrol bomb and crude bomb attacks.

But their efforts did not succeed. Police

have retained its own strength,” he said.

Replying to a query about the candidates contesting the city corporation polls in Dhaka and Chittagong who are accused in various cases, Shahidul Hoque said the law will take its own course.

Sylhet Range DIG Mizanur Rahman, Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Quamrul Ahsan, deputy commissioner of Sylhet M Shahidul Islam and police super Nure Alam Mina, among others, spoke at the programme with RRF commandant Ansar Uddin Khan Pathan in the chair. l

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NEWS 5

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Greater Faridpur to get on gas grid n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government plans to supply natural gas to the greater Faridpur region, despite projections that the natural resource will be depleted rapidly beginning in 2018.

According to a recent decision of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, a 30-inch diameter 6.5 kilometre-long transmission pipeline will be built alongside the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, currently under construction, to facilitate the supply, officials said.

“We have decided to supply gas to greater Faridpur from the national grid,” Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Abu Bakar Siddique, a native of Shariatpur district, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Greater Faridpur region – comprised of Rajbari, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur and

Faridpur – is likely to be one of the three new administrative divisions the government has decided to create in the next few months.

Siddique said the pipeline will be built with Asian Development Bank funds and that

‘Investment in the region is not increasing for lack of gas, despite various facilities including cheap labour and land’ the Bangladesh Bridge Authority has already appointed a consultant to design the project.

Another pipeline will be built from Langalbandh in Narayanganj to Munshiganj’s Mawa which will connect to the Padma Bridge and

the national grid. The pipeline will connect to Faridpur from Jajira Point on the Shariatpur end of the bridge.

Asked about the availability of gas, the secretary said: “There is a plan to dig new gas wells to extract more gas from different parts of the country.”

According to an estimate released at a workshop last month, the supply of gas will stand at one-third of the country’s demand of around 6,000 mmcfd in 2030.

The supply is estimated to drop to 2,000 mmcfd from the existing supply of around 2,600 mmcfd as production at the existing fields begins to deteriorate fast starting in 2018, when the Padma Bridge is expected to be completed.

“Gas is the main resource for industry and all types of industries depend on it,” Selina Mahbub, the president of the Faridpur Wom-

en’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“Investment in the region is not increasing for lack of gas, despite various facilities including cheap labour and land,” Shariatpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mirza A Syead said.

“As all industries are now dependent on electricity and furnace oil, the production cost comes to three times higher than in Dhaka or Chittagong,” he said. “The gas will help if an industrial zone is developed.”

Meanwhile, state-owned Sundarban Gas Distribution Company Ltd began its journey as a company of Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) in November, 2009 to develop the gas supply network in 16 districts of the south-west region, including Khulna and Barisal. But no gas has been supplied yet. l

BURIGANGA, MEGHNA TRAWLER CAPSIZE

Four more bodies recovered, death toll rises to 16 n Kamrul Hasan Four more bodies were recovered yesterday following the trawler capsize incidents in Buriganga and Meghna rivers on Thursday, raising the death toll in the two incidents to 16.

Officer-in-Charge of South Keraniganj police station Jamal Uddin Mir said three bodies were recovered from Buriganga during the second day of rescue operation. But, the operation was postponed around 8pm as it became risky for the rescue team to operate due to unsuitable weather conditions, he added.

The recovered were Alamgir Hossain, 30, son of Akbar Ali, and Rasel, 12, son of Rajkumar. Another recovered body was yet to be identified.

All the 11 bodies that have been recovered till now from the Buriganga capsize were of people from the capital’s Lalbagh.

Meanwhile, body of a 5-year-old-girl named Ria Mony was recovered from Meghna River yesterday.

The three bodies were handed over to their families. l

In a bid to recover the public playground of Lalbagh in Old Dhaka, locals break an iron gate set up to prevent access to the ground after Jum’a prayers yesterday.

A local influential had allegedly set up the gate to illegally grab the public property MEHEDI HASAN

ATTACK ON BRTA OFFICIAL’S FAMILY

Suspect still untraced despite his phone being switched on n Kamrul Hasan One of the mobile phone connections used by the prime suspect in the killing of college teacher Krishna Kaberi Biswas – was found turned on yesterday, even though the police had earlier claimed that all phones used by the suspect and his family were switched off.

However, despite repeated attempts by the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening, KM Jahirul Islam, the suspected murderer, did not pick up the phone that he reportedly used for official purposes.

The personal contact number used by Jahirul, on the other hand, was found switched off.

On Wednesday, investigation officer of the case Mahbubur Rahman said they could not trace Jahirul as he and his family members had switched off their phones.

When contacted yesterday, Officer-inCharge of Mohammadpur police station Mohammad Azizul Haque said no progress has been made in locating the suspect.

Asked about tracing the mobile phone’s location, the OC refused to comment on the

issue as investigation was ongoing.

Last Monday evening, the killer entered the flat of BRTA Deputy Director Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas and attacked him and his family. Kaberi, 36, was initially hacked with a kitchen sickle and later set on fire; she died the following day. The couple’s two daughters were also injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, Himangshu Biswas, Sitangshu’s elder brother, said the medical conditions of the victims were much better than before.

Family members of Sitangshu told the

Dhaka Tribune that the BRTA official and his two daughters had not yet been informed of Kaberi’s death, but will be informed about it on Friday night. The family said they wanted to arrange Kaberi’s funeral at Sitangshu’s ancestral crematory in Rajbari’s Baliakandi on Saturday.

Sitangshu’s brother Sudhangshu Shekhar Biswas filed a murder case with Mohammadpur police on Tuesday, naming Jahirul as the main accused. Investigators are suspecting that share market investment might be behind Monday’s attack. l

DT

6 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

JaPa factional clash injures 15 Putul wants n inclusive development of autistic people Our Correspondent, Sylhet

A clash erupted between two factions of Jatiya Party (JaPa) led by HM Ershad yesterday at Biswnath upazila of the district, leaving 15 people injured.

Witnesses said around 3:30pm, JaPa leader Arosh Ali and his supporters brought out a procession in the upazila’s

n Tribune Report

Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh Saima Wazed Hossain Putul has put emphasis on ensuring more participation of the autistic people in every sector.

The child psychologist said: “Autistic people should be involved in decision-making process of every sector, including education, health, employment and social service in order to build an inclusive society.”

Putul, the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, made the suggestion while participating in a discussion on Science, Cooperation and Answer for World Autism Community organised by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday (Friday in Bangladesh).

According to a report of BSS, she also focused on the steps to be taken by the world in the field of autism.

She laid stress on ensuring inclusive development through cooperation, ensuring service for the entire life, undertaking country-based multi-sectoral and tier-based plan, implementation of sustainable and cost-effective work strategies and removing discriminatory system.

“Ignorance and superstition, limited service, lack of quality training of the service providers and social and economic isolation have been identified as a big challenge in the developing countries in facing the autism spectrum disorder,” she said.

While delivering her brief speech in the morning session, Putul called upon the small, medium and major businessmen and investors of the country to extend their support in this regard.

Diplomats from different UN member countries, executives of the multi-national companies including Ban Suntek, wife of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General Amina Mohammad, Indian Permanent Representative to UN Ashok Kumar Mukharjee, Co-founder of Autism Speaks Sujan Right also spoke on the occasion as panellists.

Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Dr AK Abdul Momen and permanent representative of Qatar to the United Nations Alia Ahmed Al-Jani, moderated the programme.

Apart from diplomats and experts from different countries, visiting Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, expatriate Bangladeshi teachers, professionals, political leaders and media representatives were present in the afternoon session.

The main discussion on “Employment and Autism facilities” was held in the morning session, where UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon delivered the inaugural speech.

Governor of Delaware State Jack Markel presented the keynote speech in the session moderated by Under Secretary General of the UN Communication and Public Information Department Cristina Gallach.

In both the sessions, other speakers highly praised recent initiatives of the Bangladesh government in creating autism awareness and providing services to the autistic community. Bangladesh was the co-organiser of the both the sessions of the event. l

Flying academy suspends operations in Rajshahi n UNB Bangladesh Flying Academy (BFA) in Rajshahi yesterday suspended its training operations for an indefinite period, following Wednesday’s plane crash incident.

The training programme of BFA will remain suspended for several days for the sake of investigation into the plane crash, said Captain (retd) Sahabuddin Ahmed, member of executive committee of the academy. Besides, all trainee pilots have been called to Dhaka from Rajshahi, he added. On Wednesday, a training aircraft caught fire at Shah Makhdum Airport while making a emergency landing, leaving Tamanna Rahman Hridi dead on the spot. l

sadar area applauding the newly formed district JaPa convening committee led

by Abdullah Siddique-Osman Ali. When the procession marched to Basia bridge area, an opposing group led

by Sitab Ali, who is backed by local JaPa MP Iahia Choudhury Ahia, threw bricks at the activists in the procession, erupting a clash between the two groups.

The injured included Sitab Ali, Suhel Ahmed, Abdul Hannan, Monjur Ahmed, Shamim, Suhag Ahmed, Jalal, businessmen Monfor Ali, Azad Ali, Naim Miah, Jewel Ahmed and Abul Kalam.

Sub Inspector Masud Alam said police went to the spot after receiving information and brought the situation under control. l

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

CDA evicts 18 illegal structures in Chittagong n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) in a drive yesterday morning evicted several shops of a “market” which was illegally built on a foothill at GEC intersection area in Chittagong city.

The CDA conducted the drive at Blossom Garden and Restaurant area around 10am.

CDA Chief Town Planner Engineer Shaheen Ul Islam said the owner of Blossom Garden had constructed nearly 18 shops, extending the building of his restaurant and making it a market. The owner only had permission to construct three shops, he added.

“CDA had issued several notices to the owner Syed Jiyad Rahman asking to stop the construction work of the illegal structures.

He later went to court to appeal after which a stay order was issued against the eviction of the shops.”

“The court order stated that the shops cannot be evicted until April 2,” added the CDA official.

CDA Authorised Officer Md Shameem said despite CDA’s prohibition the owner constructed the shops illegally and gave them for rent.

During the drive almost all 18 shops were evicted and sealed-off temporarily. l

Movement set to ensure justice over former RU student’s death n Nazim Mridha, Rajshahi A series of events have been declared to ensure justice over the death of former Rajshahi University student Wahida Shefat who was killed allegedly by her husband and in-laws for dowry on March 29.

The movement’s programme feature silent procession, human chain, rally and submission of memorandum to police authorities.

However, the events will be held on Rajshahi University campus as well at the Rajshahi city’s Shaheb Bazar intersection, said Meherul Sujon, a classmate of the deceased and a key organiser of the events.

Three cases have been filed over the death of a former student of Rajshahi University Owahida Shefat, who committed suicide be-

cause of allegedly being tortured and pressure by her husband for dowry. Shefat’s uncle Mizanur Rahman Khandakar filed the cases with Rajpara police station on Thursday night.

Rajpara OC Mehedi Hasan said the cases were filed against Shefat’s husband Md Asif, father-in-law Mohammad Hossain Ramjan and mother-in-law Nazmun Nahar Nazli under the Women and Child Repression Act. In the cases, the complainant claimed that Asif had been torturing and pressuring Shefat for Tk20 lakh as dowry.

“Because of the depression, Shefat committed suicide to get relief from the pressure of Asif,” the OC said quoting the complainant in the cases.

Shefat, 27, was the daughter of Aminul Islam, a high official of Bangladesh Agriculture

Bank’s Dhaka branch.

Shefat, a graduate from Mass Communication and Journalism department of Rajshahi University, was married to Asif five years ago in Rajshahi. She had been living with her laws at Mahisbathan in the city.

Shefat’s elder bother Asiful Islam said: “Her in-laws found her body in her bedroom around 9:25pm on March 29 and rushed her to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where the doctor declared her dead.”

According to the forensic report there was a red mark on Shefat’s neck and inury marks were noticed on the head during the post-mortem.

The Investigation Officer of the cases Shariful Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that Asif was detained after the killing and was under police custody. l

WEATHER

DRY WEATHER SATURDAY, APRIL 4 DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:15PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:47AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY 34 32 37 32 36 34 28 32

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

24 24 24 21 23 24 21 24

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

37.2ºC Chuadanga

17.6ºC Rangamati Source: Accuweather/UNB

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique takes part in a cycle rally organised by Bangladesh Cycle Lane Implementation Council on the Central Shaheed Minar premises on the Cycle Lane Day 2015 yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Biman to resume DhakaBarisal flights in 4 days n Our Correspondent, Barisal

PRAYER TIMES Fajr

4:31am

Sunrise

5:47am

Zohr

12:02am

Asr

4:30pm

Magrib

6:15pm

Esha

7:32pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will resume flights on the Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka route from April 8; the restart comes eight years after this flight suspended.

The flights would depart Dhaka at 4:00 pm and from Barisal at 4:55 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays. One-way fare is Tk.3,0004,000, said Khalilur Rahman, Barisal office manager of Biman Bangladesh. The distance from Dhaka to Barisal is 67 aeronautical miles, and the trip takes 30 minutes. A 74-seat Dash8 Q-800 plane has been selected for the flight,

he further informed. After numerous breakdowns in schedule, Biman stopped operating on this route from late 2006.

Aero Bengal, Parabat, GMG, United Airways also phased out flights to Barisal due to shortage of passengers.

The Barisal airport has since been used for relief cargo for 11 southern districts.

Md Hanif Gazi, Aerodrome officer and incharge of the airport, assured that the airport is ready for operations.

Passenger transportation to and from the Airport and the Biman office at Barisal city center would also be arranged, Biman sources said. l

Ex-UP chairman killed in Ctg road accident n Tribune Report A former Union Parishad chairman was killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Mirsarai upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning.

The dead Anayet Ullah alias Shab Mia chairman, 70, was the former UP chairman of Sonapahar Union Parishad of Mirsarai upazila, said Sub-Inspector Farid Uddin, in-charge of Jorarganj highway police outpost.

SI Farid said a speedy truck, coming from Chittagong city, had hit Anayet and ran him over near Chinki Astana area under Jorargnaj municipality when he was crossing the road, leaving him critically injured. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, said the SI. l

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

RHD canal being filled for truck stand in B’baria n Our Correspondent, Brahmanbaria A canal belonging to the Roads and Highways Department is being filled up with sand allegedly by members of the local truck owners’ association for a truck stand in Brahmanbaria town.

The canal, which runs along the Brahmanbaria-Sorail-Madhappur highway and connects to the Titas river, is adjacent to the town’s Medda bus stand in front of Kokil Spinning Mill. The mill’s Managing Director Faruk Hossain Bepari had filed a written complaint with the executive engineer of RHD divisional office and the officer in charge of the area’s main police station.

However, the truck owners’ association members have not stopped filling the canal even after a case has been filed in this connection.

According to Brahmanbaria RHD sources, notices signed by Deputy Assistant Engineer Mohammad Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan were issued to the truck owners’ association Chairman Sheikh Md Mohsin and General Secretary Mijanur Rahman Tanim on March 22.

The notice stated that even after several verbal notices to stop filling the canal and remove the dredging pipes the illegal activity has not stopped. The notice gave them three days to follow those instructions but they have not carried out the instructions.

Sadar police station Officer in Charge Akul Chandra Biswas also served the chairman and general secretary a similar notices, but to no avail.

Some of the locals said if this canal is filled up then it will create severe problems for the sewerage system as the canal drains the waste water of the nearby areas. According to them, the fire service uses water from the canal to put out fires – which they will no longer be able to do.

Asked the truck owners’ association general secretary Tanim acknowledged their in-

Gaibandha jail inmate dies n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha An activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir and an inmate of Gaibandha District Jail, Shahrul Islam, 22, suspiciously died out of cardiac arrest yesterday. He was taken to Gaibandha Modern Sadar Hospital in a critical condition where he died at 6:30am.

Shahrul is the son of Abdur Razzaque hailing from Purbopara village under Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha. Jailor Md Masudur Rahman said Shaharul was arrested two months ago in connection with an arson in Keshabpur area on the Gobindaganj-Mahimaganj Road.

“On February 7, around 1:45am, supporters of BNP’s ongoing blockade set fire to a bus of Sumi Enterprise parked on the Gobindaganj-Mahimaganj road. The next day Gobindaganj police station Sub-Inspector Ruhul Amin filed a case in this connection following which Shahrul was arrested from a student dorm in Mahimaganj.

