09 May, 2015

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

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Boishakh 26, 1422, Rajab 19, 1436

BLOCKADE CASES YET TO BE PROBED PAGE 3

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 27

ERSHAD: BOTH LEADERS WANT POWER PAGE 4

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

BANGLADESHI-BRITONS IN UK PARLIAMENT PAGE 32

Beyond LBA: Expectations, challenges Analysts stress need for caution so as not to inflict more sufferings on enclave people n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Factsheet Documents

Land Boundary Agreement 1974 Terms of lease in perpetuity of Tin Bigha corridor 1982 Implementing Tin Bigha lease 1992 Land Boundary Agreement protocol 2011 Panchgarh Nilphamari * Lalmonirhat Kurigram

ASSAM

MEGHALAY will receive 97 hectares

162

Total enclaves

Bangladesh enclaves in India 51 Population 14,215 (2011) Location: Cooch Behar district in West Bengal

Indian enclaves in Bangladesh 111 Population *59 in Lalmonirhat, 36 in Panchagarh, 12 in Kurigram and 4 in Nilphamari

BANGLADESH DHAKA WEST BENGAL will receive 970 hectares KOLKATA

TRIPURA will receive 56 hectares

MIZORAM

Bangladesh’s border is set to lose much of its peculiarity with India’s passage of a bill that ratified a 1974 land boundary deal between the two neighbours paving the way for rehabilitation and resettlement of the inhabitants.

The peculiarity, more like anomalies, stems from the numerous sovereign enclaves – over 160, of which several are enclaves within enclaves – where inhabitants remained in a virtual state of statelessness for decades without any modern amenities that their fellow citizens enjoy.

There are similar enclaves scattered in remote patches of Europe and Africa, about 50, but few have seen their citizens abandoned to such despair.

Folklore has it that such high number of enclaves, accounting for over three-fourths in the world, was the result of a series of chess games between the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, now a West Bengal district, and the Faujdar of Rangpur. The two wagered villages for their games.

In a more scholastically tempered account, Brendan R Whyte, the assistant curator of maps at the Australian National Library,

Adversely possessed land Bangladesh will receive

37,334 (2011)

971 hectares

Assam will lose

792 hectares 17 hectares 108 hectares

India will receive

1,124 hectares

West Bengal will lose Meghalaya will lose

West Bengal will receive Meghalaya will receive Tripura will receive

970 hectares 97 hectares 56 hectares

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Surprise Conservative win changes political landscape n AFP, London

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha wave as they return to Number 10 Downing Street after meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in London yesterday REUTERS

PAGE 5 Three human traffickers killed in gunfight

PAGE 7 Illegal gas connections in Sreepur increasing

Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives won a surprise victory in Britain’s general election yesterday, which dramatically redrew the political map and could redefine the country’s future in Europe.

Widespread predictions of a close contest with the opposition Labour party turned out to be wide of the mark, as Cameron won a majority in the House of Commons and five more years in Downing Street.

Nationalists won a historic landslide in Scotland and the leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) all stepped down after suffering major losses after Thursday’s voting.

Following his own re-election in Witney, near Oxford, Cameron travelled to London to

PAGE 8 Thai trafficking crackdown targets corrupt police

pay a visit to Buckingham Palace, where he was reconfirmed as prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II. Bringing an end to five years of coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, he announced to reporters in Downing Street: “I will now form a Conservative majority government.”

The result is an endorsement of the Conservatives’ austerity programme and is likely to see a continuation of cuts to public spending as they seek to reduce a budget deficit of nearly £90 billion (120 billion euros, $140 billion).

The pound rallied and stocks rose as investors welcomed a clear result and a “business-friendly” government.

But after an election that exposed deep  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 10 Modi defends ban on gang rape documentary

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SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Sheikh Hasina wonders how one can support BNP n UNB Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday wondered how a section of people can support BNP and vote for them although Khaleda Zia and BNP-Jamaat burned hundreds of people to death in the name of hartal and blockade.

“Khaleda Zia and BNP-Jamaat burned hundreds of people to death and caused untold sufferings to many in the name of movement.

Despite that, how could some people stand in favour of that party (BNP) and vote for them...I don’t find any answer to it,” she said.

The prime minister was addressing a function marking the celebration of 154th

birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore at Shahzadpur Pilot High School Ground.

The prime minister laid the foundation stone of Rabindra University, an institution named after Nobel Laureate Biswakobi Rabindranath Tagore, from Shahzadpur Pilot High School ground marking the great poet’s 154th birth anniversary.

Mentioning that her government would continue steps to preserve the memories of the great poet, Hasina announced that another university would be set in Kushtia named after the Nobel Laureate poet as Bangabandhu during his visit to Shilaidah had pledged to establish it. l

Bangladesh Jubo League brings out a rally from Bangabandhu Avenue congratulating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her diplomatic success for passing of the long-pending Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh MEHEDI HASAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Surprise Conservative win changes political landscape political divisions and the nationalist landslide in Scotland, Cameron avoided triumphalism and promised to “bring our country together”.

He said he would deliver manifesto pledges for the benefit of everyone in Britain, including a vote on the country’s membership of the European Union by 2017.

Political map redrawn

Cameron paid tribute to Labour leader Ed Miliband and his former deputy prime minister, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who both stepped down Friday after a dismal result.

He also acknowledged the surge of the Scottish National Party (SNP), promising to give Scotland “the strongest devolved government anywhere in the world, with important powers over taxation”.

“We can take these islands with all our

proud history and build an even prouder future. Together we can make Great Britain greater still,” he said.

Scotland voted to reject independence in a referendum last September, partly after Cameron promised new powers.

But the SNP came close to a clean sweep north of the English border in Thursday’s election, winning 56 out of 59 seats, up from just six in 2010.

“It is an extraordinary statement of intent from the people of Scotland. The Scottish lion has roared this morning across the country,” former SNP leader Alex Salmond said, as he was elected to the northeastern seat of Gordon.

Most of the gains were at Labour’s expense – in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, 20-yearold student Mhairi Black defeated Labour’s campaign chief to become Britain’s youngest MP since 1667.

Overall Labour lost about two dozen seats, for which Miliband said he took “absolute and total responsibility,” before standing down as party leader.

It was also a terrible night for the centrist Liberal Democrats, who looked set to lose all but eight of their 57 seats as voters punished them for entering a government with Cameron.

Clegg held his seat but resigned the party leadership, saying: “The results have been immeasurably more crushing than I could ever have feared.”

Both men are still expected to attend a ceremony Friday to mark 70 years since the Allied victory against Nazi Germany, along with Cameron and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon.

The election raises questions over Britain’s future in the EU, as Cameron confirmed in his

victory speech, promising: “We will deliver that in-out referendum on our future in Europe.”

He has previously said he would campaign to stay in the bloc, provided he can secure changes to Britain’s terms of membership, notably on freedom of movement – although this has so far been met with resistance in EU capitals.

“Cameron will very quickly have to come to Brussels and negotiate a settlement,” Sara B Hobolt, a European politics professor at the LSE, told AFP. The premier made the referendum promise in large part to counter an electoral challenge from the anti-immigration UKIP, which has campaigned for Britain to leave the EU. In the event, UKIP lost one of its two parliamentary seats and its leader Nigel Farage quit after failing in his seventh attempt to become an MP. l

door through which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken a strong step regarding Indian security.”

The bill will also resolve disputed territories along the border accounting for 2,777 acres (921.47 hectares) under Bangladesh possession and 2,267 acres (917.42 hectares) under Indian possession.

Delwar Hossain, professor of international relations at Dhaka University, said: “This accord will add to further cementing the relationship between the two neighbours. Implementation of the accord is not a problem given the precise guideline.”

He said India has already surveyed and found that some 8-10% enclave residents have indicated their preference for Bangladeshi citizenship. Bangladesh is yet to conduct any such survey though.

“Rehabilitation is not a problem as we have resources and we will gain some land through the accord too. It is the government’s will and bureaucratic role that is important.

The government has to conduct a proper survey to ascertain how many want to stay back and how many want to become Indians.”

He warned that the government should exercise much caution in order not to inflict further sufferings on the hapless enclave residents. “This should be dealt with befitting

empathy.”

While India has already allocated funds for rehabilitating enclave residents, Bangladesh is yet to follow suit. The state minister for foreign affairs has hinted the government’s commitment to providing them with civic amenities towards a better life.

Mostafa Farruque Mohammed, former ambassador in New Delhi and president of Bangladesh-India Citizen Society, said: “The ratification of the land boundary deal is a diplomatic success. Bangladesh-India relations have marked a historic milestone through the passage of the bill and a longstanding problem of the two neighbours will be resolved.”

Tareque Shamsur Rahman, professor of international relations at Jahangirnagar University, said this marked a new high in Indo-Bangla relations.

“This initiative is a part of Modi government’s commitment to establish good ties among its South Asian neighbours. As both governments have reached an understanding, the other problems including Teesta treaty, border killings, trade imbalance and Tipaimukh dam will also be resolved.”

He also said rehabilitation of the enclave residents would not be a challenge but the government would have to allocate funds for these people as has the Indian government. l

EU membership in doubt

Beyond LBA: Expectations, challenges indicates that the enclaves resulted from peace treaties in 1711 and 1713 between Cooch Behar kingdom and the Mughal Empire, “ending a long series of wars in which the Mughals wrested several districts from Cooch Behar.”

The patches remained through the ages even when the subcontinent was divided and carried on through the birth of Bangladesh.

However, that is about to change with the ratification of a four-decade-old treaty to swap these territories which will see Bangladesh gaining about 4,047 hectares of land in the process.

Commentators and former diplomats say that now is the time to look forward to the rehabilitation of the inhabitants, who will be given the opportunity to choose their citizenship.

Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of international relations at Dhaka University, said the main challenge was to rehabilitate these people because of the bureaucratic hassle that characterises government activities.

Advising caution not to further traumatise these people with bureaucratic tangles, he said: “Providing them with voter ID cards, passports, land and other privileges should go smoothly.”

Professor Imtiaz also said there were some

other disputes with India and the sooner those were resolved, the better. “I hope they will not take another 40 years.”

There are more than 14,000 people living in Bangladeshi exclaves while Indian exclaves are home to over 37,000 people.

Anisul Islam Mahmud, a former foreign minister, thinks that the main hurdle has been overcome and from here on it will be smooth sailing.

“Implementation is not a problem. The big thing is that Indian parliament has passed the bill unanimously. Other issues will be resolved as a new window has opened.”

The bicameral Indian parliament passed a bill to amend its constitution on Wednesday in Rajya Sabha, and on Thursday in Lok Sabha.

Abul Hasan Chowdhury, another former foreign minister, said although long overdue there was no doubt that this was a very positive outcome. He only hoped that the wave of optimism carried on.

“I think both governments will play constructive roles in future too. Indian Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi has shown that he has a vision and I hope that the question of Teesta water-sharing will be resolved.”

He also mentioned border killings, which he said were unacceptable, should be stopped. “I think Modi has opened a new

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SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Most blockade violence cases yet to be probed n Mohammad Jamil Khan Despite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directive on quick completion of cases related to blockade violence, law enforcers are yet to submit charge sheets in most of the cases.

Following the instruction of the prime minister, the police headquarters asked its officials concerned to expedite the case procedures shortly, said a source in the police headquarters.

Nearly two thousand cases have so far been filed against leaders and activists of the BNPled 20-party alliance for their involvement in violence during the three-month-long blockade and shutdowns.

The law enforcers have not only failed to submit charge sheets but investigation into most of those incidents have also remained pending.

According to information of the police headquarters, a total of 1,775 cases have so far been filed in between January 5 and March 30

across the country.

The law enforcers have only been able to submit charge sheets in only 125 cases. Of them, 43 were submitted to the courts in Dhaka Metropolitan Police area while 82 others in other metropolitan areas.

In almost all cases the accused numbering 16, 000 belong to BNP-Jamaat politics. But only 2,500 were named in the First Information Report while others are unnamed.

Of the cases filed so far, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was named as an aider and abettor in at least four cases filed for arson attacks on vehicles.

A high official of police headquarters requesting not to be named said they had not been able to complete investigations as police were busy tackling violence for a long period of time.

Soon after the political violence dwindled there came the city corporation polls, he said.

In the DMP area maximum 436 cases were

filed. Police have so far submitted charge sheets in 43 cases while the rest 393 are still under investigation.

When contacted Monirul Islam, Joint Commissioner of the DMP, said instruction had already been given to officials concerned to submit the charge sheets.

The lowest number of cases were filed in Rajshahi Metropolitan Police area where only 37 such cases were recorded.

Around 107 cases were filed in Chittagong Metropolitan Police area, 54 in Khulna, 34 in Sylhet and 23in Barisal metropolitan areas.

Apart from them, 356 cases were filed in Chittagong Range, 210 in Rajshahi Range, 203 in Dhaka Range, 74 in Barisal Range, 63 in Sylhet Range, 69 in Rangpur Range and 76 in Khulna Range.

And 33 cases were filed with railway police stations across the country for attacks on trains and damage to railway properties.

Deputy Inspector General of Railway Range Ruhul Amin said investigations had almost

ended and he was hopeful about submission of charge sheets shortly.

Shafiqul Islam, DIG of Chittagong Range, echoed Ruhul Amain.

DIG of Rangpur Range Police Humayun Kabir, however, said they were going to submit the charge sheets within one month.

According to information from police sources, at least 52 people were killed in petrol bomb attacks in the three-month-long violence across the country while 281 more suffered injuries.

On top of that 21 people were killed and 549 injured being caught in violence like crude bomb attacks.

However, as the newspaper reports go, a total of 138 people were killed in the threemonth-long violence. Of them, 77 were killed in petrol bomb attacks.

Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, state minister for home, said directives had already given to concerned officials to complete the investigation into the incidents of violence. l

Political parties welcome LBA passage n Tribune Report

For constructing a high-rise building, workers have piled up sands occupying almost half of the road in the capital’s Panthokunja creating immense inconvenience to the pedestrians and vehicles. Such act indicates to the lack of civic sense of a group of people MEHEDI HASAN

Several political parties yesterday hailed the passage of an Indian bill to implement the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh, saying it had ended a long wait for the countries.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad congratulated the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a message saying that the passing of the bill by the Indian parliament has ended the six decades sufferings of people of the enclaves along the Bangladesh-India border.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) also expressed its satisfaction over the passage of the bill. In a joint statement, CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim and General Secretary Syed Abu Jafar Ahmed said with the passage of the historic Land Boundary Agreement Bill, the 41-year-long awaiting has ended.

The Workers’ Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon, MP and General Secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha, MP, also conveyed their greetings saying the ratification of the long awaited bill was the fruit of Sheikh Hasina’s sincere efforts and initiative. l

AL leader: Khaleda must face trial for every killing n Abu Hayat Mahmud

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will have to face trial in every murder case filed against her for burning and killing innocent people in the name of nationwide blockade earlier this year, several Awami League leaders said yesterday.

They further said Khaleda also must stand trial for her conspiracy and attack on common people in the capital’s Karwan Bazar area during the city polls campaign last month.

The ruling party leaders made these remarks at different events around Dhaka yesterday.

Speaking at a discussion organised by Islami United Party at National Press Club, Awami League’s Publicity and Publications Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud urged police to register cases against the BNP chief on the grounds

that her security personnel launched an attack on people. Law preserves equal rights for everyone, he said.

Hasan further said the passing of Land Border Agreement (LBA) bill in the Indian parliament was a diplomatic success of the Awami League-led coalition government of 14 parties.

Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam, who attended the discussion as well, asked Khaleda to stop killing people along with Jamaat.

“Jamaat-e-Islami is a militant organisation and an anti-liberation party. Jamaat is a party like the Taliban and IS. So the government should take steps to ban Jamaat.”

In another event at Bangabandhu Avenue, which was in observance of Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s homecoming day, Qamrul said Hasina’s courageous return to the country on May 7, 2007

during the then military-run unelected government helped establish democracy, human rights and the right to vote.

The food minister further said the present government under Hasina’s leadership had been driving the country towards development to make it economically strong.

In another event, State Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said BNP-Jamaat would not escape the consequence of their fundamentalism, militancy and terrorism.

“There is no room for militancy in Islam, which is a religion of peace,” he added.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, at a programme in Bho-

la, said all the cases against the BNP chief will proceed as per the laws and regulations and the government would not interfere with the case proceedings, the BSS reports. l

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Biggan Andolon Moncho, a platform of science campaigners, forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding a ban on commercial vessel movement through the Sundarbans SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

BNP: Conspiracies on to destroy opposition n UNB Criticising the government for its “repressive acts,” BNP yesterday alleged that various conspiracies are being hatched to destroy the opposition.

“The country is going through a critical time. There is no democracy and freedom of expression in the country. Our leader Khaleda Zia has been charge with false cases.

Imaginary and absurd allegations have been brought against her,” said BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon.

He made the remarks while addressing a miald mahfil on the ground floor of BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters. BNP arranged the programme seeking salvation of the departed soul of its assistant organising secretary Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu who died on May 5.

Ripon, also a BNP’s international affairs secretary, voiced concerned that their party leaders are getting sick in jails. “Our leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu’s dead body was brought from jail a few days

back. Our secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is also ill and he has lost 15 kg weight.”

He alleged that Pintu died at the Rajshahi Central Jail for lack of treatment. “We demand the government impartially investigate the reason behind Pintu’s death. We have heard a probe committee has been formed. We’re waiting to see whether the committee does their job neutrally.”

The BNP leader called upon the party leaders and activists to get united for carrying their ongoing movement for establishing democracy. “We will not bow down to undemocratic forces and we must continue our struggle.”

He also urged the government to give the opposition the due political space and opportunity to exercise their political rights to strengthen democracy.

Some central leaders of BNP and the 20-party alliance joined milad mahfil.

A munajat was offered after the programme parrying for eternal peace of Pintu’s departed soul. l

Alleged robber critically injured in mob beating n FM Mizanur Rahaman A man was critically injured in a mob beating after allegedly attempting a robbery at a Agrani Bank branch in Kuyaish area under Hathazari upazila of Chittagong on Thursday night.

Critically injured, the man named Shukkur was admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Hathazari police Inspector Md Salahuddin

told the Dhaka Tribune: “The security guards and Ansar members in front of the Agrani Bank branch started shouting when they saw three persons digging a hole on the roof of the bank around 11pm Thursday.”

