07 April, 2015

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

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Chaitra 24, 1421, Jamadius Sani 17, 1436

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 2, No 362

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

MINTOO OUT, WHO IS NEXT FOR BNP IN DHAKA NORTH

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Clemency Kamaruzzaman’s last resort The al-Badr leader to die for Sohagpur massacre as apex court upholds death sentence n Ashif Islam Shaon With his review petition rejected by the Supreme Court, former Al Badr vigilante Mohammad Kamaruzzaman can only seek presidential clemency for his war crimes as a last resort to escape the noose.

Family members met him at the Dhaka Central Jail yesterday evening after the Appellate Division upheld the Jamaat leader’s death penalty for killing 144 people at Sohagpur village in Sherpur during the 1971 Liberation War. Informed by the jail authorities, 16 members of his family went to the jail at 6:25pm and stayed until 7:45pm.

After the family meeting, Kamaruzzaman’s son and a daughter showed V-sign. Eldest son Hasan Imam Wafi said family members were not anxious and that his father was fine both physically and mentally.

He alleged that the judgement was delivered upon the government’s directives and that everyone involved, including the prime minister, would have to face consequences.

“They will also have to face divine justice.

“The charge [Sohagpur killings] for which he has been sentenced to death is baseless.

Even the judgement given by the government is historically baseless. He has been denied justice,” Wafi claimed.

reporters at 8pm that the family was allowed to meet the convict as is allowed after the verdict.

The official said he had not received a copy of the verdict and so could not take any step to execute the judgement. He assured reporters that the jail authorities were, however, standing ready to execute the sentence. “It is possible to execute the sentence even tonight [meaning Monday night].”

Asked why the lawyers were barred from meeting Kamaruzzaman, he said: “We are considering the matter. They can see him later too.”

If Kamaruzzaman does not seek presidential clemency admitting the crimes or if the mercy petition is rejected, he will be the second war criminal to be hanged. His colleague and counterpart, another assistant secretary general fo Jamaat, Abdul Quader Molla was executed on December 12, 2013. Molla had not sought clemency.

Earlier in the day, a four-member AppelFamily members of death row convict Kamaruzzman meets him at Dhaka’s Central Jail yesterday after late Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed the review the Supreme Court rejected his review petition petition.

Jamaat, a key ally of the BNP-led 20-party alThe authorities, however, did not allow About seeking presidential mercy, he said: “My father will talk to his lawyers and decide. defence counsels to meet him, declining an liance, has called a general strike for today and tomorrow in protest against the judgement.

There is no question of repenting. He did not application.

Senior Jail Superintendent Farman Ali told commit any crime...”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

String of coincidences lead to exit n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP chief Khaleda Zia violated her party’s blockade yesterday for a second consecutive day. She went to offer fatiha at her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko’s grave. The day before, Khaleda had surrendered to court and got her bail reinstated. She has been exempted from appearing in person.

Although adamant about not leaving her office, and although the party leaders had previously sought guarantees that Khaleda would be allowed to return to her office, this time around there was no such conditions. Khaleda was treated almost like royalty through the hearing and she went back to her house without objections after three months.

Speculations have it that the three-time former premier will be more out and about campaigning for her candidates ahead of the city polls scheduled for April 28. Party work-

PAGE 3 Candidates officially start canvassing today

ers broke open padlocks of the central office on Sunday after three months during which time the party had been barred from conducting any public activity.

All of a sudden political atmosphere appears to be headed in the right direction. The ruling Awami League, intent on clamping down upon political dissent, seems willing

NEWS ANALYSIS to accommodate its rival party too. The BNP for its part and despite its strong rhetoric has evidently slackened the ongoing blockade besides completely withdrawing the typically week-long general strikes. So much so, that its press release of April 4 saying that the “ongoing blockade” would continue was hardly reported since it has ceased to mean business for several weeks now.

Both Dhaka and Chittagong are gearing up

PAGE 4 Experts from Russia to advise on potato exports

for the city polls and both parties seem to be warming up for a head to head contest on a reasonably level playing field. The tolerance of both parties at the top is almost unnerving after a bitter and violent anti-government campaign countered by an iron handed crackdown on BNP leaders, most of whom are either in jail or on the run. A senior BNP leader remains missing for almost a month.

This recent development is perhaps more than what meets the eye and a curious string of “coincidences” date back to February 9 when BNP’s blockade and general strike was on in full swing. The influential Brussels-based think tank, International Crisis Group issued a report on Bangladesh strongly criticising both the political parties for their intolerance and aggravating the political crisis, which it warned, could well be exploited by the religious fanatics.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 5 No action on PM’s directives for Energy Division

873 bureaucrats promoted n Sohel Mammun and Asif Showkat Kallol In the biggest spree of promotions since this Awami League government assumed office, a total of 873 bureaucrats were elevated to the ranks of deputy, joint and additional secretary yesterday.

Mohibul Haque, a joint secretary of the Public Administration Ministry, confirmed the news.

In a major spree after the January 5 elections last year, 70 deputy secretaries of various ministries got promoted to the rank of joint secretary.

According to sources, the mass promotion comes on the back of a three-year delay as deserving candidates could not be promoted because of last two years’ political turmoil.

Mohibul said that 231 additional secretaries,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

PAGE 32 Bangladesh gets trade corridor through India

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2 NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Nasim denies compromise Mujaheed, SQ Chowdhury between govt and BNP appeals on cause list n Tribune Report Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday refuted media reports on an alleged understanding between the government and BNP. “There was no compromise with the conspirators and there will be none in future.

Awami League will reach an understanding with the people only,” he told journalists in response to a question at a press briefing in Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s political office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

The minister, also a presidium member of the Awami League, met the press after finishing up a preparatory meeting of Mujibnagar Day Observance Committee.

Addressing the briefing, Nasim said there was a reflection of hopes and expectations of people and the Awami League in the rejection of review of the capital punishment handed down to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Kamruzzaman for his crimes against humanity.

“It is natural that Kamruzzaman’s review

petition was rejected. The Awami League as well as the country’s patriotic people believe that there was a reflection of their hopes and expectations in the verdict,” he said.

Speaking about the city corporation polls, Nasim said: “All the polls held during Awami League’s tenure were free and fair. The government’s main objective is to hold free and fair polls, not victory and defeat. People will give a befitting reply through ballots in the ensuing polls to the vandalism and torching of public and private properties unleashed under the leadership of Khaleda Zia over the past three months.”

Awami League’s programme on Mujibnagar Day was also announced at the press conference.

The programme includes placing of wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Sheikh Hasina on the morning of April 10.

On the morning of April 17, the law enforcement agencies will present guard of honour at Mujibnagar in Meherpur district, while a public rally will be held there at 12pm. l

n Tribune Report The Appellate Division may start today the hearings on appeals of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury filed challenging the death penalty handed down by the war crimes tribunal.

As a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha – Jamaat’s then student wing, Mujaheed in 1971 had led a ‘death squad’ named al-Badr that acted as an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupation forces The cases were kept on today’s cause list of the four-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

The defence last week filed a petition seeking six-week adjournment in Mujaheed case

citing that chief defence counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain had been ill. The court is likely to give an order on the petition before starting the hearing.

Mujaheed filed the appeal on August 12, 2013 seeking acquittal from all the charges.

He was sentenced to death by the tribunal on July 17 the same year.

Of the five proven charges out of seven brought against him, Mujaheed was given capital punishment in two – for abetting and facilitating killing of intellectuals during the 1971 Liberation War, and participating in and facilitating the murder of nine Hindu civilians in Faridpur.

As a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha – Jamaat’s then student wing, Mujaheed in 1971 had led a “death squad” named al-Badr.

On the other hand, Salauddin was given death penalty on four out of nine proven charges on October 1, 2013 for committing crimes against humanity and genocide in Chittagong with an aim to annihilate the Hindu community. He filed the appeal on October 29 the same year. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

String of coincidences lead to exit The crisis group, in that February report, stressed on dialogue, at lower levels of the political camps if needed, and recommended that Awami League “hold mayoral elections in Dhaka, a long-overdue constitutional requirement that would provide opportunities to begin that dialogue.”

Within a week Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a surprise announcement of city polls in Dhaka and Chittagong at a weekly cabinet meeting of February 16. The next day, a European Union delegation met Khaleda at her Gulshan office.

There was another high level meeting on March 3 between Khaleda and foreign diplomats, including the British and American envoys. More than a dozen diplomats had huddled into two unflagged mini vans and called on Khaleda late in the evening causing much stir.

BNP’s campaign calling for the government to step and announce fresh elections started becoming tamer soon afterwards.

Inter-district buses started operating again, even at night and petrol bombs ceased to

make headlines.

The BNP chief was due in court two days after that below-the-radar meeting with diplomats. But pending a guarantee from the government that Khaleda would be given adequate security and would be allowed to come to her office, she never left the office.

The court on March 5 adjourned proceedings of the two corruption cases against Khaleda for a month to April 5. The court had also issued an arrest warrant against Khaleda for her repeated absence on February 25. But it never found its way to the Gulshan police station.

And even before the Election Commission announced the polls schedule on March 18 amid reasonably normal circumstances, BNP’s likely mayoral candidates had become a topic of discussion with several names going around. Its participation was almost a foregone conclusion.

On April 5 when Khaleda’s bail was reinstated and the cases adjourned till after the polls, the UN Secretary General made a statement that suggests he is avidly following the lead up

Clemency Kamaruzzaman’s last resort In the evening, Supreme Court sources and jail authorities confirmed that the verdict would not executed since the judges had not signed the order.

Sources in the apex court said it might take a day or two for the verdict copy to reach the Dhaka Central Jail.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Supreme Court Registrar Syed Aminul Islam said he had not received a copy of the judgement.

Farman Ali said they would inform Kamaruzzaman upon obtaining the copy of the verdict and ask him whether he would seek clemency. “We can consider his execution only after receiving a copy of the verdict.”

As per the jail code, a convict gets seven days to seek mercy after the jail authorities

receive the death warrant and communicate it to the convict.

Following the pronouncement, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters that there was no legal bar for the government to execute Kamaruzzaman. “But, if he seeks mercy, he will not be executed until the president gives his decision on it.

“The prison authorities will give him reasonable time to decide. If he does not seek mercy or the president rejects his mercy petition, the jail authorities will allow his family members to meet him for the last time,” he said.

“No fresh death warrant is needed since the tribunal issued it on February 19,” Mahbubey said.

to the city polls in Bangladesh, of all places in the world. His spokesman said Ban Ki-moon welcomed restoration of comparative peace in Bangladesh in the past few weeks.

Apparently Ban was heartened by BNP’s decision to participate in the city polls. He even appealed “to the authorities in all relevant institutions to ensure that the elections will be transparent, inclusive, and credible.”

Other than a letter to both Hasina and Khaleda urging them to resolve the crisis and assigning Oscar Fernández Taranco, the UN’s chief peacemaker to liaise with the two parties, there had not been any statements from the UN chief till April 5.

Only the players can say whether these string of events complementing each other are part of a grand design or mere coincidence.

The turn of events, however, present both parties with a heretofore illusive exit route – with Hasina dismissing any suggestion of dialogue and Khaleda obstinate in her violent campaign – that they seem to have grasped on to. l

Kamaruzzaman was a key organiser of the infamous Al-Badr militia that actively engaged against the liberation forces and perpetrated war crimes in greater Mymensingh area. The armed group, formed with members of Islami Chhatra Sangha – then Jamaat’s student wing, was responsible for systematic abduction, torture and murder of freedom fighters, intellectuals and pro-liberation people during the Liberation War. The war crimes tribunal on May 9, 2013 awarded Kamaruzzaman death penalty on two out of five charges proved against him. He was sentenced to life term for two charges and 10 years’ imprisonment in another. The Jamaat leader was acquitted of two charges.

873 bureaucrats promoted 299 joint secretaries and 343 deputy secretaries have been promoted.

A list containing the names of promotees is available on the website of the Public Administration Ministry.

Sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also in charge of the ministry, approved the summary of the promotions yesterday.

Before giving the approval, she scrutinised the names.

Anser Ali Khan, chief executive officer Dhaka South City Corporation who got promoted to the rank of additional secretary, told Dhaka Tribune last night: “The promotions have got delayed for a long time. We are happy now that we got promoted.

Before these promotions, there were 1,280 deputy secretaries against 830 approved posts in the formal structure of the civil administration. The number of joint secretaries is 869 against 350 posts and additional secretaries 229 against 120 posts. l

Kamaruzzaman challenged the verdict at the Appellate Division on June 6, 2013.

The apex court upheld the tribunal verdict on November 3 last year but commuted his death sentence to life term imprisonment on one charge – the massacre of Sohagpur, now known as “Bidhoba Palli,” or the village of widows.

The Jamaat leader was given capital punishment for advising members of al-Badr and razakar forces on July 25, 1971 to commit a large-scale massacre in association with the Pakistani occupation forces at Sohagpur under Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur.

The collaborators murdered 164 unarmed civilians, 44 of whom have been named, and raped many women. l

DT

NEWS 3

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Who is next for BNP? n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

As Abdul Awal Mintoo – BNP’s first choice for the Dhaka north city polls – is now officially out of the mayoral race, the party is desperately looking to finalise the next best option.

As of now, there are two avenues open for BNP. First is Mintoo’s son Tabith M Awal who was brought in at the eleventh hour as a backup option for his father. Second is Mahi B Chowdhury, son of former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and joint secretary general of Bikalpadhara Bangaldesh.

Day before yesterday, several newspapers quoted Tabith as saying that he is not willing to contest the polls. Yesterday, when contacted, Tabith told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that he was misquoted.

“I said that if men from the party or others think that my father had intentionally made a mistake in filing his papers for giving me a chance, then I should not do the election.

That was the spirit of my remark.

“But my comment was portrayed wrongly.

I still stand by that spirit. Tomorrow there is a hearing on my appeal. I will clarify my position after that,” Tabith said.

Seeking anonymity, a senior leader of the party said that Tabith had already informed their chief Khaleda Zia about his decision to not contest the polls.

BNP insiders said Tabith had been deeply

embarrassed particularly because it had come from within the party that his father had deliberately made way for him.

On the other hand, a section of BNP leaders have been strongly backing the cause of officially extending support to Mahi instead of Tabith, other insiders said.

Contacted, Mahi told the Dhaka Tribune last night: “If Tabith does not want to contest the polls, then I will certainly seek BNP’s support. And I hope that I will get the support.”

He also said: “BNP and Bikalpadhara are like-minded parties. We have always remained in close contact. But I do not want to contact them just as yet because Tabith is still in the race and they have not made any decision regarding him.”

Another standing committee member, also seeking anonymity, said: “The distance between Mahi and BNP is very wide. Closing it down just like that will not be easy. Tabith may not be a known political face like Mahi. But if his father Mintoo gets actively involved in campaign, then Tabith will have a strong chance.”

According to sources, Khaleda Zia personally talked to Mintoo’s attorney after his nomination was cancelled. She gave instructions for doing whatever was needed to bring Mintoo back to the race.

When Mintoo’s nomination papers were being filed, the party was thinking about a second choice for the north’s mayor. Mintoo proposed

the name of Barkatullah Bulu, BNP’s joint secretary general. But Khaleda said the party’s organisational activities would be hampered if Bulu became the mayor. Only then did Mintoo proposed his son’s name as his alternative, sources said.

Abdul Awal Mintoo, an adviser to the BNP chief and a former president of FBCCI, was officially thrown out of the mayoral race yesterday after a High Court bench rejected his appeal against the cancellation of nomination.

He was disqualified on grounds that none of his “proposer” and “seconder” were voters of the Dhaka North City Corporation area.

However, the BNP is in a much more comfortable position in the Dhaka South and Chittagong City Corporations. The nomination of Mirza Abbas, their first choice for the mayor of south, has been accepted by the EC and they also have strong backups like popular city leaders Abdus Salam and Asaduzzaman Ripon ready with EC clearance.

In the port city, the BNP has also finalised outgoing mayor M Manjur Alam for support.

City elections in Dhaka and Chittagong are scheduled for April 28. Candidates will get until April 9 to withdraw nomination but they can start full-fledged electioneering from today.

The Awami League has already chosen Annisul Huq, another former FBCCI president, in the north, Sayeed Khokon in the south of the capital and AJM Nasiruddin in Chittagong. l

Awami League’s lone candidates’ list still not ready n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The ruling Awami League has still not finalised the list of single candidates for each of the wards in the two city corporations in Dhaka for the upcoming polls.

Several ward-level leaders have claimed to have sent single-candidate recommendations from their respective areas to the party’s central high command. But central leaders said the list of lone candidates to get official party backing was not final as of last evening.

On an average, more than five Awami League leaders have filed nomination papers from each of the wards under Dhaka North and South City Corporations.

There are allegations that without taking consent from peers, a number of presidents and secretaries of the party’s ward-level units have sent their names as the lone candidate from their areas.

According to sources, the party is looking to narrow down to the locally popular candidates with the cleanest of images. Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh has also reportedly collected intelligence on the local candidates.

Meanwhile, the ruling party starts electioneering for the polls today in Dhaka and Chittagong. Two committees, comprising around a hundred parliamentarians, have been formed and tasked with organising the campaigns in the two cities.

The lawmakers however have been asked to maintain passive presence in the campaigns so as to avoid violating the electoral code of conduct. l

Mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon exchanges greetings with people as part of his public relations efforts in the capital’s Paltan area at around 10am yesterday, more than 12 hours before the official start of canvassing period for the candidates SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Candidates officially start canvassing today n Munir Momtaj The momentum to the city polls in Dhaka and Chittagong is set to shift to a higher gear from today, as the candidates will finally get the official nod for launching their campaigns to woo voters.

SM Asaduzzaman, the Election Commission’s director for public relations, told journalists yesterday that according to the election rules, the candidates will be allowed to canvass in their respective constituencies until April 26, but would have to stop all campaigning 32 hours before voters head to cast ballots on April 28.