Gaibandha District Civil Surgeon Dr Nirmolendu Chowdhury said: “The jail authorities had brought Shahraul in unconscious condition to the emergency unit of the hospital today morning [yesterday]. We assume that he died out of cardiac arrest.” l

A canal belongs to the Roads and Highways Department being filled up with sand allegedly by members of the local truck owners’ association for a truck stand in Brahmanbaria town DHAKA TRIBUNE administrators had given any such approval.”

Brahmanbaria RHD Executive Engineer Shyamol Kumar Bhattacharya said: “No one took our permission to fill up this canal. I instructed the deputy assistant engineer to take legal steps against the people involved only after hearing news of the illegal activity.”

OC Akul Chandra Biswas said: “A case have

been filed in this regard. We will investigate the matter and take the necessary steps.”

Meanwhile, the dredging pipes running across the highway alongside the canal is causing frequent accidents. Sub Inspector Md Delowar Hossain of the sadar police station said because of the pipe five-six accidents occurred in the past few days. l

Arunima resort a safe zone for birds

2 women held over schoolgirls’ killing n Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

volvement and added that they are filling the canal according to a decision of the district development coordination committee.

Brahmanbaria District Administrator Dr Muhammad Mosharrof Hossain said: “No such decisions were taken in the district development coordination committee meeting.

But it needs to be checked if previous district

n Our Correspondent, Narail A large number of migratory and native birds at Arunima resort Golf Club in Kalia upazila of Narail still remain a major attraction for tourists and bird lovers.

With Chirping and fluttering of thousands of native and migratory birds, the resort of Arunima resort Golf Club, attracts a large number of visitors, bird lovers as well as tourists.

The birds’ sanctuary was established in 2000 about 48 kilometres away from the district headquarters, the resort comprises a waterbody, premises with hundreds of different types of trees, flower gardens, cottages and restaurants for visitors.

Cedar waxwing, wall creeper, white-throated dipper, vultures, buzzards, bar-tailed godwit, swallow, pink-footed goose, black-tailed godwit, northern pintail, patisarali, rajsarali, heron, and pochard are now creeping in the safe zone.

To protect themselves from the terrible cold of the northern countries, migratory birds start coming to Bangladesh in November and usually stay till late February when they start return journey.

However, Arunima resort area remains lively

all the year round with the migratory birds, said Arunima Resort Golf Club’s Chairman and Managing Director Mollah Khabir Uddin Ahmed.

A good number of indigenous birds also hover around the sanctuary.

“The area sees increasing number of migratory birds every year as there is no scope to hunt the graceful creature due to protective measures taken by the resort authorities,” he said.

Besides, locals remain watchful about the matter.

During a visit to the resort’s migratory birds safe zone area recently, this correspondent talked to several visitors.

“Earlier I heard about this beautiful place from my friends, but I could not imagine that there are so many varieties of birds here. Now, I am overwhelmed,”said College Teacher Forhad khan, a resident of Narail.

It is really great to see thousands of birds moving without any fear, said Akramuzzaman Milu, another visitor.

“We have made this place a safe haven for birds and arranged facilities for the visitors to stay and enjoy the beautiful surroundings,” said Khabir Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the golf club. l

Police in Shibganj have detained two women in connection with the recent killing of two schoolgirls by removing their kidneys and eyes.

Mesnara Begum, 30, wife of Md Arif Hossain of Dobhagi village, and Aktara Begum, 25, wife of Anarul Alam of the same village, were grilled about the two deaths after they were detained on Thursday night. Some youths went into hiding after the incident, which police said is a sign that it was an organised crime.

Latifa Khatun and Ankhi Khatun, both third-graders at Babupur Government Primary School in Daktarpara village, went missing after they left for school on March 28. Police on April 1 recovered the decomposed bodies of the nine-year-olds from a corn field in Dobhagi.

Abdul Latif, father of Latifa Khatun, lodged a case with Shibganj police station against 12 people, and 15 others who were not named, on Thursday.

Nur-e Alam Siddiqi, investigating officer of the case, said the probe had not yet ended.

The vicious murders of the girls have caused panic among locals, who have demanded exemplary punishment of the perpetrators. l

DT

NEWS 9

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

People flee as cracks develop in hill area n Our Correspondent, Bandarban

A recent giant crack in the earth has stunned and worried locals in hill district Bandarban.

According to sources, the crack opened up in the earth on Tuesday at Kraikong Para, 15 away from the town.

Ground cracking and subsidence that range in depth from 7 to 8 feet, as much as 3 feet wide and half kilometer around the scene also cracked and split into two nearby Bricksling Road puzzling locals.

Soil Resource Development Institute sources said heavy rain might have caused the crack.

On the day 52 mm rain was recorded in the district, the sources said.

However, locals believe that the fault of

earth plays a part in the splitting of the ground.

“The crack causes many to worry that other huge cracks may form in the area and at night they sleep at nearby schools or temples,” said Ka-u-Pru Marma, a resident of the village.

CHala Tui Marma said: “Many holes have been created around our home after the rift and we are afraid of it. So we pass the night out of home.”

Ukrnu Marma, a housewife of the village said: “The incident seems to me mysterious.

I am puzzled at it as I have not seen such this before.”

“I along with my children, pass night at nearby temple and return home at daylight,” she said.

Caiga Pru Marma, the head of the village said: “We are astonished as an incident like the

same happened in the area 100 years before.”

Land subsidence previously also been reported in many villages in the district. The local district government evacuated residents around the scene to a safer place, said Monk Katu Vanta.

In 1997, a crack developed in 50 acres land of hillside in Churuipara and the area turned into a water body.

In 2012, some cracks had developed in several areas of Islampur. A committee from the department visited the area.

In 2013, a crack had developed on 2 acres of land in Reicha area without any jolting or earthquake. A 30 feet deep hole was created in the incident and many properties were damaged.

It may be mentioned that landslide is one of the major problems in rainy season in Chit-

tagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts including Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

Rampant unplanned hill cutting is the cause of landslide, the experts opined.

In 2009, a large hill about 500 feet high named Walutehang near Galenga para under Ruma upazila suddenly crumbled into the river Sangu affecting the normal flow of the river.

A large block of mud in Ruma upazila had collapsed on Bandarban-Ruma road affecting the communication. Besides, another large block of earth on Lama Road disrupting communication, he said.

When contacted, Mahabubul Islam Principal Officer-in-Charge of Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) said: “The incident may took place due to fault of structure in the soil or heavy rain suddenly.” l

AL leader held for demolishing school building n Our Correspondent, Narail Police have detained an Awami League leader of Narail on charge of knocking down an old two-storey school building.

Nazmul Hasan Togor, an Awami League leader of Itna union, was held for demolishing Itna Secondary Girls School building and taking away 28 doors and 31 windows from the site.

Police detained Nazmul, also the president of the school’s management committee, from Lohagara upazila parishad premises on Thursday night, a day after he pulled down the structure built on a government land.

Officer-in-Charge of Lohagara police station Sheikh Lutfar Rahman said Nazmul was detained for illegally flattening the school building.

Land Assistant Officer of the union, Md Haider Ali, attempted to resist the building’s demolition on the day of the incident and also submitted a complaint to the upazila nirbahi officer, Md Moktar Hossain.

But Nazmul claimed that the school was not built on a government land, and that the local lawmaker as well as the upazila nirbahi officer had asked to demolish the “risky” building during their visits to the educational institution in the past. l

Awami League leader Nazmul Hasan Tagor starts demolishing Itna Secondary Girls’ School building and took away 28 doors and 31 windows from the site without taking permission from authorities concerned DHAKA TRIBUNE

500,000 people suffer as two bridges remain incomplete in Jamalpur n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur More than 500,000 commuters in Jamalpur and Kurigram districts have been suffering for the last four years as two bridges connecting five upazilas under the two districts had been left incomplete.

According to Jamalpur Roads and Highways Department, Asian Development Bank initiated construction of a 39km long road connecting Melandaha, Islampur and Dewanganj upazilas of Jamalpur in 2007. However, the construction work was halted in 2011 and ever since remained the same.

The department later completed construction

work of the road, however, two bridges connecting the three upazilas of Jamalpur and Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas of Kurigram remained incomplete. The 350 metre approach road and five girders of the bridge was left incomplete in Melandaha while in Gamaria area of Dewanganj, construction of a 140 metre long approach road of the 15 metre long bridge was left midway.

As an alternative, the commuters are being forced to use the old rickety bailey bridge by risking their lives. Heavy vehicles are crossing the bridge amid risk of accidents.

On the other hand, in Dewanganj, the approach road of the bridge lies incomplete.

Both in Malancha and Gamariya, the one-way

bridge results into gridlocks regularly.

Truck driver Abdullah Miya said vehicles have to wait for hours amid traffic congestion on the narrow bridge. Two vehicles cannot move side by side on the bridge.

Abdus Sattar and Jahangir Alam, two regular commuters of the road said every day they cross the bridge risking lives to go to their work stations. They urged the authorities concerned to complete the projects soon.

Executive Engineer of Jamalpur Roads and Highways Department Mohammed Waheduzzaman said a proposal had been passed to complete the construction of the two bridges.

Tender would be invited soon. l

Gang leader shot dead n Our Correspondent, Noakhali Bullet-ridden body of the chief of Kabir Bahini, a gang which is notorious for criminal activities in Noakhali district, was found at an orchard in Ramnarayanpur under Chatkhil upazila yesterday morning.

The victim was identified as Md Kabir Hossain, 35, son of Samsul Hoque of village Subhanpur of Sompara union of the upazila. Md Nasim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Chatkhil police station, said being informed by locals they had gone to the garden and recovered the body.

Kabir Hossain was the second-in-command of Bachu Bahini. Bachu was killed at a crossfire in 2014. Since then, Kabir became the chief of the Bahini and changed the name as Kabir Bahini. l

DT

10 WORLD

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Iranian hardliners criticise nuclear deal n AP, Tehran, Iran Iran’s hard-liners yesterday criticised a tentative nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers — saying the deal was a bargain for the West and a disaster for Iran. Meanwhile supporters of the deal compared Iran’s conservative opposition to the Israeli government — which remains heavily critical of the agreement.

Hossein Shariatmadari, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and editor of the hard-line Kayhan daily, told the semi-official Fars news agency yesterday that Iran exchanged its “ready-to-race horse with a broken bridle.”

Another conservative analyst, Mahdi Mohammad, referred to the Fordo underground

uranium enrichment facility and told the news outlet that under the deal, “A disaster happened in Fordo.”

As part of the deal, Iran agreed to stop enrichment at Fordo, changing the facility to a nuclear research center. The preliminary agreement places various limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for an end to crippling economic sanctions.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who signed the agreement, received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival back to Tehran yesterday from the latest round of talks in Lausanne, Switzerland. Crowds of cheering supporters surrounded Zarif’s vehicle and chanted slogans supporting him and President Hassan Rouhani. l

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is also Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, waves to his well wishers upon arrival at the Mehrabad airport in Tehran, Iran, from Lausanne yesterday AP

Israeli troops arrests Palestinian MP

n AFP, Jerusalem Israeli troops arrested Palestinian legislator Khalida Jarrar Thursday for posing unspecified “substantial security risks,” a military spokeswoman told AFP. Jarrar is a senior member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), deemed a “terrorist organisation” by the Israeli justice ministry.

Last August, she was served an Israeli order banning her from her home in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and sending her into internal exile in the town of Jericho. l

France bans ultra-thin catwalk models

n AFP French deputies voted to ban ultra-thin catwalk models, despite howls of protest from modelling agencies in the world’s fashion capital.

“Anyone whose body mass index ... is below a certain level will not be able to work as a catwalk model,” according to the amendment voted in the National Assembly lower house of Parliament. l

Pakistani citizens evacuated from Yemen greet relatives as they leave Benazir International Airport in Islamabad yesterday. Pakistan will hold a special session of parliament on April 6, to debate whether to join the Saudi-led coalition against anti-government rebels in Yemen AFP

Obama’s quest for Iran deal set to collide with Capitol Hill n AP, Washington After securing a surprisingly broad and detailed framework agreement with Iran, President Barack Obama must now subject his signature foreign policy pursuit to the gauntlet of partisan American politics.

A blueprint finalised Thursday after marathon negotiations in Switzerland did little to ease the standoff between Obama and some lawmakers over Congress’ role in a final accord. The president has vowed to veto legislation giving Congress the ability to approve or reject a deal, and he made a fresh appeal for lawmakers to give the US and its international partners space to hammer out a comprehensive agreement ahead of a June 30 deadline.

“The issues at stake here are bigger than politics,” Obama said. “These are matters of war and peace.”

But Republican leaders reaffirmed their intent to vote on legislation giving Congress the last word. Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the panel would vote on

such a measure when lawmakers return from a spring recess on April 14.

“The administration first should seek the input of the American people,” Corker said.

Some Democrats have backed Corker’s quest for a congressional vote on an Iran deal, raising the possibility that lawmakers could override a presidential veto. New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who is stepping down as top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his indictment on corruption charges, is among those who backs congressional action.

“If diplomats can negotiate for two years on this issue, then certainly Congress is entitled to a review period of an agreement that will fundamentally alter our relationship with Iran and the sanctions imposed by Congress,” Menendez said in a statement Thursday.

For Obama, achieving a nuclear deal with Iran would be a crowning foreign policy achievement and a validation of his pursuit of diplomacy. His overtures to Iran date back to his first presidential campaign in 2008, when he said he would be willing to talk with Tehran’s leaders without preconditions. l

Moscow condemns ‘antiRussian campaign’ in US

n Reuters, Moscow Russia expressed outrage yesterday over a “frenzied anti-Russian campaign” by US media and political analysts, stepping up a war of words that has intensified during the Ukraine crisis.

Ties between Moscow and Washington have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine, and each side has accused the other of waging an information war.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said “propagandists” working on orders from Washington were producing “Russophobic lampoons, carefully building an image of Russia as an enemy, instilling hatred of anything Russian in ordinary people.”

The West accuses Russia of backing separatists in east Ukraine by providing them with weapons and troops, and Russia says the West plotted the overthrow of a Moscow-backed president in Kiev last year. Each side denies the accusations.

Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow after it annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in March last year and stepped them up after the separatist rebellion began in east Ukraine the following month. l

DT

WORLD 11

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

In election campaign, British Muslims feel the heat n AFP With the political debate about Islam heating up ahead of Britain’s general election next month, the impact is particularly keenly felt in Birmingham – a city where a quarter of the population is Muslim.

“The politicians are using Muslims as a punch bag,” said Abdul Rashid, head of the city’s main mosque.

“The politicians look for cheap and easy ways to popularity ... And at the moment the cheap and easy way of gaining popularity is immigration and Islamophobia,” the 73-yearold told AFP. Birmingham is Britain’s second biggest city with 1.2 million residents – almost half of them from ethnic minorities – and is often singled out when fears are expressed about a growing Islamist threat.

Following the Islamist attacks against the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January, an analyst on the US network Fox News even spoke of Birmingham as a “no-go zone” for non-Muslims.

He since apologised for the comments, which hurt many inhabitants in

China sends new antipiracy mission to Gulf of Aden

n AP, Beijing

China dispatched a naval squadron to conduct anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia yesterday after diverting other ships to help evacuate citizens from war-torn Yemen.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the three ships with their 800 sailors and a team of special forces soldiers left the eastern port of Zhoushan bound for the Gulf of Aden.

Since 2008, China has contributed ships to multinational anti-piracy patrols that escort commercial ships and respond to piracy threats.

Earlier this week, China dispatched three navy ships to rescue Chinese citizens and other foreign nationals from fighting in Yemen. They included 176 Pakistanis who were flown home after being evacuated to Djibouti on Thursday. l

Man reported missing at sea for 66 days reunites with family

n AP, Charlotte, NC

A man who set sail from South Carolina two months ago was rescued on the overturned hull of his sailboat 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina, and he said he got by rationing his water and energy and praying for help.

“Every day I was like, ‘Please God, send me some rain, send me some water,’” Louis Jordan, 37, told WAVY-TV (http://bit.ly/1FpmfUd).