Hearing the noise, locals chased the alleged robbers and caught Sukkur, said Salahuddin.

A case was lodged with Hathazari police station in this connection. l

Ershad: Both party leaders want to cling to power correspondent, n Our Munshiganj Leaders of the two main parties want to hold on to power by holding the people hostage, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad said yesterday.

He said the country was heading towards a bloody war and its the people who were paying the price for the lust of power of the two leaders.

“Both the leaders want to go to power at the cost of people’s lives but I handed over power to avoid clash. Jatiya Party does not want to see any clash in the country,” said Ershad while speaking at a programme at Jamiya Islamia Halimiya Madhupur Madrasa in Sirajdikhan upazila in the afternoon.

The former president said the Muslims across the world had been facing many sufferings.

“Conspiracies are being hatched against the Muslim people but the holy Quran and the Hadith will live forever. I declared Islam the state religion as Allah and Islam are our only possessions.”

Founder Director of the madrasa, Maulana Abdul Hamid, presided over the programme which was also attended by Jatiya Party’s former secretary general Ruhul Amin Howlader and Bogra 3 lawmaker Md Nurul Islam Talukder among others. l

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3 human traffickers killed in gunfight with Teknaf police Jamil Khan with Our n Mohammad Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Three suspected human traffickers were killed during a gunfight with the police at Teknaf beach of Cox’s Bazar early yesterday.

The three deceased were from bordering Teknaf upazila, said Teknaf police. They were identified as Dhalu Hossen, 55, Jahangir Alam, 30, and Zafar Alam, 25.

“Police recovered two firearms, three rounds of live bullets and some other ammunition,” said Ataur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Teknaf Police Station.

The deceased were on the list human traffickers prepared by the Home Ministry, said the police. Dhalu was leader of the human trafficking syndicate.

Dhalu was accused in nine human trafficking cases, Jahangir in eight cases, and Zafar in two, said OC Ataur, adding that other human traffickers were sending people to Malaysia illegally by sea.

“Acting on a tip-off, police went a drive in Hatchery Beach area of Teknaf where a group

of human traffickers were waiting to send some people to Malaysia by sea,” said OC Ataur.

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the human traffickers started firing at the police compelling them to retaliate. Police fired 30 rounds in retaliation.

The bullet-wounded human traffickers were rushed to Teknaf Hospital where the on-duty physician declared them dead. The bodies are at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Four police officers including the OC were injured during the gunfight and were given first aid at the local hospital. Two separate cases were filed with Teknaf Model Police Station in this regard.

Meanwhile, a team of Rapid Action Battalion 7 arrested alleged human trafficker Anwar Hossain, 28, from Cox’s Bazar sadar early Friday. The RAB 7 officials said Anwar was the main assistant of local human trafficking ring leader Rafique alias Burmese Rafique.

Mass graves were unearthed in hidden camps located deep in the jungles of Thailand’s southern province Songkhla recently

after 26 bodies were recovered from a shallow grave in one of these camps on May 1.

International media quoted a survivor who claimed more than 500 prisoners, mostly migrants or abductees, had been killed. The reports also said most victims were thought to be from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

In another incident, one Luto Mia of Sonadia Island of Moheskhali was shot dead by human traffickers when the villagers were resisting the traffickers on April 9.

According to Chittagong Metropolitan Police some 241 human traffickers of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia are active around the coastal areas of Bangladesh.

Tofail Ahmed, Additional Superintendent of Police, Cox’s Bazar said: “Cox’s Bazar police already rescued more than 300 people seeking jobs abroad and arrested 20 human traffickers over the last two months.”

Lieutenant Colonel Khandokar Saiful Alam, Commanding Officer of BGB 17 battalion, Cox’s Bazar told the Dhaka Tribune: “BGB members rescued some 78 people and detained 23 human traffickers during the last six months.” l

Flower seller Sabina could not hold her tears when she saw a photo exhibit depicting sexual assaults of women, on display around the Raju Bhashkorjo on the Dhaka University campus yesterday. Looking at the photos, she said she was reminded of the horrific incident of sexual assault at the very spot on Pohela Boishakh. The exhibit was put up by photographer Avik Adnan Siddiqui RAJIB DHAR

BCL to elect new leadership in July n Arif Ahmed Following a delay of almost two years, Chhatra League is set to elect its new leadership at the student wing’s 28th central committee council on July 25 and 26.

HM Badiuzzaman Sohag, president of Chhatra League, announced the dates yesterday in a press conference at Dhaka University’s Modhur Canteen.

Before the central convention on July, Dhaka Metropolitan (North) unit’s convention will be held on May 28, Dhaka Metropolitan (South) unit’s on May 30 and the DU unit’s on June 11; conventions would also take place at 16 district units.

The last central council of Chhatra League was held on July 10, 2011, where the incumbent central executive committee was elected with Sohag and Nazmul as president and general secretary respectively.

The current committee has been in place for almost four years, even though the student wing’s constitution dictates that new leadership must be elected every two years.

“The tenure of the central executive committee is two years. New council has to be held by this time. Otherwise, the executive committee will stand dissolved,” article 11(b) of the Chhatra League’s constitution reads.

When asked about young leaders with the most potential for leadership positions, Chhatra League President Sohag said: “The most dedicated, disciplined and obedient activists of the organisation will be given the charge to lead it.”

Asked about the two-year delay in holding the council, he said: “It is not our fault as there are some limitations in the whole political system; that is why it became so late.”

However, some leaders who have already turned 29 years old or will cross 29 before July, expressed their disappointment over the delay, as the student body’s constitution does not allow its top leaders to be more than 29 years old.

Seeking anonymity, one of the incumbent joint secretaries of Chhatra League said: “It is a conspiracy of the current president and general secretary to keep away the potential leaders from their due recognition. That is why they declared the convention date so late.”

Meanwhile, sources inside the Chhatra League said the up-and-coming students leaders have already began networking with top leaders of the party in order to secure top posts at the next central executive committee.

The top two posts of the student body are likely to be won by leaders from Barisal and Faridpur-Madaripur regions, reliable sources inside Chhatra League told the Dhaka Tribune. l

Yunus Centre responds to premier’s alleged remarks n Tribune Report

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus would never do anything against the interests of Bangladesh, the Yunus Centre said.

In a rejoinder to the prime minister’s alleged remarks about the mirco-financier’s role in cancelling World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge project, the Yunus Centre said: “He has always promoted Bangladesh and its successes, and has helped to put Bangladesh on the map as a model for development and poverty reduction.

“To state that he is harmful to the nation is

very unfortunate.”

The prime minster reportedly criticised Yunus for allegedly influencing Hillary Clinton and getting World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge project cancelled.

The comments were reported to have been made at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on May 5.

“The allegations were made Professor Yunus without presenting any proof of the truth of such statements,” the Yunus Centre’s rejoinder on Thursday said.

The prime minister allegedly said the poor were getting stuck in a microcredit trap.

She is reported to have said the bank charges high interest rates and that its outlook is chiefly commercial.

Yunus is widely known for developing a model for poverty reduction in Bangladesh and beyond.

His work on microcredit for rural development has been recognised throughout the world through the award of the Nobel Peace Prize and many other prizes, the Yunus Centre said.

Several daily newspapers reported on the prime minister’s alleged remarks about Yunus at a meeting of the Executive Committee of

National Economic Council on May 5.

“We hope the honourable prime minister did not actually make these comments, but we are responding to each of the quotes attributed to her, since they have been published widely,” the centre said.

News reports quoted the prime minister as saying Yunus influenced Hillary Clinton to cancel World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge over a conflict between Yunus and the government over the directorship of Grameen Bank.

“He is harmful to the nation,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also quoted as saying. l

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Kazir Bazar bridge likely to open in June n Mohammad Serajul Islam, Sylhet After missing several deadlines, the Roads and Highway Department has set afresh deadline for the inauguration of much talkedabout Kazir Bazar Bridge over the Surma River in Sylhet, much to create frustrations among local people.

Last year, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the bridge would be opened on 16 December as a Victory Day gift to townspeople. Since then, several deadlines such as February 21, March 26 and Pohela Boishakh, the first day of Bangla year, have gone, but the bridge had not been opened as construction of many portions of the bridge are yet to complete.

Now, officials of the Roads and Highway

Department are saying that the bridge would be open for public in June.

Khurshed Alam, divisional engineer of R&H department, told the Dhaka Tribune that construction works of main structure of the bridge had already finished. Now, the construction of a drain and RCC road was going on. After completion of the drain and road, construction of 300-metre road would begin soon.

He said: “I am hopeful that we would be able to finish the construction works by the end of this month.”

The Roads and Highway department could not finish the construction works even after nine years due to repeated changes in designs, delay in land acquisition, fund crunch, and a lack of coordination among the relevant agencies.

The cost has already increased almost threefold to Tk124 crore from Tk44 crore because of price hikes of the construction materials as well as land.

On December 24, 2005, the then finance minister M Saifur Rahman laid the foundation stone of the bridge. The initial cost of the project was estimated to be Tk44.64 crore but in nine years, it has risen more than three times to Tk124 crore.

Kamal Associates, a Dhaka-based firm, is implementing the project which is 391 metre long and 18.90 metre wide.

Obaidul Quader has recently visited the Sylhet city when he said the bridge would be inaugurated in June and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would open the bridge for people. l

Three killed as nor’wester lashes Sirajganj

n Tribune Report Three people were killed and another was injured as a nor’wester swept through Shahjadpur upazila of the district on Thursday night.

The deceased were identified as Farhad Ali, 22, son of Barkat Ali, a resident of Char Angaru, Shaher Ali, 34, a resident of Char Narua village and Ayub Ali, a resident of Jamirta village of the upazila. The storm also damaged crops of vast tracts of land.

Meanwhile, four cows died in lightning strike during the storm in Bhatbera village of Ullahpara upazila.

Shamim Ahmed, upazila nirbahi officer of the Shahjadpur upazila said, the families of the deceased will be provided with financial support. l

Road accident kills two in Ctg n Tribune Report Two persons were killed and two others injured in a road accident on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Mirsarai upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning.

Sub-Inspector of Jararganj Highway police outpost Farid Uddin Ahmed said a Chittagong-bound newspaper-laden microbus carrying four persons hit the central reservation as its driver lost over steering around 5:30am, leaving Md Asaduzzaman, 42, a resident of Barisal, dead on the spot. Three people were also injured in the accident.

The injured were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where the on duty doctors declared Safiq,45, dead. l

One held with six gold bars

n Tribune Report Police arrested a person in possession of six gold bars weighting one kilogram at Chandanaish upazila of Chittagong yesterday afternoon.

The arrestee was identified as Alok Deb, 24, while the detail of the arrestee could not be ascertained immediately, said Officer-inCharge of Chandanish police station Abul Kashem Bhuiyan.

The OC said police had searched a Chittagong-bound bus of S Alam Paribahan coming from Cox’s Bazar at Gashbariya College check post around 2pm and detained Alok for his suspicious movement.

Later, police recovered six gold bars kept into his two shoes, added the OC. l

Man killed by elder brother

n Tribune Report A man was allegedly beaten to death by his elder brother at Uttarpara village in the Sadar upazila in Lalmonirhat. The deceased was identified as Bulbul, 35, son of Jamal Uddin Mandal, a resident of the village.

Police said Bulbul had been at loggerheads with his elder brother Bullet over family affairs. As a sequel, the two brothers locked into an altercation on Thursday night. At a stage, Bullet hit at the head of his younger brother with a stick around 10:30pm, leaving Bulbul dead on the spot. l

Extreme heat has affected the country over last few days. The picture taken yesterday from under the bridge over the Mahananda River in Chapainawbganj shows the heat affected children are jumping off a boat into water to get respite from heat AZAHAR UDDIN

Hospital vandalised protesting ‘wrong’ treatment n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur A pregnant woman died of alleged wrong treatment at Lakshmipur Model Hospital Pvt Ltd situated on South Temuhoni Lakshmipur-Ramgoti Road in Lakshmipur district yesterday.

Sabina Yasmin Lipi, 22, wife of Firoz Alam of Banchhanagar, Lakshmipur, was admitted to the hospital with labour pain on Tuesday.

The deceased left two kids while her unborn child died during treatment.

The victim’s relatives alleged that the doctors’ negligence in duty had led to the death of Lipi and her unborn child.

Lipi was receiving treatment under Dr Ishrat Jahan Annie in the gynecological department of the hospital. After three days due

to Annie’s alleged wrong treatment the child in her womb died.

The hospital authority concealed the matter and continued treatment of Lipi, however, she died yesterday. Her death sparked protests among the locals and her relatives who vandalised the hospital and physically assaulted two employees of the hospital including its manager.

Being informed by the hospital authorities, police arrested three relatives of Lipi – Md Shaheed, Mayeen Uddin and Shofiullah – yesterday morning.

The relatives alleged that the hospital authorities hold secret meetings with the local administration to evade responsibility and divert attention from the incident. l

Woman hacked to death

n Tribune Report A young girl, who was hacked by a young man at Bajnabo Sayedpara in Telabo upazila on Thursday evening over love affair, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Rinvi Akter Dipa, 22, daughter of Sayed Samsuzzaman, a resident of Bajnabo Sayedpara. She was a 2nd year student of Narshingdi Gov College.

Local people said Al-Amin, 28, son of Niaruddin of Bajnabo Kazirtech village, proposed Dipa for getting into a love affair.

Dipa did not respond to the proposal.

As a sequel to this, Al-Amin went to Dipa’s residence on Thursday evening and indiscriminately hacked her with a sharp weapon around 5:15pm. Later, Dipa was whisked off to DMCH on critical condition where she succumbed to her injuries around 1am yesterday. l

DT

NEWS 7

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Illegal gas connections in Sreepur increasing, consumers lose interest in legal ones n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Providing illegal gas connections to households have become rampant in the outlying areas of Sreepur upazila in Gazipur.

A certain gang is providing these illegal connections to those interested for large sums of money; thus, consumers of the municipality and its nearby areas are losing interest in getting legal gas connections. This gang is also very active, providing several connections everyday.

It is alleged that influential Awami League leaders, involved with this ring, help provide these connections: digging up miles of roads and using substandard pipelines for these illegal gas connections. Once dug up the roads are left unrepaired, adding to the inconvenience to the pedestrians. Many such roads have become unusable because of the unauthorised digging.

These connections, being provided by unskilled, inexperienced personnel working during the night, are also giving rise to the risk

of accidents. Moreover, these workers also get involved in mugging pedestrians.

It is alleged that the contractors enlisted with the local government are involved and the gas lines are being laid down by some metal workshop owners of several areas in Sreepur. On top of that, people claiming to be journalists – using their contacts with professional journalists – are managing these illegal gas connections. Under their influence, some works are done even during the day.

Sreepur police are also allegedly involved with this ring, taking Tk5,000 per connection.

Even if the police are informed of illegal road digging, they do not even enter the area. If they are not paid up however, the police file cases against the contractors.

Last January, in the Sreepur upazila law enforcement committee meeting, the then Officer in Charge (OC) Mohsinul Kadir of Sreepur Police Station technically avoided discussion of the issue of the illegal gas connections when it came up. The absence of steps by police in stopping these activities is affecting the

image of the law enforcement agency, commented many.

Talking to several households who took the illegal connections, it was learned that the involved contractors claim to have managed everyone from the local authority of Titas gas to the police administration for the illegal gas connection business. These contractors also luring people with the promise of these connections getting regularised by the government in the future.

The consumers also said the contractors charge Tk40,000 to Tk80,000 for these connections depending on the distance of households from the gas mainlines.

Gazipur Titas Gas and Distribution Company Limited (Titas) Managing Engineer AM Siaful Islam said: “I have asked the recently transferred OC of Sreepur police [OC Mohsinul] several times to assist us in disconnecting these illegal gas connections. He assured us of arresting those involved but have not caught one of them. Even a letter was sent to the Superintendent of Police in this regard

Tofail: Khaleda will be tried for killing people n Our Correspondent, Bhola

WEATHER

DRY WEATHER SATURDAY, MAY 9 DHAKA TODAY

TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:31PM

SUN RISES 5:19AM

FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

34

26

Chittagong

34

26

Rajshahi

35

25

Rangpur

33

24

Khulna

35

25

Barisal

33

26

Sylhet

33

23

Cox’s Bazar

34

26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

35.4ºC

29.5ºC

Chittagong

Tangail Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajr

3:54am

Sunrise

5:18am

Zohr

11:55am

Asr

4:33pm

Magrib

6:31pm

Esha

8:01pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

from the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Ministry.”

Managing Engineer Moshiur Rahman of Titas in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh said: “We have heard of the illegal connections.

They are using equipment which we have identified as unfit for gas connections. Hence, these illegal connections are very risky. No way are these connections going to be authorised. We will conduct a drive very soon to disconnect these gas lines and take legal action against those involved.”

The recently transferred OC Mohsinul Kadir told journalists: “I am always willing to cooperate with the state. I have no hand in these illegal gas connections.”

The new OC of Sreepur police station Motaleb Miya said he lodged a case after getting a complaint in this regard and claimed no members of the police are involved. He added that not only police, but different government organisations are active in stopping these illegal connections and everyone involved will be brought under the rule of law. l

The National Garments Sramik Federation brings out a procession in city yesterday demanding special allocation for women garment workers in national budget SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

BNP demands withdrawal of Bulbul’s suspension order n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi Local BNP leaders demanded immediate revocation of the order of suspension of Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul.

They came up with the demand at a press conference held at its party office in Rajshahi city yesterday morning.

No high-up leaders were present in the press briefing where BNP Rajshahi district unit General Secretary Advocate Kamrul Monir and Joint-Secretary Alauddin Ahmed spoke, among others. The speakers said the government had taken stand against wish of people suspending Mayor Bulbul, who was elected by Rajshahi city dwellers.

The leaders vowed to go on tougher movement, if the order is not withdrawn immediately.

On Thursday, Bulbul was suspended following the framing of charges against him in

several cases, including murder of constable Siddhartha Sarker.

The Local Government Division (LGD) issued a notification regarding the suspension of the pro-BNP mayor who has been in prison in several lawsuits.

According to section 12 (1) of the City Corporation Act, if charge sheet is accepted by court against any city corporation mayor and councillor, the government has right to suspend him or her in consultation with the Election Commission.

After the suspension, LGD Senior Assistant Secretary Jasim Uddin Hawlader said Bulbul had been removed from his post as per the aforesaid section.