Election Commissioner Mohammad Shah Newaz said returning officers of the bifurcated Dhaka City Corporation have been directed to take necessary steps to enforce the electoral code of conduct among the candidates. The returning officers have been told to distribute their attention among all the candidates, instead of focusing on only individual contenders.

Talking to journalists at the EC office in Agargaon, he said magistrates have been appointed to monitor whether the candidates and their supporters were following the code of conduct.

The candidates have already been given the election manual and the electoral code of conduct, said Dhaka North City Corporation Returning Officer Md Shah Alam, adding that all those running for mayoral or councillor posts should know all the rules by now.

“We ordered all the officers-in-charge of police stations to strongly enforce the electoral code of conduct,” Shah Alam said, warning that anyone found violating the rules would be arrested by the police.

Despite the restrictions against starting election campaigns until April 7 along with the cautionary words from EC officials, many of the candidates and their supporters have long been active on social networking sites like Facebook to promote their campaigns.

Since the collection of nomination papers, posters of several mayoral and councillor aspirants were also seen on the walls of Dhaka, along with the walls of Facebook pages.

Sarwoer Alam, a metropolitan executive magistrate who leads a mobile court, said they were trying to prevent candidates from violating the electoral code of conduct.

“We have already led drives and fined several aspirants and supporters for the violation of electoral code and conduct,” he said.

Commenting on canvassing through social networking sites, Sarwoer said: “As campaigning on Facebook and other social media is the latest version of canvassing, that is why there is no specific rule to prevent their campaign.” l

Nasir skips addresses to avoid electoral code breach n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Awami League-backed mayoral candidate in Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) election AJM Nasir Uddin chose not to address two meetings yesterday in order to avoid the risk of violating electoral code of conduct.

He was supposed to deliver speeches at the view-exchange meetings organised by Young Engineers Forum and Sitkaunda Samity at Engineers Institute and the nearby Ladies Club in the city respectively, but left both the venues without doing so.

Election Commission officials said other

speakers at the meetings had sought votes for Nasir during their speeches which constituted violation of the code of conduct.

A team of five assistant returning officers and an executive magistrate arrived on the venues but Nasir left beforehand, said Assistant Returning Officer Shafiqur Rahman.

The officials seized banners and torn posters of the meetings which displayed Nasir’s photos. They also warned the fellow speakers against seeking votes for Nasir.

Shafiqur, in-charge of CCC poll media wing, said legal steps would be taken in this regard.

Nasir told the Dhaka Tribune that he did

not attend either of the meetings.

Besides, the Election Commission on Sunday fined CCC councillor aspirant Shafiqul Islam Tk50,000 for violating code of conduct.

He violated electoral code of conduct by arranging Mezban at his Shahidnagar residence around 7pm, said Md Abdul Baten, returning officer of CCC election.

Mezban is a traditional function in the port city where people are invited and entertained.

“Assistant returning officers, led by an executive magistrate, went to Shafiqul’s house after receiving the information and foiled the programme. He was then fined.” l

DT

4 NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

7,000 land offices to get security guards Experts from Russia to advise n on potato exports Tribune Report

n Abu Bakar Siddique A team of Russian phytosanitary specialists is due in Dhaka today to make recommendations to local potato exporters about how to meet international food safety requirements.

Anwar Faruque, additional secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, told the Dhaka Tribune that the team of four experts from Russia’s quarantine service will visit potato fields in Rangpur or Munshiganj, a food laboratory in Gazipur, and Chittagong’s port facilities during their four-day visit.

Russia, the second largest importer of potatoes from Bangladesh, took an interest in the Bangladesh market for the first time last fiscal year. But it has expressed concern over Brown Rot, a bacterial infection that afflicts potatoes, found in one of the shipments from Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi potato exports hit $34m last fiscal year, with Russia accounting for $9m and top buyer Malaysia taking in $13m of the tasty tubers.

Bangladesh’s response to Russian concerns about the quality of potato exports includes a Ministry of Agriculture initiative, which started this season, to use specially selected land to produce infection-free potatoes.

It wants farmers to cultivate potatoes only on land that is naturally washed by rainwater during the monsoons.

“The government plans to bring potato exporters under a common rule, directing them to contract directly with growers, to produce potatoes of high quality,” Anwar said.

Because crops produced without proper oversight could be infected, the practice of procuring export-bound potatoes from local farmers is being stopped, he said.

“The ministry hopes to foster professionalism in the potato export sector in particular and, more generally, throughout the agricultural export sector,” the additional secretary said.

Potato farmers have been getting better prices for their crops this year compared with the previous two years because of growing export demand.

Export Promotion Bureau statistics show a positive trend with exports rising by around 50% during the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, the average annual production of potatoes in the country is around 80 lakh tonnes against a local demand of around 50 lakh tonnes. l

One killed in police-shibir clash in Noakhali n Our Correspondent, Noakhali At least one person died and another injured in a clash between law enforcers and Shibir men in Noakhali’s Maijdi area yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Omar Faruk, 23, son of Nurul Amin of Kadir Hanif union of the Sadar upazila.

According to police sources, some activists of Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, brought out a flash procession and tried to vandalise vehicles upon hearing the verdict against Jamaat leader Kamaruzzaman.

At one point police opened fire to bring the situation under control. At that time two persons were injured.

Omar Faruk received injury to his head while Shibir activist Barkat Ullah Rakib, 20 was hit by a bullet.

When police took them to Noakhali General Hospital, duty doctor declared Omar Faruk dead.

Officer in-Charge of Sudharam police station Anwar Hossain claimed that Omar Faruk was injured in the head after falling on the street while trying to flee.

Police also detained another Shibir activist Rasel from the spot. l

The government has taken a decision to strengthen security of land offices all over the country by employing security guards for the 7,000 land offices in the country.

The decision came yesterday in an inter-ministerial meeting held at the land

ministry. Land Minister Shamshur Rahman Sharif presided over the meeting.

A land ministry official who attended the meeting said: “Ansar and VDP members will be providing security until the permanent security guards are recruited. The ministry will bear the interim cost of deploying the Ansar-VDP.” Land Ministry Secretary Shafiul Alam

said: “We also decided to take legal action against those involved in the arsons on land offices under the speedy trial act.”

Land Ministry sources said deputy commissioners from 14 districts sent reports to the ministry about arson attacks on land offices. At least 18 more incidents of arsony were reported from different areas. l

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NEWS 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

No action on PM’s directives for Energy Division n Aminur Rahman Rasel Nineteen directives given a year ago by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) have lain dormant for the 14 months since they were issued.

The prime minister issued the directives on February 6, 2014, in her capacity as minister for the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry during her first visit to her office at the ministry last year.

Ahead of Hasina’s second visit to her ministry office scheduled for April 9, a progress review is being undertaken by State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid who recently met with EMRD top officials, ministry sources said.

An Energy Division official, asking not to be named, said a lack of initiative by Petrobang-

la, BAPEX, BPC and Energy Division officials caused the prime minister’s directives to remain unexecuted.

The directives include setting up the second unit of Eastern Refinery Limited – scheduled to be completed by June 2016, building the country’s first floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) – popularly known as an LNG terminal and installing Single Point Mooring to supply fuel to the refinery.

Hasina also called for an energy action plan for Bangladesh’s bid to achieve middle-income status by 2021 and developed country status by 2041. She asked for high technology interventions to minimise environmental damage before finalising the nation’s coal policy and for a rehabilitation plan for families displaced by coal mining.

The implementation of a project on LNG imports and the construction of a pipeline

from the planned offshore terminal in West Bengal, India were also called for by the premier.

The prime minister had asked for pre-paid gas meters to be installed to decrease resource waste, the distribution of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at affordable prices and the increase of public and private LPG production.

She called for gas exploration and production companies’ capabilities to be enhanced, increasing the gas development fund to reduce ADP allocation, revitalising Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited’s capacity and using foreign currency reserves to develop the energy sector.

Hasina called for a pipeline to be constructed to transport fuel oil from a terminal of Numaligarh Refinery Ltd in India to a Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation depot in Parbatipur, Dinajpur.

Efforts to establish regional cooperation among neighbouring countries to import primary energy, to increase the activity of the Geological Survey of Bangladesh and to lease foreign coal fields to run coal-fired power plants also featured in the list of the prime minister’s directives.

“These instructions are very important for the energy sector. If they are not implemented, energy security will be hampered. Those who are liable for the delay should be held responsible,” Professor Ijaz Hossain of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid did not respond to telephone calls or emails, despite several attempts by the Dhaka Tribune, to obtain his comments on the matter. l

Khaleda visits Koko’s grave n Tribune Report BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia visited the grave of her son Arafat Rahman Koko at Dhaka’s Banani Graveyard yesterday, for the first time since he was buried there in January.

After securing bail from corruption charges and returning home from her office in Gulshan, where she had been holed up since January 3, the three-time former premier visited Koko’s grave with her family members and party colleagues.

Reaching the graveyard at 5:50pm, Khaleda burst into tears, while her sister-in-law Kaniz Fatema, wife of Khaleda’s brother Shamim Iskandar, was seen consoling her.

The BNP chief also recited the holy Qur’an at the grave and offered prayers for around 12 minutes. Before leaving, she was seen touching her son’s grave.

Koko, the younger son of Khaleda and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, died of cardiac arrest in Malaysia on January 24. His body was returned home on January 27 and buried at Banani graveyard.

Unlike his elder brother Tarique, Koko remained largely aloof from politics. l

One to die for killing Narayanganj trader n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal yesterday awarded death penalty to a man and life term to four other people for killing sand trader Kabir Hossain in Narayangaj on August 1, 2011.

The death sentence was given to Hasnat while four others – Raju, Rahima Begum, Saju, and Habibullah Habu – received lifetime imprisonment. The court also fined Tk10,000 each, in default, to suffer one more year in prison.

Judge ABM Nizamul Haque of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 pronounced the verdict.

According to case documents, the convicts killed Kabir outside his house over previous feud. The victim’s wife Jahanara Begum filed the case two days after the murder. l

BNP chief Khaleda Zia breaks down at the grave of her son Arafat Rahman Koko in Banani graveyard, Dhaka yesterday. This was her first visit to Koko’s grave since he was buried there on January 27 as she stayed in her Gulshan office from January 3 until Sunday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

No evidence of rape against Rubel n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu Police have submitted final report in a rape case filed by actress Naznin Akter Happy say seeking acquittal of national cricketer Rubel Hossain.

Tejgaon Victim Support Centre Inspector Halima Khatun, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the report to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

The official mentioned that they had found no evidence of rape during investigation in the case. So Rubel could be acquitted.

Rubel’s counsel Moniruzzaman Asad said the cricketer would appear before the court during the next hearing on April 13 and seek exemption.

Happy filed the case under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 with Mirpur police on December 13 last year.

According to section 9 (1) of the Act, whoever has sexual intercourse without lawful marriage with a woman by fraud, shall be said to commit rape. It states anyone commits the offence shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for life and with fine.

The case says Rubel told Happy that they would marry and had an affair that included physical relations for nine months. The couple was together as recently as December 1.

Happy, the heroine of “Kichhu Asha Kichhu Bhalobasa,” said: “We had an affair and he used me.”

After filing of the case, police collected some samples from Rubel’s residence and sent those to the Criminal Investigation Department laboratory.

Earlier, the Forensic Department of Dhaka Medical College said Happy had not been raped in the recent time. l

WB to help govt strengthen NID system

n Tribune Report A total of 90 million Smart NID (national identification) cards will be delivered to the country’s citizens under the Identification system for Enhanced Access to services (IDEA) Project.

The World Bank is supporting the government in strengthening the NID system through the $195 million IDEA project to establish a secure and reliable NID system in Bangladesh for efficient, inclusive and transparent service delivery, said a World Bank media release yesterday.

The project will produce and deliver 90 million Smart NID cards with robust security features to the Bangladeshi citizens. The Election Commission signed a contract in January 2015 for production of the smart NID cards.

The production of Smart NID cards is expected to start by June 30. l

DT

6 NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Moncho to continue sit-in until Kamaruzzaman’s execution n Arif Ahmed

Gonojagoron Moncho brings out a procession in the capital’s Shahbagh area yesterday demanding quick execution of the death penalty against Jamaat leader Kamaruzzaman RAJIB DHAR

Police adopt zero tolerance policy against drug abuse n Tribune Report

The police have decided to adopt zero tolerance policy against any kind of drug abuse in the country.

This decision came in a directive made after a quarterly Crime Conference (January-March 2015) at the Police Headquarters yesterday with the Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque in chair.

The IGP ordered police officials to involve civilians through community policing to build social awareness against drug abuse.

In the conference the IGP also praised the police for their restless effort towards maintaining law and order in the country and ordered them to remain as alert as they are now.

In the conference terrorism issues, women oppression, road accidents and other criminal activities were discussed alongside security aspects of the three city corporation polls, and Pakistan cricket team visit to Bangladesh.

The IGP specially emphasised on security measures during Pohela Boishakh celebration throughout the country.

Bangladesh police academy Principal Additional IGP Naeem Ahmed, Additional IGP of Special Branch of police Dr Md Zabed Patwary, Additional IGP of CID Sheikh Himayet Hossain, and all heads of different police unit including Metropolitan Police Commissioners and DIGs were present in the conference. l

Real-time online billing service launched by Dhaka Wasa attendance. n Tribune Report Using this service, Dhaka Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) has inaugurated their Real-time Online Billing service, through which customers will receive instant confirmation after paying their bills.

Partnering with the National Bank Limited (NBL), Dhaka Wasa inaugurated the service yesterday at Wasa Bhaban in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, with its Managing Director Taqsem A Khan and NBL Managing Director Shamsul Huda Khan in

Wasa customers can pay their water and sewer bills at various NBL branches and will instantly receive confirmation message on their mobile phones, said a press release issued by Dhaka Wasa’s Public Information Department.

Besides, customers can also pay their bills through SMS as well as credit cards, Dhaka Wasa MD Taqsem said.

The ceremony was also attended by high-ups of both the organisations. l

Gonojagoron Moncho organised a sit-in program in the capital’s Shahbagh yesterday, demanding the quick implementation of the death penalty that was handed over to war criminal Muhammad Kamaruzzaman in May, 2013.

Moncho spokesperson Imran H Sarker said: “We will stay at Shahbagh untill Kamaruzzaman’s execution as there is no bar to execute him now.” “We demand its implementation soon,” he added.

Meanwhile, welcoming the Supreme Court verdict, activists of Gonojagoron Moncho brought out a joyous rally in Shahbagh in the afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of condemned war criminal Muhammad Kamaruzzaman for killing 144 villagers at Sohagpur village in Sherpur during the Liberation War. Kamaruzzaman’s lawyers filed the petition on March 5 seeking review of the death penalty upheld by the Appellate Division on November 3 last year.

The International Crimes Tribunal 2 had sentenced the alBadr leader to death on May 9, 2013 for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. l

DT

NEWS 7

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Two siblings kidnapped from Dhaka found dead in Gazipur n Tribune Report Two minor siblings, who were allegedly kidnapped from Badda area in the capital on Saturday, were found dead at Bhawal National Park yesterday.

The deceased were identified as Obaidullah, 7, and Nazmul Hasan, 5, sons of Shamsul Haque residing in Badda area of the capital and hailing from Nandail in Mymensingh district.

Some woodcutters spotted the bodies of the two minor siblings lying in the deep forest of the park in the morning and informed the park authorities who latter approached police.

On information, a team of police, led by sub-inspector of Hotapara police camp Rafiqul Islam, recovered the bodies and sent those to Shaheed Tajuddin Medical College Hospital.

Police suspected that miscreants strangulated the boys to death sometime on Sunday night and dumped the bodies in the jungle.

Quoting family members, the police officer said one of their relatives kidnapped Obaidullah and Nazmul from Dhaka two days ago. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

TUESDAY, APRIL 7 DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:16PM

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:45AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

32

24

Chittagong

32

24

Rajshahi

32

22

Rangpur

31

22

Khulna

32

22

Barisal

32

23

Sylhet

31

20

Cox’s Bazar

31

24

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

32.8ºC Khepupara

18.2ºC Sylhet Source: Accuweather/UNB

Hujrapur High School in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi lies in complete shambles after a nor’wester wreaked havoc on the area last Saturday. The tin roofs sheltering the school office room and seven classrooms, made of mud and bamboo, were blown away damaging the interior. Though students showed up, no classes were held. The photo was taken yesterday AZHAR UDDIN

Road to Koira a death trap n Our Correspondent, Khulna The lone highway connecting Koira upazila at far south in Khulna to the city 100km away has returned to its dilapidated state after it was repaired two years back.

The Roads and Highways Department repaired the highway in 2012, but the pitch carpeting started eroding before the year turned.

The road from Chadali area to Koira is in worst condition, with the 15 kilometres of Koira section of the road peppered with large potholes and severely eroded road surfaces.

People using the road regularly are going through endless suffering with the risk of accidents increasing everyday in the Koira, Paikgacha, Tala, Dumuria areas. Buses, trucks, motorcycles, and other public transports ply this road with the potential of accidents looming large all the time.

Abdul Hye of Doara village in Koira said: “We have to go through this rough ride all the time. There is an alternate route, but the cost goes up a lot to travel the additional 7-8 kilometres.”

Bus driver Mominul Islam said: “There is always a risk of accident when driving on this route. I have to be very careful and drive slow to avoid injuries to passengers and damage to the vehicle.”

Abu Syed Biswas, general secretary of Matsya Cooperative Society in Koira upazila, said: “Every year we deliver crores of taka worth fish to Khulna city from Koira and Paikgacha.

Those fish are distributed in the country and exported abroad. We are having to use this risky unusable road for the sake of business.

We see no effective measures being taken to repair this road.”