The crew of a German-flagged container ship found Louis Jordan floating on his vessel, the 35-foot Angel, on Thursday afternoon. l

the former industrial hub.

The first Muslim immigrants – Yemenis – arrived in Birmingham in the early 20th century to work in the metal industry. There have since been waves of arrivals, many of them from the Indian subcontinent but also from Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia.

The city is known now for a mostly peaceful coexistence between communities, although it was hit by a nationwide spate of riots in 2011 following the police killing of a mixed-race man in London.

Birmingham is “a city where people feel that they can live together and tolerate each other,” said Mashuq Ally, deputy head of a special local government department in charge of community cohesion.

Ethnic mix or self-segregation?

Ally is in constant contact with the city’s dozens of ethnic communities to avoid any disputes or violence.

“Although we are said to be the second most vulnerable city to terrorism after London, we are fairly safe because the communi-

ty is part of the solution,” he said, hailing cooperation between the city council, Muslim communities and the police.

Philippe Trzebiatowski, a young Frenchman working on a Birmingham travel guide for the company Expedia, said that “people mix quite naturally here.”

Not everything is rosy however in Brummie-land – the diminutive nickname used for city residents.

A scandal erupted last year when it emerged that radical Muslims were trying to take over the boards of several city schools, and many communities choose to live separate lives in a type of self-segregation.

According to the 2011 census, three areas have a Muslim population of more than 70% – Washwood Heath, Bordesley Green and Sparkbrook.

Professor Carl Chinn, who heads up a community history project at the University of Birmingham, said the tendency to stick together does not apply just to Muslims in Birmingham but also the white working-class and happens in cities across Europe.

“That is an issue we need to address without hyperbole,” he said in an interview with The Guardian. l

Germanwings crash: Co-pilot acted deliberately, second black box confirms

n AP The French air accident investigation agency says the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight repeatedly accelerated the plane as he used the automatic pilot to descend the A320 into the Alps.

The BEA agency said in a statement yesterday that investigators have begun studying the second black box data recorder from the plane, found at the crash site Thursday.

It says an initial reading of the recorder shows that the pilot used the automatic pilot to put the plane into a descent and then repeatedly during the descent adjusted the automatic pilot to speed up the plane.

Based on recordings from the black box voice recorder, investigators say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and intentionally crashed the plane. All 150 people aboard were killed. l

3,000 Bihar teachers twice fail test, to be sacked

n Agencies

Study: By 2050, India to surpass Indonesia, will have largest Muslim population

Nearly 3,000 primary school teachers on contract failed to clear competency tests twice in Bihar and will be sacked following the Patna High Court order, officials said here yesterday.

“The state government will follow the high court order and remove within a week all those primary school teachers who failed to clear the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) twice,” said an official of the education department. l

n Agencies

Another BJP MP defends tobacco, says ‘no proof smoking causes cancer’

Hindus will become the world’s third largest population by 2050, while India will overtake Indonesia as the country with the largest Muslim population, according to a new study.

According to the Pew Research Center’s religious profile predictions assessed data released on Thursday, the Hindu population is projected to rise by 34% worldwide, from a little over 1 billion to nearly 1.4 billion by 2050.

By 2050, Hindus will be third, making up 14.9% of the world’s total population, followed by people who do not affiliate with any religion, accounting for 13.2%, the report said.

The people with no religious affiliation currently have the third largest share of the world’s total population.

Muslims are projected to grow faster than the world’s overall population and that Hindus and Christians are projected to roughly keep pace with worldwide population growth, the report said.

“India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia,” it said.

“Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion,” according to the report.

The report predicted that by 2050 there

will be near parity between Muslims (2.8 billion, or 30% of the population) and Christians (2.9 billion, or 31%), possibly for the first time in history.

There were 1.6 billion Muslims in 2010, compared to 2.17 billion Christians.

“The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world,” it added.

If the trend continues, Islam will be the most popular faith in the world after 2070, it said.

By 2050, Muslims will make up about 10% of the Europe’s population, up from 5.9% in 2010.

Over the same period, the number of Hindus in Europe is expected to roughly double, from a little under 1.4 million (0.2% of Europe’s population) to nearly 2.7 million (0.4%), mainly as a result of immigration, it said.

In North America, the Hindu share of the population is expected to nearly double in the decades ahead, from 0.7% in 2010 to 1.3% in 2050, when migration is included in the projection models. Without migration, the Hindu share of the region’s population would remain the same.

Buddhism is the only faith that is not expected to increase its followers, due to an ageing population and stable fertility rates in Buddhist countries, such as China, Japan and Thailand.

The projections considered fertility rates, trends in youth population growth and religious conversion statistics. l

n Agencies

Yet another BJP lawmaker has come out in defence of tobacco industry and said that smoking does not have any negative impact on health.

According to NDTV, BJP MP from Assam, Ram Prasad Sarmah has said that whether or not smoking causes cancer is debatable.

To substantiate his claim, the BJP MP says, “I know two elderly people who drank a bottle of alcohol and smoked 60 cigarettes every day. One is still alive, the other died at 86.”

Earlier, a huge controversy broke out over comments by a parliamentary panel head and BJP MP Dilip Gandhi that there was no Indian study to confirm tobacco use leads to cancer, leaving the government embarrassed and rival parties and the medical fraternity gunning for him.

Gandhi, an MP from Maharashtra, was also described as “foolish” and “ignorant” for his “shocking and absurd” remarks that coincided with the April 1 deadline for increasing size of pictorial warnings on tobacco products being deferred by the government amid demands by various tobacco lobbies.

Sarmah is the third parliamentarian from the ruling BJP to side with the tobacco industry. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Take responsibility for river accidents

T

he government must take responsibility for improving the poor state of passenger safety on our rivers.

At least 13 people died in Wednesday’s two river capsizes on the Buriganga and Meghna rivers, which both appear to have been caused by collisions with sand-carrying vessels.

The anguish endured by the victims and their families is made worse by the fact that such tragedies are so commonplace.

In the last 40 years, over 4,500 people have died in hundreds of river accidents.

It is imperative the government stop accepting the lax regard for safety rules and negligence which underlies so many of these accidents.

In both of Wednesday’s capsizes, authorities were uncertain of the number of passengers aboard each vessel, indicating, once again, a lack of enforcement of basic safety regulations. It is not sufficient for authorities to summarily provide nominal compensation to families. Full investigations must be made to determine the causes of each accident, as a precursor to taking concrete steps to protect peoples’ lives on the nation’s waterways.

Ensuring proper punishment for negligence and recklessness can be a start, but it needs to backed by proper enforcement of rules that put safety first.

Requiring launch operators to hold proper insurance policies for carrying passengers would incentivise insurers and vessel owners to improve maintenance and address the poor training and corruption which institutionalises reckless practices.

The government and BIWTA have a duty to ensure accountability for avoidable accidents and deaths on our rivers. They must tackle the root causes and put safety first.

Ensure accountability and address root causes behind avoidable accidents

Protect Jatra from bigots and extortionists

W

e are concerned by the harassment faced by members of the arts and crafts collective, Jatra, in the Joymoni village community in Mongla.

Four staff who were working with local women to set up a craft centre were forced to flee after local musclemen gave them a choice of either wearing burqas or quitting the village.

The four Jatra staff members repeatedly faced intimidation and extortion from locals before being encircled by around 300 men at the local marketplace on Wednesday evening.

While police had initially assisted the threatened staff, whose plight drew the attention of television media, they were repotedely influenced to stop protecting them and the staff were only able to leave safely after handing over Tk25,000 to a locally influential person.

It is possible in this case that religious opinions were merely used as an excuse for corruption and extortion. Earlier this month, staff of the Plan international NGO were attached in Lalmonirhat and their office vandalised after the organisation alleging corruption by a local contractor and suspended a project Whatever the motivation, no woman should be harassed for choosing what they wear. The ease with which religious sentiment was manipulated to stir up strong local feelings, shows how bigotry and the misuse of religion can be as harmful to society as corruption.

The government must help local police overcome local influence and intimidation which enabled a mob to be stirred up in such a lawless manner.

Rule of law requires nothing less than ensuring the safety of the organisation in all parts of Bangladesh.

Manipulation of religious sentiments to stir up lawlessness harms everyone

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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Tigers the heroes of the World Cup March 23

haiyyaho The Bangladesh cricket team was the most inept one in the World Cup. Let other, more deserving countries come forward and play in place of Bangladesh from now on.

Dablu Haiyyaho: Didn’t the columnist ask you to switch off ? “Those unfamiliar with cricket or with uncomplicated mind” ... parkishit sharma For an illegal delivery such as the bumper delivery, the benefit of any doubt goes to the batsman and not the bowler. If the call for such a delivery should goes to 3rd umpire, the verdict should favour batsmen.

Dev Saha The real proof would be when Pakistan visits Bangladesh. If performance standards remains the same, the Tigers would start getting respect. If not, their World Cup performance would be treated as yet another fluke.

Do not get me wrong. I support the Bangladesh team, it just needs to perform better.

Hafeejul Alam Well, Mr Akbar, the Bangladesh cricket team did not join the World Cup just to be the socalled “heroes,” they were supposed to be the winners, playing good cricket. However, unfortunately, they were not allowed to win.

The cricket-loving people around the world do not bother who are the heroes and who are not. What bothers them is the mysterious behaviour of the umpires who were supposed to conduct the match between In-

dia and Bangladesh fairly and impartially. In these days of electronic breakthroughs in all spheres of life, including football and other games, it’s a shame on the part of the ICC that it refused to go electronic and admit it’s wrong umpiring, brazenly favouring India.

Is it because Bangladesh is a small country or is it that the ICC nurtured some ulterior motives? Well, Bangladesh may be a small country compared to India, but the world community is not. They viewed the game with utter disappointment. The umpires’ faulty decisions and subsequent support of the same by the ICC CEO not only shows their poor judgement but expose before the world their unashamed stance.

Pravin Hafeejul Alam: Umpires make mistakes and knowledgeable cricketing fans are aware that luck blows both ways. Some days you have it some days you dont. @Alam: Move on my friend, no one in the cricketing world is fretting about the outcome of the match. Bangladesh was well and truly beaten in all departments of the game. If India chooses to fix matches it would do so against Australia or South Africa rather than Bangladesh. pravin Hafeejul Alam: Let’s not dream that Bangladesh would have beaten India had those decisions gone in their favour. The fact is it was not a close game by any fragment of imagination. Bangladesh played well to qualify and for that they have to be appreciated.

Better luck next time.

DT Ancestral home of Nihar Ranjan Gupta in tattered condition March 24 sundar Why should we preserve the house? I hate these people who are nothing but pure opportunists. Why did he leave this country and flee to India, leaving behind his fellow Hindu community?

For the miserable and painful existence of the Hindus as second or third class citizens of this country, these sorts of opportunist, self-seeking, so-called great men are solely responsible.

Tristaterefugee sundar: You don’t really care whether something is preserved or not -- though that tends to be the mark of civilised cities like Istanbul or London.

Surya Sen and arrest laws today March 24 Dev Saha Bangladesh needs to be very transparent about political arrests. A slippery slope attitude would bring in disaster that nobody wants. Full disclosure needs to be made no later than immediately.

Six Pillion Dollar Man Apparently NYPD cops rate pretty high when it comes to police brutality … they should swing by Dhaka sometime.

Karl Hungus There’s hardly any doubt that the law has been smacked into subservience by governments both past and present; but perhaps the way to go about fixing it is to not introduce archaic laws such as the one which helped Surya Sen get away?

DT

OPINION 13

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

A depressing, uncertain future n GM Quader

T

he people of Bangladesh are in great despair, as they find nothing good now, and see no hope of anything better in the future. The countrywide blockade has been continuing for almost three months now, with strike programs every now and then at different places, the entire country at times.

There are claims and counter-claims of terrorism, arson, killing, and allegations of state terrorism. People are suffering from a sense of insecurity for their life and property.

Business environment as a whole, including investment, export, import, and production are either shying away, or moving at a much slower pace due to uncertainty and uneasiness, dawdling growth, development efforts, and aggravating unemployment.

Though there seems to be a lull in the violence at the moment, people are more or less aware that the peace could be temporary. Because the root of the problem lies in certain vital political actions taken by the government and its alliance partners with respect to change of the national election system (eg to be held under the incumbent government in place of a non-partisan care taker administration) and holding of the same on January 5, 2014, in spite of vehement opposition by the

BNP-led alliance.

That alliance boycotted the said election and waged a violent movement for restoration of the previous system of national election before the same took place.

They again came out with renewed vigour recently, after the new government just completed one year of their tenure. Demands now include modification of the system and holding of a midterm election.

The BNP-led opposition alliance has a wide support-base with considerable followings and a well-structured organisational set up. It is neither feasible nor desirable under democratic norms to silence that huge segment of the society by using sheer force.

If suppressed, with all likelihood, grievances will be multiplied and will burst out every now and then at the opportune moment, posing a constant threat to political stability.

People feel they are facing an uneasy calm now, which could be followed by a storm of violent movement any moment.

Parties in conflict, the AL-led alliance and the BNP-led alliance, have been accusing each other of evil intentions. The AL accuses the opponent BNP of using violence and terrorism for overthrowing the government.

They are terming the BNP alliance a terrorist organisation that does not believe in democracy and peaceful transfer of power

through elections. If they could be successful in their movement, as per AL, a bad instance would be established for all the future opposition forces to follow, and political stability would be gone forever.

On the other hand, BNP-led alliance’s allegation against the AL is that they forced a defective system of national election, manipulated the same to form a one-party autocratic government. One party government means both government and opposition remain under the control of one party.

In that, no formal means of accountability of government by opposition as is expected in a democracy can be made possible, resulting in autocracy.

According to them, the main opposition now has been a creation of the government party, is a part of the government, and under the control of the same.

They fear if the movement fails, democratic process will be discontinued, and autocracy will continue indefinitely by repeating similar manipulation in all future national elections. There is some justification in that too.

People see no remedy if BNP wins. This may result in the encouragement of violent anti-government movement against all future administrations to enforce their demands perpetuating political instability.

People find no relief if the AL can be successful in obliterating the BNP and thereby the movement, as they feel this might pave the way for an end to democracy and establishment of one-party autocracy. Even if nobody can come out victorious and the situation lingers, the rise of militant Islamic fundamentalists may become a reality as per predictions of knowledgeable analysts.

Naturally, people are depressed, and their sense of despondency has been on the rise since 2013 when the crisis began. As per USbased survey firm Gallup, for the year 2014, Bangladesh has been found to be the third most depressed country from bottom, just above Sudan and Tunisia.

People see no respite in any result.

For that, a national dialogue needs to be convened mainly among the conflicting sides, along with representatives from other political parties, concerned personalities, experts, and civil society members for aiding the solution.

As soon as the feuding parties sit for a dialogue and exchange sincere intentions for arriving at a solution, aspiration will replace desolation, and our positive experience index will start moving upward fast. l GM Quader is a former Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh.

From dictator to president-elect A profile of the former military leader who has now become president-elect of Africa’s biggest economy

n Femke van Zeijl

T

he results of the most contested presidential elections in Nigerian history on March 28 are historic. For the first time, the ruling party has been bested by the opposition. The incumbent president of the party in power since the return of Nigeria’s democracy lost the vote to the opposition’s candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

His supporters narrated the story the last few months in many forms: Muhammadu Buhari meets a rich businessman on a plane who says to him: “I have given you and your party lots of money.” To which the politician responds: “So what?” With this anecdote -- whether based on reality or not -- Buhari’s fans mean to illustrate that the man, who on March 28 won Nigeria’s presidential elections, is incorruptible.

In a country where the bigger part of the ruling elite indulges in widespread plunder of the state coffers without caring much about the needs of the people, Buhari’s supposed uprightness has attained almost mythical proportions. That reputation won the candidate of opposition party All Progressives Congress (APC) many a vote in the tightest presidential race in Nigerian democratic history.

But what other traits characterise the leader-in-waiting of Africa’s most populous country?

Buhari is not a political newcomer. The 72-year-old major general has ruled Nigeria before. In 1983 he led a military coup against the democratically elected president.

Although his short-lived regime made moves against corruption, Nigerians don’t just have

only good recollections of that era.