Earlier, the government suspended another pro-BNP Sylhet Mayor Ariful Haque Choudhury on the same ground.

On September 18, 2013, Bulbul started serving as the mayor of Rajshahi. l

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be tried for the deaths of the victims of her party’s threemonth anti-government agitations, said Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday.

He said the BNP attempted to destroy the country in the name of agitations but failed.

“After failing to do so, she [Khaleda] surrendered to court and returned home. She has been sued for the killings that took place during the agitations and will be standing trial according to the existing laws,” said Tofail while talking to reporters after inaugurating a bridge on the Maya River in Charfashion.

He said voters had retaliated the killings of innocent people by voting for Awami Leaguebacked candidates in the April 28 city corporation polls. l

Mayors of Dhaka city visit Bangabandhu’s shrine n Tribune Report Newly-elected mayors of Dhaka South and North City Corporations, Sayeed Khokon and Annisul Huq, paid a visit to the mazar of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara in yesterday.

Both the mayors paid glowing tributes by placing wreaths and offering special prayers at the grave of Bangabandhu on the premises of his memorial complex at 3 in the afternoon.

At that time, newly-elected councillors of both the city corporations of Dhaka were present.

A large number of leaders and workers also accompanied them. Talking to reporters after placing wreaths at the mazar of Bangabandhu, Sayeed Khokon and Annisul Huq expressed their firm determination to transform Dhaka into a modern capital of Bangladesh. l

DT

8 WORLD

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Thai trafficking crackdown targets corrupt police, officials n AP, Bangkok Thailand’s police chief announced the arrest of a powerful provincial mayor yesterday and said 50 police officers are being investigated in a widening human trafficking scandal spanning four Asian countries.

Police chief Somyot Poompanmoung called Mayor Banjong Pongphon a “key suspect” in the investigation.

He delivered the strongest public admission yet of police involvement in trafficking syndicates that use Thailand as a regional transit hub. “If you are still neglecting, or involved with, or supporting or benefiting from human-trafficking networks — your heads

Saudi-led forces conduct air strikes in Yemen’s Saada

n Reuters, Cairo/Aden

Saudi-led forces conducted several air strikes on Thursday against the Yemeni province of Saada, a stronghold of the Iranian-allied Houthi movement, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA said yesterday.

The strikes targeted two Houthi control centers in Bani Maaz and destroyed a mine factory in the old quarter of the city of Saada and a communications center in the Mothalath area, the agency said. Two Houthi command centers in the province were also destroyed.

Residents of Saada said the strikes had damaged the tomb of the founder of the Houthi movement, Hussein al-Houthi.

There was also heavy shelling in the west of the province, on the border area between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and 13 villagers were killed in strikes on Hajja province, also near the border, locals said.

The figures could not be independently verified. l

Spain’s indicted princess seeks bail cut in tax-fraud case

n AP, Madrid

Princess Cristina has presented a list of assets that will be blocked in order to cover her 2.7 million euros ($3 million) bail fee while she awaits trial on tax fraud charges.

A court in Palma de Mallorca said the princess filed the list before yesterday afternoon deadline and also sought a reduction in the bail amount.

The court said Judge Jose Castro would decide on the petition next week. No further details were released.

None of the blocked property will be seized from the princess but she will not be able to sell any of it.

Cristina, the 49-year-old sister of King Felipe, was indicted in December as part of a four-year probe into her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who faces charges including money-laundering and fraud. l

will roll,” Somyot told the meeting at Bangkok’s national police headquarters.

Last Friday, police unearthed two dozen bodies from shallow graves in the mountains of southern Thailand, a grim discovery that has since exposed a network of jungle camps run by traffickers who allegedly held migrants captive while they extorted ransoms from their families. A total of 33 bodies, believed to be migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, have now been exhumed from various jungle camps.

The discoveries have embarrassed Thailand, which is already under pressure from the United States and the European Union to crack down on human trafficking both on

land and in its fishing fleets.

Fearing the crackdown, trafficking gangs appear to be abandoning migrants in southern Thailand. Since Thursday, police in Padang Besar found 96 migrants, all frail and hungry, who claimed to be Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, said police Col Palahon Gadekaew. In an editorial Friday titled “Take Down the Traffickers,” the Bangkok Post said the arrests confirm “long-held public suspicions of government officials’ collusion with trafficking networks.”

Last June, the US downgraded Thailand and Malaysia to its lowest category — Tier 3 — in an annual assessment of how governments handle human trafficking. l

Norwegian, Philippine ambassadors killed in Pakistan helicopter crash

n Reuters, Islamabad

A Pakistan military helicopter carrying diplomats to inspect development projects crashed yesterday killing seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines and the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian ambassadors.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was traveling to the mountainous northern region of Gilgit on a separate aircraft to launch two projects when the accident happened. He returned to Islamabad, his office said.

As well as Norwegian Ambassador Leif Larsen, Philippine Ambassador Domingo Lucenario and the wives of the ambassadors of Malaysia, the two pilots and a crew member were killed, military spokesman Asim Bajwa said in Twitter posts. l

Putin, Xi cement ties at WWII anniversary n AFP

China’s Xi Jinping flew into Moscow yesterday as some two dozen world leaders headed to Russia for a grandiose World War II victory parade snubbed by the West.

Russia will roll out its military might at the Red Square parade to mark 70 years since victory over Nazi Germany from 10am today (0700 GMT) with 16,000 troops and a display of hardware including the latest generation Armata tanks.

Putin called Xi “our great friend” after a meeting at the Kremlin where the two leaders of the neighbouring countries that once shared a Communist ideology said they agreed to strengthen economic ties.

The two leaders signed a joint declaration on cooperation between a Kremlin-backed trade bloc made up of ex-Soviet allies Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, and China’s vision of a Silk Road Economic Belt running West through Asia to the markets of Europe.

“We are talking about the prospect of entering a new level of partnership with a shared economic space on the whole Eurasian continent,” Putin said.

The two sides signed memorandums on deals including Chinese investment in a highspeed rail line linking Moscow and the Volga city of Kazan.

“The Chinese side agreed to finance this project to the tune of around 300 billion rubles (US $5.92 billion),” Putin said.

They also signed an agreement on creating a joint Chinese-Russian company that could acquire 100 of Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 jumbo jets over three years in a deal worth around $3 billion and lease them out in Asia.

Putin said the two also discussed joint energy projects, with “substantial results.”

Last year, China and Russia inked a 30year, $400-billion agreement that will eventually involve Moscow supplying Beijing with 38 billion cubic metres of gas annually.

“The Russian side has already started building the gas pipeline while work on Chinese territory starts in the near future,” Putin said.

China is Russia’s largest trade partner.

In a sign of closer ties with China, a column of its troops will march in the parade for the first time. l

Russian soldiers take part in a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Red Square in Moscow.

Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 AFP

DT

WORLD 9

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

London stocks, pound surge as Cameron holds onto power n AFP, London London’s stock market rallied and the pound surged yesterday as Prime Minister David Cameron’s “business friendly” Conservatives claimed a surprise victory in Britain’s general election.

The benchmark FTSE 100 index jumped 1.83 percent to stand at 7,013.0 points in midday deals, lifted by soaring share price gains for banks and energy majors.

Among the biggest winners were energy firm Centrica, up 7.50 percent to 276.70 pence and state-rescued Lloyds Banking Group, up 6.56 percent to 87.53 pence, with the Conservatives seen as being less tough on regulating the financial and energy sectors compared with the Labour party, which will stay as the main opposition party.

As the results rolled in, forecasts of a close contest between the Conservatives and Labour turned out to be wide of the mark, with Cameron on course to win a majority in parliament and secure five more years in Downing Street.

The outcome sent the British pound soaring to $1.5423 from $1.5262 late in New York on Thursday. The euro was down at 72.71 pence from 73.82 pence.

The European single currency fell to $1.1215 from $1.1266 on Thursday.

“A night of victory for the Conservative party has put UK markets on the front foot, with sterling and the FTSE moving higher,” said Chris Beauchamp, senior market analyst

Official: IS, Taliban pairing up in northern Afghanistan

n AFP, Kunduz

Foreign fighters allied with the Islamic State group are training Taliban insurgents in a volatile Afghan province, an official said yesterday, the first such claim as the government raises the alarm over an emerging IS threat.

President Ashraf Ghani has repeatedly raised fears that IS – notorious for their brutal reign of terror in Syria and Iraq – are making steady inroads into Afghanistan, which is already in the grip of a fierce Taliban insurgency.

But the governor of Kunduz, the scene of intense fighting for two weeks that has displaced thousands, has gone further by claiming that the two groups are joining forces in the northern Afghan province.

IS fighters are “supporting the Taliban, training the Taliban, trying to build the capacity of the Taliban for a bigger fight,” provincial governor Mohammed Omar Safi told the BBC. Local observers have viewed claims of IS’s rise in Afghanistan with caution.

The two groups, which espouse different ideological strains of Sunni Islam, are believed to be arrayed against each other in Afghanistan’s restive south.

But the governor insisted that the fight is different in the once-tranquil north, which has recently seen a huge influx of foreign fighters. l

Tories win UK general election

Final results

Liberal Democrats

8

Labour Scottish National Party Greens 1

56

331

232 650 seats

Conservatives

US focus

1 UKIP 21 Others

Source: BBC at IG trading group.

“For investors, the results... mean that they can cease worrying about the UK economy, and focus on the other areas of concern, like Greece and whether the Fed will hike rates this year.”

Scotland, EU risks

As well as the Conservatives, the other big winners were the pro-independence Scottish

National Party, which won 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland.

The success of the SNP could increase pressure for a fresh referendum on Scottish independence, even though that was rejected just last September.

An overall victory for the Conservatives will meanwhile trigger a referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU by 2017.

And Britain can expect more austerity as

Greek PM forecasts happy result n Reuters, Athens/Rome Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras forecast a happy end soon to fraught negotiations with creditors on a cash-for-reform deal, and the chairman of euro zone finance ministers said talks were making progress, though not enough for a deal next Monday.

However, with Greece fast running out money, sources close to the talks with the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank said there was still no breakthrough on crucial sticking points over pension and labor market reforms and budget targets.

The government has said its “red lines” are that it will not make further pension cuts or legislate to ease layoffs in the private sector. It has given some ground on privatizations and value added tax but wide gaps remain.

In Rome, Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Monday’s meeting of finance ministers of the currency area would not be decisive, but negotiations were moving forward. Greece’s partners would only consider debt relief once Athens committed to and completed its current bailout program, he said.

Italian Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan told a joint news conference after talks with Dijsselbloem he was confident of a deal in “a reasonable time frame.”

Despite the slow pace of detailed negotiations, EU officials said they were keen to ensure the Eurogroup sends a positive message

Cameron looks to further slash the country’s huge deficit.

“Admittedly, a Tory victory means that the economy will have to endure a fairly aggressive renewal of the fiscal squeeze,” said Redwood.

“On top of that, investment could suffer from uncertainty ahead of the referendum on UK membership of the EU that will presumably now take place. Meanwhile, the success of the SNP suggests that Scottish independence could also come back onto the agenda.”

on Monday that a deal with Greece is in the works and to avoid another confrontation like the one with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis in Riga last month.

However, they said the outcome would not be enough to prompt the ECB to allow Greek banks on emergency liquidity support to buy more short-term treasury bills to ease the government’s funding crunch.

A senior EU source said Brussels believed Athens has enough money left to pay a crucial 750 million euro debt installment to the IMF on Tuesday and meet other payment obligations in May. It was essential to reach a deal by the end of May to allow time for some parliaments to approve the agreement and authorize disbursement of 7.2 billion euros left in Greece’s existing bailout, which expires at the end of June.

As so often since the euro zone’s debt crisis began in 2010, much hinges on the position of Germany, the EU’s main paymaster and Greece’s biggest creditor nation.

A source briefed on German government thinking said Merkel was willing to take a deal to continue financial support for Greece to an increasingly skeptical parliament provided Tsipras made serious commitments on the key reforms.

The source said Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and a growing number of lawmakers in Merkel’s conservative CDU party were skeptical about Greece’s ability to stay in the euro zone. l

European market focus Friday was also firmly on the United States, with the world’s biggest economy publishing key monthly jobs data.

In afternoon deals, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 stocks index was up 0.56 percent to 11,472.00 points and the CAC 40 in Paris won 0.76 percent to 5,004.90 compared with Thursday’s closing levels.

“While investors in the UK will no doubt be focussed on events in London there is also the added complication of the latest US employment report for April, which could go some way to gate crashing events today,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. “Today’s numbers are even more important in the context of the recent slowdown seen in the US economy in the first quarter of this year, which has put back rate hike expectations in to the second half of this year and in the process sent the US dollar tumbling.” l

EU refugee quota scheme unravels amid national opposition

n AP, Brussels

European Union plans to introduce a quota system obliging countries to share the burden of settling refugees unraveled yesterday as member nations began rejecting the scheme.

Slovakia and Estonia are among those to publicly object to a quota system, which would require unanimous agreement among the 28 EU nations.

“The Slovak Interior Ministry currently refuses binding quotas on migrants,” it said in a statement to The Associated Press. Estonia said it prefers voluntary relocation and resettlement for refugees.

The EU’s executive Commission was to propose the plan next Wednesday as part of a strategy to cope with thousands of migrants fleeing conflict for better lives in Europe.

A handful of countries including Germany, Sweden and France are struggling under the massive migrant influx and quotas were seen as one way to enforce solidarity on their reluctant EU partners.

“This is not a challenge that Italy or Malta or Greece should face alone,” said a lead EU lawmaker on migration, Roberta Metsola.

But away from the media spotlight, weak economies, public opposition to migration and election campaigns mean that real solidarity remains elusive. l

DT

10 WORLD

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Modi defends ban on gang rape documentary n Reuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has defended his government’s decision to ban a controversial documentary film about the fatal gang rape of a woman in New Delhi, saying it was to ensure the dignity of the victim was protected.

The film “India’s Daughter” - which features an interview with one of the men who raped and tortured a 23-year-old woman on a bus in December 2012 - was banned in March

A man, suspected of belonging to the Burundian ruling party’s youth wing, pleads with soldiers while trying to escape a lynching by a mob in Bujumbura on Thursday AFP

UN: 50,000 have fled Burundi n AFP Over 50,000 Burundians have fled their country since the start of political violence in April, the UN refugee agency said yesterday, adding that many more were trying to leave but faced hurdles.

UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said more than 25,000 had crossed into Rwanda, another 7,700 into Tanzania in a week, and 8,000 people had gone to the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“In all these cases women and children, including a large number of unaccompanied children, are in the majority,” he said.

A third term bid by Burundi’s president has sparked violent demonstrations claiming at least 18 lives and sparking global concern that

the central African nation – which endured a brutal 13-year civil war – could lapse into conflict again.

Opposition parties and civil society groups say president Pierre Nkurunziza’s third-term bid in elections due in June violates both the constitution, which limits a president to two terms in office, and the accords that in 2006 ended the civil war between Tutsis and Hutus.

Edwards said there were reports of daily violence in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura with unrest spreading to the provinces.

“In Rwanda, new arrivals have reported fleeing Burundi because of harassment and intimidation by Imbonerakure youth militants, who paint red marks on homes of people to be targeted,” he said, referring to the ruling party’s militia. l

as his comments were considered to be derogatory towards women.

The director of the documentary, Leslee Udwin, said the ban obstructed free speech, and critics have said the move was aimed at concealing widespread misogynistic attitudes in India.

In his first remarks about the case, Modi told Time Magazine that broadcasting the documentary would have “violated the dignity of the victim.” l

DT

EDITORIAL 11

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Better late than never

I

t is heartening to see that India’s Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have both unanimously passed the bill to ratify and implement the 1974 land-boundary agreement between Bangladesh and India.

While real progress on the issue has been a long time coming, it is good news that the wheels are finally moving. Bangladesh has been patiently waiting for the ratification of the LBA for far too long.

Regrettable as it is, this issue which has caused much human hardship, has been held up by politics as much as it has, the progress made this week is a welcome sign that Bangladesh and India are improving bilateral relations ahead of the Indian prime minister’s expected visit to Dhaka.

It is imperative for both countries that we move forward with the LBA, and resolve for good all the issues that have caused so much pain and hardship to thousands of citizens. Bangladeshis living in enclaves and in related border zones have suffered the most from the seemingly perpetual delays in ratifying the agreement.

The LBA issue is long overdue, but is still crucial to improving relations between India and Bangladesh, so that we may amicably move forward in resolving other long-standing issues, such as the Teesta water sharing agreement.

Closing the chapter on the land-boundary agreement will not only alleviate the suffering of those living in enclaves, it will send a powerful message that India is ready to co-operate with us, and move forward in the common interest of both our nations.

LBA ratifcation is a welcome sign that bilateral relations can move forward

Secure funding for RMG growth

W

e welcome the suggestion made by the German ambassador to Bangladesh that global consumers should change their mindset about buying clothes at low prices.

In the long-term, the only way out of a race to the bottom in the garment supply chain is to secure more funds for improvements in working conditions and sustainability that benefits consumers and workers alike. The ambassador is right to ask brands and buyers to look more at pricing structures and pressures.

All stakeholders have a role to play in securing the estimated $1bn to $3bn of funds which the RMG sector needs to invest over the next few years to secure long-term growth.

The government can help by making more land available on which entrepreneurs can develop new industrial zones to allow more new purpose-built, higher productivity RMG factories to be constructed.

With growth in new orders threatened by political uncertainty, it is important that the BGMEA and BKMEA work in tandem with international buyers to help secure more orders and funds for factory owners to invest in improvements.

Buyers should look to nurture closer long-term relationships with those industry leaders who are investing in major improvements and are seeking to incorporate environmental sustainability into their enhancements and retrofitting factories they are making to improve industry safety.

With its large base and increasingly experienced workforce, there are sound reasons to hope the RMG sector can get back on course in achieving its target of doubling exports to $50bn by 2021.

All stakeholders have a role to play

Be heard

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

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First hand account of Pohela Boishakh sexual assault April 18

shihab Bangladesh is a poor country because we Bangladeshies are poor in manner and in our thinking, and our political leaders make every effort to keep us poor and we still vote for them.

Dev Saha Easy task! These criminals need to be identified and expelled from their universities or schools.

No party should patronise these animals.