Koira Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Shamim Hasan said: “The issue was taken to the attention of RHD authorities but that went in vain.”

When contacted, the divisional RHD Executive Engineer Md Woliul Hossain said: “Repair work up to the Paikgacha area is underway and close to being finished. A demand note for repairs of the Koira section has been sent but the work cannot be started as the required funding did not come.” l

2 JCD men held for supplying bombs n Kamrul Hasan Police arrested two activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) yesterday with explosives and other bomb making materials from the capital’s Shahidnagar area in Lalbagh.

The arrestees were Belal Hossain, 22, and Al Resalaat, 24. The two were students of different institutes in Dhaka and both hailed from Barisal.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Lalbagh) Mohammad Mofiz Uddin Ahmed said acting a tip-off, police conducted a drive at a residence owned by Atiqur Rahman in the morning and seized 27 crude bombs, 3.5kg of gun powder, 1.7kg of explosives, 950 grams of potassium, he added.

Terming them as criminals, DCP Mofiz Uddin said the two students used to sell the bombs to anyone who required it. Police have already gathered information about their customers from their messaging history on the social networking website Facebook, he said adding that: “Some shocking information were found while checking the Facebook messages of them.”

The duo were arrested in connection with a case filed on March 19 following the recovery of huge explosives from the residence of Bangladesh Jubo Dal Central Committee Joint General Secretary Mir Newaz Ali in Lalbagh. l

Waterlogging interrupts life in Chittagong PRAYER TIMES Fajr

4:28am

Sunrise

5:44am

Zohr

12:01am

Asr

4:30pm

Magrib

6:17pm

Esha

7:34pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

The low-lying areas of Chittagong city were submerged in knee-deep water yesterday following a storm and day-long rain, disrupting the regular day-to-day activities of the city-dwellers.

The downpour started in the morning, along with a hailstorm, and continued until evening, with some intervals in between, sources at the Chittagong divisional met office said, adding that the weather might re-

main unchanged today.

The met office recorded 45.6mm of rainfall in last 24 hours until 6pm yesterday, Mirza Nilufar Jahan, duty forecast officer at the met office, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The low-lying areas in the port city, particularly Bakalia, Nasirabad, Patenga, Dewanbazar, Chawkbazar, Agrabad, Halishahar, Kapasgola, Chandgaon, Shulakbahar, Enayet Bazar, Boropol, Muradpur, Sholoshahar, Bahaddarhat and Probartak intersection, went under water due to the heavy rain, causing

sufferings to the residents of those areas.

Motor vehicles were hardly seen in those areas, and a few rickshaws and vans were available on the streets.

Commuters, greatly outnumbering the transports, had to wade through water from overflowing roadside drains in order to reach their destinations.

However, the rain caused little disruption to the activities at Chittagong sea port, and loading and uploading of goods went as usual, port sources said. l

DT

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Panchagarh passport office a den of corruption n

Our Correspondent, Panchagarh

Panchagarh passport office, which is situated right next to the deputy commissioner’s building, has turned into a den of corruption.

Each applicant must pay at least Tk1,000 bribe to get a passport done at the passport office. Otherwise they are routinely harassed and their applications are delayed.

Applicants alleged that Al Amin, the night guard of the office, had been extorting money in the name of issuing passports quickly.

Finding no other alternatives, applicants submitted a written complaint against Al Amin to the Panchagarh deputy commissioner.

In the statement, applicants said Al Amin

had been taking bribe by introducing himself as the outsourcing assistant of the office.

One such victim, Srikanta Barman of Boda upazila’s Benghari Bonogram union, said: “I submitted an application on March 24. Al Amin took Tk2,500 from me to prepare all the necessary papers, including the police verification.”

“However, when I went there on April 5, he again demanded Tk1,500 more,” he added.

Jasemin Akter of Mareya union and Sheuli Akter of Raseya union also made the same allegation.

“He asked money from me to prepare my papers. When I denied to pay, he tried to obstruct my application. So I had to pay the

money but still I did not get any date for my passport delivery,” said Jasemin.

Al Amin took Tk1,000 from Jasemin on April 5 and Tk2,500 from Sheuli on March 30.

Panchargarh police was informed of the written complaint on April 5 and a team led by Sub-Inspector Aminul Haq visited the passport office.

Assistant Director of the passport office Md Abdul Mottaleb acknowledged the written complaint and said he would take action against Al Amin.

When contacted, accused Al Amin said all the officials of the passport office would get a portion of the bribe money and urged to take action against all. l

Flights on DhakaJessore route resumes n Our Correspondent, Jessore

After over eight years, flight on the Dhaka-Jessore route started operation yesterday.

Although flights of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines will not operate on the route, flights of three operators – United Air, Novo Air and US-Bangla – will run on the route.

Mohammad Shahjahan, manager of the Jessore airport, told the Dhaka Tribune that a flight had landed the airport around 8pm with 35 passengers. Later, a function was held on the occasion.

State Minister for Public Works Ministry Ismat Ara Sadek was present at the function as chief guest.

Lawmaker Kazi Nabil Ahmed and government high officials were also present at the programme.

Now, a flight will run on the route a day, said Mohammad Shahjahan, adding that later the number will be increased in phases. The flight is supposed to take off from Dhaka airport at 6:15pm and land at Jessore airport at 6:40pm.

Prices of the air ticket is fixed from Tk3,500 to Tk5,500.

Executive Officer of US-Bangla Air told the Dhaka Tribune that they would try their best to ensure quality services to passengers.

Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Rahsed Khan Menon visited the district a few months back. Then, leaders of Jessore Chamber of Commerce and Industry requested the minister to take measures to resume flight on the route. Then, the minister assured them of taking measures to resume flight on the route.

Flight on the Dhaka-Jssore route was suspended in April, 2007 due to huge loss. l

Robber ringleader killed in gunfight with police n Our Correspondent, Khulna Boro farmers of Barind area in Rajshahi are hopeful of bumper crops this year. The picture shows a farmer cleans the canal of his filed in Kakon area yesterday so that the plants can get water properly AZAHAR UDDIN

Youth hacked to death Nor’wester lashes 3 districts while trying to violate Hossain, 45, resident of the Bogaiya Hawor n Tribune Report village of the area. woman In Jhenaidah, a nor’wester swept over 35 Nor’wester coupled with rain swept over villages in Shailakupa upazila early yesterday, Kushtia, Sylhet and Jhenaidah yesterday and n Our Correspondent, Barguna leaving at least 20 people injured and damaging killed three people.

A housewife hacked a youth to death at Chardanga village under Sadar upazila yesterday while he was trying to harass her sexually.

Monowara Begum, a mother of two children and wife of Abu Taleb, said Shahid Gazi,29,son of Gazi Chan Mian used to disturb her when she took her son to school.

At night, he entered in her house breaking open the door and tried to harass her sexually while her husband was staying in Dhaka.

At one stage, she hacked him with a chopper.

Local UP chairman Md Hemayet Uddin Khan said relatives of Abu Taleb rescued him from the side of a pond behind the house and sent him to Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead. l

In Kushtia, two people – Neherunnesa,50, wife of Sohrab Fakir, a resident of Baghdanga village and Ramela Khatun, 70, a resident of Dargapara village of Sadar upazila – died as roofs of their thatched houses fell on them.

Locals said Neherunnesa died as a tin sheet of her house fell collapsed over her amid the hailstorm in Sadar upazila around 3:30 am.

On the other hand, Ramela died from fear during the hailstorm around 4am, according to local people.

Besides, many houses were damaged and trees and electric poles uprooted by the storm.

In Sylhet, a farmer was killed in a lighting strike in Gowainghat upazila.

The deceased was identified as Motaher

500 houses and 5,000 birds of different species.

The affected villages include under Tribeni, Mirzapur, Diknagar, Kacherkol, Sarutia, Hakimpur, Monohorpur, Basontopur, Katlagari, Boalia, Ratonpur, Moukori and Shailakupa pourashabha.

Of the injured, nine have taken first aid from different clinics while 11 have taken admission at Shailakupa Health Complex. Abdus Salam, a farmer of Moukori village said: “Paddy on my two bighas of land have been damaged.”

He added that around 5,000 birds of different species died due to inclement weather.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sandip Kumar Sarkar said the storm destroyed crops on thousands bighas of land. l

An alleged ringleader of a forest robber gang was killed in a gunfight with police in Swarankhola Bazar area of Swarankhola upazila near the Sundarbans early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Billal Hossain Farazi, 45, son of Khoka Farazi of North Saralia village of Morelganj upazila and head of Billal Bahini, a forest robber gang of the upazila.

Swarankhola police station Officer-inCharge Md Rezaul Karim said on a tip-off, a team of joint force conducted a drive when the robber gang was staying at an abandoned garden in Panirghat area of the upazila.

Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the robbers opened fire at them, forcing the team to retaliate that triggering a gunfight.

The ‘gunfight’ lasted for about half an hour, leaving Billal dead on the spot and another robber gang member Farhad bullet wounded in his right leg.

However, other members of the robber gang except the dead one managed to flee the scene by a trawler.

Three police personnel were also injured in the gunfight.

Later, police recovered a double-barrel gun, a gun, a night shooter and 500 bullets from the spot. l

DT

LONG FORM 9

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Why Ayaan Hirsi Ali is wrong n Samrat Choudhury

A

nother blogger was hacked to death in Bangladesh for being critical of Islam. Elsewhere, a huge debate has been ongoing over an article by American author Ayaan Hirsi Ali that called for a reformation in Islam.

The subject of freedom of speech in the context of criticism of religion, which had come to global centre-stage with the attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo, is very much in the news around the world.

It is a very difficult topic to speak about without offending someone or the other.

However, it is necessary to make the effort, because a rational discussion on the complex issue is better than allowing the discourse to be hijacked by extremist loonies outraging at one another.

Living in India, a country with all the world’s major religions and hundreds of languages, one learns sooner or later that as far as possible you have to let people decide their own issues for themselves. If there is a question internal to Islam, then it is for Muslims to decide which way they want to go.

Hindus, Christians, and the rest are better off solving their own problems. Atheists such as Hirsi Ali, by definition, are also outside the faith. They are critics of religion per se, and therefore are not in a position of empathy with believers.

Their hostile positions are unlikely to help spark any move towards reform. On the contrary, such hostility would provoke more believers to rally under the banners of their faiths, to which their identities are usually linked by the accident of birth.

If the desire for change comes from within, then some practices can change with time. For instance, the Hindu practice of burning widows at the funeral pyres of their dead husbands came to an end due to a combination of reform movements within Hinduism (led by Hindus such as Raja RamMohun Roy) and British policy which backed the reformers.

This change did not involve writing a new edition of the Bhagwad Gita or the Upanishads, and did not tamper with any article of faith central to the religion. However it was a practice that the orthodox resisted changing, because that is what the orthodox do.

They resist change for no better reason than to keep things the way they are.

It is conceivable that change may be for the better, or the worse, and all decisions are not easy. Some decisions, such as deciding not to burn widows upon the death of their husbands, are however relatively easy for rational adult human minds.

Some others may be quite hard. We cannot peer into the future and see how our decisions will play out over the years. Something that seems like a good idea today may prove, in the course of time, to be a very bad one.

Similarly, something that most of us today consider a terrible idea may, turn out later to be a stroke of genius.

Is it a good idea for society to run wholly according to religious writ? Probably not, if the history of the world is anything to go by.

The quality of human lives has improved in many measurable ways over the centuries,

thanks to the advances of science.

The basis of science is not faith, but doubt.

Its attitude is to question everything, including the divine rights of priests and kings.

From those questions we have built a world more prosperous than anything our ancestors knew or even imagined.

Invading countries and killing people, and then blaming their religion for the backlash, is not the best way to spread sweetness and light

However, we seem to have lost some things in the bargain. The comfortable certainties of older times, the cocoon of family and community, the mental and emotional stability that comes from being rooted, are gone. We have lost our connection with the earth and with nature.

We have even lost our sense of time. It is now a commodity, like our work. We buy it and sell it; time is money. So is space. Look at property prices. Land is money. Every element and compound is money. Gold, of course, but look at water. If it is packed in the right bottle it can be quite expensive too.

Only the air awaits reduction into money.

I am sure some clever economist or MBA must be working on a way to monetise every breath we take.

This is not an ideal world. If it were an ideal world then there would not be so many unhappy people. Not all unhappy people are dirt poor. From anecdotal evidence and experience, it would seem that many of them are at least middle class by the standards of their own societies.

And there have been instances of some of the richest and most famous people in the world committing suicide or dying quite miserable deaths. It is therefore by no means clear that the liberal, consumerist modern world that we have built is the best of possible worlds. Only the Panglossian would think that all that has befallen our lives and world are for the best, or that this is the best of possible worlds.

Questions about this world of proliferating universal access to Big Macs and Single Income No Kids homes are therefore not out of place. Unfortunately, the questions are drowned in the fury of those who have suffered the worst of Western hegemony in the past 100 years. This is the peoples of formerly colonised lands, particularly in the Middle East, parts of South Asia and North Africa.

Here, the experience of colonialism is being repeated anew. A lot of what is wrongly characterised as a problem with Islam is probably a result of colonial and neocolonial policies and Cold War geo-politics. US President Barack Obama has had the good grace to say that ISIS is a direct outgrowth of al-Qaeda in Iraq which grew out of the US invasion of that country.

The Taliban, too, would probably not exist without the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and the Cold War rivalry that led the US to

support the very people they have been fighting since 9/11.

Going further back, colonialism created structures and hierarchies that excluded those who did not adopt the cultures and mannerisms of the colonisers. This is evident through the formerly colonised world to this day.

Western languages and ways of dress have implicit superiority attached to them. The hierarchy is internalised by those who are excluded just as it is by those who benefit from it.

We cannot understand the confused anger of the excluded if we do not look at it in its structural and historical dimensions.

Nor is it possible to set things right by insisting, even now, that the fault lies wholly with the peoples who have been oppressed, and is rooted in their cultures or holy books.

The textual and the actual often differ. This is true even for religions of the book, and accounts for the great diversity in practices within faiths such as Islam and Christianity.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has divorced herself from her roots and is an apostate to her faith, should at least acknowledge that the position of those seeking reform in the Muslim world might be strengthened to a considerable extent if injustice and inequality at the structural and geo-political level were addressed.

That would allow religious cultural practices to evolve in peace to meet the requirements of survival in the modern technological world. Invading countries and killing people, and then blaming their religion for the backlash, is not the best way to spread sweetness and light. l Samrat Choudhury is an editor and author based in Mumbai.

DT

10 WORLD

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Kenya strikes al-Shabab in Somalia after Garissa attack n Agencies

Kenya’s military has launched air strikes against al-Shabab bases in Somalia following an attack on a Kenyan university that killed 148 people.

Colonel David Obonyo, a military spokesman, said yesterday that warplanes had attacked positions of the al-Shabab group on Sunday afternoon and early yesterday morning.

Al-Shabab, which is based in Somalia, claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack

on the Garissa University College campus in northeastern Kenya.

After besieging the university, the alShabab gunmen lined up non-Muslim students before executing them in the armed group’s bloodiest attack to date.

The attack claimed the lives of 142 students, three police officers and three soldiers.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday pledged that the attackers would face justice for the “mindless slaughter” and vowed to retaliate for the killings in the “severest way.”

Yesterday’s air strikes were not the first launched by Kenya against al-Shabab targets.

In June last year, Kenyan fighter jets attacked two bases belonging to al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, killing at least 80 of them, according to African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops deployed there.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), whose soldiers launched a new offensive against al-Shabab last year, said the Kenyan jets carried out the raids on Anole and Kuday in Somalia’s southern Lower Jubba region. l

French free Dutch hostage in Mali

n AFP, Paris French special forces yesterday rescued a Dutch national kidnapped nearly four years ago in northern Mali by AQIM Islamists in an operation that killed a number of suspected jihadists, officials said.

France’s defence ministry said Dutch hostage Sjaak Rijke, kidnapped in Timbuktu in November 2011, was freed during “military action carried out by the French army’s special forces.”

“This combat action has also led to the capture of several individuals,” added the ministry. l

Netanyahu seeks better deal on Iran; Obama says it is best hope on nuclear issue n Reuters, Washington

Jewish men draped in prayer shawls perform the Cohanim prayer (priest’s blessing) during the Pesach (Passover) holiday at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem yesterday. Thousands of Jews make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem during the eight-day Pesach holiday, which commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt some 3,500 years ago and their plight by refraining from eating leavened food products AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the United States on Sunday to seek a better deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program and said he would press American lawmakers not to give Tehran “a free path to the bomb.”

President Barack Obama, hoping to sway skeptics at home and abroad to get behind the framework agreement struck on Thursday between world powers and Iran, defended the deal as the best hope to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Obama, whose relations with Netanyahu have frayed badly over the Iran issue, sought to assure Israelis he understands their concerns. They should know “there is no formula, there is no option, to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon that will be more effective than the diplomatic initiative and

framework that we put forward - and that’s demonstrable,” he said in an interview with The New York Times published on Sunday. (http://nyti.ms/1IhMLSS) The Israeli prime minister has been strongly critical of the deal struck on Thursday in Switzerland, saying it threatens the survival of Israel. Netanyahu said he has spoken with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress - nearly two thirds of House of Representatives members and a similar number in the US Senate - about the Iran nuclear issue.

In appearances on US television on Sunday, Netanyahu did not repeat his assertion on Friday that any final agreement should include a commitment by Iran recognising Israel’s right to exist.

But, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” program, he said of the deal, “This is not a partisan issue. This is not solely an Israeli issue. l

Iraq PM says will cooperate with Kurds to liberate Nineveh

Syrian Islamists exchange 25 women and children prisoners for commander

Abbas threatens to turn to ICC over frozen tax monies

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the Baghdad government would work with Kurdish authorities to liberate the northern province of Nineveh from Islamic State militants.