Buhari’s economic policies turned out to be disastrous; he jailed journalists and musicians for speaking out against him; he had criminals publicly executed without due trial. These days, when confronted with his authoritarian past, the retired soldier argues that those were different times and that he has also changed, and yet he has never distanced himself from his past excesses. For that reason, critics fear that the politician has not entirely lost his dictatorial tendencies.

Others suppose that his political allies will keep him on the track of democracy. Because Buhari, a Muslim who was born in a little desert town in the far north of Nigeria along the border with Chad, did not obtain this historic victory all by himself.

Since the return of democracy in 1999, he has run for president three times before, and every time he was defeated by a different candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). That the opposition managed to win the presidency for the first time in Nigerian history is mainly a consequence of a recent merger of the two biggest opposition parties, whose constituencies in the north and the southwest of the country represent a considerable part of the Nigerian electorate.

That the predominantly Christian south voted in large numbers for Buhari, a Muslim from the north, may also be called historic.

Nigerians usually vote along ethnic and religious lines, and this is one reason why during the election campaign Buhari’s opponents questioned his religious tolerance.

They claimed he was a supporter of sharia law, which has been partially instituted in

several northern states, but Buhari denies having an Islamist agenda. The accusations were not sufficient to turn the south-western electorate away from Buhari, an indication as to how fed up the voters were of the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan.

In that sense Buhari’s triumph is also a function of the underperformance of his predecessor. Jonathan, who as vice president came into power when President Yar’Adua died in office in 2010, was voted president by a large majority in 2011. Four years later, he is now widely criticised nationally and abroad for his incompetence.

The Economist even called his government “clueless.” Under Jonathan, corruption flourished. As did the insurgency of the deadly Boko Haram, a threat he kept publicly playing down until six weeks before elections. To many Nigerians, even a former dictator for president seemed more attractive than the return of Goodluck Jonathan.

Buhari’s past is not perceived a disadvantage by all, as many hope that his military background will enable him to act effectively against the insurgents of Boko Haram. He is seen as the strongman who will end chaos with a firm hand. One of APC’s campaign slogans even was: “We will defeat Boko Haram.”

For the more than 1.5 million people on the run from the terror in the northeast, this will be the most important point on the political agenda, but there is so much more that screams for attention. Buhari inherits a state that is failing on many fronts: Two thirds of Nigerians have to get by on less than two dollars a day; unemployment is rife; the state of public education is so dismal

that everyone that’s rich enough sends their children to private schools or abroad; and the country, Africa’s largest oil producer, only manages to produce a fraction of the electricity it needs. Nigeria’s new president faces a colossal task. l Femke van Zeijl is a Dutch journalist based in Lagos, Nigeria.

REUTERS

DT

14 OPINION

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Tragedy in the Maldives No security for Bangladeshi migrant workers agents in Bangladesh paint a rosy scenario n Selina Mohsin of Maldives. Subsequently workers find

O

n Saturday March 21, just as the equatorial sun rose over the Indian Ocean and threw its light on the capital, Male, a gang of drugged Maldivian youth entered Lhiyanu Café and demanded free coffee. A 25-year-old Bangladeshi migrant worker, Shaheen Mia, was present.

He was afraid to serve free coffee as he was not the owner. At his refusal, the gang threatened Shaheen and willfully damaged the café. The staff apprised the police, but no action was taken. Next day, Shaheen was brutally stabbed to death. On hearing the news of his son’s death, his father suffered a heart attack in Bangladesh and his mother hospitalised. A family is shattered.

On March 23, Bilal, another Bangladeshi worker was found dead with a cloth wound round his neck in Thoddo Island. Two more Bangladeshis were stabbed on March 29 near the fish market. At around 7:10pm, a worker was also stabbed. Lives for the Bangladesh migrant workers have become precarious and easily expendable.

These series of murders and stabbing sent shockwaves in Bangladesh. These are warning signals of the lack of safety and security of vulnerable Bangladeshi labourers.

The archipelago of Maldives, renowned for its natural beauty and spectacular over water bungalows on lagoons, has enchanting tourist resorts. But behind these luxurious villas lies a tragic tale of sweat and blood of numerous workers, mostly Bangladeshis.

They build these villas in hazardous circumstances. The most difficult and precarious work is theirs. There are an estimated 75,000 Bangladeshi workers in Maldives involved in dangerous activities.

The Bangladeshi workers pay as much as $2,500 to come to the Maldives. Dubious

themselves in a situation for which they are unprepared. Most arrive with work permits and passports, but are abandoned by their sponsors.

Assured of highly paid jobs, they ultimately end up as construction workers with no certainty of salary. Living in inhuman, cramped quarters without their passports and funds they are left to fend for themselves.

Questionable immigration officers and Bangladeshi brokers work in collusion to bring innocent people from Bangladesh.

They are forced to work over 14 hours with little food and less security. On average, the writer found that one Bangladeshi worker died every week when she was high commissioner.

Prolonged negotiation resulted in a few hundred dollars for the families of the deceased. Sometimes even that was not forthcoming. The writer has questioned migrant workers, who were left stranded on the roads of the capital. They had only pieces of papers with mobile numbers of their agents.

No one answered the mobile numbers. It was a massive hoax.

Unpaid and overworked, over 500 workers once surrounded the Bangladesh Mission.

Ragged, skinny with emaciated faces they were an awful sight. The employers were requested to come to the high commission.

Blatant in their talk and ruthless in their behaviour, they refused to pay the salaries or return the passports of the workers.

After concerted efforts and with the assistance of former President Nasheed, some passports were recouped and salaries paid.

The employers threatened the writer. She, a high commissioner and dean of the diplomatic corps, had to be given police protection for requesting justice for innocent labourers.

Such is the travesty of life in Maldives.

Although migrant workers are essential to the economy, they face brutal treatment, forced labour, non-payment of salaries, and debt bondage. The Bangladeshi workers get the lowest salary, usually $100 or less, which they send home to families dependant on them.

In 2008, the US Department of State placed Maldives in Two Tier Watch List for human trafficking. Later, after the enactment of the Ant-Human Trafficking Act in 2013, Maldives escaped relegation to Tier 3 and international sanctions. However, the US State Department was concerned over “serious problem in anti-trafficking law enforcement and victim protection.” This was realistic as we see in the recent spate of murders and stabbing.

In 2009 with the help of former President Nasheed, the writer legalised over 17,000 Bangladeshi workers and removed a moratorium against them. But the current government has yet to establish minimum wage, unemployment benefits and financial assistance for the families of the deceased.

Instead, subject to unjust dismissal, unpaid wage claims and violation of employment rights they are the most vulnerable section of society.

Tension is increasing in Maldives as former President Nasheed has been jailed and is being barred from his own party MDP by the current government. This injustice will further exacerbate an already volatile situation against expatriate workers.

Furthermore, increasing xenophobia, drug addicted Maldivians and gang violence has made the lives of workers bizarre and horrifying. The Bangladeshi expatriates have decided to stage a peaceful protest. The Bangladesh High Commission has installed a 24hour helpline, but the Maldives government must collaborate to rectify the situation.

Thousands of migrant workers employed

in resorts have now been ordered to leave Maldives if they stage their planned protest against violence and discrimination.

The Controller of Immigration proclaimed that protest by migrant workers “would breach the terms of their work permits and those who protested would have their visas cancelled without further warning.”

In response, Tholal, Vice President of Maldives Human Rights Commission stated that the country’s constitution guaranteed anyone on Maldivian soil the right to protest.

“A clause in a migrant workers’ contract cannot override the constitution,” he said.

He added that the recent spate of attacks were “hate crimes” and discrimination of migrant workers, who, he pointed out, “make an immense contribution to the economy but have no one to defend them.”

The protest by the Bangladeshis has been called off after the Department of Immigration threatened to cancel their visas.

Once a poor country, Maldives acquired wealth through tourism and fish exports.

Male the capital, comparable to a slum, is where one third of the Maldivians live. They need to be better educated with appreciation of the contribution of expatriate labourers who keep their economy alive. Instead, innocent workers are stabbed and killed.

Their families in Bangladesh are devastated with indelible tragedy -- death of husbands, brothers, and sons.

It is a story of such criminal and heartbreaking proportion that the world community’s conscience should rebel. It is time to take serious action.

“Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” -- Donne. l Selina Mohsin is former High Commissioner to the Maldives

DT

CAREER 15

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

The perfect resume employers can’t reject n Career Desk What is a resume?

Before anything, notice that the word resume was used here, and not CV (or Curriculum Vitae). Both of these terms are commonly used interchangeably but there is a difference.

Resumes are short, abridged, and typically no longer than two pages at most. It is a summary of information, meant to be skimmed through and to identify the highlights of a person’s experience and achievements; the type most people make before applying for jobs.

CVs are much more detailed in every aspect, and contains comprehensive information. The in-depth nature of a CV allows its length to exceed two to three pages.

When to use a cover letter?

The point of a cover letter is to introduce yourself to the employer, and there is a formal manner of doing so. Hence, if a large company or organisation is where your details are headed, a cover letter is advised.

If it’s a simple handover to an acquaintance already well known to you then there is no need.

Where do we start?

When creating the perfect resume, the aim should always be on impact, and it should be created with the employer’s requirements in mind.

You should read your resume as if you were the employer. And ask yourself if you would hire this person.

What is the organisation looking for? What have they stated as the job requirements and qualifications?

You must tailor your resume to match what they are looking for.

How long should it be?

Job seekers frequently dump as much “impressive” content as possible into a resume.

This is a big mistake and play a huge part in why candidates are rejected.

As valuable as your experiences may be, you must realise that employers are sifting through hundreds of resumes. If they take a look at yours, and see that your qualifications and experiences do not match their requirements, they will discard it. Fresh graduates should have resumes that are within a page.

If it’s five or more years of experience down the line, make it two.

Remember that the average time a recruiter spends on a resume is roughly six seconds.

What are the basics?

Your name and contact information should always stay as the header. That’s first and foremost, and should be stated before your accomplishments. Remember to bold out names, but not the addresses, phone numbers and/or email.

What to write as your objective?

The argument here tilts both ways. At the end of the day, if your objective is generic or vague, it has no value and wastes valuable space. Moreover, it may have already been clarified in the cover letter if submitted. Repetition of information or unnecessary content is seen as unprofessional.

BIGSTOCK

keywords from the job posting must be transferred to the resume to make you look like a good match.

Employers are sifting through hundreds of resumes. If they take a look at yours, and see that your qualifications and experiences do not match their requirements, they will discard it

How to format the resume?

Most applicants use common templates which recruiters have seen more than twice, hence, it is better to use your own. This is where many gain the advantage, for the challenge is to use space as efficiently as possible without cluttering.

Your resume must be easy to read and clean, uncomplicated formats are preferred.

The advantage lies not in design, but presentation of information. Use bullet points to cover work experience instead of full sentences, and use the right words strategically to capture attention. Some

What should be included in the resume?

This step requires compromise, but only mention the valid accomplishments and milestones. Keep educational details as concise as possible. Mention work organisations, experiences, duration at jobs and respective titles -- all of which in a manner that is attractive to the employer.

Feel free to mention the increase in company revenue after you joined as a sales representative -- highlight accomplishments that are relevant for the job.

What about hobbies and interests?

That’s a no, unless specifically asked for. It may be misinterpreted as unprofessional. But some recruiters might not mind it. l

DT

16 ARTS & LETTERS

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

First Chill: An extract n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad The fog hangs in midair, thick as soup, obscuring everything more than ten feet away.

Backlit by the golden afternoon sun, it is almost too bright to look at. Arbaab walks up and down the tracks, gauging the curves and stretches on the road. The manager of the place wrings his hands nervously as he talks to Bareesh, visibly torn between wanting to make a profit and worried about the consequences of letting these foolhardy “rich” kids race under such conditions.

There is a new girl in the gang, Sheena.

With her blonde highlights and nose-ring and too-tight kameez, Arbaab has her pegged down for a ditz, a flavour-of-the-week kind of girl, and wonders how Bareesh will handle the situation when he’s tired of the taste. She keeps shooting nervous looks at him from under those ridiculous eyelashes that surely must be fake, licking her lips in a way that’s distracting. Narita would have … no, he is not going to think about her.

“It’s all set, dosto. We have till sunset, for five grand total. Oh, and we need to sign some forms so that he doesn’t get into trouble if we die.”

Bareesh smiles and winks at Sheena, all cocky bravado, but Arbaab notices him sneakily wiping his palms against his jeans. Poor Bareesh, the cautious one. Arbaab decides to give the big guy a break, and instead turns to the one other person crazy enough to go ahead with the plan. Zoheb. 3pm, and the kutta is already high as a kite, his pupils the size of dinner plates, hopping from foot to foot.

“Let’s go, man, lessgolessgolessgoooo!”

“Zo and I will go first. You and Rasel can keep Sheena company.”

Bareesh inclines his head ever so slightly to acknowledge the smooth move, but his eyes are worried. They’re not going to go all emo in front of the new chick, but he raises an eyebrow as if to dissuade the crazy khors from going through with it. Zoheb is already fiddling with his helmet and there is no more time for words.

With her blonde highlights and nose-ring and too-tight kameez, Arbaab has her pegged down for a ditz, a flavour-of-the-week kind of girl

The go-karts are sissyfied for family use, and can go up to 60mph max, but on a day like today, with the track slick from the mist, there is the added thrill of trying to get ahead without spinning out of control. Zoheb goes first, revs the engine and sets off. Arbaab snaps on his elbow pads, pulls down his helmet, and follows. Behind him, he can dimly hear Sheena cheering in that high-pitched woo-woo sound. This is replaced by the whine of the engine behind him as he slowly presses down on the gas to catch up.

A wet road causes tyres to lose traction.

Without those forces to keep the wheels on the road, it’s easy to lose control. Arbaab has driven in worse weather, in actual rain. He bides his time, sticking to the middle of the road, using a light touch on brake and steering wheel to guide him past the curves. A car is only as good as its tyres in this situation, and Arbaab respects that. The state Zoheb is in, he’s bound to screw up sooner than later.

All Arbaab has to do is wait. It’s something he’s good at.

He had gotten used to waiting for Narita at the coffee shop across from her workplace on Thursdays. It was her ritual, to grab a frappuccino after work, before heading back home, so he had made it his too. He would sit by the window, folding paper or bending paper clips until he spied her crossing the road, looking left and right before striding through an opening. She never rushed, clucking, like some of her colleagues did, on the days they accompanied her. Instead, she walked like she owned the road, her impressive behind swinging with every step.

That Thursday, she didn’t come. He waited for an hour past the usual time, and then paid his bill and got up. He knew she hadn’t left her office building so she must still be at work. He thought of casually driving past, if for nothing else, for something to do.

He was just nearing the open gates of the entrance when he saw them exiting from the elevator. Narita and some guy in a polo shirt.

He had his arm around her shoulder, and she was smiling up into his eyes, like he was one of those bloody heroes from those bloody novels she was always reading.

Zoheb loses control at the start of the second lap. His kart starts to skid when he takes the second curve, and he breaks the first rule of driving on wet roads by slamming the brakes. The kart goes spinning out of control until it hits the embankment made of spare tyres with a loud thump, which is half drowned-out by the stream of abuse pouring out from the driver’s seat. Arbaab grins to himself and gently nudges his own accelerator. This is his moment.

But Zoheb, that SOB isn’t as out of it as Arbaab would like to believe. He steps out of the kart, rights it by hand, hops back in and comes zooming down the circuit in hot pursuit, trying to make up for lost time. Arbaab tries to take the curve before he is overtaken, and his kart begins to hydroplane. He eases his foot off the brake, steering into the skid, trying to align the kart, but the idiot with the remote braking system makes the same mistake that Zo did, and the kart careens towards the curb.

The kart hits the wall of tyres and slides upwards, vertically, and only a loose tyre falling out from the embankment and sliding under the vehicle stops it from completely tipping over. The seatbelt holds Arbaab in place, but the force of the impact rocks his head back, and slams it against the headrest.

His vision splinters and blurs as he slumps forward. Voices call out to him, muffled by the roar in his ears, like they are shouting through water. He blinks as a fuzzy female figure approaches, calling his name. For the briefest second, he imagines it is Narita, who has come seeking him at last. And then he sinks under the velvety dark. l

Dying leaves off their branches; They brought with them Unfulfilled promises, Broken dreams, Burying hope in a Mountain of decaying leaves.