Leon Halder Undoubtedly, we are still the worst people of all, and that makes our country the worst ever! Shame, shame … what a third class country we are living in! I wish I could take a bite out of these hooligans and hang them naked in front the public. Bangladesh should be awarded for being the worst country ever even in this century.

Dent Gardiner That’s some shameful stuff going on there, guys. I have a few mates who are Bangladeshi and I’m certain they would be embarrassed if I asked them about this. Makes me so happy I live in Australia. There is no way that would happen at a public gathering of any kind here.

Don’t think for one second that the world isn’t watching and judging. They are, trust me.

Dev Saha Dent Gardiner: Too many thugs are at large in such a wild and unruly country. Yes, it is very shameful for every Bangladeshi.

Sam No point in beating around the bush. The police didn’t intervene because they knew it would be futile, as the assailants have the right connections. If the govt is sincere, then the perpetrators can be rounded up in hours

or days, but don’t hold your breath, the country belongs to the mercenary goons of the government of the day.

Akm Fazlul Bari It is shameful that women get assaulted.

Should Sheikh Hasina, being a woman, not take actions where law and order has failed?

It is unacceptable for people to be tolerating such crimes. The administration has been failing time and again in securing safety for the people.

People Akm Fazlul Bari: Hasina celebrated the new year surrounded by high security, so it doesn’t bother her how others were celebrating the new year.

Akm Fazlul Bari People: The PM, as the head of the government of Bangladesh, deserves high security.

So, no questions on that. It is not the PM who should provide security for everyone, but her directives, which should be appropriately implemented by the law and order communities for the celebration.

Rashed Helaluddin Akm Fazlul Bari: Security forces at the venue failed to provide security for the celebrations. During the last book fair, a blogger was hacked to death less than 50ft away from on-duty police officers, opposition members are disappearing without a trace, and the Sagar-runi murder case has made no headway! RAB is just an organised group of hitmen, if you remember the incident. These cases are unfortunate, inhumane, and unjustifiable. Mr Bari, we the common people are praying for the govt to give directives to security forces to simply do their job. But alas, we Bangladeshis are not so lucky.

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12 OPINION

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

If not now, when?

Rahman and n Ashikur Zarif Iftekhar Rasul

A

sustainable development strategy, at its core, is concerned with how human society as a whole balances the need of the present generation without compromising the prospects of future generations. The very idea, in essence, is focused on inter-generational equity as it compels socio-economic actors to accept that economic actions today shape the choices and opportunities that are available to future generations, and that a “just economic order” necessitates that we value the implications of our actions with the utmost precaution.

In this context, the nexus of climate change, economic growth, and environmental degradation has received growing attention in recent years, with both developed and developing countries taking solid measures to address such issues.

Bangladesh, too, has identified the need for sustainable development as outlined in the government’s five-year plans. Realising that Bangladesh will be among the worst victims of climate change, as corroborated

by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, policy-makers within Bangladesh have taken a deep interest in various manifestations of climate change.

In particular, Bangladesh has formulated the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, which has been complemented by the establishment of a number of institutions and funds so that both adaptation and low-carbon development may be addressed adequately.

Despite such initiatives, several issues continue to pose challenges. According to the Environment Performance Index (EPI) of 2014, Bangladesh ranks at 169 out of 178 countries. Unplanned urbanisation, haphazard waste management, and rising noise, air, and water pollution due to poorly regulated industrialisation, have meant that environmental quality has been less than ideal.

Environmental challenges, including the ramifications of climate change, are expected to become even more severe over the coming years. A rise in both sea levels and frequency of cyclone-storms -- due to the escalating atmospheric temperature -- is likely to have grave food and energy security consequences. As noted in several studies, sea levels near Dhaka has a high chance of rising 30cm by 2040 and exceeding 100cm by 2100.

Inundation from a 100cm rise could potentially displace 13 million people. Adapting to such climate change impacts pose a significant challenge. The capacity of government officials (especially at the local level) and institutional co-ordination is often found to be inadequate in responding to such challenges.

Considering past experience and present constraints, the seventh five-year plan from 2016-2020 provides a timely opportunity for Bangladesh to reiterate her commitment towards sustainable development. The Sustainable Development strategy under the seventh plan should be addressed on three fronts -- climate change, internal environmental management, and disaster management.

Each of these three fronts should put forward activities which, from a holistic perspective, can ensure that Bangladesh is on track for sustainable development.

BIGSTOCK

A climate change strategy traditionally encompasses two components: Adaptation and mitigation. While adaptation refers to the activities we take to prepare ourselves from the inevitable impacts of climate change, mitigation activities are concerned with reducing our carbon footprint. Various adaptation practices, such as coastal afforestation and construction of cyclone shelters, have already been implemented.

Mitigation activities, which is often instrumentally related to the quality of internal environmental management, are often overshadowed, as adaptation is often viewed as more important.

As a result, the seventh plan should give due emphasis to climate change mitigation.

In particular, given that the government intends to generate more than 20,000MW from coal by 2030, it must provide attention to the choice of technology so that high efficiency options are adopted for cleaner energy generation. Most importantly, we must avoid the mistakes of Beijing, which has recently acknowledged the adverse consequences of depending too much on this dirty fuel.

Limited institutional capacity also plagues all three fronts of the sustainable development strategy. Inadequate understanding of the multi-faceted nature of climate change and environmental and disaster management prevents adequate measures from being pursued. Hence, under the seventh plan, the capacity of officials should be scaled up

so that they are well prepared to deal with various climate change, environmental, and disaster issues.

A proper institutional framework specifying roles and responsibilities of different institutions, along with promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing, will greatly facilitate institutional coordination.

As Bangladesh seeks to break out of the 6% growth path, articulating a green-growth approach becomes paramount for sustainable development. Low-income developing countries have the tendency to follow a “grow dirty, clean up later” outlook. Proponents of such an approach argue that satisfying human needs and development should be the first priority, since their environmental footprint is relatively small.

However, this is misleading for a number of reasons, chief of which is that a lot of the subsequent damages are irreversible. The loss of many environmental assets, most importantly biodiversity, cannot be undone.

Even if it is possible to clean up afterwards, it will not come cheap. These problems underline the need for a system where economic growth and environmental sustainability can go hand-in-hand.

Green-growth programs will improve the eco-efficiency of economic growth and enhance the synergy between the environment and the economy. Small green-growth programs at the local level, such as paying smallholders and farmers to adopt mod-

ern farming methods which will minimise environmental degradation, can be expanded through active engagement of the private sector and proper financing.

Green practices, such as the adoption of green accounting, are particularly encouraged. The concept of green accounting, which incorporates costs and benefits of environmental protection and the depletion of natural capital into gross measures of national welfare, is yet to be fully established. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics has recognised the need to strengthen and deepen environmental statistics. To do so, maintaining natural resource accounts and emissions accounts is crucial as they can be used to make more informed decisions, subsequently leading to enhanced environmental protection.

On the whole, the population of Bangladesh is expected to double by 2050, reaching some 270 million. In the years to come, the adverse effects of a burgeoning population coupled with industrial development and climate change will exacerbate the impact on the environment unless we act now. It is therefore imperative that, under the seventh five-year plan, we establish sustainable development as a top priority to ensure that our current development needs do not jeopardise the aspirations of future generations. l Ashikur Rahman is Senior Economist, Policy Research Institute. Zarif Iftekhar Rasul is Economist, Policy Research Institute.

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OPINION 13

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Thanks, but no tanks n FS Aijazuddin

I

f there is a name Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has heard once too often, it is that of Bruce Riedel. Riedel retired from the CIA in 2006. His wife still works there.

(The CIA, like sub-continental politics and the US presidency, is a family business.)

In July 1999, when Nawaz Sharif made his lightning visit to Washington to invoke Bill Clinton’s intervention after the Kargil fiasco, the only other person allowed in the meeting at Blair House was a note-taker: Bruce Riedel.

Within three months, Nawaz Sharif heard the name again. Bruce Riedel helped broker Nawaz Sharif’s escape from Attock Fort. “After Sharif’s ouster in a coup by Pervez Musharraf in 1999,” Riedel recalled, “he went into exile to Saudi Arabia, an agreement negotiated by myself for the Clinton administration to forestall Nawaz’s execution. The deal was arranged with the influence of Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar bin Sultan.”

In 2011, Riedel (now a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington) revealed Saudi interest in Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Riedel wrote: “In October 2003, then Crown Prince Abdullah visited Pakistan for a state visit. Several experts reported after the trip that a secret agreement was concluded that would ensure Pakistan would provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear technology and a bomb if Saudi Arabia felt threatened by a third party nuclear program in the future. Both countries, of course, denied the stories.”

Riedel was, in fact, repeating the disclosure made earlier in The Washington Times by Arnaud de Borchgrave. Relying on a ranking Pakistani insider “whose information have proven reliable for more than a decade,” Borchgrave spilled the radioactive beans that “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has concluded a secret agreement on ‘nuclear cooperation’ that will provide the Saudis with nuclear-weapons technology in exchange for cheap oil.

The disclosure came at the end of a 26hour state visit to Islamabad last weekend [in March 2010] by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who flew across the Arabian Sea with an entourage of 200, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal and several cabinet ministers. It will be vehemently denied by both countries … but future events will confirm that Pakistan has agreed to provide [Saudi Arabia] with the wherewithal for a nuclear deterrent.”

In November 2013, the BBC carried a report that “Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, told a conference in Sweden that if Iran got the bomb, ‘the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb. They will go to Pakistan and bring what they need’.” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the BBC report as “speculative, mischievous and baseless,” insisting that Pakistan is “a responsible nuclear state.”

These revelations -- deliberate and disclosed with a purpose -- were timed to apply a pincer pressure by Saudi Arabia and by Israel on the US during its negotiations on a

REUTERS

Nawaz Sharif’s visit of contrition notwithstanding, the Saudis are unlikely to forgive Sharif, his parliament or his country for what the Saudis regard as an unconscionable betrayal

nuclear deal with Iran.

Israel and imperial Iran had once been friends; Royal Saudi Arabia and Israel once enemies. “Any country can choose its friends,” Gholamreza Ansari the Iranian Ambassador to New Delhi advised his hosts in a newspaper interview recently. “But we should not let our friends choose our enemies. If Israel is your friend, don’t let them choose your enemies.” Ansari then paid an unexpected compliment to Pakistan for its stance in the Saudi-Yemeni conflict: “The

Pakistanis didn’t help them because they were wise.”

Our wisdom will be tested soon enough, as soon as the new Saudi administration flexes its well-oiled muscles. Interestingly, the recent dynastic mutation in Riyadh is a replay of one in Amman in 1999 (a fateful year for many), when King Hussein’s brother Hassan (crown prince for 34 years) found himself peremptorily replaced by the dying Hussein’s son (now King Abdullah).

The outgoing Foreign Minister Saud bin

Faisal, like his father King Faisal, had been a staunch friend of Pakistan. His successor is from a more brittle mould. Nawaz Sharif’s visit of contrition notwithstanding, the Saudis are unlikely to forgive Sharif, his parliament or his country for what the Saudis regard as an unconscionable betrayal.

In their eyes, we have committed the unpardonable. We have made them lose face publicly, and when all that is visible of a Bedouin Arab is his face, to lose that is to lose all.

How far should Pakistan have gone to express gratitude to the Saudis? The Irish patriot Daniel O’Connell once declared: “No man can be grateful at the cost of his honour … and no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty.” By offering the Saudis tardy thanks in lieu of timely tanks, we may have reasserted our liberty but we have certainly lost a friend. l

FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article was first published in Dawn.

DT

14 LONG FORM

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

A tale of two mockingbirds Public reaction in Pohela Boishkah and echoing namelessness

n Seema Amin “The ‘they,’ as it were, can constantly have ‘them’ invoking it …” -- Heidegger

E

asy does it. “They” did it.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee described the subjectivism of the human experience: “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” Justice, in this world-view, tends to black out, losing consciousness to a kind of societal tunnel vision. Atticus Finch, protagonist in that American classic, saw mockingbirds as epitomes of harmlessness, innocent songbirds that should not be prey to the predator. But in the natural world, mockingbirds are characterised by quite another “gift.” Mockingbirds mimic other birds.

The song of the mockingbird is a song of the average, a kind of adjusted polyglot’s mean of birdsong.

The culture of “public reaction” in Bangladesh, today, is an echo chamber of mockingbirds, not too distant from the cultures of resistance(s). The same coterie, friends, networks, who “resisted” together for forty years, resist on. They sign together, dine together, sing and fight together. Yet, around them, the “culture” of corruption -- the three musketeers of political, social, and sexual corruption -- has not changed terrifically, much as the colours of our national holidays remain heroically the same, strutting “freedom,” tradition, and “progressive liberal values” all at once, singing the song of the average.

Heidegger’s treatment of the “they” in Adorno’s The Jargon of Authenticity, plumbs the concept of “averageness” in a culture of exchange: “Being-with-another” concerns itself with averageness. Thus, the “they” maintains itself factically in the averageness of that which belongs to it, of that which it regards as valid and that which it does not, and of that to which it grants success and that to which it denies it.

This care of averageness reveals, in turn, an essential tendency of Dasein, which we call the “leveling down of all possibilities of being.” Complex as it sounds, Adorno makes this concept concrete when he describes a world born of phrases, chatter, giving birth to a “reality that arose in the name of culture.”

A few days after the coordinated public humiliation or molestation or, dare I say, rape of more than 20 women in Dhaka University’s TSC, Information Minister Inu described the style of the “attack” as “Talibaneque.”

It would take the Taliban, of course, or ISIS, or, at the very least, Ansarullah Bahini, to get away with, ehm, this crime of “no name” that Rahnuma Ahmed, in 2010, named in an article titled “Chhatra League and sexual violence. A widespread state of denial,” after incidents of sexual harassment in the same Raju Chottor area in Pohela Boishakh.

In 2015, of course, it would take the Taliban. And this, though the security is beefed up more each year, audibly to stem

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

We heard the same stories of extraordinary security measures, special RAB, and police booths as in Ekushey and Boi Mela, when blogger Avijit Roy was silenced forever. And yet, in spite of everything, the same exact venue remained “outside of the jurisdiction” of security

any minuscule threat of “militancy,” cultural harassment, etc. We heard the same stories of extraordinary security measures, special RAB, and police booths as in Ekushey and Boi Mela, when blogger Avijit Roy was silenced forever. And yet, in spite of everything, the same exact venue remained “outside of the jurisdiction” of security.

No surprise. They -- the Taliban-- control Shahbagh after all. They won the spoils of that war in 2008. They mark their territory, we circle in their urine. They came from underground terrorist tunnels behind TSC, they were handed over by Nandi to the police, who, in turn, were so enamoured with the most wanted terrorists of Bangladesh that they released them, did not even take a second glance at the now famous “bearded

man” seen repeatedly near the scene on the cameras … beards get alarming only in the aftermath. But of course! The terrorists control Shahbagh.

In spite of detailed reports in print media, immediately after the incident, recounting sexual harassment in Jagannath by Chhatra League on the same day as the spectacle at TSC, the TV media mediated an Islamic threat soon after, reporting what could well be a clue, or a red herring, that the state’s mouthpieces were only too eager to echo.

Meanwhile, the weight of the “evidence” veered towards the song of the average.

Women’s rights activists, university professors, writers, even students, seemed caught between explaining the endemic environment of sexual harassment and ringing the

alarm bell over a threat to the national (secular) culture of Pohela Boishakh.

Exceptions to note: Some referred back to the pages of history, the 1998 protests over serial rapes by Chhatra League cadres in Jahingnagar University; some hinted at the political patronage that creates impunity.

But the echo chamber, where the mockingbirds flocked quickly, swiftly sang the song of the rooster of “the morning after,” who announced, with alarm, the usual, and yet, unusual suspects. Chatter flits between half truth and an incomplete lie.

In a thorough report in the Dhaka Courier, the culture of impunity in rape and sexual harassment prevalent even in 1973 is mentioned, alongside the historical marker of 1971 regarding rape. Afsan Chowdury’s purported claim that the destigmatisation of rape was “the most significant” legacy of Pakistan, that the 1971 breakdown of norms regarding public rape allowed impunity regarding rape to become the norm, is intriguing. Bangladesh, however, did not merely continue impunity for Pakistani and razakar rapists, they gave impunity for rapists from our own freedom fighters.

War has always involved rape, and the notion that it takes such a violent “breakdown” for the patriarchal norms in peacetime to change should raise some questions. In any case, today, if we continue

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LONG FORM 15

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

to thank Pakistan for the “destigmatisation” of pubic rape, we may as well blame patriarchy and its normalisation of sexual violence on Pakistan in independent Bangladesh. Afsan Chowdhury himself was quoted elsewhere saying that power and privilege provides impunity to rapists -- and has that power not changed hands?

Only from man to man, state to state, old patronage, new patronage. Merely.

The report’s own description of Chhatra League’s shame provides some clue: “DMP Joint Commissioner Munirul said they were working on releasing the suspects’ photos taken from screenshots of the footage. But in a related development, popular website Moja Losss? had to wrap up their social awareness work done through the site after using the CCTV footage to identify some of the perpetrators and providing links on their Facebook page. Many of the identified louts were found to be members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party.”

The same report mentioned Chhatra Union Dhaka University unit’s president Liton Nandi’s witness of men who were saying: “Record this! Record this! We will never get such a view again.” Ironically, the “view from camera 16,” the one camera from which footage has not been released but which was placed in the area where the more “nameless” acts occurred, may well also never be the same again. It is easy to doctor footage once so much time has passed. And given the way the security forces and the state has reacted so far, a state so willing to “set the record straight” … one can, I suppose, only believe our authorities “innocent until proven guilty.”

Alas, still, the footage needs to be re-

leased, if only for us to know the full extent of what Rahnuma called a “nameless crime.”

The New York Times live website recently did an article on “Sunitha Krishnan, the woman who made the bold and controversial move of posting real footage of men raping women on the Internet” and how it led to the identification of rapists following the 2012 New Delhi rape, among other cases.

Rahnuma Ahmed, in the 2010 article, ventured that the widespread “state of denial”

suspects, given the weight of history, the precedents of 2010, the particular style and nature of the assaults, and the simultaneous assaults in Jagannath University on the same day, and the reining in of Chhatra League’s women by the party following their desire to protest the incidents; and, and, and. But I maintain reasonable doubt. I ask myself, if an Islamic militant wanted to make a point with this coordinated lechery, what is the point “they” would make?