During his first visit to the Kurdistan region since becoming Prime Minister last year, Abadi said Baghdad and Erbil faced a common enemy and would improve ties to help confront the threat.

“Our visit to Erbil today is to coordinate and cooperate on a joint plan to liberate the people of Nineveh,” Abadi said at a joint news conference with Kurdish President Massoud Barzani yesterday.

Abadi declined to lay out a timetable for the plan to retake Nineveh, of which Mosul is capital, in order not to lose the “element of surprise.”

The trip comes less than a week after Islamic State militants were driven out of the city of Tikrit by Iraqi forces including Shi’ite militia, backed by coalition air strikes. l

Islamist militants and fighters loyal to the Syrian government have made a rare prisoner swap, with insurgents releasing 25 women and children in exchange for one of their commanders, a monitoring group said yesterday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 children and 15 women were kidnapped by insurgents more than a year ago from Shi’ite towns in northern Aleppo province.

The deal was between the militant Islamist Jaish al-Mujahideen and pro-government militia, it said, and mediated by Kurdish fighters known as Popular Protection Units (YPG).

Syrian state media did not mention the exchange, and government officials were not immediately available for comment yesterday.

“The women and children were kidnapped between a year and 18 months ago and held by different rebels,” Observatory head Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters by phone. “They were handed to Jaish al-Mujahideen to use in an exchange.” l

n AFP, Ramallah

n Reuters, Baghdad

n Reuters, Beirut

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas threatened Sunday to turn to the International Criminal Court over Israel’s refusal to fully release hundreds of millions of dollars in tax monies owed to the Palestinian Authority.

In early January, Israel froze the monthly transfer of funds it collects on behalf of the PA as a punitive measure after the Palestinians moved to join the ICC. But on Friday, Israel agreed to release the funds after deducting debts due for electricity, water and medical services.

Speaking Sunday, Abbas confirmed that two thirds of the money had been transferred.

“They said they were going to send the money and in the end they did, but a third of it was deducted – why?” he asked during a speech in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

“Now we have a new file to take to the ICC, first there was the (summer) war in Gaza,

then there was the settlements and now the Palestinian leadership is considering presenting this issue to the court in due time.”

The Palestinians would not accept anything but the full amount, he said.

“We will not take the money until we get all of it: either you give us the full amount or we go to the ICC.” When the announcement was made on Friday, Israel did not say how much money would be transferred nor whether it would resume the normal monthly payment of around $127m in customs duties.

The move comes after heavy international pressure on Israel to release the monthly funds, which account for two-thirds of the Palestinians’ annual budget, excluding foreign aid.

A source close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told AFP Sunday that “a portion of the money” had indeed been transferred to the Palestinian Authority but it was sent back. l

DT

WORLD 11

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Why ban only on slaughter of cows and bulls? n Agencies Asking the Maharashtra government why animals like goats do not figure in its ban on cattle slaughter, the Bombay high court yesterday mooted a licence policy by which import of meat of cows and bulls slaughtered outside the state can be permitted.

A division bench of justice VM Kanade and AR Joshi was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging a provision under section 5 (d) of the recently amended Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act which bans possession and consumption of meat of animals like cows and bulls.

According to the petitions, the flesh of these animals, if slaughtered outside Maharashtra, should be allowed inside the state.

“Why has the state banned only cows, bulls and bullocks? What about other animals like goat?” the bench asked.

To this, advocate general Sunil Manohar said the government was considering it. “This is just the start (banning of cows, bulls and bullocks). We may consider banning slaughter of other animals too. As of now the state felt it was necessary to protect cows, bulls and bullocks,” he said.

“Section 5 (d) of the Act which is under challenge does not prohibit slaughter of cattle outside the state. Why should a person be prevented to eat or possess beef that has been slaughtered outside? Indirectly you (government) are prohibiting slaughter of animals outside the state too,” justice Kanade said. l

India to strike own path in climate battle

Indonesia court rejects death row Australians’ appeal

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signaled yesterday he would not bow to foreign pressure to commit to cuts in carbon emissions, instead pledging to use more clean energy and traditional methods to lead the fight against climate change.

India, the world’s No.3 emitter of greenhouse gases, has come under pressure to tackle its rapidly rising emissions since the United States and China committed last November to start cutting their own emissions after a “peak year.”

United Nations climate talks will be held in Paris later this year to look at ways to limit a damaging rise in global temperatures. l

n Reuters, Jakarta

n Reuters, New Delhi

An Indonesian court rejected yesterday a lastditch challenge by two Australian drug convicts facing execution by firing squad, but lawyers for the state and defense were divided over whether legal avenues remained for them to avoid the death penalty. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were convicted in 2006 as the ringleaders of a plot to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.

They had both challenged the Jakarta administrative court’s decision not to hear an appeal against President Joko Widodo’s refusal to grant them clemency. l

DT

12 EDITORIAL

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Open door to dialogue

Be heard

W

e call on the government and BNP to take the move by Khaleda Zia out of her party office as an opportunity to actively begin constructive dialogue.

Violence arising out of the BNP-backed blockades and hartals over the past three months, has caused the deaths of over one hundred people and inflicted needless damage on the economy.

Both sides should avoid the temptation to indulge in point-scoring about responsibility for the political deadlock which lies behind the disruption. Both sides share the blame for exacerbating the dispute with petty dramas which have seen utilities to the BNP office mysteriously cut and restored and the BNP constantly shifting the goalposts.

Peaceful dialogue on the key issue of the timetable for future national elections is the only way out of their deadlock. Prolonging the dispute would only set back the hopes for the sensible resolution which the public desperately demands. Both parties and the nation as a whole would benefit from a softening of their stances.

The government owes it to the public to aid the perceived relaxation of the BNP’s blockade in Dhaka and Chittagong further by opening up genuine democratic space for the BNP to participate in peaceful politics.

We are not out of the woods yet. Jamaat’s call for a new hartal shows it will continue to agitate on its agenda.

The leaders of the nation’s two largest parties owe it to the country to seize the chance offered by the BNP’s moves, to open dialogue to bring a long term resolution which ends political instability.

Take the chance for talks to bring long-term stability

Reward the brave bystanders

A

small but nonetheless tangible degree of comfort can be taken from the fact that when Oyasiqur Rahman was brutally murdered, he was not left unaided by ordinary members of the public.

Local shopkeepers and bystanders raised the alarm when he was attacked and two of his three killers were apprehended by three transgendered beggars nearby.

We applaud the bravery and quick thinking of all the bystanders who helped to catch and swiftly bring the attackers before the police. They should all be officially acknowledged and thanked. Their successful intervention on an ordinary Dhaka street contrasts sharply with the failure of police outside the well protected Ekushey book fair, to stop or catch the assailants who murdered Avijit Roy in February.

In addition to showing courage, the bystanders demonstrated respect for the law by peacefully handing over the suspects. Their example should be held up to shame the many instances we see in our country of mobs and unofficial committees taking the law into their own hand.

It is welcome that the trans gendered persons involved have now unveiled their identities to the media. Had they chosen to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, this would be understandable.

By choosing to come forward, they not only give society a chance to thank them for bringing Oyasiqur’s cruel murderers before the law. They also send a message that the public will not be cowed by the fear and hatred which the killers and those who stand beside them, wish to generate.

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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March 25 should be International Genocide Day March 25

it a crime to deny the Bangladesh Genocide. When the 93,000 war criminals who went back to Pakistan are hanged. When Pakistanis pays reparations for the 50 years of what it did as compensation. When 10 million Pakistanis are killed.

Then it can be let go.

TripAura Oh not this again! The Pakistani army did terrible things, and guess what, they lost.

We’ve got enough national days and the UN has a Holocaust day. Live and let live a little why don’t you? imzy TripAura: When March 25 is International Holocaust Day. When the Pakistani government and every single country in the world has recognised the genocide and Pakistan has apologised for it. When countries make

Sammy TripAura: Don’t worry too much about it; this is just another craven attempt by an employee of the regime to look “more Catholic than the Pope.” Typical “rhetoric over substance” approach of the kultukampfists ... obsessed with the past instead of actually making this very hard-earned independence count for something in concrete, real terms by improving the standards of living.

Dev Saha Enough of these of these international days.

It will trivialise the gravity of the crime.

DT BNP calls 48-hour hartal from Monday March 29

Meera Sal And they’re back.

The erosion of civic-mindedness and the demoralisation of a generation March 29

Google Doodle marks Independence Day of Bangladesh March 26

Tasnuva Love it!

Himel Hossain Tasnuva: Hey … you are good looking!

They show the public will not be cowed by fear and hatred

Dreampie Himel Hossain: You’re not half-bad looking either, sailor.

Tasnuva Himel Hossain: Dude. -_Ovi AU Exactly.

Khaleda absent from National Mausoleum March 27 M Sirajullah Bravo! A person claiming to be the ex-PM of a country does not have any feelings for the country. What a wonderful nation! This is only possible in Bangladesh.

Selim Muhammad Tasnuva: Me too. :) Himel Hossain I love the logo. salmachowdhury The green and red Google logo is very beautiful.

MA Taher Tutul Thanks Google. We like it!

DT

OPINION 13

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

The end of times? n Faruque Hasan

T

o the chagrin of hardliners in the USA, Iran, and Israel, the leading world powers and Iran have reached an agreement on a nuclear deal framework.

To the hardliners in the USA, a nuclear deal with Iran will dash their long cherished hope for an all-out “War in the Middle East” to hasten the climate for the realisation of the “endtimes,” or apocalypse long prophesied, which will precede Jesus’s second coming to Earth.

To them, Israel’s coming into being in 1948 was the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy, as to the beginning of the “end-time” period.

They believe things like Hurricane Katrina was the wrath of God upon the evil people of New Orleans, and that God hid dinosaur bones in the earth just to confuse human beings.

According to these hardliners, in the guise of politicians or otherwise, the generation that would witness the re-establishment of Israel would also be the generation that would witness the Second Coming of Jesus, and the consequent establishment of His Millennial Reign on Earth from Israel. So, any deal that will push back the apocalypse is not to their liking.

To Iran’s hardliners, a tentative nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers is a bargain for the West and a disaster for Iran.

To them, in this deal, Iran has exchanged its “ready-to-race horse with a broken bridle.”

They are chauvinists, apparently Shiite chauvinists, but in fact, it is the Persian chau-

vinism they nurture inherently, vis-a-vis the Arabs. The age-old rivalry between the Arabs and the Persians never ceased, even after both nations had embraced Islam. Though both of them are Muslims by faith, unfortunately, they belong to two different sects of Islam.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who signed the agreement, received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival back to Tehran from Lausanne (Switzerland). Thousands of people took to the streets to welcome him. To these people, nuclear bomb or not, they want a decent life for them and for their children.

They don’t want to be grinded any longer under the economic sanctions imposed on them by the West. The deal will lift only those economic sanctions imposed on Iran which are related to nuclear activities, not those which are related to development of ballistic missile by it. Still, as a part of sanctions goes, a great part of Iranians’ economic hardship will also go.

Israeli hardliners once wanted to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities to dust. It was US president Barack Obama’s stern (clandestine) warning that dissuaded them from such an adventure. It was reported in some news media that Saudi Arabia was willing to provide assistance to Israel in the way of allowing it to use the Saudi airbase to conduct air raids on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

To what extent this news was true or mere propaganda, is difficult to ascertain.

In 1981, Israel air-raided and destroyed Iraq’s nuclear plant. After the signing of the framework deal between Iran and the P5+1 -- the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany -- it is no more a feasible option for Israel to air-raid Iranian nuclear installations.

Not all Israelis are hardliners. A lot of them want to live in peace with their neighbours.

Even some Jewish religious groups, like the Neturei Karta, oppose the State of Israel in the belief that Jews are forbidden to have their own state until the coming of the Jewish Messiah. According to the liberals of Israel, the agreement with Iran is “not a bad deal,” if not a good one.

It’s historical fact that Jews are grateful to Persians (Iranians). Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and deported the Jews to Babylon in between the years 597-582 BCE. After the fall of Babylon to the Persian king Cyrus the Great, in 539 BCE, Persians allowed the exiled Jews to return to the land of Judah.

The construction of a second temple in Jerusalem by Jews, which had a great impact on Jewish history and culture, began after their return from Babylonian captivity. During the eight-year war (1980-88) of attrition between Iran and Iraq, Israel indirectly supplied arms to Iran out of gratitude or possibly just to protract the war between its two foes.

The good news: Saudi Arabian King Salman told US President Barack Obama during a telephone conversation, that he hoped a final deal with Iran could be reached which would

strengthen regional and global security.

Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as Turkey (another regional power) are concerned over Iran’s ever-growing influence in the region.

Some media reports say Saudi Arabia wants to buy nuclear bombs from Pakistan to counter Iran. With Iran unable to develop nuclear bombs, Saudis may abandon this option. The more nations put hands on nuclear bombs, the more volatile peace will be in the world.

By using Saudi airbases from which to launch any attack, Israel can avoid navigating through Iraqi airspace. One of Iran’s nuclear facilities is located close to 100 miles from the Saudi border, making the flight time from launch to arrival-on-target only a matter of minutes, too short a time period for detection/notification/response.

That said, an Israeli strike package will only be launched with a fighter escort and electronic counter-measure/battlemanagement capabilities. While US fighter pilots are the very best in the world, the IDF Air Force is nearly equal in capability and quality.

Both sides will lose pilots and airframes in any head-on confrontations. That’s something none of us should ever wish to see, but it has become quite clear that the wishes of the American people do not factor into this administration’s policies or goals and objectives.

By the way, Russia just signed a military cooperation agreement with Iran. l

paid to endorse a cereal that makes you look thin? How can dark be beautiful if you are endorsing a fairness face wash for the fastest results to fair skin? Why does everything have to be an opportunity? Why can’t it simply be a mutual understanding?

When it comes to women’s empowerment, it is not a sub-continental issue but rather a global issue. Women in developed countries have gone a long way. But this is only the result of past generations including their women in the political spheres so that policy-making is not simply from a patriarchal perspective. The video implied that if patriarchy can treat women as belongings, feminism can treat the men as puppets -again the ongoing war and the struggle for power between the genders.

Now it is time to ask: Is there really a war?

If so, who is the war being waged against?

Propaganda machines such as fashion, beautification, and economic prosperity disguised

within the arrogant culture of media are constantly telling women what their choices should be. They are telling women it is a choice, while not allowing them to choose to see some things as the norm.

It is a little alarming that while Deepika Padukone is targeting the masses with her message “to choose,” she continues to appear in movies as someone “lovely.” I would ask Deepika, could you provide security to the hundreds or thousands of girls in the slums of rural India/Bangladesh who are dancing to your songs?

How would teenagers respond to your message? Empowerment and liberty cannot be defined through the lack of a curfew or sex out of wedlock; it is essentially what we obtain through experience and selfactualisation that helps us to grow as a society, in unison. l

Faruque Hasan is a freelance contributor.

The vague Vogue story n Farah Kazi Iqbal

V

ogue Magazine’s latest attempt to raise awareness on women’s empowerment has caused quite the uproar in social media. While Vogue’s intentions were definitely for the better, many critically say that the message could be have been clearer if it gave more thought to the audience in question.

Actress Deepika Padukone was featured in the video titled “My Choice,” and it has accumulated 2 million views since it was posted.

Inherently, the video highlighted the urgency of women’s assertion of their rights, which have been wrongfully denied for decades in both private and public spheres.

What interested me is how Vogue christened this video as “My Choice” and not “My Justice.” Women’s empowerment does not endorse that women be arrogant or opportunistic. Rather, it seeks to bring about equality in the private and public spheres by legitimising the role of women in society.

Instead of throwing around the word “empowerment,” as a woman, it is also important to question what empowerment means to each of us. What really makes a woman empowered? Is staying out at night and engaging in adultery really something that makes them socially and economically powerful?

It seemed clear that the video’s aim was to motivate women to embrace their souls.

On the flipside, it suggests that there is an ongoing war between the “other gender.” The

war deems to largely reflect the struggles of women in a male-dominated society, where they find themselves to be mere victims of social obstruction and stereotyping.

The script implies that these social obstructions create the scope for what we see as “stupidity” in women, something that seems to have a wider range than the range considered for men. The repercussions of such “stupidity” are by default more traumatic for women than for men.

Living in the patriarchal society that we do, the video’s objective was to give women that ulterior push for them to believe that they have what it takes to stand in society with dignity and pride. In reality, feminism and empowerment go hand in hand; it is by far the simplest way to articulate how man and woman are equal in society -- not more, not less.

The fundamental problem with both Vogue and Deepika’s attempt in publicising women’s rights is that the way they try to deliver the message possibly has an impact they did not anticipate. The video repeatedly talks about the unconditional privilege of choice, but what exactly is the burden of these choices?

They continue to talk about empowerment, but how empowered is each entity?

Deepika is a slave of product endorsements that demean women’s natural appearance, while Vogue is a fashion magazine that thrives on women’s insecurities.

How is being a size 15 okay if you are being

Farah Kazi Iqbal is a freelance contributor.

DT

14 OPINION

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The game of outfoxing n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

L

eaders of the ruling Awami League have been able to spot a very good opportunity to thrust the agitating BNP into a narrow lane from the political highway, as its supremo Begum Khaleda Zia has returned to her residence after being granted bail in two corruption cases.

On January 5, she announced that she would not return to her residence from her party’s Gulshan office unless the “illegitimate” government allowed her to hold a protest meeting in Paltan maidan.

She was behaving in that way so that the court would send her to jail for flouting the orders of the judiciary. Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment would definitely give the BNP and its allies some political mileage, as the BNP chief is earning huge public support at the moment.