Let us not forget This winter of our discontent; Its cold embrace On the skeletal remains Of nature, squeezing The life out of that

Which hibernated not, Buried, like hope, overcome By the cold’s deathly touch.

It has lingered, this winter, Not heeding spring’s Feeble calls For decades now.

Spring has long stopped Calling, gone has summer too – All we have, on an endless loop is This, our winter of discontent, Now and forever after. l

Winter of Discontent n Ikhtisad Ahmed Let us not forget This winter of our discontent; Withered leaves Paving the streets, Strewn across where Once hope resided, Born of the same fiery desire That gave us our Most precious treasure.

Gone now, The winds of change swept Through to fell those

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Aerotropolitans n Naomi Hossain

S

ay what you will about the Bangladeshi national character, but travel-shy we are most emphatically not.

Young Bangladeshi men being transported for construction under a hot sun are a staple of the Asian-Middle Eastern routes.

The middle class diaspora in the US, Europe, and Australia seems permanently in the sky.

Further afield, on a mini metro safari across the Sahara some years ago, a friend met a group of Bangladeshi men in Western Sahara; its historic Spanish links were presumed to mean entry to Europe (that driving a mini across the desert of deserts is outclassed by the adventures Bangladeshis endure to get to Europe surely says something). An impeccable concierge at a Dubai hotel was from Jessore. Bangladeshi women in DXB transit were en route to Jordan to work as nannies.

I hear news of Bangladeshi nannies being “the most popular in Beirut” from a Lebanese flight attendant. Here are Bangladeshi doctors going home to Virginia after a winter visit to ageing parents or a wedding. A grumpy group of young fellows sprawled, muttering darkly in Bangla in Nairobi airport, having been there 48 hours after “paperwork issues” on their way home from Maputo. Why Mozambique, I asked? Why not? His brother works there (nodding at one of the gang) and it sounded like fun. Was it fun? Yes, it was fun. What could Bangladeshis possibly be doing in Maputo, I wonder?

On my most recent flight to the airport FKA ZIA, I sat with a pair of young women, Aisha and Marium, aged 27 to 29 (depending on which age you prefer), returning from a stint in the garments industry in Mauritius.

There were maybe 60 of their colleagues on our flight, making it an unusually feminine flight to Bangladesh. It was news to me that Bangladeshi garments workers were now themselves being exported to work in another country. Aisha and Marium had been among 1,200 young women recruited directly from their hometowns for garments work in Mauritius. I have no facts about their working conditions, but they gave the impression that all was satisfactory -- they got more or less what was agreed, and were treated reasonably.

But the work was always hard, and never paid as much as the hard work made it feel it was worth. So after three years and five years respectively, they were packing it in -- not yet clear what they would do later -- “perhaps tailoring because I know tailoring. Something I can do inside,” said Aisha vaguely. Marium had been away five years and so had missed a full third of her 15-year-old daughter’s life.

Marium was thrilled to be coming home again. When we landed, she announced to those beyond her porthole: “People of Bangladesh, how have you been? People of Bangladesh!”

Taking off for an unknown other country, on a plane, with people you don’t know, to do work you don’t know -- this must have been a terrifying prospect for these women in their late teens and early 20s. They agreed.

It took great courage. One heard so many bad things. We talked about Mauritius -- “well, as you work, you eventually learn the language a bit,” and workers’ benefits. Marium

was returning partly because she had been diagnosed with diabetes. It is not easy work, and people get sick and are always homesick, even when contracts are honoured and workers treated acceptably.

These young Bangladeshis are not looking for Alex Garland’s beach, they are backpacking in the Dick Whittington tradition, trudging off in search of a living

The idea of youthful travel and discovery is enduringly romantic in Western culture, and not only because of its imperial origins in Kipling and Rider Haggard. But these young Bangladeshis are not looking for Alex Garland’s beach, they are backpacking in the Dick Whittington tradition, trudging off in search of a living. They do this in the sky, making them not travellers as cosmopolitans enjoying the scene, cocktail in hand as they fly glamorously through the air, but as aerotropolitans, travelling workers, in their temporary nature always in motion between points. And in those points (and in-between) they are subject to rules and regimes governing who can go where for work.

Aerotropolitans or travelling workers are the majority denizens of what people have started calling the aerotropolis. The aerotropolis ideal -- realised in cities like Atlanta in the US -- is that the successful global cities of the future will be transport hubs, designed to

transport goods and folk, city-scaled airports, in essence. The book Aerotropolis, The Way We’ll Live Next by John Kasarda and Greg Lindsay gets very excited about the economic growth and the infrastructure needed and the logistical problems the aerotropolis solves, but says almost nothing about the humans that have to navigate these spaces.

As is proper for the solution to the problems of global trade logistics, the aerotropolis is the only space in which blatant class discrimination is now not only allowed but actively encouraged. Airlines consistently upgrade their business classes to attract that higher-profitability better class of passengers.

Economy-class passengers are required to witness the comfort of the better classes, and (costless) courtesies are not extended to the aerotropolitan by airline staff, to ensure that the fact of the economics of class are properly brought home. But these facts include that international air travel is increasingly about people being moved for work who would not get on a plane to take a vacation: Javanese women going back to Singaporean employers; Chinese workers returning from Zambian mines; Nigerian traders off to Shanghai for something or the other.

And yet, on their way to and back from these workplaces across the seas, travellers learn all kinds of stuff. My neighbour on Malaysian Airlines, Aisha, had learned some Creole. She had views, largely positive, about how the mix of Mauritians managed to live well together, despite their anxieties about the environment and climate change. They kept in touch with home through “the net” -- “Facebook and that sort of thing.” They knew they were coming home to gondogol (the political emergency of February 2015 was peaking) and this meant someone’s mother couldn’t come, or another had to stop in Dhaka for a few days. These were worldly women, unsurprised by much, knowledgea-

ble and experienced.

Aerotropolitans may be adventurous, worldly, and even bankrolled. But they effectively waive their citizenship rights when abroad, and even at home, their claims as citizens are lame. Being the one with the pen and the apparent facility with English, I was given the arrival and customs forms for several rows of fellow travellers to complete.

This meant extracting information consistent with the passport for the form. Both of these could differ from the information given verbally by their holder. Many of these women went by just one name -- Salima or Rahela or Marium. Their birthdates were fictional, depending on what was convenient or on administrative error. As documents of certification, they are unconvincing, flimsy even.

You would have no chance of a visa to Europe or the US with paperwork like that.

So, what does it mean to be an aerotropolitan? The rewards are potentially high: You could earn a good living by the home standard. And international travel brings worldliness -- an ability to move around a world that is far from the small towns of Bangladesh, to speak with people who know no Bangla, fly on a plane, mix with people from anywhere, the experience of seeing unimagined cities and landscapes. But it is risky -- many people end up in trouble or are cheated and there is no one to back you up.

And in these many in-between places, in the aerotropolis while being transported to work, rights are suspended.

We are all becoming aerotropolitans in a globalised world that cares nothing for people and place. What are our rights as the denizens of the airport? Let us start with the economy class seat. See you at DXB. l Naomi Hossain is a Research Fellow in the Participation, Power and Social Change research team at the Institute of Development Studies.

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18 HERITAGE

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Bengal lights

The Chinese capacity for ‘partying’ -- a capacity that certainly reached east to Japan -- appears, even today, to linger in Bangladesh

n Tim Steel

T

he vivid blue lights, made from a compound of sulphur, saltpetre, and arsenic sulphide, have been used for centuries for signalling at sea, as well as a decorative firework.

That this, one of the earliest uses for the essential ingredient of gunpowder, should be named for Bengal should come as no surprise. Despite the many claims for the development of the explosive nature of such associated compounds with saltpetre, as gunpowder, in China, in fact, it is increasingly believed that the first development probably took place in sixth or seventh century Bengal, of which today’s lands of Bangladesh now largely comprises.

An early Chinese work, “Explanation of the Inventory of Metals and Minerals,” mentions the arrival of Buddhist monks in China, with knowledge of the properties of saltpetre.

Specifically, the 7th century Tang Dynasty, one such monk “reached the Ling-Shih district in Fen-chou,” he said, “this place must be full of saltpetre, why isn’t it collected and put to use.”

Perhaps, it is not really surprising that the earliest discoveries of the properties of saltpetre should originate from Buddhist monks.

Other references suggest it was in the great Vihara of the Ganges basin, such as Jahagadhal, Parhapur (both in modern Bangladesh), and Nalanda (in modern India) that those early properties should have been explored.

It might seem ironic that the properties of saltpetre have, unquestionably, been responsible for the premature deaths of millions of people, over the centuries. But we may suppose that these monks on the eastern lands of the Ganges basin, including the exit to the sea, and the entry to the ancient, Southern Silk Road to China and Central Asia were, in fact, more interested in its properties for food and the preservation of human remains, amongst other uses.

And, certainly, those other uses were, perhaps, most dramatically demonstrated in the flamboyant and colourful explosions of light that could be generated by ignition.

However, the ever inventive Chinese of the latter centuries of the first millennium BCE, known as, “The Golden Age of Alchemy,” were much preoccupied with their use of naturally produced “chemicals” in the burgeoning industry of manufacturing … from cosmetics to metallurgy, and beyond.

Developments which may, in the end, mean that it was the Chinese who first discovered the saltpetre, sulphur, and carbon combination as an extremely effective weapon of war.

There is, however, no doubting that the Chinese capacity for “partying” -- a capacity that certainly reached east to Japan -- ap-

pears, even today, to linger in Bangladesh, after all, the closest lands to China via the river route. And that capacity surely saw the development of such as the, now artificially, chemically-based displays so loved across the world on such as New Year’s Eve! Probably the most famous of the early alchemists of China was Thao Hung-Ching, “also a great physician and pharmaceutical naturalist.”

It is, of course, the early sophistication of “The Middle Kingdom,” China, with its extensive use of written records, which, fortunately, have survived the great depredations of the Mao era, to which we owe such extensive records. And it is, indeed, to those records that we owe the clear suggestion of the origins of experimentation with the properties of saltpetre in the lands of the eastern Ganges basin. Sadly, the records of the great Buddhist centres of learning that are, in fact, thick on the ground in the lands that are, today, those of Bangladesh, for the most part survive only beyond this great breeding ground of science and artistic endeavour. For the most part, only the latter skills remain, in the architectural detail, and the fine works of sculpture, which are plentifully displayed in venues such as Varendra Museum in

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Rajshahi.

It has been estimated that, by the late 16th and the 17th century, the northeast Indian subcontinent, the heartlands of which are now Bangladesh, contained some 70% of the world supply of saltpetre.

By the mid 17th century, England, with civil war breaking out, had already followed the Portuguese and the Dutch in recognising the political, as well as economic importance of this naturally occurring chemical, the vital ingredient in gunpowder, as well as in decorative explosions in fireworks.

Quite when, or where, Bengal Lights were developed as both signal and display, is unclear

Mid 17th century journals of English, Dutch, and French travellers make mention of the gunpowder factories already well established in Bengal/Bihar, clearly controlled by the viceroys in Dhaka, shipping large cargoes of gunpowder back to Europe.

The predominance of this corner of India in the world supply of saltpetre and gunpowder is, perhaps, well illustrated by two events in the first decade of the 17th century.

When Pratapaditya Roy, the great zaminder of Jessore, and a leading member of the BaroBhuyan group, who resisted, for 50 years, the arrival of the Mughal dynasty in Bengal, in 1608 finally surrendered to the Mughal forces, amongst what he surrendered was 45 tons of gunpowder.

A year or so earlier, when King Philip of Spain and Portugal, perhaps the most powerful of the European rulers of the day, instructed the Portuguese agent in Goa to send him gunpowder, only ten barrels were sent!

It may not, and did not, have taken Eng-

land long to both recognise the vital significance in the lands around Bengal for their own military purposes.

When, in about 1590, the English merchant, a leather-worker almost certainly familiar with the properties of saltpetre, returned from his travels in India, and made his report to the Levant Company who had financed his travels, it took just ten years for the merchants of London, with the support of the great Queen Elizabeth, in her dying years, to charter the famous/infamous East India Company.

We know that within 40 years they were well established in Orissa, as close as they could get to the, “wealth and trade” of Bengal, the governance of which centred

around Dhaka, and shipping large cargoes of gunpowder to England. For the next two centuries, and more, such cargoes formed a major part of the Company cargoes to Britain, easily carried as ballast in ever increasing numbers of ships engaged in more conspicuous trades.

There is little doubt that, when Emperor Aurangzeb’s uncle, Shaista Khan, was recalled to Delhi after twelve years as Viceroy of Bengal, based in Dhaka, in 1678, carried his reputed treasure, valued at 40 million pounds (a modern value of between 5.5 billion pounds, and 25 billion pounds!), much of that fortune derived from both dues and bribes concerned with the shipping of saltpetre by European traders, especially the

Company.

Quite when, or where, Bengal Lights were developed as both signal and display, is unclear. The name alone for the blue lit display, created by the use of copper, suggests both place of origin, and may well, given what we now know about the role of these lands in the discovery of such a property of saltpetre as the base ingredient, suggest a very early origin.

Fascinating, when next watching a firework display, to reflect on the rich history of the lands that are now Bangladesh, that lies behind it! l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

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20 JURIS

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Freedom of expression: A myth or a right?

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n KM Ashbarul Bari and Nusrat Jahan he Supreme Court of India has recently given a judgment upholding the status of the right to free speech and expression. It repealed Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act holding the same as unconstitutional as it stroke the very root of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.

Section 66A reads: “Any person who sends by any means of a computer resource any information that is grossly offensive or has a menacing character; or any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.”

The petitioner contended that the Section 66A infringes upon the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and is not covered by any of the eight exceptions provided by Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India. The words of the Section are not defined which leaves scope for arbitrary use by anyone. The enforcement of the said section would be an insidious form of censorship which impairs a core value contained in Article 19(1)(a) that talks of freedom of expression.

Though it was argued that the government would not use the section arbitrarily, there was no guarantee that successive governments would not misuse it. The petitioners also contended that this section would have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression. It is also violative of Article 14

FIROZ CHOWDHURY

Section 57 of our ICT Act restricts the freedom of expression which is guaranteed in Article 39 of the Constitution of Bangladesh and 21 of the Indian Constitution on grounds of discrimination as it punishes a person just because he is using a particular mode of communication.

Although the defence argued by contending that mere possibility of abuse does not render a particular provision unconstitutional, the court declared the section unconstitutional considering a number of issues, eg ambit of public order, chilling effect on freedom

Protect your creative ideas n Juris Desk

C

oncepts or ideas are the precious brainchildren of creative minds, and such creative minds often come out with innovative products or services and entrepreneurial ventures. The creative ideas or innovative ventures time and again get stolen, maltreated or passed off brutally due to inadequate protection. We often see brilliant enterprises fail due to the lack of guidance, know-how and reluctance to seek appropriate legal advice.

Here comes the IP Plus law clinic to relieve the dreaming start-up businesses, creative IT entrepreneurs and innovators against these adversities. The clinic is a legal aid center initiated and managed by Bangladesh Copyright and Industrial Property Forum (BCIPF), which is a notfor-profit entity solely focused on promoting creativity and innovation through promoting intellectual property (IP) rights, IP awareness, protections and enforcement within Bangladesh.

IP Plus law clinic offers pro-bono legal advice and support to start-up businesses, IT entrepreneurs, creative individuals, ie musicians, artists, photographers, journalists, SMEs and to non-profit organisations on specific intellectual property rights and relevant business law matters.

The main idea for driving the clinic is to encourage the target group of creative and in-

novative people to avail appropriate legal advice and guidance with regard to their ideas, creations, innovations, entrepreneurial ventures and branding, and experience success through avoiding disappointment of seeing their valued creations or business ideas get stolen by others or fail due to inappropriate legal formation and protection.

The start-up businesses or someone with a creative business idea or invention are often seen to be unaware about how to legally set up their business or protect their brands or unique business ideas from getting stolen or illegally used by third parties.