Friends, sisters, aunties, mockingbirds -- the boy who cried wolf will one day face a real wolf. And on that day, the wolf won’t spare any of us, not women, not minorities, no one

regarding Chhatra League’s involvement in rape was slowly shaking. Did it? Has it? Does the crime have a name? In spite of commendably large, widespread, and energetic protests following this year’s event, the chatter in the echo chamber seems to fall squarely in the centre of the cesspool of events of the last few years, where impunity has prevailed, and where, on the occasion someone is indicted, the public largely remains skeptical that the actual criminals were found.

For so many reasons, my suspicions are with the most likely suspects, not the usual

I know the mockingbirds’ answer: To intimidate those who practice “Bengali culture.” But I get lost in irony. Point: Today, like every day, women are subject to public and private abuse simply because of the fragrance they carry of “womanhood.” That fragrance is “apparent weakness.” The same fragrance for which the police were emasculated by our valiant Chhatra Union protesters when they came with bangles and sarees to Shahbagh police station. What point, then, was Chhatra League making in Jagannath?

What point were they making in the

hundreds of cases of assault that they have been implicated in over the years? Which Islamic force incited them, were they trying to suppress our “national culture”? What point were they making when their own female members wanted to protest? And were they making similar points when they extorted Jatra owner Anusheh over a concert, and failing to convince her, incited the conservatives of a village in Sundarban to rise against improperly covered women?

But the media barely mentioned the connection. Some media houses, in fact, were found to be involved in the extortion.

And how am I to separate the point they were making from the chatter: Our famous actresses and activists vociferously muddling the waters so the dogs of Shahbagh can maintain jurisdiction -- the one the police can quite honestly claim was not theirs -- forever.

Friends, sisters, aunties, mockingbirds -- the boy who cried wolf will one day face a real wolf. And on that day, the wolf won’t spare any of us, not women, not minorities, no one. Just like we didn’t spare them.

Though they hid in the jungle, as harmless as Lee’s innocent birds, the day our tigers roamed free, preying without fear, with the help of our mockingbirds.

The dogs of Shahbagh mark their territory and we circle in their urine. We sing songs of awakening. But no one wakes up in an echo chamber. Like the vuvuezla that deadens ours sense of sound, the sound of a 10-year-old screaming, being bitten, thrown, the obfuscations of the mockingbirds make obfuscation of the state unnecessary. And the show goes on. l Seema Amin Senior Feature Writer at Depart.

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16 CLIMATE CHANGE

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Green climate fund: Reality or rhetoric n Dr SM Munjurul Hannan Khan

lar interest to all developing countries. However, due to lack of institutional capacity in climate finance governance, developing countries are unable to get accreditation of NIE to ensure direct access of resources from international climate finance mechanisms such as the GCF. Most of the developing countries are now relying on MIEs for accessing resources from any international climate finance mechanisms including the GCF.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is an international climate finance mechanism that developed countries pledge funds into for climate related activities in developing countries.

It is established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The GCF is accountable to and functions under the guidance of the annual Conference of Parties (COP).

Opportunity for Bangladesh

Governing structure of GCF

The headquarter for the Fund sits in Songdo, South Korea and it is governed and supervised by a Board that has full authority for funding decisions. The World Bank has been appointed as the interim trustee responsible for administrative and management of financial assets of the fund initially for three years.

The GCF Board has 24 members, composed of an equal number of members from developing and developed countries. Each board member has an alternate member who are entitled to participate in the meetings of the Board only through or in the absence of the principal member, without the right to vote, unless they are serving as the member. Bangladesh is alternate member of the GCF Board representing the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Mobilisation of resources

The GCF aims to support developing countries in their national efforts to address climate change by leveraging finance as grants and/or other form of concessional financing for mitigation and adaptation measures. It was agreed that developed countries will contribute significantly to this fund -- $100bn per year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. Public and private, bilateral and multilateral, and alternative sources provisions are planned to mobilise resources for the fund. Commitment does not necessarily mean actual contributions from developed countries due to the complex nature of international climate change negotiations.

While developed countries emphasise mitigation measures to address climate change, developing countries are asking for support for urgent and immediate needs for adaptation actions to save the lives and livelihoods of millions. The GCF is trying hard to mobilise resources for supporting developing countries deal with the impacts of climate change. Efforts are going on to convert pledges of developed countries into actual contributions into the fund. The total amount pledged to date by developed countries is $10.2bn of which $4bn is confirmed by contribution agreement. It is only 42% of total amount pledged by developed countries which is a concern for developing countries to access funds from the GCF before COP 21 in 2015.

While developing countries are expecting developed countries to contribute more resources to the GCF to take action on the real cause of climate change, developed countries are failing to show their responsibility in this process. However, without new pledges/commitments and converting all pledges and commitments into contributions before COP21 in Paris this year, it will be very hard to agree on the Paris Agreement to address the global climate change challenge.

Access to the GCF

The GCF, as a global climate finance mechanism, is moving forward to provide financial support to adaptation and mitigation actions in developing countries. In general, there are two different ways to directly access resources from the GCF. Multilateral Implementing Entity (MIE) that includes multilateral development banks and the United Nations agencies that are accredited by the GCF. Another form of direct access is through a National Implementing Entity (NIE) that includes any national institution accredited by the GCF. The Board of the GCF has already accredited seven institutions to access resources directly from the GCF such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Development Bank (KfW), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP), Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE), Peruvian Trust Fund for National Parks and Protected Areas (PROFONANPE) and Acumen. These organisations, as MIEs and NIEs, have been accredited by showing a specific level of standards and criteria that are required by the GCF. Direct access of resources from any international climate finance mechanism is of particu-

The GCF is the main vehicle for securing and facilitating finance for adaptation and mitigation actions in developing countries. All developing countries, including Bangladesh must draw on the GCF to receive support for addressing climate change impacts. It is crucial for developing countries to start readiness programs to identify potential national institution to become NIE for direct access of finance. It is worth mentioning that the above list of accredited organisations will provide a good judgment to all developing countries to identify potential national institutions to become NIEs. Bangladesh can also identify public, non-profit and private institutions within the country to nominate as NIEs for the GCF. The government of Bangladesh has identified Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance as the National Designated Authority (NDA) to communicate with the GCF which is the first step towards directly accessing the fund. However, accreditation of NIE is a real challenge for the country to ensure direct access of funds from the GCF. It is true for all developing countries that MIEs are interested to facilitate direct access of funds from the GCF. This can not be taken as long-term approach for Bangladesh to access funds from the GCF. Hence, it is imperative for Bangladesh to access funds from the GCF through NIEs to ensure a sustainable and reliable climate finance institutional framework and governance in the country. l Dr. SM Munjurul Hannan Khan: Joint Secretary, Govt. of Bangladesh and Lead Negotiator, LDC Group, UNFCCC

Climate fiscal framework: Bangladesh leads on climate actions n Bowen Wang Bangladesh ranks fifth among the world’s ten most vulnerable countries to climate change induced calamities in the world according to the Climate Risk Index, 2014. Bangladesh has become one of the most innovative fighters of climate change through both community-based adaptation, national level initiatives, as well as participation in international negotiations. At the national front, the Finance Division at Ministry of Finance, has instituted the Climate Fiscal Framework (CFF) a pioneering system leads the way in mainstreaming climate finance into the national fiscal system.

The concept of climate fiscal framework is still at an infant stage. It is a framework designed to ensure that external and internal finances are used most effectively in addressing climate change. By introducing such a framework, countries would be able to identify the demand (expenditure) and supply (revenue or finance) of how much funds are needed to finance climate projects. It establishes a transparent and sustainable system to track and verify climate finance use.

These elements are vitally important to Bangladesh as its annual climate finance flow is immense and the demand for climate change related investment is even larger. Without a robust fiscal system to bridge budget expenditure, and outcomes, it is extremely difficult to ensure that objectives in climate policies are delivered in a responsible and accountable manner. The Government of Bangladesh has acknowledged this as highlighted in the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategic Action Plan (BCCSAP 2009), where it states that there is a need to “study and map out fiscal issues for climate change.” Stemming from this document, the finance division developed a full proposal in 2014 for establishing a Climate Fiscal Framework, pending approval from the Planning Commission.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh will have to overcome at least three severe challenges before a sound climate fiscal framework can be established.

Firstly, major efforts are needed to identify existing expenditures and modalities for financing in Bangladesh. This is rather complicated as Bangladesh is mobilising (internally) and receiving (externally) a large amount of climate finance and donor agencies

have their own preference for disbursement modalities. Whoever receives their funds are required to comply. Secondly, on the demand side, the government needs to make estimations of future expenditures to create the budget drawing from action plans such as BCCSAP, but previous data is currently not available to make such estimations.

Lastly, Bangladesh must create an enabling environment where private investors can entrust their capital with relevant institutions. Inevitably, this would require weakness detection and long term institutional capacity building.

There are many imperative building blocks for this ambitious fiscal framework. The most substantial one, arguably, is a set of climate change markers, or a climate budget code in the Ministry Budget Framework. With such a budget code, climate change expenditures can be effectively tracked using the existing national budgetary system, and thereby providing solid evidence for policy analysis and estimation of long-term finance needs. The great potential of climate code has already been verified in FY2012 to FY2014, during which all government expenditures were reviewed

in the course of identifying climate related projects and programs. This experimental practice has given policy makers a clear insight on the portion of climate related expenditure that needs to be allocated in total public national budget.

Bangladesh has proved its leadership in smart actions to adapt to climate change to the world. It is now time to impress its followers with a benchmarking initiative on climate fiscal framework. The road towards it may not be easy, but with careful attention and planning all efforts will be rewarded and the government and donors will start to see returns on their investment in climate change programs. l Bowen Wang is a Climate Change Policy Research Consultant and Visiting Researcher at ICCCAD. This article is adapted from the presentation of Dr Krishna Gayen, Joint Secretary of Finance Division, at the Learning Hub Event on “Tracking and Monitoring Climate Finance” hosted by International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) on April 6, 2015.

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CLIMATE CHANGE 17

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

The green climate fund and the private sector in Bangladesh n Neha Rai and Barry Smith As the UN prepares to roll out a multibillion-dollar Green Climate Fund (GCF), it offers greater opportunities to engage the private sector to combat climate change risks. The GCF business model not only aims to raise money from institutional private investors, but also support local, small-scale businesses to invest in climate responsive technologies and ventures.

Small-scale businesses and local financial intermediaries can play a crucial role by joining hands with the public sector to combat climate change, but accessing finance remains a challenge for most small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in least developed countries (LDCs). The private sector facility of the GCF aims to address some of these challenges by “allocating a significant share of its resources to finance private sector activities. It will also proactively promote the participation of local private sector actors” (GCF, 2014).

The space that Bangladesh needs to watch

Although the modalities are still under discussion, the GCF private sector facility plans to roll out a dedicated program to help SMEs access finance for investing in climate change.

This will include concessional funding for Micro-SMEs (MSMEs), capacity building support, and a streamlined approval process.

The GCF is split between two pots of funding: mitigation and adaptation. 50% of all the adaptation funding will go to Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Upon request, governments can access grants or concessional loans for both adaptation and mitigation, and to finance the cost of overcoming policy barriers, address in-

This solar irrigation pump provides 4 lakh litres of water per day to farmers in Dhamrai. Bangladesh is already making strides in mitigation with this IDCOL funded project SYED TASFIQ MAHMOOD formation gaps, and capacity constraints that impede local private sector activity.

The fund also seeks to minimise the transaction costs of working with SMEs by having

accredited entities originate, approve, administer, and manage financing on behalf of the GCF through a programmatic approach. The accredited entities can be national, regional or international intermediaries that are accredited by the GCF for project management purposes and for the purpose of approving grants and loans.

How can Bangladesh harness its already established domestic financial innovations?

The Green Climate Fund, with a promised $100bn a year for developing countries to tackle climate change, is the reward at the end of the maze BOWEN WANG

Bangladesh has had significant success in using its public sector intermediaries to incentivise the private sector, particularly in the renewable energy industry. The Bangladesh Bank launched an initiative that gives incentives to the financial sector to lend to SMEs and micro finance institutions (MFIs) aiming to invest in green technologies such as solar home systems, irrigation pumps, etc. The “policy guidelines for green banking,” introduced by the central bank in 2011, requires every bank to allocate a specific budget to finance green projects. This includes direct or wholesale lending for renewable energy projects. Banks are expected to set achievable targets and strategies and disclose these in their annual reports. Banks are also required to establish a green branch in the second phase.

Compliant banks receive preferential treatment through a refinancing model that provides access to low-cost finance. Bangladesh Bank is one such example of a central bank, but national development banks of a few other countries are also investing to provide adequate and appropriate finance through green credit lines. Experiences from other developing countries will be discussed in an upcoming meeting

on South-South cooperation on the post-2015 development agenda organised by the Government of Bangladesh in Dhaka from May 17-18.

The Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) is another example of a government-owned financial intermediary that channels donor and government finance to decentralised climate-friendly energy projects. IDCOL has supported the setup of more than 3 million solar home systems in Bangladesh, and its business model is now being replicated in several countries in Africa. The success of IDCOL lies in its one stop shop model. The model includes supporting the delivery of energy access projects, offering an end-to-end package that incentivises market creation, delivery networks, access to capital, quality assurance, after sales service, training, and institutional strengthening support for partnering organisations and SMEs, etc.

These existing institutions and policies provide evidence of tried and tested models of how local financial intermediaries can be instrumental in promoting the participation of private sector actors in Bangladesh. Such entities can also become accredited GCF intermediaries, fitting with the fund’s ambition to ensure country ownership and direct access. Accessing GCF funds directly through Bangladeshi organisations is an opportunity for more SMEs to access finance. However, a lot more needs to be done to ensure private enterprises fulfill their crucial role in the fight against climate change. l Neha Rai is a senior researcher with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Barry Smith is an independent consultant working with IIED’s Climate Change Group.

This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

DT

18 HERITAGE

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Walsingham’s greatest legacy? of the all important armoury, the Tower of London, in the time of Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, he will have been well aware of the prospects for, not only maritime trade, but also the developments in warfare that were always a potential aspect of such developments.

Not least, would have been awareness of the limitations of deficiency of supplies of gunpowder during Henry VIII's war with France in the 1540s.

The ever-present threats to both Queen and Protestantism, which had driven him into exile during the brief reign of Elizabeth’s elder sister, Queen Mary, were certainly always at the front of his mind. The capture, in May 1582, of the letters sent by Bernard de Mendoza, the Spanish Ambassador in London, to his contacts in Scotland, by Sir John Foster, warden of the Eastern March, indicating a plot for a Spanish invasion to seize and replace Elizabeth by the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, would certainly have sharpened that awareness.

It seems hard to imagine that he was neither aware of, nor, more possibly, instigator of, a unique adventure that commenced in February 1583; the month, itself, notoriously difficult for voyages across the Bay of Biscay, suggesting some urgency.

The small group of merchants who embarked on board the Tyger, a ship of the recently formed Levant Company, in which Walsingham had invested, and had, certainly, great influence, seems to have taken place in the safety of full public view. William Shakespeare, an 18-year-old at the time, entertained a Globe Theatre audience, 30 years later, with the First Witch’s greeting to Macbeth: “Her husband to Aleppo has gone, he’s Master of the Tyger.” It appears that, the voyage, to visit “The Great Mughal,” was a

n Tim Steel

S

ir Francis Walsingham is still remembered as one of Britain’s greatest spymasters. He is credited with ensuring the endurance of Queen Elizabeth I, to whose 45-year reign are attributed the foundations of a, near, half-millennium of British achievement. Years that saw the development of England as a maritime power in an increasingly global economy, a power that, in large part financed such events of international significance as the Industrial Revolution.

Despite “fits and starts” of the ensuing century, the foundations were laid for what was to become the world’s greatest ever empire; an empire built, and protected, above all, with gunpowder. An empire of which, arguably, the inspiration originated in the late 16th century court of Elizabeth, and the foundation stone of which was arguably the lands, most of which are now those of Bangladesh.

Walsingham first joined the small coterie of those the Queen had gathered about her when, having been ambassador to France, he was appointed to the Privy Council in 1573, and was made, effectively, joint secretary of state, becoming sole holder of that high office three years later.

Despite “fits and starts” of the ensuing century, the foundations were laid for what was to become the world’s greatest ever empire

His spheres of influence, from 1573, until his death in 1590 enabled him to considerably influence, if not control, alongside the ubiquitous Cecil family, all matters of policy, and every field of government, both domestic and foreign.

Active in the support of maritime development, he was, himself, an investor in such as the Muscovy and Levant trading companies, as well as supporting maritime adventures elsewhere in the world, including Sir Francis Drake’s 1578 three year circumnavigation of the world.

Born to a well-connected family, where connections included Sir Edmund Walsingham, his uncle, who was lieutenant governor

little like a moon landing today.

It has been estimated that, in the 17th century, some 70% of the known supplies of saltpetre, the main chemical ingredient of gunpowder, lay in the east end of the Ganges basin, the provinces of the Mughal Empire known as Bihar and Bengal. These are now, in large part, lands that are the lands of Bangladesh.

An early 17th century comparison of the in balance of supply of saltpetre between these lands, and Europe can be easily made. In 1610, Pratapaditya, the zaminder of Jessore, now an area in southwest Bangladesh, surrendered to the Mughals after decades of resistance. Amongst the surrendered

weaponry was 45 tons of gunpowder. A few years earlier, Phillip, the King of Spain and Portugal, commissioned the Portuguese agent in Goa to obtain gunpowder for him, and received ten barrels!

Certainly, from Portuguese involvement in such local warfare there were many Portuguese in Pratapaditya’s army and navy there would have been awareness, in Europe, of the considerable stocks of saltpetre available in the region. It may well be, however, that the Portuguese established in the region, like many of their compatriots, resented the Spanish acquisition of the Portuguese throne, and were disinclined to share such knowledge with their new Spanish rulers and his agents. As a traditional ally of England, it seems very possible that Walsingham’s agents may have been apprised of the fact.

It seems unlikely that such a prodigious collector of intelligence as Walsingham would not have sought, and gained, information about sources of the essential ingredients to improve English supply. Especially with the information about the impending Spanish invasion in his mind.