The ruling party leaders and police officials have, on several occasions, said in public that they would provide all necessary support to Khaleda Zia if she agreed to return to her residence from the party office where she had stayed since January 5 and coordinated the “movement” (the hartals and blockade that resulted in numerous petrol bombs attacks).

After a long game of cat-and-mouse,

Khaleda Zia returned to her residence on April 5. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and Food Minister Qamrul Islam immediately seized the opportunity the Awami League had been looking for, raising a basic question on the justification of the BNP’s “violent politics” that killed over 120 people, caused immense loss to the economy, and brought the entire nation to its knees through a marathon blockade and intermittent hartals.

So, it is easily understandable why the AL was so co-operative in sending Khaleda Zia to her residence. Sheikh Hasina’s city polls card has already put a damper on the so-called movement of the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Many political insiders say that the AL befooled the BNP leadership by creating a “false pain.” How? The current political impasse started as the ruling party sent a message to the BNP leadership that they would crush the

At least for now, the AL has the advantage in outfoxing the BNP, but the situation may reverse, given the government mishandles the city polls

The two ministers asked: “Why has she killed so many people in the name of hartals and blockades if she goes to the court and returns to her house?” They added: “Khaleda Zia must shoulder the responsibility for the murder of those 120 people.”

opposition by arresting Khaleda Zia by March or April for the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

The BNP thinks the party will get battered in the absence of Khaleda Zia -- the 20-party alliance is centred on the BNP chief, not her

self-exiled, controversy-laden son Tarique Rahman, who is not welcomed by anyone in the opposition.

The indefinite blockade supplemented by hartals was basically a counter-step by the opposition to make sure that Khaleda Zia was not arrested.

But, I think the AL has launched a propaganda campaign supporting Khaleda Zia’s arrest. The ruling party will not make that mistake until the BNP chief’s public support reaches the lowest point. The ruling party forced the BNP to launch its so-called “oust the government” movement to politically weaken the opposition so that they cannot stand in the way of the AL completing its full five-year tenure.

At least for now, the AL has the advantage in outfoxing the BNP, but the situation may reverse, given the government mishandles the city polls.

What the BNP has gained temporarily through this blockade and hartals is that its leaders can now propagate the idea that they had forced the government to backtrack from its decision to arrest Khaleda Zia. They think they have outfoxed the ruling party, claiming it as a success of their “movement.”

But the people are the best judges as to who has outfoxed whom. l Kamran Reza Chowdhury is a journalist.

19

DSEX drops to ninemonth low

20

RMG makers misuse bonded warehouse facility

20

Holcim looked at Heidelberg Cement before Lafarge deal

20

DT

Business

15

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Dollar weakens after US jobs data

Four state banks suffer Tk2,500cr provision shortfall n Jebun Nesa Alo The country’s four state-owned banks have been found with provision shortfall of Tk2,442 crore in the year 2014.

A Bangladesh Bank investigation has detected the shortfall while probing into the major branches of the banks based on the last year quick summery report.

The banks had extensive effort to show improvement in financial health through posting moderate profit in the financial statement of the last year But the banks – Sonali, Janata, Rupali and Agrani – showed provision surplus in their unaudited balance sheet.

The provision shortfall following the investigation report was discussed at a meeting held yesterday with the top managers of the four state-owned banks at the Bangladesh Bank headquarters.

The Bangladesh Bank governor expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the state-owned banks while presiding over the meeting. He even threatened the managing directors to dismiss from their job if any irregularities are found into the banks.

Of the four banks, Sonali Bank incurred a provision shortfall of Tk340 crore, Rupali Bank Tk763.51 crore, Agrani Bank Tk1020

crore and Janata Tk318.50 crore, according to the investigation report.

The banks, however, showed the total provision surplus of around Tk670 crore in the unaudited balance sheet. Of the banks, Sonali showed provision surplus of over Tk393 crore, Rupali around Tk188 crore, Janata Tk88 crore and Agrani showed zero.

The banks had extensive effort to show improvement in financial health through posting moderate profit in the financial statement of the last year, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

If the provision shortfall is maintained, it will erode the profit and spread out a bad messange in the market about the health of the banks.

In the perspective, the banks urged the central bank to allow exemption from meeting the full shortfall amount by 2014, he said.

The central bank had already allowed Sonali Bank to maintain only 20% of the shortfall within 2014. Of the remaining amount, 40% will have to be met by 2015 and the next 40% by 2016.

Other three banks will seek the same facilities for maintaining provision shortfall soon.

Of the four banks, Sonali incurred a net profit of around Tk492 crore while Janata Bank around Tk394 crore, Agrani Bank around Tk377 crore and Rupali Bank Tk45.54 crore, according to the central bank data.

The profit of the four banks will be negative or almost zero if the provision shortfall is maintained.

The Bangladesh Bank high officials strongly criticised the huge loan rescheduling tendency of the four banks. They also expressed doubt that many loans that had been rescheduled through taking advantages of relaxed policy will turn default further.

Bangladesh Bank governor agreed with them and asked the top managers for concentrating on loan recovery.

The four banks rescheduled a total loan of over Tk9,100 crore in the last two years.

Of the amount, Soanli Bank rescheduled a loan of over Tk2,700 crore, Janata around Tk1,700 crore, Agrani around Tk1,500 crore and Rupali over Tk3,100 crore, according to the central bank data.

The governor has injected a total of Tk1,500 in the Sonali Bank and BASIC Bank for re-capitalisation purpose last year. The four stateowned banks got re-capitalisation support of Tk4,100 crore from the government in the year 2013. l

‘Garment sector contributes over 81% to the total export earnings in first nine months of the fiscal’

Export earnings rise by 3% in July-March period n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The country’s export earnings rose by nearly 3% riding on the RMG sector in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

According to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) provisional data, in July-March of FY 2014-15, Bangladesh earned $22.9bn by exporting goods which is 2.97% higher compared to the same period last year.

RMG sector, the highest export earner, contributes over 81% to the total export earnings, said an EPB official.

He also said the growth rate would be higher if there is no political unrest in the country.

Political unrest dented the production in the factory besides disrupting supply chain, he added.

As per the provisional data, woven sector earned $9.55bn, which was 3.6% higher compared to the same period last year, while Knitwear earned $9.05bn posting 2.7% growth.

In March, the export earning rose by over 7%, while in February the single month ex-

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port growth was 5.15%.

“RMG export growth was expected to be 10%, which is necessary to reach the target set for the current fiscal year,” BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune.

The slow growth will continue till political stability prevails in the country and if the current situation persists, Bangladesh will not be able to reach the export target of $27bn, said Azim.

But it is a good sign for garment sector that the work orders from the global buyers started to grow after a three-month lacklustre trend, he said.

Azim added that the impact of political unrest would be reflected in the upcoming month as it takes two to three months to execute an order.

He urged the opposition parties not to go for any kind of violent programmes, which would hamper production and supply chain.

Bangladesh has set an export target of $33.2bn for the current fiscal year against the last year export earning of $30.18bn. l

DT

18 BUSINESS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

News, analysis and recent disclosures BDLAMPS: The Board of Directors has recommended 20% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014. Date of AGM: 05.05.2015, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Emmanuelles Banquet Hall, House 4, Road 134-135, Gulshan-1, Dhaka. Record Date: 16.04.2015.

The Company has also reported NAV of Tk. 616.81 million, EPS of Tk. 2.12 and NOCFPS of Tk. 9.30 for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

TRUSTBANK: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2014 to the respective shareholders BO Accounts on April 05, 2015.

SHASHADNIM: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 09, 2015 at 4:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

NORTHRNINS: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 09, 2015 at 3:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

IFIC: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 09, 2015 at 5:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

ILFSL: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 07, 2015 at 3:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.

BEDL: The Board of Directors of DSE has approved the name change of Barakatullah Electro Dynamics Limited as Baraka Power Limited. DSE trading code for Baraka Power Limited will be BARKAPOWER instead of former BEDL with effect from 07.04.2015 following the Record date i.e. 06.04.2015. Other things (except name and trading code) will remain unchanged.

IPO Subscription: Tosrifa Industries Limited Subscription March 24, 2015 to March 31, 2015; NRB UPTO April 09, 2015. Offer Price per share Tk. 26.00, Market Lot (Shares) 200.

Dividend/AGM

STANDBANKL: 15% stock, AGM: 14.05.2015, Record Date: 16.04.2015.

ARGONDENIM: 20% stock, AGM: 30.04.2015, Record date: 15.04.2015.

NHFIL: 15% cash, AGM: 12.05.2015, Record Date: 15.04.2015.

JAMUNABANK: 19% stock, AGM: 04.05.2015, Record date: 15.04.2015.

Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

Company Bangladesh Lamps -A Modern Dyeing -Z Ifad Autos -N Prime Bank-A Monno Ceramic -B Meghna Con. Milk -B Monno Stafllers -A Mozaffar H.Spinning-A ICB Islamic Bank-Z Provati Insur.-A

Closing (% Change) 10.79 7.73 3.75 3.29 3.07 2.86 2.79 2.78 2.56 2.52

CSE GAINER Company Bangladesh Lamps -A National Tea -A Apex Tannery -A National Polymer -A United Power-N Ifad Autos -N Provati Insur.-A Fareast Islami Life -A Peoples Insur -A ACI Limited- A

Closing (% Change) 9.32 6.31 5.08 4.46 4.42 4.22 3.29 3.23 3.01 2.64

DSE LOSER Company Dulamia CottonZ ConfidenceCement A Salvo Chemicals-B Bangladesh Welding -Z Zaheen Spinning -N IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A Union Capital -A FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B Beach Hatchery -A Khan Brothers-N

Closing (% Change) -8.97 -8.70 -8.02 -7.75 -7.73 -7.02 -6.67 -5.84 -5.23 -5.21

CSE LOSER Company Islami Ins.BD-A Pioneer Insur -A ConfidenceCement A Bangladesh Welding -Z Standard Ceramic -A Sinobangla Indu.-A GreenDeltaInsu -A Zaheen Spinning -N Usmania Glass -A Fareast Finance-Z

Closing (% Change) -10.00 -9.54 -9.22 -8.97 -8.89 -8.40 -8.27 -7.73 -7.62 -7.46

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

DSE key features April 6, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka)

DSE GAINER

Sector

3,050.72 65,345,463 120,383

Traded Issues

311

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

77

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

231

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

3

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,499.81

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.30

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

DSE Million Taka 156.30 84.84 23.79 332.80 93.61 685.18 1.54 406.22 519.99 6.33 90.89 32.15 9.36 242.79 78.56 14.34 41.30 116.24 42.44 71.37 0.61

% change 5.12 2.78 0.78 10.91 3.07 22.46 0.05 13.32 17.05 0.21 2.98 1.05 0.31 7.96 2.58 0.47 1.35 3.81 1.39 2.34 0.02

Million Taka 11.95 5.93 2.19 24.63 5.60 99.90 36.75 23.38 0.25 5.80 0.25 1.40 27.23 10.49 0.99 1.92 14.94 5.39 10.65 0.01

Average (% Change) 8.62 7.73 4.49 1.84 3.32 3.97 1.79 0.68 1.33 Average (% Change) 9.27 6.31 4.43 4.88 19.35 4.86 1.78 3.18 2.83 1.66 Average (% Change) -7.19 -6.29 -6.19 -8.73 -6.31 -5.44 -4.07 -4.46 -4.23 -4.30

Average (% Change) -10.00 -9.44 -4.76 -5.71 -8.89 -8.22 -8.23 -5.44 -7.61 -5.52

CSE

ClosingAvg. 117.85 78.00 69.35 15.49 27.04 7.33 288.27 32.62 3.95 15.98

ClosingAvg. 117.25 800.00 122.00 72.88 138.24 69.50 15.47 67.07 17.07 525.49

ClosingAvg. 7.10 87.35 15.30 13.59 18.71 5.39 14.38 13.08 16.75 20.48

ClosingAvg.

% change 4.13 2.05 0.76 8.50 1.93 34.49 0.00 12.69 8.07 0.09 2.00 0.09 0.48 9.40 3.62 0.34 0.66 5.16 1.86 3.68 0.00

16.20 35.10 87.84 13.88 32.80 24.00 51.04 18.94 97.00 12.66

Closing 118.10 78.00 69.20 15.70 26.90 7.20 291.10 33.30 4.00 16.30

Closing 117.30 800.00 122.00 72.60 125.30 69.10 15.70 67.10 17.10 524.80

Closing

DHIGH 120.80 78.00 71.50 15.80 27.50 7.50 297.00 33.40 4.00 16.40

DHIGH 118.90 800.00 122.00 73.40 149.90 71.20 16.00 69.10 17.10 531.50

DHIGH

7.10 85.00 14.90 13.10 17.90 5.30 14.00 12.90 16.30 20.00

Closing

110.80 78.00 66.90 15.10 26.20 7.10 283.30 31.50 3.90 15.20

DLOW 114.50 800.00 122.00 72.50 123.00 67.90 15.40 65.00 16.60 507.10

DLOW

7.10 93.10 16.40 14.20 20.10 5.60 15.10 13.30 17.40 21.40

DHIGH

16.20 35.10 84.70 13.20 32.80 24.00 51.00 17.90 97.00 12.40

Million Taka 168.25 90.76 25.98 357.43 99.21 785.08 1.54 442.97 543.38 6.58 96.69 32.41 10.76 270.02 89.05 15.33 43.22 131.19 47.83 82.02 0.62

DLOW

7.10 83.90 14.60 13.10 17.70 5.30 14.00 12.60 16.10 19.80

DLOW

16.20 35.10 93.00 14.20 32.80 24.00 52.00 20.20 97.00 13.30

Total

16.20 35.10 84.00 13.20 32.80 24.00 51.00 17.60 97.00 12.10

% change 5.04 2.72 0.78 10.70 2.97 23.50 0.05 13.26 16.27 0.20 2.89 0.97 0.32 8.08 2.67 0.46 1.29 3.93 1.43 2.46 0.02

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

Turnover in Million

Latest EPS

17.237 0.000 133.027 2.474 0.377 0.011 0.676 63.902 0.996 0.678

Turnover in Million

2.12 -0.50 1.92 2.18 0.20 -4.42 1.17 2.82 -0.43 1.97

Latest EPS

0.076 0.001 0.012 0.024 72.677 7.795 0.388 0.019 0.004 5.739

Turnover in Million

55.6 -ve 36.1 7.1 135.2 -ve 246.4 11.6 -ve 8.1

Latest PE

2.12 -6.49 3.38 3.30 7.11 1.92 1.97 4.60 2.25 9.57

Latest EPS

0.000 9.729 4.316 1.406 21.830 2.132 1.008 0.306 3.688 7.758

Turnover in Million

Latest PE

55.3 -ve 36.1 22.1 19.4 36.2 7.9 14.6 7.6 54.9

Latest PE

-4.02 6.03 1.15 0.44 1.32 1.04 1.50 1.27 1.29 1.18

Latest EPS

0.005 0.018 0.963 0.134 0.002 0.010 0.006 5.459 0.016 0.087

-ve 14.5 13.3 30.9 14.2 5.2 9.6 10.3 13.0 17.4

Latest PE

1.48 4.83 6.03 0.44 0.52 0.92 2.96 1.32 -0.88 1.88

10.9 7.3 14.6 31.5 63.1 26.1 17.2 14.3 -ve 6.7

CSE key features April 6, 2015 Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume) Number of Contract

289.65 7,059,402 18,882

Traded Issues

239

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

38

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

195

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,429.95

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.45

DT

BUSINESS 19

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

DSEX drops to nine-month low n Tribune Report Stocks continued to decline yesterday with the benchmark index DSEX falling to almost nine-month low.

The market started positively, but succumbed to selling pressure in the later part of the day as political worry continued to hunt investors.

After rising around 25 points, the benchmark index DSEX was down almost 34 points or 0.8% to 4,397—its lowest since July 22 last year. It extended its losing streak for the fourth straight session.

The Shariah Index DSES ended 9 points or 0.9% lower to 1,075.

The comprising blue chips DS30 lost 11 points or 0.7% to 1,685.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, clsoed at 8,177, shedding 78 points.

United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited in its second trading day lost almost 5% to Tk128 per share, after jumping 87% in its first trading day.

The power generation company was also the most traded stocks for the second straight session with shares worth almost Tk29 crore changing hands.

Trading activities also declined as turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange stood at Tk300 crore, a decrease of more than 2% over the previous session.

Fuel & Power sector, led by the United Power Generation and Distribution Company, accounted for 23% of the total turnover.

All the major sectors closed red with textile sector leading the way by dropping 1.5%.

Fuel & Power came second by losing 1.4%, followed by pharmaceuticals 1%.

Telecommunication, food & allied, banks, non-banking financial institutions and cement also closed in red.

Lanka Bangla Securities said the day started in a positive mode after advancement in the country’s political scenario. However, the situation turned bad after announcement of a two-day long countrywide shutdown following a guilty verdict on a war crime case, it said.