IP Plus law clinic comes forward with its unique platform and lends a supporting hand to comfort the needs of these creative minds and helps them protect their creative works and institutionalise their business ideas. The clinic since its inception in July 2013 has successfully assisted over 150 recipients including start-up businesses, software developers, and creative individuals through one on one legal advise, incorporation of businesses or social enterprises, registering trademark and copyrights, and basic IP education.

With its functioning strategy and the underlying objective of IP protection and enforcement, the IP Plus law clinic is here to create an IP culture within Bangladesh for sure.

To know more about IP Plus law clinic, visit their Facebook page, or write to iplc@bcipf.org. l

of speech and expression, reasonable restriction and so on.

The court held that the section does not specify the distinction between mere discussion, advocacy to a particular view and an incitement. Moreover, whether a particular act is offensive or not varies from person to person. Moreover, as the section has a wide amplitude, it takes in the innocent as well as guilty. It creates a ban on all sorts of demon-

strations even if it is innocent and thus endangers public tranquility. As there is ample opportunity for it to be used for purposes not sanctioned by the constitution, the same is unconstitutional.

In Bangladesh, we have a similar provision, ie Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, 2006 which makes it an offence if any person deliberately publishes fake and obscene things, things that may induce a person to do immoral acts, causes defamation, deteriorates law and order, tarnishes the image of the state or a person or hurts religious sentiment of the people, on a website or on other electronic form.

The punishment provided for the aforesaid offence is imprisonment for a period of maximum 14 years and minimum seven years.

Moreover, the offence is non-bailable which means court will generally not give bail unless the accused can satisfy the court that there is no reasonable case against him. Additionally, police may arrest a person accused of committing the crime under this section any time without obtaining an arrest warrant from the magistrate.

Section 57 of our ICT Act restricts the freedom of expression which is guaranteed in Article 39 of the Constitution of Bangladesh.

Words and phrases of the section are not well defined so as to leave room for the law enforces to abuse the provision. All these make this provision even more draconian than that of section 66A of the IT Act of India which the Indian Supreme Court has declared as null and void. Will we learn from our neighbour? l KM Ashbarul Bari And Nusrat Jahan are LLM students, Department of Law, University of Dhaka.

Law and the common man n Nizamuddin Ahmad Siddiqui

I

have been studying law for quite sometime now. After finishing my secondary education I chose to study law. That was a deliberate choice of consciousness for which I have gained much later; especially after I started teaching law. What makes law interesting for a common man? Is he a part of law or just a subject of its implications?

Has he any effective role to play in a world of highly technical, irrelevant and ambiguous language which only springs from rhetoric?

Looking on these lines, I think, would provide the most satisfying answers to a common “gentle” man.

Law has to perform a large number of functions in the society but with the least possible resources at its disposal. Law tends to prevent the wrongdoings of the individuals by promoting a fear of punishment and a sense of obligation. Law finds itself handicapped to a great extent in this regard. It can only take account of the physical manifestations of the wrongful intent either by punishing it or by creating incentives.

However, it cannot impose any positive obligation upon the mental psyche of the person, which if controlled otherwise, would seldom give rise to “physical wrongs”

as defined by the law. Law has no moral basis and hence, it lacks a moral standing.

It does have ingredients of morality but its basis is found in the intent of the legislative authority.

For a common person, law is merely the language of the state. Something which the state creates, the state implements and the state enforces. A common person, hence, is just a bystander who only gets the opportunity to claim his freedom during the election process. Once the government is formed, he has to behave like an obedient son of the state-father.

Does this mean that for a common man law has minimum scope for proper engagement? What place does an individual occupy with respect to law? What has a person to do with the law? Though there is no denying the fact that the role of the common man stands paramount in the characterisation and implementation of law, the question remains, in what respect?

We need to have answers to these questions to properly comprehend the place of a common man in the world of law. l Nizamuddin Ahmad Siddiqui is Assistant Professor (Law), National University of Juridical Sciences, West Bengal, India.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

ILLUSTRATION: REZWANA HASAN

INSIDE

T-JUNCTION

Strokes of genius

24

Written in the stars

Brush. Paint.

Imagination.

22 Tell

Party like a pro

23

“Sneho” at Hult Prize 2015

Every art lover on “Liza’s Brushes,” a Facebook page, will unveil to its audience how magnetic and magical a painting can be by highlighting the layers of different shades.

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22 T-JUNCTION

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4 2015

drama mama

Party like a pro Not that kind of pro

n Sabah Rahman Dhaka may have a lack of establishments where one can go and drown their sorrows in endless goblets of wine or celebrate a new journey with a few rounds. However, there is one thing that our culture sure doesn’t have any shortage of. Parties! There’s a Facebook invitation to the next hot, new event awaiting us almost every time we log in. But did you know that there are certain party don’ts?

You may have never put too much thought into it, but here’s how to avoid being a party pooper.

Mean girls You know who you are. You sit in a circle and talk smack about all the other ladies there.

What’s even worse is the fact that you all get quiet when one of the women who you targeted walks by and carry on as soon as she’s

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

at a safe distance again. This is just not how it’s done. You’re not in high school. Grow up already and try to mingle with a few people outside of your cliquey group. Who knows?

Maybe you’ll make a connection with someone who’s personality is way up your alley, and has more to contribute to a conversation than cheap gossip.

The creeper Ah, the d-bag that somehow gets invited to every party. You creep up on every hot lady

at the scene, get rejected and move on to the next, just to get yet another dirty look cast your way. Your lines suck so bad, it’s no wonder no one would ever be caught dead on your arm. Worse still, after getting rejected, you get defensive and talk crap about your victim. By the end of the night, everyone’s talking about what a lech you are. It’s time to take a long hard look at yourself, sir. Tone down the creepy qualities, and you may even have a date for the next shindig.

mailbox

Must ask the moustache Your weekly ‘stache of wisdom Dear Mr Mo, The school I went to had a zero tolerance policy against cheating. I was taught how to reference, and pretty much adapted my study habits so that I never had to.

Now that I’m in university, I’ve found that everyone cheats and plagiarises with impunity. In fact, it’s practically the norm. I’m already slightly unpopular for not participating in it. And recently, as the hartals have really put pressure on us to get everything done over the weekends, I find myself tempted to follow their tracks. My years of training, however, makes it real hard to break with a lifetime of discipline. On the other hand, my parents will be thermonuclear ticked off if I fail this semester, which is starting

to look likely. Which way do I go?

Sincerely, Crossroads

anything, my energy levels are better and I feel fitter. My friends and family tease me mercilessly, however, asking me when I’m planning to star in my own action movie. My cousins keep asking me to flex for them, and Dear Crossroads, The path of the righteous man is a lonely one, then laughing at my puny muscles. I’m really and full of temptation. Everybody is cheating, starting to feel demoralised. What do I do?

Sincerely, do you let your virtue turn you into outcast, or do you take the path of least resistance, and Demoralised maybe even save your grades in the process?

Don’t give in. Your principles will become your Dear demoralised, destiny, but your grades will become a faded The birth of beautiful things is always memory. Trust me on this. Do your best and painful, and that includes a body you can be you won’t fail. proud of. Your naysayers are, quite likely, not very fit. They will laugh at you and words can hurt, but you will have the last laugh.

Dear Mr Mo The only person you need to impress right It’s been a few weeks since I’ve joined the now is the person you were yesterday. l gym, and while I haven’t really lost or gained

The lush You don’t know how to hold your liquor and get labelled “a hot mess.” Now, this can sometimes happen and has happened to the best of us. It’s all good fun till you start dancing on your host’s imported table, break a few Ming vases and then curl up in a corner bawling, looking for someone to share your sad stories with. If you must hit the hooch, do so responsibly. Follow each cocktail with a glass of water. Don’t drink on an empty stomach. And please don’t mix your liquors. l

T-JUNCTION 23

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

letter to mars PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

letter to venus

Hierarchical trouble

Between sisters

n Agony Aunt

I used to date my girlfriend’s sister, and she doesn’t know. We dated a long time ago, and we have managed to stay friends all these years, but I think we both know an old flame is just waiting to be rekindled. I’m pretty sure I have stronger feelings towards my ex than my current girlfriend. How do I get out of this situation unscathed?

Sorry but the two don’t go together: an old flame, is an “old flame.” If it finished, it is finished for some reasons. In some cases, it can be revived. I think you are confused,

you probably started dating the sister to be in close proximity to your old flame. Please be honest and do what you must do: break up with your present girlfriend and let things be. If your old flame wants to contact you, it will have to be much later. You cannot ruin the relationship between the two sisters. 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.

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

n Agony Aunt

too. What should I do to get out of this?

I have been dating my boss for almost six months now, and things have gotten pretty serious between us lately. However, there is a nagging feeling in my stomach that he might be cheating on me. He’s very secretive about his life, and quite often I’d find him going home late even when I know the workload isn’t exactly heavy. I don’t want to ask him any question about him because I’m afraid it might have a bad side effect on our work relationship

Well, find out more about him and his life, and if your gut tells you there may be something not quite right, you may be right.

After a few inquiries, talk to him about whatever you found out. If he cheats on you now, free yourself from this relationship as it may end up in a very unhappy marriage.

Some insecure people need to have more than one opportunity just in case! Do not be one of them!l

news

“Sneho” at Hult Prize 2015 A team of five students from BRAC University participated in Hult Prize 2015.

Each year, in collaboration with Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), Hult Business School organises a global competition for undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world to come up with innovative ideas for start-ups that will solve a social issue faced by billions in need. Each year the agenda is set by former US President Bill Clinton. CGI grants US$1 million as seed capital to help the winning team launch a social enterprise. This year, the agenda that has been set is “Providing Early Childhood Education (ECE) to the kids between zero to six years old in urban slums.” Also, our respected Dr Muhammad Yunus is a part of

the judging panel at Hult Prize Competition.

The brand name of the prototype designed by the participating students of BRAC University is “Sneho.” By acing the initial phases of the competition, they had the opportunity to pitch their big idea in the regional round. The team then travelled to Shanghai, China and actively participated in the regional round. With much support and enthusiasm from Hult Business School and others, the team has been endorsed to prepare for the next round, which is an online crowd funding campaign. A win here will take them directly to the final round which is due to be held in September in New York.

The core product of Sneho is a durable

TAURUS (APR 20-MAY 20)

HOROSCOPE

Control freak much? Your TV remote is not running away and loosen your grip, be gentle.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 20)

Time to take a walk on the wild side and let your inner animal out.

CANCER (JUN 21-JUL 22) ARIES (MAR 21-APR 19)

Time for you to lie on the couch and talk about your feelings, emotions and all those things that make your stomach churn.

Reaching out to a friend or colleague could lead to future success for you in the next few months.

LEO (JUL 23-AUG 22)

Be clear about your long term goals this

alphabet mat for the underprivileged kids in the urban slums, which will come in a package of used toys and books from the privileged class of the society for redistribution among the kids in the urban slums. One mat costs around US$3, which is

week, think long and hard about them and ask yourself what you really want.

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 22)

You’re the decision maker this week, rock on gunner.

LIBRA (SEP 23-OCT 22)

Someone from your past might play an important role in events about to occur this week.

SCORPIO (OCT 23-NOV 21)

Stand up for your friends and work together, soon you will have created something divine.

approximately Tk250.

The online campaign went live from March 22 and will run till May 7. To support and spread the word, visit Sneho’s website at www.sneho.org/, or log in to igg.me/at/sneho for more information. l

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22-DEC 21)

You’re running on the right track and where you’re supposed to be.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 19)

Some events may unravel how you handle certain issues that preoccupy you now.

AQUARIUS (JAN 20-FEB 19)

You may need to be the guide to others and make them see life through your life for a change.

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 20)

Good time for you to shine like a diamond, don’t let anything from the past hold you back the sun’s smiling directly at you! l

DT

24 T-JUNCTION

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Written in the stars

changemakers

Brush. Paint.

Imagination.

Every art lover on “Liza’s Brushes,” a Facebook page, will unveil to its audience how magnetic and magical a painting can be by highlighting the layers of different shades

n Saudia Afrin The originator of this vivacious world, Rezwana Hasan, has a conversation with Dhaka Tribune about her beautiful mind at play.

How did your journey start?

I used to go to this art teacher, Saiful Islam, back when I was 13. He taught me how to sketch with a pencil, but then he moved to Uttara from Banani. The commute was too much of a hassle for me so I stopped visiting him and didn’t pursue the path of visual arts any further. I was supposed to start learning how to paint but I never got the chance. That was all for me back then. A few years ago, a close friend of mine was going through someone’s artwork on Facebook and he suggested that I start drawing again.

I loved the fusion between two colours and how different elements gave the entire piece a different texture. Then I discovered Silvia Pelissero on YouTube and the way she worked with watercolour, inspired me to experiment with it myself.

What influenced you to pursue the career?

Is there anything special from your life that influenced you the most?

Painting for me started more as a hobby than a career. Initially, it was nothing special. I just discovered how much I love to paint, it’s more therapeutic than anything else really.

According to you, what kind of attitude is required to finish a piece of work? What are the basic obstacles you face as a painter?

My main problem was fear, that the painting won’t be as good as I want it to turn out. I’d do it anyway and it’d turn out better than I expected it to be (most of the time). One should be ready to take risks, break rules, colour outside the lines and just have fun; just lose yourself in what you are doing.

What subject matter amazes and inspires you to paint? Please mention a little about your most favourable genre of painting?

Among my favourites are unique facial expressions. All sorts of facial expressions amazes me, however I do tend to be biased towards the more weird, happy and crazy facial expressions. Some examples include smiling old men with no teeth, maybe a lady winking, friends having a laugh and many more.

Amongst all the colours, which one is your favourite and why?

I usually prefer cooler tones of colours like the shades of blues and fuchsia, but it all depends on the painting and its requirements. Every colour gives off a different vibe and every colour combination has a different feel to it. I usually have a plan about how I want my audience to feel but none of my paintings seems to follow my plan.

Pastel, acrylic, oil or pencil, which one is your favourite and why?

I used to love pencil sketching but since I started working with watercolour I haven’t really looked back. I plan to start acrylic in a few months, once my daughter starts school (In Sha Allah).

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My younger brother Bijoy has been pushing me and encouraging me to paint from day one. However, having a beautiful two and half year old daughter, named Parisa, I decided to take a break from work for a while. Being a graphic designer, I used to do a lot of package designing for our family business. My husband is in the importexport business in Europe so I get to go there often, and Europe is like an art mine. You can’t help but get inspired! My grandmother Jobeda Khatun, used to draw and paint during her spare time. We still have her 80-year-old artwork hanging on our living room wall. l

Don’t compare your work with others, compare your new work to the old. You don’t need to go to any art institutions to be an artist but going to one can help you grow as an artist faster.

Be patient with your work; trust me it pays off. Make something creative every single day even if it is all nonsense. Keep a small journal with you at all times, doodle on it and practise drawing. This helps you think, opens up your mind, and brainstorm.

A big fan of the old gods Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo, Caravaggio.

Liza believes their work screams with the brilliance of the time that they inhabited.

Apart from being a passionate lover of Shahabuddin Ahmed’s incomparable brush strokes, the Italian artist Silvia Pelissero (Agnes Cecile) is her all time favourite. Liza said, “Whenever I need inspiration I go through her work.”

Trivia

What is your famous/favourite work of art?

These are a few of my favourite works. I like how the colours express the emotions of the subject.

Did you work for any organisation or are you a freelancer?

I don’t work for any organisation. I am a full time mother and stay at home to take care of my baby girl, which is why I get a lot of spare time for my art.

Liza’s favourite painter

PHOTOS: COURTESY

•

Liza is fond of crafting as well. After her discovery of mixed media art a few months ago, she thinks: “It’s a bit messy but fun at the same time; working with stamps, old magazine scraps, glue and what not.

I usually work with mixed media when I’m going through an artist’s block with my paintings.”

•

Since many people can’t pronounce Rezwana Hasan and it starts to sound “Rajoana,” she uses the name Liza instead, which is her nickname and is shorter and much easier to remember; the chronicle behind “Liza’s Brushes.”