That the one man who saw through the completion of the mission to India, which set out early in 1583, should have been a member of the Guild of Leatherworkers, it may be reasonable to also view as no coincidence, since saltpetre was a useful ingredient in tanning, and leather was commonly used to carry supplies of gunpowder.

The facility of an available voyage on a Levant Company ship may, or may not, be related to Walsingham’s investment and influence; but what we can be sure of is that no such adventure would be mounted without his knowledge and assent.

There are also curiosities about the journey that might well support a view that there was more than simply assent involved.

The arrest of the group in Basra, being taken to Goa, where an English Jesuit priest may well have found good reason to secure their release, perhaps finding his Englishness more important than his faith, or perhaps recognising that international diplomacy was at work, appears, on the face of it, a little curious.

Leaving one of the party in Basra, the small group, no doubt including servants, travelled on, to reach the court of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar, at Fatepur Sikri, where a jeweller in the party decided to remain, to develop what business he could as a specialist in a court renowned for its gems.

Fitch travelled on, alone, arriving, eventually, after a lengthy, evident slow, voyage by water down Yamuna and Ganges, through Patna, in Bengal.

It is far from clear, from Fitch’s journal, quite why he travelled so extensively, although, certainly, journeying on into Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra may well have supported the belief that this was an exploration of trade potential. However, his journey, that may well have included Cooch Bihar, Bhutan, Tibet and China appears rather extensive, especially around the fringes of the Ganges Basin, where the greatest deposits of saltpetre would have been located, further suggests his mission was not entirely one of curiosity.

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HERITAGE 19

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Fitch arrived back in London in 1590, the year in which Walsingham died, but his report on his travels saw the creation of the East India Company, chartered by Queen Elizabeth in 1600, three years before her death. Luminaries and favourites of her Court, as well as Elizabeth herself, were avid investors in the Company.

Perhaps, now, we might go further. That these lands were, in large part, the foundation of the gunpowder that built and maintained the British Empire

There is some evidence of trade by the newly created Company before its receipt of the charter. Trade in which John Mildenhall, claiming to be “Ambassador,” for the, as yet, unchartered, East India Company, arrived in India in 1599, lends substance. Although his adventure was subsequently disowned, this suggests some urgency to develop contacts in the subcontinent.

Within 11 years, in 1611, the first company ship arrived on the east coast of India; by 1630 a base had been established in Orissa, and begun to ship considerable cargoes of saltpetre back to England.

The ensuing century saw troubled times in England, as well as the Act of Union with

Scotland, creating the United Kingdom we see today. It also saw very tangible foundations of the empire. And that empire, of all empires the world has known, might most properly be described as, “The Gunpowder Empire!”

I once wrote, and no one really disagreed, that the lands that are now Bangladesh were, in large part, the foundation stone of modern India. The wealth, trade, and we might add power, generated through these lands, certainly financed the conquest, and unification of the India of today, post independence; and even, arguably, its “democratic” tradition.

Perhaps, now, we might go further. That these lands were, in large part, the foundation of the gunpowder that built and maintained the British Empire, it could be suggested, makes them a foundation, not only of that empire, but also, arguably, the entire global economy of today.

We have, of course, no means of knowing whether, from his international espionage connections, Walsingham knew, or even suspected, these lands in the Ganges basin as a major source of supply for the essential ingredient of gunpowder. Neither can we know that he did any more than what he certainly did, which was authorise the merchants’ Indian adventure. But the time line seems remarkably suggestive; and the result, in the end, far more so.

Was this, in fact, the greatest legacy of Sir Francis Walsingham? And does it seem appropriate, as it might to some, that the global economy was built upon saltpetre, which is, in its natural form, essentially derived from crystalised human and animal urine and excrement! l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

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20 LONG FORM

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Know thy enemy n Garga Chatterjee

H

ow does dialogue and engagement start? I ask this question without any specific context. I shall come to that later. But still, generally, how does dialogue start? Honest dialogue and engagement assumes at least one thing.

The pre-engagement attitude that exists between the conversants before any dialogue starts is clearly unsatisfactory. Hence the need arises for greater understanding, for dialogue. If one perpetuates clichéd understandings and sells them in a new package, it can even be slick, but if someone hopes that the package will have a new gift inside, they are being foolish. Let me now cut out all these generalisms and talk specifics.

In a cautiously optimistic note, the Indian Union and Pakistan have decided to resume dialogue. Delhi sent its foreign secretary S Jaishankar across the Radcliffe for initial engagement. Unrelated to the mood swings of Delhi and Islamabad, certain citizens of Pakistan and the Indian Union have been trying for decades to foster dialogue and understanding between people living on the two sides of the western Radcliffe line.

the other is Muslim -- that’s how the story goes. Once one buys into this story of essential and insurmountable difference, the peace and friendship initiatives flows along clichéd lines. With the increasing avenues of interaction enabled by the Internet, these initiatives are more real than ever before. What shapes do these things take?

Typically, this would involve, say, a Hindu from Delhi or Bombay (two cities where rootlessness, curiously, is a cause of celebration with people only having “city” identities) giving Eid greetings to his friends in Pakistan. Or maybe a heart-warming story of a certain Hindu raising an orphan Muslim child as a Muslim and then marrying him/her off to a Muslim. By now, the corresponding set of overtures from Pakistan should also be predictable. A Muslim from Lahore will give Diwali greetings to those across the Radcliffe.

Someone who has researched a bit more may even come up with a Ganesh Chaturthi greeting (look it up. I looked up what this entailed, given I am from West Bengal where this particular God’s worship is not so big).

All these messages across religious lines may be extremely well-meaning. That is not the problem. The problem lies in the fact that

This is when the elite feel vulnerable. The elite anti-caste position is a lazy and fashionable excuse for general alienation from society at large

This has taken different forms. Of this, the most serious and consistent one is what is often termed “Track II” where influential folks from these 2 nation-states meet and discuss and come up with position papers. The good thing is that the Track II crowd is not necessarily made up of doves. If anything, retired hawks have a very special place in such initiatives. That is also a way, one can safely assume, by which the Track 2 deliberations do not go completely counter to the agendas of the power-to-be.

In addition to this, there are, what I want to term as “dhandaa” lobbies. Merchant chambers of various kinds are important in this and often, they are among the most successful, given their relative disinterest in the geo-political origins of the products they want to trade vis-à-vis their interest in getting a good deal. They understand, as a commentator from West Punjab pointed out not so long ago, that a tomato is neither Hindu nor Muslim. It is a tomato.

But beyond these hard-nosed initiatives, much of what exists is a particular kind of feel good posturing with very weak roots.

Much of these feel good posturing can be reduced to two things -- religion and commonality.

The Indian Union and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are tied together in a grand narrative of religious difference. One is Hindu and

even in the most well-meaning of gestures, we seek to replicate the fissures of difference in the first place, reducing each other to their religious selves. And because of the superficiality, it is a tad dis-honest. There are these people in the Indian Union, who are born in high-caste Hindu families. Their privileged education makes them “not believe in caste” and “not divide people into castes.” So far so good. But ask them, beyond mouthing general humanism, can you give me specifics of the lower castes -- who they are, what is their society like and what are their practices.

This is when the elite feel vulnerable. The elite anti-caste position is a lazy and fashionable excuse for general alienation from society at large -- no wonder atomised cities produce them more easily. That is one trap that superficial religious tolerance and greetings at each other’s festivities may fall into.

At a more fundamental level, one might even question these superficial greetings and exchanges as a kind of smart-alec posturing -- a short cut to tolerance and peace-making.

I am reminded of certain characters in the Indian Union territory, who are born Hindu, are mostly atheist or agnostic, do not say Ram Ram or Durga Durga, as is customary in certain regions, but would respond to a Muslim greeting like As-Salamu-Alaikum with a contrived Wa-Alaikum-as-Salam.

This probably helps create some personal

sense of fashionable political correctness among some, but for anything else, this is absolutely useless. That the Indo-Pak peace types have too many of these types amongst themselves is a problem indeed. Peace-building or for that matter, people to people contact building, mostly needs people who are rooted in their socio-religious particularities but at the same time are wanting to go beyond what their respective nation-state narratives have taught them. Unless those people get involved, elite feel-good posturing is what we will get. Sorry to have said this bluntly, but well.

Another problem with this Hindu-Muslimbhai-bhai narrative of Indo-Pak peace-building is the complete marginalisation of religious minorities of these nation-states in this model. This is particularly unfortunate given that the religious minorities suffer the first brunt of violence if something goes wrong across the Radcliffe. And let’s not even start with the constant hum of religion-based persecution and violence that is perpetrated on the minorities in these two nation-states.

But playing the Hindu-Muslim game, we end up ossifying fissures and excluding the already marginalised, in spite of the noblest of intentions.

Let me now come to the other prism by which many approach Indo-Pak peace -- that of commonality. I will start with an anecdote.

From a long time ago, I remember a picture in a Bengali daily newspaper. It showed, in a schematic view, the progressively increasing range of a particular missile system of Pakistan. It could have been Shaheen or Hatf or something else. It does not really matter. The picture showed a series of concentric circles of increasing diameter -- depicting the range of the missile.

At first it covered some parts of Punjab-Kashmir-Haryana-Delhi areas, then a major part of the middle-Gangetic plains and in the last circle, it was shown to cover Western Bengal -- my home. I should honestly state here that it is this last circle that terrified me.

Call me chicken, call me close-minded, call me what you will, but I will unhesitatingly state that in the imaginary scenario where the missiles might be launched, first and foremost, I wish to escape unhurt. The inclusion of Kolkata in that range diminishes the chances of that.

This anecdote from my teenage is to state something that is not always obvious in the Indo-Pak peace circles -- that different regions inside the two nation-states have varying attitudes towards this thing. For

some it is distant or even irrelevant -- a certain kind of Baloch or Naga mindset come to mind. Some are slowly learning to get worked up about this -- certain sectors of West Bengal or Tamil Nadu come to mind.

And then there is Hindustan -- that vast stretch centred around the upper and middle Gangetic plains, the theatre of certain kinds of Indo-Persian encounters. One problem of this Indo-Pak commonality narrative is that this Hindustan is confused with the Indian Union and West Punjab becomes a proxy for Pakistan.

In this Hindustan-West Punjab love-fest, a very skewed picture of Indo-Pak commonality is produced. The wistfulness for Lahore, the regal memories of Delhi (curiously patronised by that upstart parasite of a city called New Delhi), the commonalities between the two and all that lies in between -- these things have been a source of a lot of heart-warming stories and anecdotes.

This has produced in Delhi and its outskirts a not so small circle of the enlightened who invariably turn to verses in Rekhta to bolster their cosmopolitan and refined sensitivities. And of course there is the New Delhi based mini-cottage industry of what can only be called kitschy Sufism. Yes, you heard that one here first. As the Indian Union continues its long project of neutering regional identities by cooking them in the Delhi cauldron, I am sure the tribe Sufism-dabblers will rise. But at this point, there are others in the Indian Union. It is important that in the commonality project of Indo-Pak peaceniks, these “others” are not forgotten or sidelined. Dialogue needs to carry populations -- extremely varied populations at that. For good or for worse, there is no lasting solution between the nation-states that excludes vast sections of its constituents.

I have sought to underline certain drawbacks and limitations of the peace lobby’s approach. If all that I have stated till now sounds a tad too critical, let me be clear that the enmity between these two nation-states is not an option at all. It may be useful to remember the words of the contemporary Bengali thinker Ashis Nandy: “You can afford to choose your friends carelessly but need to be careful when choosing an enemy because, in the long run, you begin to resemble, perhaps not your enemy, but certainly as you imagine him to be.” l Garga Chatterjee is a political and cultural commentator. He can be followed on twitter @ gargac.

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21

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Illustration: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

T-JUNCTION

A legacy in ink

INSIDE

22 prep

Gearing up for a stunning personality

23

letters to Mars

Happy Birthday, Dopiaza!

May 7 marked the 102nd birth anniversary of Kazi Abdul Kashem, popularly known as “Dopiaza,” who was considered the first Muslim cartoonist in the Indian Subcontinent. Born in Jhenidah, before moving to Kolkata, Kashem was a man of many talents, known not just for his cartoons, but also his work in music and early animation. Dopiaza’s artwork graced many publications between 1937-1980, and he often used his artwork to influence political movements.

Kazi Abdul Kashem passed away on August 7, 2003.

Lost interests

24

Written in the Stars

A breather for the environment

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22 T-JUNCTION

Tell

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

prep

Gearing up for a

stunning personality As submissive as it gets

n Ishtiaque Mahmud The problem

In our country, right now is as good a time as any to bring up the subject of harassment.

Be it an event of eve teasing, catcalling or downright copping a feel, the core of the matter remains the same, that it is becoming exceedingly difficult for women in our society to feel safe away from the confines of their homes. Yet what can they do about it? There are three common courses of action that the woman habitually takes, given that she must step out of the safety of their premises. i) She lives in denial, not thinking about it and hoping that nothing of the sort will ever happen to her since god will ensure that she is never too far from her fourwheeler; needless to say, this is no practical way of dealing with a situation such as this. ii) She goes all out with raising awareness, appealing to the presumably right authorities, activating campaigns, writing articles, shaming men and basically doing everything in her power to bring about some sustainable, positive change. Unfortunately, she witnesses next to no lasting effect, making her feel helpless that her yells for support fall on deaf ears. iii) This is by far the most prevalent while also being the worst course for anyone’s mental wellbeing, to live in constant fear - fear of how groups of men turn to stare at her from head to toe, regardless of what she may be wearing; fear of how if anyone makes a loud and insulting pass at her, chances are she’ll be the one facing reprimand for somehow “enticing” them into making that comment; fear of her clothes, dignity and sense of self being ripped to shreds simply because she dared to stand in a crowd of men.

The cause

The real reason behind our current state is rather primitive and also mind numbingly depressing. Men have, throughout the ages, dominated and oppressed women, in the name of protecting them from the “horrors” of “reality;” and the unfairness of

it all almost always manages to fall on the sidelines of our priorities until our friends and family are violently affected. But if we want to pin it down to the most dominant causes, they would be: i) Lack of enforcement of law, which leads degenerates to feel that if they are clever enough they can get away with doing just about anything. ii) The fact that we rarely retaliate in a fashion that perpetrators can relate to and thus fear. iii) The fact that we lack the culture and underlying societal education that women are human beings. They deserve the same respect that men wield, that if push comes to shove which surprisingly it hasn’t yet, they will claw their way out of the problem in the most violent of ways with or without the help of the male populace.

The way out

In the long run for someone who would take this extremely seriously, the solution is to first counter and then overwhelm the strengths that a group of men might carry, ie the actual advantage of physical prowess that the average man has over the average woman, and the advantage associated with attacking one with many.

This means that the woman needs to train herself into nothing short of Lara Croft, but since that isn’t going to happen in a day, she also needs a short term so lution — my recommendation, stun guns!

If you want to walk away from a group of attacking men unscathed while at the same time maintain a clear conscience of not having killed anyone in the process, stunning and incapacitating is the way to go.

And what better way than to have it at the tip of your fingers waiting for the press of a button. I’d go as far as to say, since you’ve got two hands, buy two of them for each, and let them have it if the necessity presents itself.

The path

First you get your hands on some state of the art stun guns. Log on to backpackbang.com, and order anything from the inexpensive mini stun guns and lipstick stun guns to the more formidable stun batons that look just right in the hands of Batman or the Daredevil.

However, plans such as the one

mentioned above are all well and good as long as they are executable. There’s a world of difference between “thinking” about holding your own in the midst of a wild and angry mob and actually doing it in the heat of the moment.

The truth is, under such circumstances, ordinarily the body freezes up from fear.

Even breathing becomes a chore, while weapons as effective as 25,000,000 V lipstick stun guns straight out of a James Bond movie turn into dead weight, proving to be of no real consequence other than aggravating attackers even more. So this requires some undeniable physical as well as mental training.

Training the body

Practise off the field with friends, preferably ones much larger than you. Ask them to attack you and slowly but steadily train your body to react on reflex. So that upon being attacked, an instant later you find yourself pressing the stun gun at his ribs itching to press the button. Request your training partner to go less easy on you with each passing day.

Practise daily, at least 10 times every day; learn to make time for it away from your busy schedule, because what could possibly be more important! Give yourself a 30 day stun gun practice challenge, return to it every day, and watch your body make the correct movements on its own.

Training the mind

This requires training on the field. Take every opportunity you get to observe groups of men on streets, figure out patterns, find the apparent leader of the pack, because locating him and putting him down first is often half the battle won if not all of it.

Maintain a safe distance and while walking past them visualise being attacked by them and responding in kind. This is as crucial as the physical training because in the instant of being attacked, if the mind isn’t trained to get in the right gear on reflex, the body’s reflexes will never come into play.

With these tips and tricks in mind, ladies, go forth unafraid, for you are now equipped with all that you need to cultivate the same perk that men enjoy every day without a second thought – strolling through the dark recesses of our country with ease. l

T-JUNCTION 23

DT

Tell

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

letters to Mars

Lost interests n Agony Aunt Hi, I have been dealing with an issue for the last few months. I have noticed that my wife is not interested in me anymore. She seems aloof and does not even want to get intimate with me anymore. I have tried talking to her but nothing helps. I think the reason for it may be the fact that I am much older than her. Our age gap is of about nine years and I am afraid that it is taking a toll on our relationship now. Things had been smooth for the first five years of our marriage but now things are not working out anymore. She is slowly losing interest and won’t admit it. Please tell me what I can do about it.

I understand your concern and worry, but your difference of age has nothing to do with what is going on. Most marriages go through what you are experiencing. What is important right now is communication.

Communication is not about telling someone off or complaining; it is about

sharing how you feel without blaming the other.

How do you do that? Tell your wife about it. Even when you feel that she is doing something to upset you, just tell her “I feel sad,” instead of pointing fingers and saying, “You make me upset.” Ask her for her opinion on how to make things better.

Remember what it was like when you used to court her? Women pay attention to small details. Ask her to go for a walk with you or for ice cream. Bring her flowers on your way home from work. Be patient and be loving, anger and bitterness do not magnetise a relationship, they destroy it. l Our Agony Aunt is a life coach and a relationship coach as well as a corporate and organisational consultant. AA lives and works in Bangladesh but travels extensively around the world to attend seminars and see her clients PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

letters to Venus

Moving on n Agony Aunt

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

ARIES (MAR 21-APR 19)

You’ll be a busy bee this week, working like a dog to pull through tons of unfinished and incoming work.