Other top traded stocks included Lafarge Surma Cement, Shasha Denim, IFAD Autos, ACI Limited, ACI and Mobil Jamuna Limited Bangladesh. l

All the major sectors closed red with textile sector leading the way by dropping 1.5%

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N LafargeS Cement-Z Shasha Denims -N Ifad Autos -N ACI Limited- A MJL BD Ltd.-A Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A Khulna Power-A Pharma Aids A

Mozaffar H.Spinning-A Titas Gas TDCLA Agni Systems -A SummitAlliancePort.-A ACI Formulations-A

VolumeShares 2,043,971 1,838,877 3,473,735 1,918,237 228,550 777,468 376,581 279,928 1,529,466 272,723

Value in Million 288.27 210.43 144.31 133.03 120.35 98.79 98.77 98.43 94.28 81.74

% of TotalTurnover 9.45 6.90 4.73 4.36 3.95 3.24 3.24 3.23 3.09 2.68

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company United Power-N LafargeS Cement-Z Shasha Denims -N MJL BD Ltd.-A BD Submarine Cable-A Ifad Autos -N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Agni Systems -A Grameenphone-A Khulna Power-A

ACI Limited- A Zaheen Spinning -N ACI Formulations-A Square Pharma -A UNITED AIR-A

1,959,247 754,287 1,607,781 940,397 327,156

525,727 199,544 286,752 80,646 74,780 112,166 242,999 234,014 17,956 93,827

10,922 288,215 35,996 16,951 596,977

63.90 54.75 50.46 49.91 47.56

72.68 22.84 11.89 10.29 8.64 7.80 7.73 7.51 6.30 5.79

5.74 5.46 5.24 4.45 4.42

2.09 1.79 1.65 1.64 1.56

25.09 7.89 4.11 3.55 2.98 2.69 2.67 2.59 2.18 2.00

1.98 1.88 1.81 1.54 1.53

ClosingP 128.10 113.70 40.60 69.20 524.30 125.40 262.20 349.30 60.20 298.90

33.30 72.00 31.20 51.50 145.00

ClosingP

Change % -4.83 0.35 -1.69 3.75 1.96 -1.65 -0.23 -0.85 -3.22 1.94

2.78 -0.28 0.00 -4.10 0.90

Change %

125.30 113.50 40.40 125.10 112.90 69.10 31.60 31.20 348.20 60.30

524.80 17.90 144.60 262.50 7.30

4.42 0.44 -1.70 -1.73 -3.17 4.22 -1.25 0.00 -1.25 -2.90

2.64 -7.73 0.77 -0.04 -3.95

ClosingY 134.60 113.30 41.30 66.70 514.20 127.50 262.80 352.30 62.20 293.20

32.40 72.20 31.20 53.70 143.70

ClosingY

120.00 113.00 41.10 127.30 116.60 66.30 32.00 31.20 352.60 62.10

511.30 19.40 143.50 262.60 7.60

DHIGH 151.80 116.00 42.50 71.50 531.90 129.40 264.00 355.40 63.40 306.90

33.40 73.00 31.80 55.00 147.80

DHIGH

149.90 116.50 42.30 129.70 118.40 71.20 32.50 32.80 355.00 64.00

531.50 20.20 148.90 263.50 7.60

DLOW 125.60 113.50 39.50 66.90 514.80 124.90 261.50 349.00 59.50 294.00

31.50 71.90 31.00 51.20 143.40

DLOW

123.00 112.90 39.80 124.30 112.10 67.90 31.50 31.10 348.00 59.50

507.10 17.60 143.10 261.70 7.20

AvgPrice 141.04 114.44 41.54 69.35 526.60 127.07 262.29 351.62 61.64 299.72

32.62 72.59 31.39 53.07 145.38

AvgPrice

138.24 114.46 41.48 127.65 115.57 69.50 31.82 32.11 350.90 61.68

525.49 18.94 145.68 262.37 7.41

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

20 Index :

(-) 0.76%

1685.73727

(-) 0.65%

13453.01920

(-) 0.94%

11138.65680

(-) 0.59%

8177.58060

(-) 0.97%

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

ANALYST Despite apparent slowdown in political violence and resultant breathing space for the economy, investors remained shy from the equity market as they tried to account damages already done as well as seek stronger assurance of stability

DT

20 BUSINESS

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

RMG makers misuse bonded warehouse facility n Tribune Report Customs Bond Commissionerate (CBC) in Dhaka said two export-oriented apparel companies had evaded duty of around Tk12 crore misusing the duty-free bonded warehouse facility.

During spot inspections recently, officials found the KC Apparels Limited and M/S Knit Concern Limited, sister concerns of a same business group, storing much higher amounts of raw materials in the bonded warehouses than that registered.

The companies are fully export-oriented composite knit industry located at Godanail Road in Narayanganj. The raw materials were imported under the duty-free benefits by the export-oriented factories for the use in their manufacturing only. But they allegedly sell the extra raw materials to local market.

The bonded warehouse is place or area where dutiable goods may be stored, manip-

ulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty.

According to a report by four-member CBC inspection team, KC Apparels stored 985,920 kg of cotton yarn imported misusing the bonded warehouse facility. The original value of the material is Tk19.76 crore while its taxable value is Tk20.16 crore with the company evading Tk7.47 crore tax.

As per the another inspection report prepared on the same factory, 374,871.40 kg chemical and 13,990 kg dyes were found higher in its warehouse and 360,971.25 kg of salt was found less compared to the register.

The price of the raw materials is Tk12.32 crore, where the taxable value of the product amounts to Tk12.57 crore. The inspection found that the company evaded Tk3.93 crore.

Same situation was in the Knit Concern Ltd. According to the inspection report, the company stored 25,849 kg chemical and

15,125 kg dyes additionally, while 98,150 kg of salt was not found stored.

The total value of the raw materials is Tk1.87 crore, but the sum will increase to Tk1.90 crore if duties are imposed. As per the CBC report, the Knit Concern Limited evaded Tk59.84 lakh.

The taxmen can now confiscate the goods and the people behind the irregularity can now be liable to a penalty not exceeding (five times) the value of the goods, according to the sections of Customs Act, 1969.

The section also empowers the taxmen to punish the guilty of rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than three months but not exceeding two years.

CBC officials said that a group of corrupt businessmen made huge amounts of money after availing bonded warehouse facility, a duty-waiver benefit on import of raw materials only for the export-oriented industries.

Currently, export-oriented factories can

Dollar weakens after US jobs data n AFP, Tokyo The dollar faced selling pressure against major currencies in Asia yesterday after disappointing US jobs data cast a pall over the outlook for higher interest rates.

The greenback fell to 119.05 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade from 119.62 yen on Friday, while the euro rose to $1.0977 and 130.70 yen from $1.0879 and 130.16 yen.

Global trading was thin, with many markets shut for public holidays.

The dollar’s drop came after the release Friday of closely watched US payrolls data, which showed employers sharply cut back on hiring in March.

The Labor Department on Friday said world’s leading economy generated 126,000 net new jobs in March, half of what was expected and the worst month since December 2013.

“Non-farm payrolls fell short of market expectations by a long way,” Toshiya Yamauchi, a senior analyst in Tokyo at Ueda Harlow Ltd, a margin-trading-services provider, wrote in a note to clients.

“Sentiment for dollar selling is set to continue,” he said.

The department also trimmed 69,000 from the two previous months’ figures, dimming the picture for growth after a year that averaged 287,000 new hires a month across the country.

“It’s pretty shocking,” said John Vail, the chief global strategist at Nikko Asset Management.

“This report obviously does push out expectations for a Fed hike to some degree, although we all know that the data can change very rapidly.”

The dollar was lower against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It sank to Sg$1.3527 from Sg$1.3577 on Friday, to 1,083.91 South Korean won from 1,093.88 won to Tw$30.93 from Tw$31.06 and to 44.37 Philippine pesos from 44.45 pesos.

The dollar also declined to 12,949 Indonesian rupiah from 13,024 rupiah, to 32.44 Thai baht from 32.47 baht and to 62.15 Indian rupees from 62.50 rupees. l

avail the duty-free facility on import of raw materials on condition of export of the finished products manufactured with the inputs.

The core condition for availing this facility is that the exporters cannot sell the finished products produced with duty-free imported raw materials on the local market.

CBC sources said that some 6,197 export-oriented factories are now availing bonded warehouse licences, among which, 3,909 are active importers and exporters. Among them, 80% of the factories are from the RMG sector.

A section of businessmen are abusing the facility and selling the raw materials in local market violating the conditions, a high official said.

He said the benefit is mostly abused by the RMG factories.

The official said the CBC has to work with the limited manpower and so it cannot monitor perfectly. l

Euro weakness sparks analyst clash over currency war n AFP, Paris

The logo of Swiss cement maker Holcim is seen on a railway-car in the town of Schlieren near Zurich REUTERS

Holcim looked at Heidelberg Cement before Lafarge deal n Reuters, Zurich Holcim looked at buying Germany’s HeidelbergCement towards the end of 2013 before agreeing to merge with France’s Lafarge, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday, citing two sources.

Then-Holcim chairman Rolf Soiron spoke with HeidelbergCement’s biggest shareholder, Ludwig Merckle, who owns around 25% of HeidelbergCement shares through the family-run Spohn Cement, the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported.

“Right before the talks with Lafarge, Soiron discussed a merger with Heidelberg,” the Swiss newspaper quoted one of the sources as saying.

“Heidelberg declined it, though, because a merger among equals was not possible.”

A spokesman for Zurich-based Holcim declined to comment on the report. A spokesman for HeidelbergCement was not immedi-

ately available for comment.

The tie-up between Holcim and Lafarge was announced in April 2014.

Since then, the deal to create the world’s biggest cement business has been thrown into doubt after Holcim shareholders raised objections to terms of the deal including the choice of chief executive.

Holcim and Lafarge have now agreed a new share-swap ratio that is more advantageous to Holcim investors but some investors, including Holcim’s second-biggest shareholder, are still calling for improved terms.

It is also not yet known who will lead the merged company after it was agreed that Lafarge boss Bruno Lafont would no longer become chief executive of the combined company.

Holcim investors against the deal have set up a website laying out their arguments.

Holcim shareholders will vote on the deal at a meeting on May 8. l

The euro’s slide against the dollar has reignited talk of a “currency war”, with analysts in opposing camps over whether or not countries are consciously playing with their exchange rates.

War language is no stranger to modern monetary policy.

The massive bond buying programmes, or quantitative easing (QE), that central banks have used in response to the financial and economic crises that have rocked the global economy since 2008 are often referred to as a bazooka.

After lowering interest rates, sometimes to zero or even into negative territory, major central banks turned to buying government and corporate bonds to stimulate the economy.

First tried by Japan in 2001 to combat deflation, the US Federal Reserve began using it in 2008 to respond to the financial market crisis and pull the US economy out of recession.

Japan used QE with more success in 2013 after Shinzo Abe came to power, and the European Central Bank joined the party in March.

Monetary policy bazooka

But central banks fired this bazooka as governments had little they could do.

“We are really in a situation where monetary policy has substituted for budgetary policy” as “the governments don’t have any more budgetary margin for maneouvre,” said Saxo Banque economist Christopher Dembik.

And the bazooka wasn’t directly aimed at exchange rates.

The bond purchases inject money into the economy, thus addressing any concerns about market liquidity. To the extent the funds result in new investments in the real economy it stimulates growth, another aim of QE policies.

But some funds end up leaving the country as investors seek better returns elsewhere.

This pushes the value of the currency down, which is also not an unwelcome effect for policymakers as this favours more exports of goods and services and thus growth. l

DT

21

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Photo: Bigstock

NEWS

Wild Stone launching

Wild Stone, the much talked about fragrance line, is going to be launched in Bangladesh

by Nava Distribution. McNROE, an Indian perfume brand launched Wild Stone in 2006. Wild Stone has different categories of products such as deodorant sprays, perfume sprays, talc powders, soaps and shaving products.

All products of “Wild Stone” are unique, modern and long lasting because the line is managed by experience perfumeries of France.

On April 5, 2015 at Hotel Sonargaon with the collaboration of McNROE and Nava Distribution, Wild Stone’s launching programme was organised.

T-JUNCTION

Beauty of the beast

INSIDE

22

basketball diaries

A tribute to freedom Independence Day cup

23 review

Bloodborne

24 apps

Companion of sorts news

MJL Bangladesh Ltd presents the WRC rally car

DT

22 T-JUNCTION

Tourney

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

basketball diaries

A tribute to freedom Independence Day cup Another victory for the mighty sailors as they seize the cup, yet again

n Chisty Rahim The Navy basketball team took the title at Bangladesh Basketball Federation’s recent tournament, hosted on March 27 in order to commemorate the country’s declaration of independence.

The five-day long tournament was inaugurated with the Navy basketball team playing against Flame Boys, followed by the match between The Army basketball team and Bakshibazaar. Out of the 12 participating teams, BGB (defense), Navy (defense), Army (defense) and Dhumketu (civil) qualified to the semi-finals.

Among the other participants were Bakshibazaar (civil), Rangers (civil), Flame Boyz (civil), Wraiths (civil), Hornets (civil), Air Force (defense), Police (defense) and BKSP (government).

Dhumketu, the only civilian team to make it to the semis, awed the audience by bringing down the Army basketball team to a near defeat in the semis. “We just couldn’t give up that easily, and had to give all we’ve got,” said Amit Joseph Costa, the captain of Dhumketu basketball team and former Up-coming events: The Federation Cup 2015 Date: April 18, 2015 Venue: Bangladesh Basketball Gymnasium

national team basketball player, “What really boosted our spirits was the support of our followers from the gallery.”

After 40 minutes of battle between the two teams, the army successfully recovered from the edge they were pushed into and won by only a single point. “The Navy basketball team, which is without doubt one of the toughest teams in Bangladesh, was once defeated by Dhumketu about 12 years back. The Army basketball team is considered as the only worthy competitor for the Navy and in the past decade, no civilian team could even come close to a victory against the two of them. Even though we have lost the match, we do not consider ourselves defeated. And hopefully we will put it all back together and bring a better game at the upcoming tournaments,” said Amit in regard to the performance.

The Navy, on the other hand faced the BGB basketball team in the semi-finals and won, qualifying themselves to the finals (held on March 31), where they faced the Army basketball team. The two well-formed and closely matched sides (considered rivals) displayed a stunning performance on the court. The competition grew quarter after quarter as they hustled to be titled as the champions. The gallery shook with the roaring of the crowd all throughout the game. With a fierce conclusion, the Navy won the cup 70-58 on the score line, adding the latest to their shelf. M K Biswas was the highest scorer with a contribution of 26 baskets to his team.

“I’m finally relieved! We knew we had to bring our A-game this year since the competition was high, so we really pushed our limits during the drills,” said Rashed, the captain of the Navy basketball team and also the national basketball team. “I’ve been associated with basketball since 1998, and all throughout my career I tried to make a significant difference to my team. So far, with the help of my fellow team mates, I’ve succeeded in doing so. Now my aim is to pass on my knowledge to the next batch of players we have and prepare them.”

The trophies to the champions (Navy) and runners-up (Army) were handed out to their respective captains of the two teams by the president of BBF. And the players joined in a small celebratory cheer after receiving their individual medals. l

T-JUNCTION 23

DT

Gaming

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

review

Bloodborne On a quest for answers in the ancient city of Yharnam

n Nadia Khan FromSoftware Inc has consistently been developing and publishing one game after another in a wide range of platforms.

They came into light after the release of Demon's Soul which brought them their unprecedented success in 2009. It was an action role-playing game developed with production assistance from Sony Computers Entertainment exclusively for Playstation 3. The game was critically acclaimed and received several awards. In March 2015, the spiritual sequel to the Demon's Soul was released. It was titled "Bloodborne."

FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki, the series' creator has commented, "Bloodborne is a completely new original title under the PS4 platform. It is a collaboration among Miyazaki after Demon's Souls, FromSoft and JAPAN studio. This time, we are extremely happy to make announcement at the E3 press conference where fans around the world pay attention to. Powered by the PS4 network, the development team worked hard to bring a new way to play and experience the world filled with mystery mood in a Gothic-horror setting, featuring a simple and yet brutal but also strategic game style. Please wait with great expectations."

Demon's Soul was set in a dark fantasy world, where players took control of a hero who had journeyed to the fictional kingdom of Boletaria. The region was being ravaged by a cursed fog that brought forth demons who feasted on the souls of mortals. The plot of Bloodborne is based in the city of Yharnam

which is described as "ancient" and "forgotten."

The player will go out on a journey to find all the old medical remedy that the city is popular for and will come across "nightmarish creatures" and "malformed beasts."

The combat style of Bloodborne is a lot more faster and aggressive. There'll be melee weapons that will come in handy from the get go. Opponents will drop experience

points in the form of Blood Echoes that the player may collect.

On June 9, last year, Bloodborne was announced at Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo media briefing and it soon became the most awaited game of 2015. It holds an aggregate score of 92% on GameRankings based on 50 reviews and 93/100 on Metacritic based on 73 reviews. l

news

SYBA promotes social business through competition n Syeda Samira Sadeque Mopasha Samaddar is a fourth year BBA student at NSU. With a dual major in Finance and Marketing, his life seems pretty set in the business arena. But his dreams go far beyond the boundaries of his university or the peripheries of “business.”

He plans to address an issue that often goes unnoticed - oral hygiene of the underprivileged community. “Our idea is to eradicate oral hygiene problem of poor people, who don’t have money to buy toothpaste,” he told Dhaka Tribune.

And helping him develop this dream into a possible reality – or, at the least, guiding him through the process – is the Social Business Youth Alliance Global (SBYA Global).

Mopasha, along with his team “Team Snorlax,” attended SBYA Global’s Training on Social Business Development (TSBD) on Saturday, along with 99 other teams that

had been shortlisted to participated in the event.

TSBD, which was held at the Krishibid Institute Bangladesh Complex, is the first of the four steps in the Social Business Champ 2015 that will, after three more rounds, announce the final three winners.

The event is being held under the guidance of the Yunus Center.

On Saturday, business professionals from various backgrounds spoke at the event, including MFM Amir Khasru, general manager at Yunus Centre, Rumana Habib, head of sales and marketing at the Dhaka Tribune, Wahid Hossai, chief ideation officer, SBYA Global, and many others.

Shazeeb M Khairul Islam, founder and ceo of SBYA says he organises this event to promote the idea of social business, as well as connect entrepreneurs to experts and possible funders.

This works rather well for Mopasha and his team, who have a clear plan for their

business model to sell low-cost toothpaste to the underprivileged while, at the same time, rearing profit in their business.

“Our idea is to make toothpaste from grinding clam-shells, and sell at a low price probably around Tk10 per paste,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “We will also culture the pearls, and will make poultry feed by processing the waste generated from grinding the shells. Using this money we will use it for toothpaste manufacturing. Our profit will be used for the growth of our use.”