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud and manager Arsene Wenger pose with the EPL Player and Manager of the Month awards for March

Sport 26

EPL: 10 THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS WEEK

28

TOP-FLIGHT FOOTBALL KICKS OFF IN THREE DAYS

29

25

DT

DOUBLE DELIGHT

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

DJOKOVIC HOLDS OFF FERRER TO BOOK ISNER CLASH

Pakistan’s Ajmal back for Bangladesh tour n AFP, Lahore Pakistan recalled star spinner Saeed Ajmal in all three formats as selectors announced the squads for the national side’s Bangladesh tour Friday, but there was no place on the plane for under-performing batsman Umar Akmal.

Ajmal has undergone remedial work to fix his bowling action after it was ruled illegal in September and he was suspended, forcing him out of last month’s World Cup. Head coach Waqar Younis had complained about Ahmed Shehzad and Umar’s lack of discipline during Pakistan’s World Cup campaign, which ended in a quarter-final defeat to hosts and eventual champions Australia.

Spinning allrounder Mohammad Hafeez also returns to all three formats after missing the World Cup with a calf injury.

Test

Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali

One-day international

Azhar Ali (captain), Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan

Twenty20 Sohag Gazi is deep in conversation (R) while Anamul Haque (L) and Mosaddek Hossain are all smiles in Mirpur yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BCB ends contract with Sahara n Cricinfo The BCB has revealed it has ended its contract with Aamby Valley, an affiliate of Sahara India Parivar, 15 months before it was scheduled to end. The board is now looking for a new team sponsor for the home series against Pakistan this month.

The BCB had sold team sponsorship rights to Aamby Valley in June 2012, in a $14 million four-year deal that was the biggest in Bangladesh cricket. The contract was supposed to end in June 2016 but a BCB advertisement in a national daily on March 30 marked the end of the alliance.

Chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury confirmed the BCB had ended the contract with Sahara, but did not want to disclose the

financial implications of the termination.

“We have decided not to continue our contract with Sahara,” Nizamuddin told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s why we have given an advertisement for a new team sponsor for the

We have decided not to continue our contract with Sahara. That’s why we have given an advertisement for a new team sponsor for the Pakistan series Pakistan series. We cannot speak about the deal [with Sahara] at this moment.”

Sahara’s financial difficulties over the past year have been a matter of public record, with

India’s Supreme Court ordering the group head to remain in its custody pending trial.

In 2012, Sahara had outbid Grameenphone, who had sponsored the Bangladesh team for eight years. It bid approximately $9.4 million, substantially more than the $ 3.4 million from Grameenphone and $4 million from another bidder. Sahara had also won branding rights for the national team and the national cricket academy, and title sponsorship and in-stadia sponsorship for 2012-13.

BCB has asked the new bidders to include an irrevocable bank guarantee of 50% of the total offered value, which will be considered as a security deposit. The company that wins the rights has to pay the full quoted amount before the signing of the agreement. It has to be completed by April 12.l

Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan, Saeed Ajmal, Saad Nasim, Sohail Tanveer, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan. l

DT

26 Sport

POINTS TABLE

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

FIXTURES Arsenal Chelsea Everton Leicester City Man United Swansea City West Brom

v v v v v v v

Liverpool Stoke City Southampton West Ham United Aston Villa Hull City QPR

Team

P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

1 Chelsea 2 Man City

29 30

20 18

7 7

2 5

36 34

67 61

3 Arsenal 4 Man United

30 30

18 17

6 8

6 5

27 25

60 59

5 Liverpool 6 Southampton

30 30

16 16

6 5

8 9

12 21

54 53

7 Tottenham

30

16

5

9

5

53

8 Swansea City 9 West Ham

30 30

12 11

7 9

11 10

-4 3

43 42

10 Stoke City 11 Crystal Palace

30 30

12 9

6 9

12 12

-3 -5

42 36

12 Newcastle 13 Everton

30 30

9 8

8 10

13 12

-15 -4

35 34

14 West Brom

30

8

9

13

-12

33

15 Hull City 16 Aston Villa 17 Sunderland

30 30 30

6 7 4

10 7 14

14 16 12

-12 -20 -21

28 28 26

18 Burnley FC

30

5

10

15

-23

25

19 QPR 30 20 Leicester City 29

6 4

4 7

20 18

-23 -21

22 19

EPL: 10 things to look out for this week 1) What kind of reception will Sterling get from Liverpool fans?

It’s difficult to have sympathy with a rich 20-year-old talking about money, but one of the biggest things to be taken from Raheem Sterling’s recent comments is how badly advised he has been. Sterling’s management team have a lot to answer for. But Sterling is by no means a victim here. He simply said he wants to earn lots of money and win lots of trophies. So what? He’d probably even prefer to do it at Liverpool, if the club are willing to match his ambitions. That said, it is the timing that hurts for the fans and at the business end of the season, Liverpool supporters want to know Sterling and co are completely focused on the job at hand – reaching the Champions League – not what kind of contract or transfer their players may or may not receive.

2) QPR see what they could have won

West Brom and QPR lost their managers around a month apart. Obviously the circumstances were slightly different and Rangers were in a much more perilous position but the past few months have shown exactly how and how not to arrange a managerial succession. West Brom spotted the way things were going early, moved on their underperforming manager – Alan Irvine - and brought in a proven relegation firefighter – Tony Pulis - whereas QPR dithered, let their own flailing boss – Harry Redknapp - decide his own fate and then gave the job to a coach with no previous managerial experience – Chris Ramsey.

3) Only Chelsea can stop Chelsea winning the league

points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand, but should arguably be even further ahead, such is the quality in their squad and the inconsistency of everyone else. Sure, they have lost only two games all season and not at all since New Year’s Day, but they have limply exited from the Champions League and FA Cup, dropped points against Burnley and Southampton and looked decidedly wobbly at Hull last time out. As the old cliché has it, the only team that can stop Chelsea winning the title is Chelsea themselves.

4) City dropping points at Palace would no longer be a shock

One of the main reasons Chelsea are sashaying clear of the rest is Manchester City’s dreadfully limp season. It’s reached the point now where Manuel Pellegrini’s men look more likely to finish fourth than they do first, with Manchester United looking good and Arsenal also in fine form. Recent performances at Burnley and to a lesser extent Liverpool were desperate, and they face another potential problem at Selhurst Park on Monday night. Crystal Palace are now firmly snuggled in the warm safety of mid-table, the turnaround in form after Alan Pardew replaced Neil Warnock remarkable, and they’re in fine recent form too, winning three of their last four.

5) Falcao’s pleas are likely to fall upon deaf ears

Radamel Falcao has got his mojo back! Sort of.

Colombia’s talisman equalled his country’s goals record over the international break and wasted no time in reminding Manchester United of his desire to “play more minutes” before the end of the season is up. Louis van Gaal isn’t likely to take any notice in selecting his XI for Aston Villa this Saturday. Falcao has started just one of the last six matches for United, and with Wayne Rooney combining well with Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata at the sharp end in the recent wins over Tottenham and Liverpool, Falcao should be set for another stint on the Old Trafford bench.

6) Hull’s attacking intent could be their

undoing

This Premier League season has been odd in many ways, not least in that even the team who have basically won the league don’t seem terribly keen to win the league. Chelsea are six

Hull City’s 3-5-2 formation continues to be a double-edged sword: in attack their wing backs are a constant menace. But it is this attacking verve that exposes the three-man defence of Paul McShane, Alex Bruce and Michael Dawson, who are often unable to deal with genuine pace on the counterattack.

Hull’s opponents this weekend are Swansea, whose lightning-quick wingers include

Nathan Dyer, Wayne Routledge and Jefferson Montero – all of whom will relish the chance to exploit Hull’s wide areas on the break.

7) The most curious Tyne-Wear derby of all

This promises to be perhaps the strangest Tyne-Wear derby of recent times, if only because the two managers in question are temporary appointments. John Carver was always going to be a stop-gap, a willing and passionate stand-in for the club he supported as a lad, but unless he did something extraordinary then he would be pushed back into the shadows come the summer.

Equally Dick Advocaat, who was brought in as a firefighter after Gus Poyet set the club ablaze and looks absolutely delighted just to be there, but the chances are Sunderland will move for either Steve McClaren or Sam Allardyce in the summer, rather than the avuncular Dutchman.

8) Reid is back, and West Ham are all

the stronger for it

Sam Allardyce will be ruddy delighted that Winston Reid has recovered from injury.

Having now recovered from his hamstring strain, Reid has been given somewhat of a soft introduction back into Premier League life this weekend, facing a Leicester City attack that haven’t scored in front of their own fans in over five hours, although Allardyce has admitted that the New Zealander is “a little bit rusty on match practice.”

9) Townsend should, believe it or not,

pay attention to Merson

It’s weird being on the same side of an argument as Paul Merson. The former Arsenal man is not, perhaps, the first person to call if you are bringing together a debating team, but he has got a point about Andros Townsend. “I think he should concentrate on playing football, to be honest, and don’t worry about me,” Merson wrote in his Daily Star column, after Townsend, following his goal for England in Italy, had given it the Twitter big one in response to Merson doubting his place in the international side.

“I’d also say win some medals first before you call it on. I have got no vendetta against him but I am not going to sit here and say he is top drawer … he’s just got back at Tottenham for the last seven or eight games. Where has he been all season?”

10) Southampton set to be the victims of their own success … again

This weekend marks exactly a year since Jay Rodriguez last played professional football.

The 25-year-old has returned to first-team training but the only positive to come out of his horrific knee injury, as far as Southampton are concerned, is that he will not be leaving at the end of the season. That will not be the case for many of the club’s stars this season and the manager, Ronald Koeman, is resigned to losing some of his key players.

Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne are the favourites to depart, while Atlético Madrid have already confirmed that they are “counting on” their on-loan defender Toby Alderweireld next season. l

DT

Sport 27

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Napoli meet fading Roma in battle for UCL spot n Reuters, Milan

Serena Williams (L) shakes hands with Simona Halep after their women’s singles semi-final of the Miami Open on Thursday

RESUTERS

Williams edges Halep to set Miami final against Suarez Navarro n AFP, Miami A frustrated Serena Williams clawed into her 10th Miami final on Thursday, defeating Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

Williams, apparently rattled by the Halep cheer squad who drowned out most of the chants for the home hope, saw her mighty forehand desert her in the second set, in which Halep converted the only break point of the set to force a third.

World number one Williams, who captured her 19th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year, regrouped to seize a 5-2

Lloris still out for Spurs n Reuters, London Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will miss Sunday’s Premier League trip to struggling Burnley as he recovers from a gashed knee suffered two weeks ago against Leicester City.

The France international was carried off on a stretcher early in the 4-3 win against Leicester City and missed his country’s friendlies against Brazil and Denmark.

“Hugo Lloris is still recovering after his problem against Leicester -- he is out,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said at a news conference on Thursday.

Michel Vorm will deputise for Lloris. Striker Soldado is also a doubt for the match at Turf Moor, where Tottenham need a victory to stay on the edge of the fight for a top-four finish.l

lead in the third only for the world number three from Romania to battle back.

Finally Williams found a way, and she will bid for an eighth Miami title against Carla Suarez Navarro.

Spain’s Suarez Navarro earned her place in the biggest match of her career with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.

Williams swept the first set with ease before Halep, who captured the biggest title of her career at Indian Wells less than a fortnight ago, found her own rhythm in the second.

In the third, Williams overcame her nerves and flaky forehand to build a 5-2 lead, only for

Halep to push the set to 5-all.

However, Williams broke her two games later to pull off the victory.

Saturday’s final will be the biggest career test yet for Suarez Navarro, seeded 12th.

The diminutive Spaniard, who honed her game in the Canary Islands, came out on top in a loose match, combining with Germany’s Petkovic for nearly 60 unforced errors in less than 90 minutes on court.

Suarez Navarro, who is now poised to break into the top 10 in the world rankings, converted three of her 10 break point opportunities and was never in serious trouble.l

Tiger seeks long climb back after nightmare year n AFP, Washington Having endured the worst year of his career, Tiger Woods arrives at Masters week struggling to recapture the form to finish 72 holes, much less add to his 14 major titles.

The former world number one has sunk to 104th in the rankings, his lowest point since before taking his first PGA title at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, and played only 47 tournament holes this year.

Forget catching the career record 18 majors of Jack Nicklaus. Set aside the idea of three more PGA wins to match Sam Snead’s all-time victory record of 82. Woods has yet to prove

his surgically repaired back and knees can still contend over 72 holes at age 39. Woods managed only 11 holes at Torrey Pines in February before withdrawing with back issues.

He missed the cut in January at Phoenix after a career-worst 82 in the second round.

“I’ve put in a lot of time and work on my game and I’m making strides, but like I’ve said, I won’t return to the PGA Tour until my game is tournament ready and I can compete at the highest level,” Woods said last month after skipping his usual final Masters tuneup at Bay Hill.

“I hope to be ready for the Masters and I will continue to work hard preparing for Augusta.”l

The battle for a Champions League place should add extra spice to Saturday’s meeting of old rivals AS Roma and Napoli, yet the build up to the game suggests it could be played in a lukewarm atmosphere.

Both teams have suffered a recent slip in form and this, combined with a Saturday lunchtime kickoff and the fears of fan violence surrounding the fixture, is expected to leave the Stadio Olimpico half empty.

Roma’s grip on second place has been slowly loosened since the start of the year, and their nine-point cushion over third place has been slashed to one point, while they have dropped 14 points behind runaway leaders Juventus. Meanwhile, Napoli have dropped from third to fifth after failing to win any of their last four Serie A games.

Seven points separate Roma (53) in second from Fiorentina (46) in sixth in the race for Champions League places, with Lazio (52), Sampdoria (48) and Napoli (47) sandwiched between.

In another key match on Saturday, Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic returns to his former club as his side visit Fiorentina.

Fiorentina have found a new lease of life since signing Egypt forward Mohamed Salah from Chelsea in part exchange for Juan Cuadrado. Lazio, who have leapt into third place with a run of six straight wins, visit relegation candidates Cagliari in a match they would expect to win.

Juventus, meanwhile, should chalk up another win, and move closer to a fourth successive title, when they host Empoli.

FIXTURES Roma Atalanta Cagliari Genoa Verona Inter Milan Palermo Sassuolo Fiorentina Juventus

v v v v v v v v v v

Napoli Torino Lazio Udinese Cesena Parma AC Milan Chievo Sampdoria Empoli

DT

28 Sport

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee and actress Tannishtha Chatterjee are seen performing a song sequence from their upcoming film ‘UnIndian’ in Mumbai

AP

Top-flight football kicks off in three days n Shishir Hoque Following a lot of uncertainty, the Bangladesh Football Federation has finally set a new kick-off date for the much-awaited Bangladesh Premier Football League. If everything falls into place, the top-flight will get underway this Tuesday.

Football’s governing body yesterday also accepted the demand of the premier league clubs and fixed the appearance money at Tk2.5m, a rise of Tk1.5m from last season.

“The clubs demanded a raise in the participation money and after talking to the sponsors, we are convinced and have decided to accept their demand,” BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag told the media yesterday after the professional league committee meeting.

Shohag also provided the reason behind the delay in announcing the kick-off date.

“We have been talking and finalising the title sponsor of the premier league. It’s nearly done and we will announce it this Monday.

To give them (clubs) benefits and mileage, the BFF had to differ the kick-off date,” added Shohag.

As reported before, the entire first-phase matches will be held at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka owing to the ongoing political unrest throughout the country.

“Considering the current political situation, we think it’s not safe for the clubs to travel. So, the matches of the first phase will only be held in Dhaka. We expect to host matches outside the capital from the second phase onwards,” explained Shohag.

It has been a little less than nine months since the last edition of the BPFL concluded.

The top-tier is already three-four months behind schedule due to several international commitments of the Bangladesh team, especially the third edition of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup and the AFC Under-23 Championship Group E Qualifiers.

Yesterday, a couple of premier league clubs also received their outstanding amounts from BFF president Kazi Salahuddin. Salahuddin handed over Tk5,00,000 and Tk3,00,000 to Sheikh Jamal DC and Muktijoddha respectively for their champions and runners-up finishes in the season’s curtain-raiser, the Federation Cup. l

Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin (2L) hands over the participation money of the Premier League to Mohammedan manager Amirul Islam Babu (R) at BFF House yesterday COURTESY

DT

Sport 29

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

Kane keen on Under-21 duty: Hodgson n AFP, London

SL selectors quit amid clean-up efforts n AFP, Colombo

Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane is determined to play for England at this year’s Under-21 European Championship, national coach Roy Hodgson said in comments published by British newspapers on Thursday.