TAURUS (APR 20-MAY 20)

HOROSCOPE

This is a great time for you to rise and shine.

Anything you say or do could put you in the spotlight for a while. At the same time don’t move your eyes away from pre-set projects, they could develop and give you some favourable results soon.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 20)

You may be feeling more tired and sleepy than most weeks this week. Try not to get too overworked or stressed out, if you can get a power nap every now and then.

CANCER (JUN 21-JUL 22)

At work, it’ll be a good idea to work with a group as that will lead you to ideas which

can’t get over this feeling but I want to. I don’t know if I should try fixing it with him or move on with my life. Any suggestion?

Six months back, I broke up with my ex of three years. Although we broke up on very bad terms, I can’t help but feel like I still love him. He was abusive, manipulative and a psychopath.

At worst, he would restrict me from doing anything and everything, doubt me all the time and treat me like dirt. At best, we were perfect. When we were alone and doing things by ourselves, the world seemed like the perfect place. Sometimes I feel that it is my loss that we broke up, that maybe I should’ve listened to him and I could’ve changed him bit by bit. I

Oh my dear girl, the world is made of bad marriages because of girls like you, who believe “they” can change men. The man you marry is the man you get - what you do not like before marriage will not be changed by you. Marriage is about concentrating on what you like about the person, and what you do not like, if it is not too bad, you ignore.

After all, no one is perfect and your husband would have to learn to love you as you are.

Be real; your introduction of him to me is not at all positive. Breath out and know the pond is full of fish; do not concentrate on the fish that escaped! l

will bring in a lot of investments.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22-DEC 21)

LEO (JUL 23-AUG 22)

You have to be very strong this week and learn to say no to a few people to say yes to the right ones in order to shine.

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 22)

There might be something that you may like to clean up from your past this week. After that there will be a wide range of possibilities waiting for you.

LIBRA (SEP 23-OCT 22)

This is a good week to think about who and what has come into your circle of trust.

SCORPIO (OCT 23-NOV 21)

You have a lot of potential and if you want success you will have to go that extra mile this week.

At the moment the best thing for you to do is to leave complicated and perplexing situations to simmer for a little longer and let them be.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 19)

You’ll soon be moving into a zone of financial security only if you can get to control your arrogance and laziness.

AQUARIUS (JAN 20-FEB 19)

You’ve been very lucky since last year with all the accomplishments and opportunities you’ve been given, you’ve now been given a lot of raw material to work with. Good luck!

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 20)

It looks like you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and you need a breather. l

DT

24 T-JUNCTION

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Written in the Stars

A breather for the environment

PHOTOS: COURTESY

n Rad Sharar Bin Kamal Mifrah Hasher Khan is a young student of International School Dhaka, and still in her learning stages in school. But that doesn’t stop her from trying to make the world a better place. T Junction has a chat with the young initiator on her efforts.

When did your drive to change the world to a better place first begin?

My desire to bring about even the slightest change in our environment began when I started noticing things all around me. I live in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which is considered one of the most populated countries in the world. But sadly enough we do not have adequate housing, safe drinking water and almost non-existent drainage, sewerage and waste disposal systems.

As a result, I live in a highly polluted environment. From a very early age, I visited different places outside Dhaka and even there, I saw brick-kilns where long chimneys spewed out black smoke and the rivers, when I went out on picnics, had water which was slimy, black and full of stench. When I started researching on this topic, I realised how disastrous such an environment was for any living thing for survival and I knew I had to do something about it. I am convinced that every small beginning done with sincerity and knowledge would ultimately lead to a definite successful result.

Tell us a bit about your club and its activities.

In 2014, I held a seminar at school called “Steps to a Sustainable Future Seminar.”

In this event, I invited a professor from the University of Dhaka to speak about the topic of environments in order to inspire the youth of our generation. I did not want to stop my journey of raising awareness right there so later that year, I created a co-curricular programme at my school named “Steps to a Sustainable Future CCP.” In this club, students from grades six to 12 meet once a week in order to find creative ways to raise awareness about the degradation of the environment and to inspire more students

in the community to help the cause. In our club, we have self-motivated individuals who create videos, blogs and as well as plan assemblies at school on this topic. Our most recent event was the Earth Day assembly at school where we created stimulations and interactive activities with the audience to let them know the current events of the world while giving them some food for thought as they left the assembly.

How did the initiative for the successful Sustainable Living Competition first begin?

The Sustainable Living Competition was not the original idea of the event, as we just wanted to call professors and renowned environmental enthusiasts to inspire the youth. With the help of my business and management class at school, we decided to create a platform where students from schools around Dhaka city would inspire other students instead. We invited schools around Dhaka to choose a representative with drive, intuition and determination in order to speak about the theme “Sustainable Living.” The student could pick any part of this theme. For example, business, economics, environment, health, etc. We wanted to make sure that their ideas would come to life - therefore with the help from the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at ISD, we attained a grant that was given to the winner of the event in order to fund their initiative. Other sponsors of the event include, Magnito Digital, Monasa Learning Centre and ISD. We had nine participating schools including Viqarunissa Noon School and College, Sunbeams School, Hurdco International School, International School Dhaka, Chittagong Grammar School, International Turkish Hope School, Sir John Wilson School and Aga Khan School. The judges of the event were Dr Moniruzzaman, Tamima Hossain, Rafi Bashar, Sultana Alam and Aditi Chowdhury. The planning of the event started in February when we began inviting the schools and the event was held last Saturday. The speeches from the students were brilliant and informative with students speaking about business, economics, health, law and education.

Favourites:

Food - Prawn cakes Place to eat - Pan Tao Book - Paper Towns by John Green Television show - Game of Thrones, Daredevil Movie - The Imitation Game, Django Unchained Music - Coldplay, The Script, Hozier

The audience consisted of more than 250 captivated members who learnt new information and hopefully got inspired in the process. The winner of the event was the representative of the Aga Khan School who received a grant from Steps to a Sustainable Future and PTA to jump-start their initiative.

I’m looking forward to Sustainable Living Competition 2016!

What challenges did you face in organising the competition?

There were many challenges, which I faced while organising this huge event. The biggest challenge was approaching the schools around Dhaka and having a representative from them to participate due to all the political turmoil but we managed to convince them! Secondly, just trying to get everything in order before the event was quite hectic but everything worked out at the end.

Who was the greatest support?

My greatest support were my parents, Mr Greg, Mr Salmon, Ms Kim, Ms Stacey, my business class and my CCP - without whom the event would not have been possible.

What are your future plans for yourself and what do you aim to be/do?

I’m not sure what I want to be or do when I grow up but all I know is that I want to help create a more sustainable future and educate the youth of our generation. I want to help my community and Bangladesh strive for a better future. I’m not sure which career path I want to take but one thing I am certain of is that it will be devoted towards helping, inspiring, motivating and educating the youth of our generation.

What did you learn so far that you think others of your age should realise and know?

The biggest thing I learnt so far is to be selfless and not worry about how it would be beneficial for myself personally. This helped me be more passionate and caring. Not only that - I know for a fact that I have my best ideas when I think about the betterment of other people. l

Juventus and Argentina striker Carlos Tevez has had his driving licence suspended after being caught speeding through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, Italian media reported Thursday

Sport 26

‘NOT IMPOSING THE FOLLOW-ON MIGHT HAUNT THEM’

27

KRUIF WANTS GAP BETWEEN FRIENDLIES

29

25

DT

FAST & FURIOUS

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

KUZNETSOVA THRASH HOLDER SHARAPOVA 2ND TEST, DAY 3

PAKISTAN 1ST INNINGS 557-8 declared (Azhar Ali 226, Younis Khan 148, Asad Shafiq 107; Taijul Islam 3-179, Mohammad Shahid 2-72, Shuvagata Hom 2-76)

R

B

(overnight 107-5) Tamim Iqbal lbw b Junaid Imrul Kayes b Yasir Mominul Haque c Sarfraz b Junaid Mahmudullah c Azhar b Wahab Shakib Al Hasan not out Mushfiqur Rahim b Yasir Soumya Sarkar c Azhar b Wahab Shuvagata Hom c Shafiq b Wahab Taijul Islam b Hafeez Mohammad Shahid c Azhar b Yasir Shahadat Hossain absent hurt Extras (lb2, w2, nb2)

BANGLADESH 1ST INNINGS

4 32 13 28 89 12 3 0 15 1 6

4 46 34 32 91 24 13 1 22 20

Total (all out, 47.3 overs)

203

Fall of wickets 1-4 (Tamim), 2-38 (Mominul), 3-69 (Imrul), 4-85 (Mahmudullah), 5-107 (Rahim), 6-113 (Soumya) 7-119 (Shuvagata), 8-140 (Taijul), 9-203 (Shahid) Bowling Junaid 6-2-26-2 (1w), Imran 7-0-31-0, Wahab 15-2-73-3 (1w, 2nb), Yasir 15.3-4-58-3, Hafeez 4-1-13-1.

Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes fails to stop a Yasir Shah (unseen) delivery from shattering the timber during the third day of the deciding Test against Pakistan at SBNS, Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Herculean task awaits Tigers, 487 runs still required for historic win n

Mazhar Uddin

Bangladesh have the unenviable task of chasing down a record 550 for victory when they resume the fourth and penultimate day’s play today in the deciding Test against Pakistan at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

In their pursuit of an improbable target, the home side have already lost opener Imrul Kayes as they finished the third day’s proceedings yesterday on 63/1, requiring a further 487 runs for victory.

Tamim Iqbal and Mominul Haque, unbeaten on 32 and 15 respectively, will spearhead

the Tigers’ challenge today. Their previous highest successful run-chase was 217 against the West Indies in St. George’s six years ago so the hosts need to bat out of their skins if they are to draw the Test match, let alone making a fist out of the chase.

Earlier on the day, Bangladesh, resuming on 107/5, added a further 96 runs before losing their remaining four wickets. Right-arm paceman Shahadat Hossain was unable to bat.

Shakib al Hasan led the way with an undefeated 91-ball 89 as wickets tumbled at the other end. He eventually ran out of partners and was stranded just 11 runs away from his fourth Test hundred.

Left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz bowled a fiery spell to dismiss Soumya Sarkar for three

and Shuvagata Hom for a duck. Shakib, alongside Mohammad Shahid, added 63 runs for the ninth wicket to lend some respectability to the Tigers’ first innings total.

Wahab and Yasir Shah bagged three wickets apiece while left-arm paceman Junaid Khan picked up two as the Tigers fell short of the follow-on mark. Many thought skipper Misbah-ul Haq would enforce the follow-on but to everyone’s surprise, Pakistan came out to bat again.

Pakistan stretched their lead to 549, declaring their second innings on 195/6. Misbah top-scored with a fine 82 from 72 balls.

Right-arm paceman Shahid scalped two wickets while Taijul Islam, Shuvagata, Mahmudullah and Soumya all took one each.l

PAKISTAN 2ND INNINGS

R

B

Mohammad Hafeez c Rahim c Shahid Sami Aslam c Mahmudullah b Shahid Azhar Ali c Shuvagata b Sarkar Younis Khan c and b Taijul Misbah c sub (Hasan) b Mahmudullah Asad Shafiq b Shuvagata Sarfraz Ahmed not out Extras (lb2, w6)

0 8 25 39 82 15 18 8

4 39 38 55 72 25 14

Total (for six wickets decl, 41.1 overs) 195 Fall of wickets 1-0 (Hafeez), 2-25 (Aslam), 3-49 (Azhar), 4-107 (Younis), 5-140 (Shafiq), 6-195 (Misbah) Bowling Shahid 10-4-23-2 (w6), Taijul 10-0-56-1, Sarkar 9-0-45-1, Shakib 8-0-43-0, Shuvagata 2-0-18-1, Mahmudullah 2.1-0-8-1

BANGLADESH 2ND INNINGS

R

B

Tamim Iqbal not out Imrul Kayes b Yasir Mominul Haque not out Extras:

32 16 15 0

42 29 13

Total (for one wicket, 14 overs)

63

Fall of wicket: 1-48 (Imrul) Bowling Junaid 5-0-19-0, Imran 4-1-22-0, Yasir 3-0-7-1, Wahab 2-0-15-0 Bangladesh need 487 more runs to win with nine wickets in hand

DT

26 Sport

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Not the greatest of times for the world’s best n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan smotes one through cover during the third day of the deciding Test against Pakistan at SBNS, Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Maverick cricketer Shakib al Hasan is undoubtedly Bangladesh’s most dependable all-round player in recent times. There have been a number of occasions when the country looked towards him to provide inspiration and more often than not, Shakib was able to emerge as the saviour, either by initiating regular breakthroughs with the leather or by guiding the middle- and lower-order.

The ongoing bilateral home series against Pakistan, however, has been an indifferent one for the Magula lad. In the three-match ODI series, Shakib was only required to bat twice due to the team’s brilliant performances. On those two occasions, he scored 31 and seven not out while with the ball, he scalped five wickets at the expense of 116 runs. Shakib was overshadowed by opener Tamim Iqbal, who took the ODI series by storm, registering one heroic display after the other.

In the solitary Twenty20 international, Shakib was back to his marauding best, an unbeaten 57 steering the Tigers to a convincing win. With the ball, however, Shakib remained wicket-less for only the second time in the format. The previous instance of Shakib remaining wicket-less in a T20I was against Australia in the 2014 ICC World T20.

Then, the southpaw headed into the first Test in Khulna with some sweet memories. In the previous five-dayer in the south-western city, Shakib became only the third cricketer in the history to score a hundred and bag 10 wickets in the same Test. Unable to play Shakib

properly, Zimbabwe suffered a crashing defeat.

Recent times have not been kind to Shakib though. The left-arm spinner is probably experiencing his worst form with the ball. In the drawn first Test in Khulna, Shakib at one stage leaked 122 runs without success in 31 overs. Although he did end up getting a wicket in Pakistan’s first innings, he conceded 146 runs for his solitary strike.

While with the willow, Shakib had the opportunity to end the Test on a high. Unbeaten on 76 and on course to reach his fourth Test hundred, stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal signalled him to carry on. Shakib, however, decided to the end the game in a mutual draw following consultations with the opposition.

Quite what forced the reluctant Shakib to not go for his hundred is still a mystery although some believe he was in a hurry to rush to Dhaka to attend one of his close friend’s birthday party, which was organised at Shakib’s restaurant located in Banani.

Moving on to the deciding Test in Dhaka, he was again bite-less with the leather, conceding 179 runs in total for his single wicket.

Shakib though more than made it up with the bat. With wickets falling at regular intervals, he was running out of partners but he tried his best to guide the ship alone, hammering an unbeaten 91-ball 89. His attacking knock featured 14 boundaries and two sixes.

The Tigers had one wicket remaining in their first innings but as right-arm paceman Shahadat Hossain is nursing an injury to his right knee, Shakib was stranded 11 runs short of his fourth hundred. l

game of cricket. But, to be practical, I think, after the end of day three, we are losing the game. Nobody have ever chased such a total so if we do not play well tomorrow (today), we will not be thinking about the chase obviously. It is going to be difficult but if we can take inspiration from the Khulna Test, who knows?” he said.

Although the Tigers face a daunting task in the remainder of the Test match, Shakib said one big partnership from the top-order will change the complexion of the game.

The Tigers bowling attack was bite-less in the Khulna Test and large parts of the Dhaka Test. The majority are blaming Shakib’s

lack of contributions as one of the reasons behind the bowlers’ profligate displays.

Many believe Shakib’s bad form with the leather is down to his detachment from firstclass cricket for quite some time now but he thinks otherwise.

“I do not think it that way. I have always played in this way (not playing enough firstclass cricket). I do not remember taking more than a couple of five-fors in our domestic firstclass cricket. I do not even bowl much for my division side too. It is just a mental thing. I did not bowl well in three innings. I think someone new has to take up the responsibility but I will try my best definitely,” he said.l

‘Not imposing the follow-on might haunt them’ n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan yesterday informed that he was surprised to see Pakistan not imposing the follow-on.

The visitors, who posted a mammoth 557/8 declared in the first innings, skittled out the hosts for 203. It was widely expected that the tourists would enforce the follow-on over the opposition but skipper Misbah-ul Haq surprised everyone by deciding to bat again.

Pakistan later posted 195/6 in the second innings, presenting the Tigers an improbable target of 550 but Shakib believes Misbah’s decision to bat again took up some valuable

time from the deciding Test.

“If we count the number of days, it is a slight advantage for us. I did not expect them to bat again. I do not know why they did that.

I thought they were in a flow and had the best time to attack us. Hopefully, it (not enforcing the follow-on) will be in our favour. I am sure they will think about their decision if we register a big partnership tomorrow (today). It would, even for a short time, give them some tension,” Shakib told the media at Sher-eBangla National Stadium yesterday following the third day’s play.

“It would be hard to predict the result of the game because anything can happen in a

PLAYS OF THE DAY

BANGLADESH v PAKISTAN, 2ND TEST, DAY 3, MIRPUR Shakib al Hasan’s 1000 runs in Mirpur

The deciding Test has been a disappointing one to say the least for the home side’s batting department. In pursuit of Pakistan’s huge first innings tally of 557/8 declared, Bangladesh only managed to come up with 203 before losing all of their wickets. Among

the Tigers batsmen, Shakib perhaps has been the only exception.

The champion all-rounder, who was 44 runs short of 1000 runs at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, reached the milestone yesterday during his unbeaten 89-run knock in the first innings.

Despite the fall of regular wickets at the other end, Shakib continued to play his shots.

The left-hander smashed 14 boundaries and two sixes and now has 1045 runs to his name in Tests at the home of cricket.

In 13 Tests at SBNS, Shakib blasted a hun-

dred and seven fifties at an average of 47.50.

With 44 wickets, Shakib also tops the wicket-takers’ list in Mirpur.

Tamim Iqbal reaches 3000 Test runs

Tamim, who has been in terrific form of late, added another feather to his cap yesterday. The Chittagong lad became only the second Bangladesh batsman to score 3000 runs in Tests.

The 26-year old has scored 3010 runs in 39 Tests at an average of 40.13, including seven hundreds and 17 fifties.

As things stand at the moment, Tamim

needs just 17 runs to overtake Habibul Bashar as the Tigers’ highest run-scorer in Tests.

Besides Tests, Tamim is Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer in ODIs and Twenty20 internationals.