For a concept this well planned, a platform such as SBYA Global is an excellent one for his team to make it into a reality.

And this goes hand in hand with Shazeeb’s concept of the event as well.

“We are doing this in order to bring students into the social business scenario,” Shazeeb told the Dhaka Tribune. “Through programmes as these, participants are also learning about the concept of social business – which enhances their learning while

also promoting social business.”

Shazeeb has been working on this since 2013, and this is the second season of this championship.

This year, a total of 245 teams submitted their business concepts to the programme, of which 100 have been shortlisted, with 300 participants in total.

Now in their second round, the participants will write a brief business plan and submit it in order to be shortlisted for the next round. After four rounds, three winners will be awarded the Social Business Champ 2015.

As for Mopasha, he is quite confident that their team has a good chance, and appreciates the support provided by SBYA Global.

“A platform like this gives you a lot of time to think, research and improvise,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “This is very important because you cannot just jump into a business like that, it needs time and that is being provided here.” l

DT

24 T-JUNCTION

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Tech

apps

Companion of sorts This week we feature a couple of outside of the box apps

n Mahmood Hossain Enlight (iOS; free to download) We are no strangers to the beautiful artistry that is Apple.

Designing apps specifically for the iOS has to have a certain “je ne se quoi.”

Enlight is an all-in-one iPhoneography app to creating masterpieces.

Well, that’s what the app’s website claims. They aren’t far from the truth. Here is a truly exceptional, and quite pretty app that takes your Instagram game to a different level.

It’s pretty much an extension of Instagram with added unique fonts, filters, and detailed compositions and editing. The given effects for photos also carry attractive characteristics that will set it apart from other similar apps. It’s a pleasant experience for both beginners and advance users who love photography and like sharing their work with the rest of the world. Simple steps and

instructions in converting well shot photos into works of art become easy with Enlight.

It’s not just about looks but functionality, and this app gets it just right.

Atari Fit (Android and iOS; free to download) We know what you’re thinking, “Not another fitness app.”

We wouldn’t blame you if you aren’t expecting much, but this one is for the gamers.

Or at least for smartphone users who can appreciate the classics and video games.

Atari Fit is a wonderful app that is rich in features.

And why not, this isn’t your average fitness application. Not only does this app motivate you to move your tush, it lets you earn points to open up classic Atari games. The older generation will definitely be attracted to such an enticing way of working out. Not only are you staying fit, you’re having fun while doing it.

The app features around 150 exercise routines with the ability to customise.

You’ll be able to take part individually or start in multiplayer mode. The user is able to challenge other friends from all over the world, tracking down stats to take over the number one spot.l

news

MJL Bangladesh Ltd presents the WRC rally car World Famous WRC (World Rally Championship) rally car of Team Omera is now in Bangladesh in association with MJL Bangladesh Limited. Bangladeshi WRC (World Rally Championship) lovers will be able to witness this powerful rally car in different locations of Dhaka. MJL Bangladesh Ltd is the proud sponsor of the World Rally Championship driver Marius Aasen of Team Omera’s rally car.

Team Omera’s Ford Fiesta uses Omera Lube 1, advanced performance engine oil formulated under leading edge synthetic technology. This is the first time Bangladeshi sport car lovers will be able to witness a rally car.

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a rallying series organised by the FIA (Federation of International Automobile).

The series currently consists of 13 events driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Each rally is split into 15–25 special stages which are run against the clock on closed roads. The roads of this epic Motorsport adventure range from the ice and snow of Scandinavia in the stifling heat of Greece and the shifting

gravel surface of Norway.

Team Omera’s Ford Fiesta has been participating in WRC since 2012. By the end of 2013 it took part in six junior “World Rally Championship” rallies and ended the season with a second place in Junior WRC at Rally de Espana, and four wins in a row in Norway. Ford Fiesta has a 1.6 Zetec 16V – 1598cc – Ti-VCT engine with 4 cylinders in line, DOHCa and 16 valves along powered by 170PS at 7,500rpm from 97 octane fuel. With the transmission of five speed sequential gearbox developed by Sadev with plated limited slip differential and uprated driveshafts. ECU developed by Pi with flat shift feature with full throttle closed loop control shift. It runs with Omera Lube 1 that gives the car the advantage to show superior performance in the rallies.

Along with his ride, the Norwegian driver Marius Aasen will also be in Bangladesh in the near future. In 2010, Marius debuted in his first FIA World Rally Championship and finished fourth in the production class in WRC Rally Sweden. He also won the Collins Crest Award after jumping 37 metres on the famous jump renamed after WRC-driver

Collin McRae. In 2012 the young Norwegian stepped up to a Ford Fiesta S2000 from the WRC2 class. In 2015, Marius will again take part in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy.

MJL Bangladesh Ltd is also going to organise the “Omera Experience Marius Aasen Go Kart Competition” in Dhaka where six leading universities across the country will participate and be able to win attractive prizes.

Both Omera’s Rally Car and Marius Aasen will be present in the finale. The Ford Fiesta 1.6 Zetec will also be showcased for

the car enthusiast at prominent places like Kurmitola Golf Club, Bashundhara City, Jamuna Future Park, NSU, EWU, IUB, AIUB and UIU among many other places. l

Maradona will play in a ‘pro-peace match’ on April 10 at Techo stadium in Bogota to support Colombia’s ongoing peace process. The appearance is a big show of support for talks aimed at ending Latin America’s longest running civil war

Sport 26

25

DT

MATCH FOR PEACE

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

PREMIER LEAGUE BEGINS WITH HIGH HOPES

Prime Bank South Zone captain Mashrafe Mortaza (R) reacts after he hits a six for the win as Walton Central Zone wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh looks on during their Bangladesh Cricket League one day match at Fatullah yesterday. Story on page 27 MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

LIGHTENING MASH STRIKES FATULLAH

DT

26 Sport

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Abahani’s Hungarian-Austrian coach George Kottan (C) speaks at a press conference at BFF house yesterday

Premier league begins with high hopes n Shishir Hoque Country’s top tier football league is finally set to get underway with the match between giants Sheikh Jamal DC and newly promoted Old Dhaka outfits Farashganj SC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 5pm today.

Bangladesh Football Federation roped in fashion house Manyavar as the title sponsors of the league just two days back as the home to approximately 250 booters in the country, the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League 2014-15 promises more competition compared to the recent years.

Title contenders

Defending champions Sheikh Jamal DC are the first name that comes to mind as far as favourites are concerned but the dominant Dhanmondi side this season will be given a hard time by Sheikh Russel KC and neighbours Abahani Ltd. The Jamal’s dominated previous season having won by an impressive margin of 12 points and they have already secured the Federation Cup this year to maintain their class as their coach Maruful Haque expressed, “If the players follow my guidelines we can overcome

the obstacles. Our target is to win every single trophy this season.” Maruf believes Muktijoddha SKS, Mohammedan SC, Abahani and Sheikh Russel are the teams to look out for.

Russel, who finished sixth last season, however, face a hard time in getting their full strength together. National winger Zahid Hossain is yet to get the clearance of playing in the league while midfielder Hemanta Vincent Biswas and striker Jahid Hossain Emily are still fighting to regain match fitness.

Meanwhile, Abahani’s Hungarian-Austrian coach George Kottan roped in few players from his region while the Sky Blues also signed fresh local faces but the preparation is the area which did not satisfy the former Bangladesh coach.

“The best training is to play games and the practice matches we played were not enough.

My team should have played at least 10 games.”

Kottan said. “The thing that lacks in the team is scoring but it’s not only our very own problem it’s same for the opponents as well.”

Mid-table battle

The Bangladesh league consists only 11 teams and therefore the term ‘mid-table’ basically means the positions four to seven.

The impact players from the previous season squad have left the traditional crowdpullers Mohammedan SC for either Abahani or Sheikh Russel. Holding on to the No 4 finish will be tough for the Black and Whites as Muktijoddha, the Federaion Cup runners-up, will be eyeing that spot if not higher.

Brothers Union and Team BJMC are likely to be the other two teams at the middle without any major change in their squad. Brothers will keen on to start from where they ended.

Their amazing run in the last phase ensured them a mid-table finish and if they can resume with the same form, the top three will be challenged.

Bottom Four

Riding on the back of local players, Rahmatganj and Farashganj returned to the top-flight football. These two sides probably are the difference between good, better and the best.

Rahmatganj and Farashganj are the better side among the second-tier clubs but they are usually always lurking at the bottom in the big league.

However, Rahmatganj ruled the second-tier on their way up this time and they can be the surprise package of the edition.

COURTESY

“Our team is based on young local players as we aim to produce players for the country. We actually kept the same squad that won the Championship League. Hopefully we will offer some surprises and deliver better football,” said Rahmatganj coach Kamal Babu.

Feni Soccer Club and Chittagong Abahani, however, are the weakest link in the league.

Gambian coach Omar K Sisse will be heavily missed by Feni while the Sky Blues from the port city are the popular choice to finish last.

Eyes will be on

He wore the national jersey, he won the Federation Cup and King’s Cup in Bhutan with Sheikh Jamal DC but Jamal Bhuiyan is yet to make his premier league debut in Bangladesh.

Jamal’s caliber is ranked very high among the Bangladeshis and his input will be key behind Sheikh Jamal’s title defence.

Wahed Ahmed is only 23-year old but has already signed for two of the biggest clubs in town. The striker represented Sheikh Russel in 2010-11, Mohammdean in the previous couple seasons before signing for arch rivals Abahani this time. His form lately hasn’t been close to decent and it will be interesting to see how Kottan uses his flare. l

Faridpur win national hockey title n Raihan Mahmood Faridpur clinched their third national hockey title beating Bangladesh Navy by 2-1 goals in an intense final of the ATN Bangla Gold Cup National Hockey at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Bangladesh Navy, playing their first national final, appeared to be overwhelmed by the occasion as national stars Russell Mahmud Jimmy, Mamunur Rahman Chayan and Moinul Islam Koushik failed to provide the winning touch.

Faridpur, however, responded with Hasan Jubaer Niloy, Pushkor Khisha Mimo and Rabbi Salehin Rockey who are also among the frontrunners in the national attack. Moreover hard working former national stalwarts Musa Miah and Moshiur Rahman Biplob added the extra edge for the eventual champions.

Midfielder Prashanta Kumar Sarker put Faridpur ahead in the 23rd minute after the

first quarter of 15 minutes finished goalless.

However, two minutes later Koushik restored the parity. Drag specialist Chayan’s effort rebounded off the gloves of Faridpur goalkeeper Monowar Hossain only to see unmarked Koushik pushed rebound into the post.

Mahbub Harun, the Faridpur coach said he instructed his players to stop the long ball game of Navy and deployed a sweeper back and it worked.

His counterpart Mamunur Rashid said his players dominated the game and opened the opponent defence on a number of occasions but lack of finishing touch cost them the title.

The winners purse was Tk50000 while the runners-up received Tk30000 respectively. Mahfuzur Rahman, the chairman of the tournament committee and ATN Bangla, distributed the prizes as the chief guest while BHF vice president Abdus Sadeque and other federation officials were also present on the occasion. l

Players and officials of Faridpur celebrate with the ATN Bangla Gold Cup National Hockey title at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday COURTESY

DT

Sport 27

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

PAKISTAN TOUR OF BANGLADESH The official confirmation from the Bangladesh Cricket Board on hosting Pakistan for a bilateral series was finally made yesterday afternoon. The itinerary was all set, but it was the BCB who opted to finalise few decisions before releasing the schedule. It is understood the BCB wanted to settle its compensation and outstanding to the PCB before confirming the tour.

ITINERARY

April 17 First one-dayer, Dhaka April 19 Second one-dayer, Dhaka April 22 Third one-dayer, Dhaka April 24 Twenty20 international, Dhaka April 28 to May 2 First Test, Khulna May 6 to 10 Second Test, Dhaka

ICC replies to BCB’s World Cup query n Mazhar Uddin

The International Cricket Council (ICC) sent its observation on the concern Bangladesh Cricket Board raised after their World Cup match against India and, though, it was not revealed publicly but it can be said that BCB will opt to let it go rather than stretching the unforeseen events.

Controversial umpiring decisions led the emotional query from the BCB high-ups after that quarter-final in Melbourne while the then ICC president AHM Mustafa Kamal’s comments only put salt on the wounded.

BCB chief-executive officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury confirmed of receiving the ICC reply on April 2 and said, “ICC sent the certain dismissal’s video footage a few days ago after we raised concern. In the aspect of our request they reviewed it and sent it to us.”

“Now we will send it to the experts and

they will give their opinion,” added Nizam.

Kamal’s resignation a week back from the ICC and his comments only soared the relation between Bangladesh and India and BCB president Nazmul Hasan was prompt in cooling the situation down on Thursday by saying, “I cannot find any reasons for that (strained relationship between the BCB and the BCCI).

It (Kamal’s resignation) has nothing to do with the relation of these two countries. We notified our concerns about the game, not India or its team. We never complained against a certain country. When we made a written complaint [to the ICC] a day after the game (March 20), we only stressed that, despite being available, technology was not being used and it happened more than once.”

Choosing to be unnamed a BCB high-up thinks the matter won’t be stretched further because whatever it is, the result of the World Cup match won’t change. l

BCB still in search of new sponsor n Minhaz Uddin Khan The opportunity to sponsor the Bangladesh cricket team fro the upcoming home series against Pakistan is still open after the Bangladesh Cricket Board opted to rebid the tender due to Top of Mind’s failure to meet certain criteria.

Top of Mind, who quoted the highest bid to win the sponsorship rights on Sunday, failed to place an irrevocable bank guarantee of 50% of the total offered value while at the same time the offer (Tk 2 crore and 40 lacs) was also less than what the BCB expected.

Top of Mind was given time until yesterday to present the bank guarantee, and also make a revised quotation close to the BCB expectation. It is understood that the meeting between the BCB and Top of Mind officials yesterday was not fruitful.

The board floated fresh tender yesterday evening inviting the four bidders from the previous sitting along with new interested bidders. The deadline has been set today evening with the rights to be awarded right away. l

BRIEF SCORE Walton Central Zone v Prime Bank South Zone at Fatullah Walton Central Zone 213 all out in 45.3 overs Dhiman Ghosh† 64*, Mahmudullah 31, Nadif Chowdhury 20, Rubel Hossain 5/42, Abdur Razzak 2/44 Prime Bank South Zone 216/7 in 48.2 overs Saykat Ali 50, Mashrafe Mortaza 50, Md Mithun 34, Abdur Razzak 28, Abdur Razzak 3/11 Result: Prime Bank South Zone won by 3 wickets Man of the Match: Mashrafe Mortaza (PBSZ)

Prime Bank South Zone pacer Rubel Hossain (C) bursts into joys as he dismisses Walton Central Zone opener Abdul Majid (unseen) during their Bangladesh Cricket League one day match at Fatullah yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Mashrafe blitzkrieg keeps South alive n Reazur Rahman Rohan Mashrafe bin Mortaza’s thunderous approach with the bat, a 33-ball 50, inspired a terrific three-wicket win for Prime Bank South Zone in their second match in the Bangladesh Cricket League one-day tournament. On a day when left-arm spinner Elias Sunny threatened to steal the spot light off quickie Rubel Hossain who bagged a five-for, Mashrafe paired up with another veteran Abdur Razzak to spoil the party for Walton Central Zone. As a result, the los-

ers are all but out of contention of reaching the final of the four-team tournament.

After losing the opening tie, both teams were keen to land a win as the fate of the match tilted from time to time courtesy of some planned bowling from both sides.

Imrul Kayes’ horrendous time with the bat continued as he fell after scoring just nine and although the likes of Saikat Ali, Shahiriar Nafees and Mithun Ali made the South favourites in chasing down 213, they were pressed down by Sunny and his teammates.

The Central spinners kept the runs under check while striking at crucial moments. The discarded national spinner Sunny had Mosaddek Hossain caught behind for five before dismissing Nurul Hasan for a duck in the 29th over as South soon found themselves reeling at 143 for seven with an unlilely source in the middle – Mashrafe and Razzak.

With four fours and three sixes, Mashrafe landed his 50 and the win with eight balls to spare and the unbeaten 73-run partnership was well complimented by left-handed Raz-

zak who made 28 off 21 balls.

Earlier, Rubel made the Central batters look clueless to his pace and line. He started off by dismissing both the openers – Rony Talukder and Abdul Majid – cheaply and ended up by cleaning last man Mohammad Shohid in the 46th over.

Shuvagat Hom and Mosharraf Hossain were the other two victims in his five-wicket haul.

At No.7, wicketkeeper-batsman Dhimna Ghosh’s 61-ball 64 was the lone source that enabled Central post the modest total of 213 all out. l

DT

28 Sport

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Djokovic out to make most of his moment n AFP Novak Djokovic, entering the 141st week of his career at number one in the world and fresh off a milestone fifth Miami Masters title, just wants to keep up the pace as long as he can.

“I’m trying to enjoy the moment and also utilize this time of my career. I’m feeling confident and physically fit,” Djokovic said Sunday after a gritty three-set triumph over Andy Murray in the Miami final.

“I’m trying to use that. That’s what I’m thinking about right now,” added the 27-yearold Serb, who goes into the European claycourt season highlighted by the French Open having won the three biggest tournaments of the first quarter of the year: the Australian Open and both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

“I am aware that this cannot go forever,” Djokovic said. “There is going to be eventually a change of generations, some players that are going to start playing better and be stronger.

“But until that time comes, I’m going to try to stay as long as I can on the top and fight for the biggest titles.”

With 4,000 points separating him from Federer at number two in the world, Djokovic is poised to finish at number one in the world for the fourth time in five years.