Kane, 21, made his senior England debut last week, scoring 80 seconds after coming on in a 4-0 win over Lithuania, before making his full debut in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Italy in Turin.

Spurs are wary of over-burdening a player who has scored 29 goals this season, but Kane has played a key role in the England Under-21s’ qualifying campaign and Hodgson says he is eager to go to the Czech Republic in June.

“Harry wants to go with the Under-21s,” Hodgson said. “He wants to finish the job that he has done. He has been a major part of their qualifying campaign for the last 18 months.

“He’s had to work his way into the team and in my conversations with him it has been pretty obvious to me he would like to play in this tournament.”

Hodgson added: “I’ve got to say, I’m not a great lover of the burn-out argument.l

Sri Lanka’s cricket selectors, headed by former skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, quit Friday to allow new management to take over the island’s cricket governing body, which has been mired in allegations of widespread corruption.

Jayasuriya, 45, has been accused of politicising the game after he became a member of parliament from president Mahinda Rajapakse’s party following his retirement from the game in 2009. The former batsman also copped criticism for making four changes to the team at last month’s World Cup quarter-finals that Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by nine wickets.

Critics took issue with the inclusion of new opening batsman Kusal Perera and paceman Dushmantha Chameera for Sri Lanka’s defeat in the lopsided match. Jayasuriya - a member of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning team - said he was bowing out to give the new management an opportunity to appoint a new selection panel but did not rule out a comeback.

“I am always available if Sri Lanka Cricket needs me to serve the country in the future,” he said in his letter of resignation, a copy of which was seen by AFP.l

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 1 Italian Serie A 2014/15 4:30PM Roma v Napoli 12:25AM Juventus v Empoli 8:00PM English Premier League Everton v Southampton

Star Sports 2 11:30AM Maybank Malaysia Open Semifinals Spanish La Liga 8:00PM Sevilla v Athletic Bilbao 10:00PM Cordoba CF v Atletico de Madrid

Star Sports 4 English Premier League 05:00PM Arsenal v Liverpool 8:00PM Manchester United v Aston Villa 10:30PM Chelsea v Stoke City

Ten Action 2:30PM Australian-League 2014/15 Sydney FC v Adelaide United Indian-League 2015 04:30PM Clube de Goa v Dempo Sports Club 07:00PM Pune FC v Kalyani Bharat FC 12:00AM French Ligue 1 2014/15 LOSC Lille SA v Stade De Reims

Novak Djokovic celebrates against David Ferrer (not pictured) during their men’s singles quarter-final of the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on Thursday REUTERS

Djokovic holds off Ferrer to book Isner clash n AFP, Miami Novak Djokovic recovered from a slow start and had to battle at the end to overcome tenacious Spaniard David Ferrer on Thursday to reach the Miami Masters semi-finals.

Serbia’s world number one triumphed 7-5, 7-5 and advanced to a meeting with big-serving American John Isner, who overpowered Japan’s world number five Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-3.

Djokovic, the defending champion and winner of the Indian Wells title less than a fortnight ago, came from two breaks down in the first set as Ferrer celebrated his 33rd birthday with a runaway start.

But Djokovic reeled him in to take the first

set and served for victory leading 5-4 in the second.

Ferrer was having no part of it. He broke Djokovic, but was broken himself a game later to let Djokovic again serve for the match.

Djokovic now owns eight straight wins over the Spaniard, winner of three titles already this season.

“David is one of the toughest opponents, I knew the match would be physical,” said Djokovic. “He gives you nothing and makes you work for every point.

“My strategy was to try and dominate from the baseline, but stay alert for chances to come to the net. That is something I’ve been working.l

Inter would be ‘delighted’ to sign Toure: Mancini n AFP, Milan Yaya Toure remains a target for Inter Milan although coach Roberto Mancini has claimed that no talks have been held to bring the Manchester City midfielder to the San Siro.

Mancini returned to Milan for his second spell at Inter in November last year, but the Nerazzurri remain in a dogfight to qualify for Europe next season.

“There are no talks about Toure, I’ve always said he’s a Manchester City player but we’d be delighted if we could sign him for Inter,” Mancini said on Friday. Despite Inter’s struggles to keep pace in Serie A - they currently sit 10th, 30 points behind leaders Juventus. l

Injury-hit Bayern ready for Dortmund test n Reuters, Berlin Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich are struggling with a growing number of injuries but club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes the squad is big enough to challenge Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s big league game.

Bayern top scorer Arjen Robben, nursing a stomach muscle injury and David Alaba, ruled out for seven weeks with a torn knee ligament, are the latest casualties as the champions prepare to travel to Dortmund.

To make matters worse, winger Franck Ribery is doubtful, still struggling with a nagging ankle injury and unclear whether he will be fit in time for the game.

“Alaba’s injury is obviously very painful for us,” Rummenigge told his club website, following the Austrian fullback’s injury while on international duty on Tuesday.

“But we cannot change it and it would be a mistake if Bayern started to lament now,” he

said adding the Bavarians had enough depth in their squad to compensate for the absences.

Bayern have had to deal with injuries to key players this season but have been extremely consistent, losing just twice in the league to open up a 10-point gap at the

BUNDESLIGA Bayer Leverkusen VfL Wolfsburg Hoffenheim Werder Bremen Frankfurt Freiburg Dortmund

v v v v v v v

Hamburg VfB Stuttgart M’gladbach Mainz 05 Hanover 96 Cologne Bayern Munich

top as they cruise towards their 25th German league title.

Last season’s runners-up Dortmund never got their season off the ground, languishing in last place right after the winter break be-

fore a seven-game unbeaten run saw them bounce back and chase a European spot with eight matches left in the campaign.

There is no love lost between the two clubs as Bayern have snapped up Dortmund’s Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski in the past seasons, both crowd favourites at the Ruhr valley club.

Dortmund’s good run in the past two months has raised hopes among fans of winning the one game that could prove decisive for their season.

Defeat at home would not just be a further prestige blow after their loss in Munich earlier in the season but would also see them lose ground in their bid for a top-six finish with Dortmund in 10th spot on 33 points.

“We have to do a lot of things right, play like we did against Schalke 04 (in a 3-0 win).

We want to win if we want to keep an eye on the Europa League,” Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang told reporters. l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Tribal symbol (5) 6 Be indebted (3) 7 Traffic lights (5) 10 Slumbered (5) 12 Astonished (4) 13 Measuring instrument (5) 15 Water pitcher (4) 16 Beverage (3) 18 Sorrowful (3) 20 Trick (4) 22 Trembling poplar (5) 23 Flaccid (4) 25 Held principle (5) 27 Supple (5) 28 Choler (3) 29 Prescribed amounts (5)

DOWN 1 Throws (6) 2 Night bird (3) 3 Swarmed (6) 4 Is of importance (7) 5 Seek charity (3) 8 Barrier (3) 9 Acting part (4) 11 Church seat (3) 14 Broken out (7) 16 Sport (6) 17 Lessens (6) 19 Indigo (4) 21 Bishop’s territory (3) 22 Liable (3) 24 Mingle (3) 26 Before (poet) (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 11 represents U so fill U every time the figure 11 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

SUDOKU

CALVIN AND HOBBES

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 31

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

7th success

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

jimmy fallon @ jimmyfallon Tonight at 10 on Spike @SpikeLSB: @ LLCoolJ and @chrissyteigen host me vs @TheRock #LipSyncBattle Its on!

nMahmood Hossain The premiere of Furious 7 in the fast-paced action franchise is one of the biggest of the year in 2015. This past Friday has had a larger than life turn up in the box office. The Wednesday world premiere in Los Angeles brought out all the stars at the famous TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. As expected, it was a roller coaster of emotions, from being thrilled by the edge of your seat scenes to holding back tears as they watch Paul Walker on screen for the final time. The

months in between Walker’s untimely death and heading back to finish the film was a strenuous one. However, the close-knit family-like cast, with the assistance of Paul Walker’s brothers, were able to honour the actor by completing the film on time.

When all is said and done, the director of Furious 7, James Wan said he cannot help but to feel the hurt and gets emotional every time he sees the end of the film. Walker’s final performance may tug a few tears here and there, along with the movie’s tribute at the end. The movie remains as a complete

entertainer and the best film so far in the franchise. Any new sequels in the future, in all honesty, has not been discussed or given a single thought. Rightfully so, wrapping up the latest has been a difficult process. It seems to be a proper recovery time at the moment, and possibly the final film in the franchise.

Don’t forget to catch Furious 7 in both 2D and 3D at the Star Cineplex in Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, and hold on tight for one hell of a ride. l

Who am I? You know them all and you know them by heart. These three lovely ladies have made stunning debuts at a very young age and have continued to flourish in the film industry. Can you indentify the celebrities by their mind-boggling smiles?

Check next week’s issue for the answers.

Mila Kunis @ MilIa_Kunis Paparazzi really be ruining kanye’s day

Adam Levine @ adamlevine Every time I jump I wonder if maybe this time I’ll actually fly. Never works. https://instagram. com/p/09uiq4qjdd/

WHAT TO WATCH TELEVISION

The Conjuring C HBO 9:30pm Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorised by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston Mujhse Dosti Karoge B Sony MAX 12:30pm While Raj has always been attracted to the vivacious Tina because she is beautiful, he is completely unaware of the quiet Pooja’s love for him.

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Satish Shah, Himani Shivpuri

Answers to last week’s quiz: Christian Bale, Amir Khan, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Seacrest

The Lone Ranger B Star Movies 6:32pm Native American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner

DT

32 BACK PAGE

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015

THE PERFECT RESUME EMPLOYERS CAN’T REJECT

PAGE 15

FIRST CHILL: AN EXTRACT PAGE 16

BCB ENDS CONTRACT WITH SAHARA PAGE 25

Iranian islands a torture ground for duped migrants n Mohammad Jamil Khan Small islands on the Strait of Hormuz are where dreams of many Bangladeshi expatriates are brought to be killed.

When hard-working Bangladeshi migrants arrive in the UAE looking for jobs, they are steered by dreams of turning their own lives around, while they seize every opportunity before them to earn a little extra for their loved ones back home.

But that leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous opportunity seekers.

An Iran-based gang of human traffickers lure the Bangladeshi men with promises of better jobs in European countries – mostly in Turkey, Greece and Italy; but as soon as they are smuggled out of the United Arab Emirates, the workers are held captive in islands near the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

Hideouts on the islands – located in the 39km stretch of the Strait of Hormuz – are

used to torture the Bangladeshi expatriates, while their families back home are contacted to demand ransom. Many of the hostages are unable to survive the torture, and die there at the hands of their captors.

The way these criminals operated was figured out by a three-member team of the Criminal Investigation Department of Bangladesh, who travelled to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Tehran last May to inquire a human trafficking case.

Speaking after a press conference in the CID headquarters yesterday, CID Special Superintendent Md Matiur Rahman said: “As soon as the migrants fall into their [traffickers] trap, they take away all the money from the innocent migrants in the name of legal job, visa fees, transportation and other charges.”

The Bangladeshi expatriates are smuggled out on speedboats from the UAE and taken to islands near Bandar Abbas, where they are locked up.

“The frauds torture the migrants brutally

and use phones to transmit the sound of the victims’ screams to their family members for ransoms,” said the CID official, who coordinates the investigation against these human traffickers.

As a result of prolonged torture, some of the hostages do not make it out alive, said Matiur, who works under the CID’s Mymensingh zone.

“Bangladeshi members of such syndicates give the families specific numbers for Bkash [a mobile money transfer system] and tell them to transfer the ransom within a deadline. They threaten to kill the hostage if they do not get the money in time,” Matiur added.

Earlier, law enforcers were able to arrest a gang member in Bangladesh, confiscating ransom money and seizing 70 SIM cards linked with several Bkash accounts from his possession.

“The ransom amount is first deposited in Bkash, and then transferred to bank accounts in Iran and Tehran,” said Matiur.

The CID has already held meetings with the police and Interpol in Tehran regarding the

human trafficking gang operating there.

“We have already identified eight to 10 such traffickers based in Bandar Abbas and Tehran. A list containing their names has been served to the law enforcers there, asking for their support in arresting the culprits,” the CID official said.

During 2013-14, with the help of the Iranian police, the Bangladesh CID was able to rescue over 97 victims from Iran.

According to CID figures, charge sheets were submitted in 14 cases against 160 members of human trafficking syndicates during the same period.

On Monday evening, the Criminal Investigation Department detained Nannu Miah, a Bangladesh-born human trafficker based in Iran, from the Dhaka airport following his extradition from Iran. CID officials claimed that Nannu was directly involved in kidnapping around 100 migrants and collecting ransoms from their families back in Bangladesh. l

1,000kg gold seized in 22 months

Youths rescue girl from rapists, then rape n Kamrul Hasan her themselves At least 1,000 kilograms of smuggled gold was seized at two international airports in Dhaka n Our Correspondent, Gazipur and Chittagong in the last 22 months, accordTwo youths rescued a schoolgirl from three rapists on Thursday only to rape her themselves in Gazipur.

Rapists Rajib, 24, son of Abdul Jabbar of Taltoli in Sripur upazila of the district, and Rubel, 26, son of Abdul Baten of the same area, fled the scene when locals went to the place hearing the victim.

According to the 16-year-old girl, daughter of a farmer and a student of class IX, she was on the way home from her maternal grandparents’ by an autorickshaw.

The autorickshaw driver took a stop at Baliapara and talked on the mobile phone for a few minutes.

Then he told the girl about taking a shortcut and took the vehicle to Dokhala area on the Baromi-Nayanpur Road.

Two youths got on the autorickshaw there.

They held a knife at her throat and took the autorickshaw into the Sal forest in north Pelaid beside the CCDB Road.

The three then attempted to rape the girl.

As the girl cried for help, Rajib and Rubel arrived at the scene on a motorbike and rescued the girl. The two also beat the three unidentified men.

Then they assured the girl of escorting her to home.

But they took her to a house in Taltoli area and raped her.

Zaman Mia, a businessman in the area, said Rajib and Rubel are friends and addicts.

Mohsinul Kadir, OC of Sripur Model police station, said he had heard about the incident and that the station would register a case if anyone filed a complaint. l

ing to the customs.

Addressing a press briefing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Moinul Khan, director general of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, said smugglers had been forced to come up with innovative and risky ideas to smuggle gold into Bangladesh in the last two years because of the strict surveillance by the customs.

In the latest seizure, customs officials recovered 12 gold bars, each weighing 1kg, early yesterday.

“After a nine-hour search that began around 6pm on Thursday, the gold bars, estimated to be worth Tk6 crore, were found in a wooden box containing a consignment of table fans at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s cargo unit,” Deputy Director of the customs directorate Mustafizur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.

The consignment came from Hong Kong on a cargo flight of Cathy Pacific, a route that was never used before to smuggle gold into Dhaka.

It was addressed to Zara International in Dhaka, but DG Moinul said the address was fake.

“We will seek assistance from Hong Kong customs to find out the criminals. The real owner of the gold bars can be tracked down as we have a few clues to his identity,” he said.

The customs official also said the cargo aircraft would not be seized as none of its staff was involved in the smuggling.

“Dubai, Singapore and Malaysia are the usual routes for smuggling gold into Bangla-

This file photo from February 2 shows a gold haul by Dhaka airport’s Customs officials. The intelligence officials found over 60.5kg of gold bars from a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight that arrived at the airport from Dubai RAJIB DHAR desh. Gold bars from Dubai typically weigh 10 grams whereas those coming from Malaysia and Singapore weigh up to 1kg.

“As each of the gold bars found in the box weighs 1kg, we think that smugglers might have changed their routes to deceive the customs,” added Moinul.

On January 17, the customs detained three persons, including an official of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for their suspected involvement in gold smuggling.

Also in November last year, police arrested five people, including a deputy director of the national flag carrier, on the same charge.

Investigations have revealed that at least 23 smuggling gangs have been actively involved in smuggling gold into Bangladesh. 11 of those directly smuggle the precious metal while others operate in the guise of money exchange traders.

Of the 11, seven are based at Dhaka airport, three at Chittagong airport and the other at Sylhet airport. l

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