His 22nd ATP Masters victory is just one short of Roger Federer’s 23 on a list led by Rafael Nadal’s 27. l

Novak Djokovic poses for a champion’s portrait with the Butch Buchholz Trophy after his match against Any Murray (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. Djokovic won 7-6 (3), 4-6 6-0 GEOFF BURKE

Premier League serves up six of the best

n Reuters, London

Normally the candidates for goal of the season are spread throughout the 10 months of the campaign, but this weekend’s Premier League matches produced six memorable strikes in little over 24 hours.

Whether Charlie Adam’s 66 yard (60 metres) goal for Stoke City against Chelsea was the pick of the bunch or Jermain Defoe’s perfectly-executed

winning volley for Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United is open to debate.

But what is undeniable is that all six were goals of the highest quality which left fans, pundits and the players themselves purring at the brilliance.

The first eye-catcher to find the back of the net was Alexis Sanchez’s effort for Arsenal from the edge of the penalty area in their 4-1 win over Liverpool.

That was followed by Bafetimbi Gomis’s acro-

batic 37th minute volley that put Swansea 2-0 up against Hull City in an eventual 3-1 win.

Six minutes later, Bobby Zamora scored with a floated dink with the outside of his left foot for Queens Park Rangers in their 4-1 win at West Bromwich Albion, with Adam then blasting home an equaliser a minute later at Stamford Bridge in a game the visitors lost 2-1.

Next up was Wayne Rooney’s acrobatic 79th

minute effort for Manchester United’s third in their 3-1 win over Aston Villa. Former England international Defoe then rounded off the stunners just before halftime on Sunday by lashing home a left-foot volley from the edge of the area.

The victory lifted Sunderland to 15th and in the final analysis may have more lasting significance than the astonishing strike from Adam, voted goal of the weekend in a BBC poll.l

Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) against Newcastle

Charlie Adam (Stoke City) against Chelsea

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) against Liverpool

Bafetimbi Gomis (Swansea) against Hull City

Bobby Zamora (QPR) against West Brom

Wayne Rooney (Man United) against Aston Villa

DT

Sport 29

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Mathieu proving doubters wrong with crucial goals n Reuters, Madrid

SPANISH LA LIGA

Barcelona’s outlay of 20 million euros ($22 million) on Jeremy Mathieu last July prompted plenty of criticism but the France centre back has been worth his weight in gold in the La Liga leaders’ last two outings.

After scoring the opener in Barca’s 2-1 win over second-placed Real Madrid in the ‘Clasico’ two weeks ago, Mathieu netted the only goal in Sunday’s laboured 1-0 win at Celta Vigo that maintained the Catalan giants’ fourpoint advantage over Real at the top.

Mathieu, who was signed to strengthen a defence that repeatedly let the club down last season, also put in an accomplished performance alongside Gerard Pique at the back as Barca kept their 16th clean sheet in 29 La Liga games this term.

“I scored two important goals, I am pleased,” Mathieu said in an interview with Spanish television.

“Sometimes you have to suffer when you win,” added the 31-year-old, who joined Barca after a five-year stint at Valencia.

“It was a very tough match. After the international break it’s more difficult as your rhythm always drops a bit.

“Celta were the better team in the first half and in the second we benefited from a goal at a free kick. Sometimes you win in that way, when it’s down to small details.”

Valencia

0-0

Villarreal

Getafe

2-1

Deportivo

LIGUE 1 Bordeaux

2-1

Lens

(Mariano 80, Maurice-Belay 90+3)

(Chavarría 86)

1-2

Nantes (Bedoya 11)

Marseille

Caen (Sala 80-pen, Lemar 90+2)

2-3

PSG

(Gignac 30, 43) (Matuidi 35, Marquinhos 49, Morel 51-og)

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 2 12:45AM English Premier League Aston Villa v Queens Park Rangers

Star Sports 4 12:00AM Spanish La Liga Atletico Madrid v Real Sociedad 2:00AM Levante UD v Sevilla FC

Sony Six 7:30PM Indian Premier League 2015 Opening Ceremony

Ten Action 11:00AM DFB Pokal (German Cup) QFs: Wolfsburg v Freiburg 12:45AM Coppa Italia 2014/15 SFs, Leg 2: Fiorentina v Juventus

Ten Sports 12:30AM DFB Pokal (German Cup) QFs: Dortmund v Hoffenheim

(Alexis 18, Escudero 34)

(Toche 79)

0-1

Celta Vigo

Barcelona (Mathieu 74)

Team

LA LIGA W D

L

Barcelona

29 23 2

P

4

GD PTS 64

71

Real Madrid

29 22

1

6

60

67

Atlético Madrid 29 19

5

5

32

62

Valencia

29 18

7

4

30

61

Sevilla

29 18

4

7

20

58

Barcelona’s Jeremy Mathieu heads the ball to score the only goal during their Spanish La Liga match against RC Celta in Vigo, Spain on Sunday Barca needed a win after Real romped to a 9-1 victory at home to Granada earlier on Sunday and are well placed to win a fifth La Liga title in seven years with nine games left.

Luis Enrique’s side are also through to the last eight of the Champions League to face

Paris St Germain and will play Athletic Bilbao in the King’s Cup final at the end of May. Victory in all three competitions would match the club’s unprecedented treble in 2009 under Pep Guardiola.

“It could be that we are fresher because a lot of players (in the squad) are used here,”

PSG back on top with Marseille win n Reuters, Paris Two goals in three minutes earned Paris St Germain a 3-2 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille as the French champions regained the Ligue 1 lead on Sunday.

Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice as OM reached the interval with a 2-1 advantage after Blaise Matuidi had equalised, only for the visitors to score through Marquinhos and Jeremy Morel’s own goal in the 49th and 51st.

PSG have 62 points with seven games left and lead Olympique Lyonnais, who beat En Avant Guingamp 3-1 away on Saturday, by one point with Marseille in third on 57.

OM, who had lost only one of their last eight league games, were on the back foot early on but they went ahead on the half hour

when Gignac sent a powerful header past Salvatore Sirigu from Dimitri Payet’s cross.

PSG centre back David Luiz sustained a possible hamstring injury and was substituted

by Gregory van der Wiel in the 34th minute.

In the 35th, PSG hit back with Matuidi curling a superb shot from just inside the box into the far top corner.

Javier Pastore then lost possession in the midfield and Alaixys Romao set up Gignac, who slotted the ball past Sirigu two minutes before the break.

Marseille though got off to a terrible start in the second half and they paid dearly for it.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s free kick was deflected by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda into the path of Marquinhos, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net in the 49th minute. l

Mathieu said.

“That is very important for the final stages of the season. We are on the right track and now we have to think about the next match.”

Barca have La Liga games at home to Almeria and away at Sevilla before they play at PSG in their quarter-final, first leg on April 15. l

Juve get Marchisio for Fiorentina semi-final n AFP Claudio Marchisio is back from injury for Juventus as they bid to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit to Fiorentina in the second-leg of the Italian Cup semi-final.

The Italy international midfielder has been sidelined with a knee injury, but is back in training ahead of Tuesday’s tie in Florence.

“Marchisio is doing fine, he’s available and today we’ll assess whether he’s match fit or not. The few days of rest have helped him,” said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Allegri will still have to do without midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, and the coach is set to replace stalwart Gianluigi Buffon in goal with his understudy Marco Storari. l

100-year-old swimmer sets 1,500m record n BBC

A Japanese woman has become the first 100-year-old to complete a 1,500m freestyle swim in a 25m pool.

Mieko Nagaoka, who only took up swimming at the age of 82, already holds the record in her age category for the same distance in a 50m pool. She completed the latest feat in just over one hour and 15 minutes, using backstroke all the way.

She was the only person taking part in her age range - 100 to 104 - at the competition in Matsuyama on Saturday.

Nagaoka already dominates the world record board for her age group, as awarded by the international swimming federation (Fina), holding 24 titles over both short and long distances.

Her latest achievement is now expected to be recognised by Guinness World Records.

Nagaoka began swimming as therapy for her knees, but was soon training several times a week. She has since attended swimming competitions around the world, and said her family are also swimmers.

After turning 100 last year, she released a book entitled: I’m 100 years old and the world’s best active swimmer.

She told Japan’s Kyodo news agency: “I want to swim until I turn 105 if I can live that long.”

Japan has a rapidly rising aging population, and with 59,000 centenarians on official records in 2014.

Last week, Japanese woman Misao Okawa, the oldest person in the world, died. She was 117. l

DT

30 DOWNTIME

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Lacking in strictness (3) 3 Timber-dressing tool (4) 6 Astonished (4) 7 Tree (3) 9 Firefighting equipment (4) 10 Serpent (3) 11 Declare (4) 13 Washes (5) 16 Nuisances (5) 18 Nidus (4) 19 Hawaiian dish (3) 20 Prosecutes (4) 21 Melody (3) 23 Tear (4) 24 Book of the Bible (4) 25 Sheltered side (3)

DOWN 1 Faithful (5) 2 Mature (3) 4 Arab coasting vessel (4) 5 Female sheep (3) 6 Boundary (5) 8 Undulates (5) 9 One entertaining (4) 12 Wax-stemmed match (5) 14 Copies (4) 15 Association (5) 17 Merry frolic (5) 18 That following (4) 20 Mineral spring (3) 22 Choler (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 17 represents P so fill P every time the figure 17 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

SUDOKU

CALVIN AND HOBBES

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 31

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

Dost Dushman in full swing n Showtime Desk Drama serial “Dost Dushman” will air today on Maasranga Television at 9:20pm.

Written and directed by Mostafa Kamal Raj, the plot surrounds six university students.

Though initially, their friendship is totally in sync at first, through several consequences, they end up developing hostile relations to each other.

The cast includes well known actors as well as aspiring newcomers including Allen Shubhro, Kazi Asif, Shabnam Faria, Tawsif Mahbub, Sonia Hossain, Tasnuva Tisha, Jenny, Faruk Ahmed, Dr Ezaz, Bonna Mirza and Saju Khadem and a whole lot more.

The serial has been airing every Monday and Tuesday.l

Let’s get it on! n Mahmood Hossain There’s a new TV show on the block and it’s 20 minutes of pure entertainment. Lip Sync Battle on the Spike network features two celebrities who go head-to-head, in two rounds, to see who’s performance wins the vote of the audience in attendance. With back-to-back episodes, there was plenty to cheer about.

The premiere episode featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Late Night Show host Jimmy Fallon. The “People’s Champ,” Dwayne Johnson came out the blocks with an impressive performance of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Fallon, on the other hand, sang along to a throwback with “Jump In The Line.” The first two performances for both celebrities are in their casual or everyday clothes. The second round, however, is a full on costume-changing presentation. The

Samdani Seminars

James Franco @JamesFrancoTV LittleJamesFranco says, “happy 50 Shades of Easter.”

Sonam Kapoor @sonamakapoor With @aslisona cc @ rheakapoor

Today: Lecture by artist Nikhil Chopra 12:30pm – 2pm, Charukola (Institute of Fine Arts), Dhaka University

Kevin Spacey @KevinSpacey Congrats @andy_ murray! First Brit to 500 wins... Here’s to 500 more! Good luck in the final #MiamiOpen #ATP

Public artist lecture by Nikhil Chopra, whose artistic practice ranges between live art, theatre, painting, photography, sculpture and installations. His performances centres on issues of identity, the role of the autobiography, pose and

WHAT TO WATCH TELEVISION

Tomorrow: Open House Performance 12pm – 7pm, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Rock bursts onto stage in all 70s swagger, performing to “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. And yes, it was glorious. Fallon’s number, church choir and all, of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” wasn’t enough to sway the crowd’s vote. Dwanye Johnson, former 10-time WWE champion, is now Lip Sync Battle’s first champion.

John Legend and rapper/actor Common were the next to take the stage in the second episode. Legend’s MC Hammer routine in the second round couldn’t overcome the magnificent display by Common and his best Lionel Ritchie impression. There’s more fun to be had every Friday night with rap legend host LL Cool J and colour commentary by Chrissy Teigen, so don’t forget to tune in. Or download, ahem.l

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Local artists present their pieces developed in Samdani Semniars workshops, conducted over the past two weeks by visiting international artists Nikhil Chopra, Tori Wrånes and Gustav Gunvaldsen will perform.

The workshop explored the possibilities of the body and the space that it occupies, attempting to

break out of what we understand as the “normal” workings of the body, its automatic responses, and coded behavioral patterns. These seminars consider the body as the primary tool of expression.

Leading Norwegian artist Tori Wranes, who has performed at the Sydney Biennial and Performa in New York, will be conducting a workshop and giving a live performance with her assistant Gustav Gunvaldsen at 4pm. l

Blue Bloods

B

White Collar

A

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman

B

AXN 10:30am This drama, based in New York City follows the lives of a family involved in the Police department as well as laywers. Fans of Tom Selleck and Donny Wahlberg, of NKOTB fame are stoked about seiing their favourite stars on TV. Star World 3:30pm Catch the recent season of this favourite if you find yourself wondering what to do in the afternoon. Drooling over Matt Bomer is always a great way to pass time.

TLC 10:30pm Test your strong stomach watching Andrew eat strange food all over the world.

This episode highlights on Nicaragua.

DT

32 BACK PAGE

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

4 STATE BANKS SUFFER TK2.5CR PROVISION SHORTFALL PAGE 15

LIGHTENING MASH STRIKES FATULLAH

PAGE 25

DOST DUSHMAN IN FULL SWING PAGE 31

Bangladesh gets trade corridor through India n Shohel Mamun Bangladesh will soon be able to use the roads, water and railways of India for carrying out trade with Nepal and Bhutan.

The cabinet yesterday approved the draft amendment of the trade agreement between Bangladesh and India, which – once signed – will allow goods-laden trucks from Bangladesh to use an Indian corridor to import or export goods from Nepal and Bhutan.

The original India-Bangladesh trade agreement was signed in 1972, and has

since been renewed many times. However, this will be the first time when the deal would allow Bangladesh the use of an Indian corridor for trade with other countries in the region.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting at the secretariat, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said: “Bangladeshi vehicles can use the Indian corridor for transit to Bhutan and Nepal.

“Meanwhile, India will get the same facilities from Bangladesh for trading with Myanmar. However, Bangladesh will get more

facilities because Nepal and Bhutan are prospective markets for the country. So it is a great achievement,” the secretary said.

“The [trade] deal will be renewed for the next five years. Previously, the tenure of the deal was three years.

“Another provision has been included in the agreement that the deal will be renewed automatically after five years if both the parties do not have any objection. In case of cancellation, the interested party will have to send a notice six months before the expiry of the tenure.” he added

World Health Day today

WANNA SEEK HER VOTE?

n Tribune Report

HSC candidate endures a traumatic experience in the capital’s Malibagh yesterday as her rickshaw falls into a ditch on a road which could not be detected due to logged rainwater. Many roads in Malibagh and other areas of the capital were inundated by sproadic rainfall over the last few days MEHEDI HASAN

India offers Bangladesh $1bn in fresh credit n Tribune Report

India has offered Bangladesh a fresh $1bn credit line for the development of the country’s road communications and infrastructure, Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said.

He made the disclosure following a meeting with Sujata Mehta, the visiting secretary of India’s External Affairs Ministry, at his office yesterday.

“They have asked us regarding the sectors we are willing to spend the loan in,” Muhith said.

Although the Indian authorities offered

the soft loan for projects on infrastracture and transport system, the finance minister said Bangladesh was more keen on spending the money on health and education sectors.

The offer for the new credit line comes after a similar $1bn credit line agreement that was signed between New Delhi and Dhaka in 2010.

Talking to reporters, Sujata Mehta said the fresh credit line is expected to be finalised when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Dhaka.

The secretary said India was putting extra efforts in developing infrastructure in the region as part of the Indian and Bangladeshi

The current deal expired on March 31; but the amendment of the renewal agreement would be considered to be in effect from April 1.

Under the finalised draft deal, both the countries have the right to impose a fee on transportation of goods by vehicles.

The revised agreement is expected to be signed between the two countries during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dhaka or during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi, sources said. l

governments’ work on establishing regional connectivity with Bhutan and Nepal.

He further assured that contracts signed during the tenure of former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh would be continued under the Modi administration.

Meanwhile, AMA Muhith said yesterday’s meeting held discussions about naval transit for the tourists of the two countries. “We have already discussed the naval transit. We hope the Indian authorities can give a proposal for naval transit and Bangladesh authority will also give a similar proposal regarding the matter,” the minister said. l

To observe the World Health Day the health ministry is set to take several initiatives and organise various programmes today. The motto of the day this year is: Safe and nutritious food, prospects for healthy life.

The ministry’s plans include a national level opening ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium supplemented by various other seminars, souvenir unwrappings, exhibitions of health education, special supplement publications in the national newspapers, road decoration, movie show, Jari gaans among other plans.

Besides, discussion programmes on health diseases occurring from unsafe food habits will also be held in the government and non-government levels. Several activities and programmes will also be organised in district and upazila levels.

Laying down the ministry’s plans for the day through a press briefing held yesterday, concerned Minister Mohammad Nasim said: “More than two hundreds diseases are caused by unhygienic food habits. Treatment for such diseases is expensive. We all need to be more conscious about this matter.”

He also informed the reporters that special drive has been continued against adulterated medicine and fake clinic: “After more scrutiny, strong actions will be taken against them.” l

PM spits fire on suited cabinet members n Tribune Report The Prime Minister gave short shrift to the ministers and state ministers who attended a cabinet meeting yesterday wearing lounge suits.

An irate Sheikh Hasina said this was not the way people in this country dress-up; it’s the dress of the British and people who still think they serve the british, dress this way, two cabinet members present at the meeting told.

The PM was vexed at the members who had disregarded a government circular issued in September 2009 that directs the staff not to wear lounge jackets or suits during summer in order to save electricty consumption due to air conditioning, official sources said. l

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