His 206 in the drawn first Test in Khulna is also the Tigers’ highest individual score in five-dayers.l –MAZHAR UDDIN

DT

Sport 27

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

‘Shakib’s knock changed our follow-on plan’ n Minhaz Uddin Khan Pakistan’s spin-bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed yesterday said Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan’s blazing 89 off 91 balls cut off their plan to impose the follow-on in the deciding Dhaka Test.

Mushtaq informed that they approached the third day’s play at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday with the strategy of taking the remaining five wickets as soon as possible but Shakib’s quickfire knock changed their plan to enforce the follow-on.

“We had the plan of bowling them out within the first hour or so but they lingered on a bit, forcing our main bowler to bowl a longer spell. Also, the pitch may behave differently on day four and five so all these elements played a role for not enforcing the follow-on,” Mushtaq told the media at the post-day press conference.

“Also, we respect the opponent and Bangladesh are a good team so we had to have enough runs on the board to bowl them out again.

“This is Test cricket; you don’t have to finish the game in three days. You got to be professional and see the limitation of the team and the bowlers as well. We still have plenty of time left in the Test and also, you have to respect the game. It was a team decision and we have to stick with the decision,” he said.

Bangladesh were given an improbable target of 550 to win the Test and subsequently, the series. Although such a target has never been achieved in the history of Test cricket, Mushtaq believes the task in not an impossible one.

“Whole point is things can happen and a lot of records get broken. But, we are on top of our cricket and have a big chance to win this from here,” said the 44-year-old.l

Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz celebrates one of his wickets during the third day of the deciding Test against Bangladesh at SBNS, Mirpur yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Kruif wants gap between friendlies

Kapali double, Asif ton pilot East Zone n Mazhar Uddin n Shishir Hoque Alok Kapali smashed a double hundred while Asif Ahmed blasted a century to guide Islami Bank East Zone to 473-allout in their first innings against BCB North Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League longer-version. North ended the second day’s play on 63/1, still trailing East by 410 runs.

In the other four-dayer, Prime Bank South Zone made a brilliant start to their first innings, reaching stumps at 125 for no loss, in reply to Walton Central Zone’s first innings tally of 413-allout. South still trail Central by 288 runs.

East Zone vs North Zone, Chittagong

Resuming the second day on 250/4, overnight batsmen Kapali and Asif continued from where they had left off on the opening day.

Kapali, who was 11 short of his hundred prior to the day’s proceedings, went on to hammer his second double century of the season.

He scored 228 runs off 382 balls with the help of 17 boundaries and seven huge sixes.

Asif, on the other end, played 167 deliveries for his 103-run mark and smote nine fours and two sixes. The fourth-wicket partnership added 191 runs. Naeem Islam, Sanjamul Islam and Mahmudul Hasan bagged a couple of wickets each for North. In reply, North lost Farhad Reza for a duck but national discard Junaid Siddique (39 not out) and Mahmudul (24 not out) ensured there would be no further hiccups.

South Zone vs Central Zone, Fatullah

Central posted 413 on the board, riding on the 137-run stand for the ninth wicket between Mosharraf Hossain and Elias Sunny. Resuming on 248/7, the two national discards – Mosharraf and Sunny – took Central past the 400-run mark.

Mosharraf scored 89 while Sunny chipped in with 58. Veteran spinner Abdur Razzak and young fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman picked up three wickets each for South. In pursuit of Central’s 413, South began brilliantly with openers Shahriar Nafees and Anamaul Haque undefeated on 59 and 66 respectively. By the end of the day’s play, South put up 125/0.l

Bangladesh head coach Lodewijk de Kruif expressed his concern regarding the fitness and injury situation of the national footballers and informed that playing two international friendlies in a very short time will actually backfire rather than benefit the booters.

As planned earlier, defending Saff champions Afghanistan showed their interest in playing an away friendly against Bangladesh on June 2. The Football Association of Singapore, meanwhile, informed that they would like to play against Bangladesh in another away friendly on May 30. If the two friendlies does take place, the Bangladesh footballers will get only 48 hours to recover.

Dutchman De Kruif emphasised on the importance of arranging two friendlies before Bangladesh face Kyrgyzstan in their 2018 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers (second round) opener

on June 11 at Bangabandhu National Stadium but he added that playing two matches in such short notice will hinder the players’ progress.

“We have to play two friendlies. Afghanistan can’t play on [June] 4 and they want to play on 2. Singapore want to play on [May] 30th. What’s my concern is, it is not enough to recover in 48 hours so I have to change it,” said De Kruif last Thursday.

“My target is playing matches with the biggest group of my main team. I have to build them up again the right way. First thing is not to pick up an injury so they need rest,” he said before adding, “I told [Bangladesh Football Federation general secretary Abu Nayeem] Shohag that we need 72 hours to recover fully between the gap of two matches. Not possible (to play in 48 hours).”

De Kruif also said he expects much better performances from the national footballers plying their trade with premier league giants

Why Shuvagata? n Minhaz Uddin Khan The inclusion of all-rounder Shuvagata Hom in the Bangladesh starting XI for the two-Test series against Pakistan gave birth to lots of questions that are yet to be answered. Many termed the decision to include Shuvagata in the playing XI for the first Test in Khulna as a defensive one and cited that a lack of another genuine spinner might come back and haunt the Tigers.

The concerns proved to be true as Pakistan racked up a huge total in the first innings.

Only a record-breaking 312-run partnership for the opening wicket between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes saved the hosts’ plight.

A similar scenario prevailed in the deciding Test in Dhaka as Pakistan posted 557/8 declared in their first innings. The majority are questioning his place in the side but head coach Chandika Hathurusingha defended

his disciple, saying Shuvagata is one of Bangladesh’s best off-spinners. Ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan also batted for his teammate saying, “If [Shuvagata] has a recognised batsman at the other end, he can put together a substantial partnership. Bangladeshi batsmen have scored 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s at No 7 and 8 in the past. Since he is a specialist batsman, he can bat with the tail-enders.”

Faruk Ahmed, chief of the national selection panel, however, said there is no point playing a batsman at number eight.

“I think we included him as a batsman but recently he is bowling well,” Faruk told the media at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

“It was more a demand of the team management. But, to be honest, there is no point in carrying someone at number eight who cannot be used as a full-time bowler,” the former national captain added.l

Sheikh Jamal DC and Sheikh Russel KC in the top-flight.

“At this moment, everybody has to be fit when we start our camp on [May] 22 or 23. It is a big concern if everybody will be able to stay fit. Not so fantastic at this moment,” he said.

“Mamunul [Islam] went off after 15 minutes. The injury was not very serious but still pain in the hamstring. If it was caused due to heat or the pitch then that is horrible.

We need a good pitch if we want to play on the ground. There is a big concern for me.”

The Dutchman also talked about the possible inclusion of German-born Bangladeshi expatriate Reasat Khaton, who is now playing in the Philippines top-tier.

“He made his flight two or three days ago from Germany to Manila to play on 7th May. He will play on May 14th, 17th, 24th, 30th. I gave him a deadline to come after the match on 24th because we need time,” said De Kruif. l

DT

28 Sport

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Vidal leads Sevilla rout, Napoli held n AFP, Paris A brace of stunning goals from Aleix Vidal helped defending champions Sevilla to a commanding 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.

In Italy, Napoli dominated large parts of their first leg match against Dnipro, but the Ukrainian underdogs scrapped it out for an unlikely 1-1 draw - and a vital away goal for the second leg.

Sevilla stretched their unbeaten run in European games to nine in handing Fiorentina a first away defeat in 13 games.

The La Liga side, bidding for a fourth Europa League title after winning in 2006, 2007 and 2014, took the lead in the 17th minute through the outstanding Vidal.

After a strong Machin Perez run, Carlos Bacca pirhouetted in from the left of the penalty box to send the ball out to fast-advancing Vidal whose perfectly-executed, first-time shot from the right edge of the area hit the net after sending Murara Neto the wrong way. Jose Antonio Reyes saw his effort then go just wide as the Spanish side pushed for the double.l

EUROPA Sevilla (ESP)

3-0

Fiorentina (ITA)

1-1

Dnipro (UKR)

Vidal 17, 52, Gameiro 75

Napoli (ITA) David Lopez 50

Seleznyov 81

Sevilla’s goalkeeper Sergio Rico (L) saves a scoring opportunity by Fiorentina’s Mohamed Salah (R) during their Europa League semi-final, first leg match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on Thursday REUTERS

Things to look out for this weekend in EPL 1) Spurs have everything not to play for

With matches against Stoke, Hull and Everton remaining this season, Tottenham Hotspur are up against it in the race to avoid qualifying for next season’s Europa League. Southampton (Leicester away, Aston Villa at home, Man City away) and Swansea (Arsenal away, Man City away and Crystal Palace at home) have tougher run-ins and it seems unlikely both will win enough points to save Spurs.

2) A penny for Gerrard’s thoughts

It might be a slightly bittersweet occasion for the Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard but he has always insisted he never really wanted

Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo watches the match between Rafael Nadal of Spain and Simone Bolelli of Italy at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid on Thursday REUTERS

to leave the club in the summer of 2005, when the Reds’ rejection of a £32m bid from Chelsea led to a transfer request. But few would blame him if, even if just for a moment, his thoughts stray to what might have been.

3) Four on the bounce for Man United?

Safe and sound in 12th place, Crystal Palace may not have much to play for, but anyone who thinks Manchester United will get an easy ride at a packed Selhurst Park need only cast their mind back a year when Liverpool came to town and saw their title hopes crumble in the face of an incredible comeback by a mid-table side playing as if their lives de-

pended on avoiding defeat. Desperate for the points they need to guarantee a top four finish, Manchester United travel to south-west London on the back of three consecutive de-

FIXTURES Aston Villa Crystal Palace Everton Hull City Leicester City Newcastle United Stoke City

v v v v v v v

West Ham United Manchester United Sunderland Burnley Southampton West Brom Tottenham

feats and there is every possibility they will depart having suffered another one.

4) Will the real Man City please stand up?

The Manchester Evening News this week suggested that Pellegrini’s position has been solidified by assurances received by Carlo Ancelotti over his future at Real Madrid. With the futures of Touré, Zabaleta, Navas, Fernando, Milner, Nasri, Sagna, Demichelis, Dzeko, Clichy, Kolarov, and Jovetic all (according to various reports) uncertain and Lampard finally heading off to MLS, it is perhaps no longer the manager whose future at the club is at stake. l –AGENCIES

No La Liga let up for Madrid, Barca as strike looms

River beat Boca 1-0 in Libertadores first leg n Reuters, Buenos Aires

n AFP, Madrid

River Plate scored with a late penalty to overcome city rivals Boca Juniors 1-0 on Thursday and take a slender advantage into the second leg of their Libertadores Cup last 16 tie.

Carlos Sanchez broke the deadlock from the spot after 81 minutes to give the home side a barely deserved win in a scrappy tie played in front of 62,000 fans at the Monumental stadium.

The bad tempered match was marked by a number of over-the-ball challenges and offthe-ball incidents.

Six players were booked and River’s Teofilo Gutierrez sent off for a nasty challenge just before the end.l

Real Madrid and Barcelona can’t afford a Champions League hangover as their La Liga title hopes will again be on the line on Saturday as they host Valencia and Real Sociedad respectively.

Senior players from both Real and Barca, including club captains Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernandez, were present at a press conference on Thursday that backed the players’ union’s stance unless a solution is found before next weekend.

Madrid trail Barca by two points at the top of the table with three games to play and face

the significantly tougher task this weekend against a Valencia side looking to seal their place in next season’s Champions League with a fourth-place finish.

Madrid could have striker Karim Benzema back as he returned to training on Thursday having missed the last six games due to a knee injury.l

LA LIGA FIXTURES Granada Barcelona Real Madrid Athletic Bilbao

v v v v

Cordoba Real Sociedad Valencia Deportivo

DT

Sport 29

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Serena’s unbeaten run ended, Kuznetsova thrash Sharapova n Reuters, Barcelona

DAY’S WATCH BTV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1 10:00AM Pakistan Tour of Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Day 4

Star Sports 1 7:50 PM English Premier League Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur 12:40 AM Italian Serie A: Milan v Roma

Star Sports 2 5:55 PM English Premier League Everton v Sunderland 7:50 PM Hull City v Burnley 10:20 PM Crystal Palace v Manchester United

Star Sports 4 F1 World Championship Qualifying : Circuit De Catalunya, Barcelona 9:55 PM Spanish La Liga FC Barcelona v Real Sociedad 11:55 PM Real Madrid CF v Valencia CF 1:55 AM Athletic Bilbao v Deportivo de La Coruna

Star Sports HD 1 10:00 PM Italian Serie A Cagliari v Juventus

Ten Action 3:30 PM A-League SF2: Sydney FC v Adelaide United 9:00 PM French Ligue 1 S.M. Caen v Olympique Lyonnais 12:00 AM F.C. Girondins De Bordeaux v F.C. Nantes

Ten HD 7:00 PM ATP 1000 Masters Mutua Madrid Open SF 1 12:00 AM Mutua Madrid Open SF 2

Ten Sports 9:30 PM WTA Mutua Madrid Open Final

Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia celebrates after winning against compatriot Maria Sharapova at the end of their semi-final at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain yesterday REUTERS

Essel group outlines league plan, says ‘wiser’ after ICL n Cricinfo The first outline of the plan for another anti-establishment Twenty20 league, backed by the Indian Essel Group, has been revealed by the organisation’s head of finance and strategy Himanshu Mody. The intention is for the tournament to be a T20 competition involving up to 12 teams, though no timeframe had been set for it to take place, and Mody said he did not see players or venues being a problem.

The Essel Group was also the organisation that began the rebel ICL in 2007, a T20 league that preceded the IPL but ended in less than two years after its players were banned from mainstream cricket by the cricket boards of various countries

under instruction from the BCCI and ICC. Mody said the ICL experience had left them wiser. “The format for what we are building will be the T20 format, home and away games, across 10-12 cities,” Mody told Times of India. “We are not looking at a short time frame. It could be a year away or even a little more. We know the timing is right but we are equally aware of the pitfalls where BCCI can hit us and are much wiser today.

“Besides the right time … the two main ingredients are players and grounds,” Mody said. “We had four grounds in India during ICL and players. We got players even from Pakistan, so I do not see both as a problem at all. On the grounds front, during ICL, we fell

Neo Prime 7:30 PM Bundesliga FC Bayern Munchen v FC Augsburg 10:30 PM VfB Stuttgart v FSV Mainz 05Live

Neo Sports 7:30 PM Bundesliga Monchengladbach v Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Sony Six 4:30 PM Indian Premier League Kolkata v Punjab 8:30 PM Delhi v Hyderabad

World number one Serena Williams’s 27-match unbeaten run ended with a 6-2 6-3 defeat by Petra Kvitova in the Madrid Open semi-finals on Friday.

Czech Kvitova will face Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final after she surprisingly knocked out defending champion Maria Sharapova.

Williams had not lost since October but her mood appeared negative and she was slow around the court against fourth seed Kvitova who broke the American’s first service game and never looked back.

Kvitova broke serve three times in the first set and there was little resistance in the second set from a despondent Williams.

It was a setback for Williams who won in Madrid in 2012 and 2013, and this was her first claycourt tournament of the season as she prepares for the French Open looking to win her 20th grand slam title.

Sharapova crashed out after failing to match the solid hitting of unseeded Kuznetsova who won 6-2 6-4.

Sharapova came to the tournament in poor form and struggled to get through her previous two matches in the Spanish capital with Caroline Garcia and Caroline Wozniacki taking her to three sets.l

Bayern host Augsburg as Barca loom n AFP, Berlin Bayern Munich are set to rest several stars when they host Augsburg on Saturday looking to break a three-match losing streak before their ‘mission impossible’ Champions

FIXTURES Bayern Munich Dortmund M’gladbach Hanover 96 Frankfurt VfB Stuttgart

v v v v v v

Augsburg Hertha Berlin Bayer Leverkusen Werder Bremen Hoffenheim Mainz 05

League semi-final against Barcelona.

Bayern need a footballing miracle in Tuesday’s return leg after Lionel Messi-inspired Barca ran out 3-0 winners at the Camp Nou last Wednesday if they have any chance of reaching the Champions League final on June 6 in Berlin.

Second-placed Wolfsburg are at relegation-threatened Paderborn on Sunday, but there will be a battle royal between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. With Augsburg, Dortmund, Bremen and Hoffenheim all chasing a Europa League place next season, Dortmund host Hertha Berlin without winger Marco Reus.l

short with just four grounds in four cities.

Also, we learned we needed eight to 10 teams.

So, this time round, we will have to ensure we have more grounds.”

The ICC responded to reports of such a venture by setting up a committee comprising its three top officials - chairman N Srinivasan, ECB’s Giles Clarke and CA’s Wally Edwards - to conduct an inquiry and present a report.

There had also been unsubstantiated reports of offers of $50 million to David Warner and Michael Clarke to join the rebel league but Edwards had said CA was confident that their players were secure. An NZC official had also said he had not heard of any approaches being made to New Zealand players or venues. l

Milan look to dent Roma Euro push n AFP, Rome AC Milan, at the centre of takeover uncertainty and with coach Inzaghi unlikely to survive until next season, can have a hand in the Champions League shake-up when they face Roma on Saturday. Milan go into their home clash with second-placed Roma on the back of three defeats and a winless run of five matches.l

SEREI A FIXTURES Juventus AC Milan

v Cagliari v Roma

DT

30 DOWNTIME

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Heavenly bodies (6) 6 Resting place (3) 9 Proverb (5) 10 Decline in power (4) 11 Singer (5) 12 Frozen treat (3) 13 Wise counselor (6) 15 Pay attention (4) 18 Popular drink (4) 21 Manage (6) 24 Monkey (3) 25 Moves with bounding steps (5) 28 Second-hand (4) 29 Sifting implement (5) 30 Was in front (3) 31 Bank employee (6)

DOWN 1 Seize in flight (5) 2 Lyric poem (3) 3 Minister’s residence (5) 4 Self (3) 5 Teaching period (4) 6 Lure (4) 7 Call for repeat (6) 8 Horned ruminant (4) 14 Seize suddenly (3) 16 Pass away (6) 17 Failure (coll) (3) 19 Discharge in disgrace (5) 20 Step’s vertical face (5) 21 Pull with force (4) 22 Require (4) 23 Otherwise (4) 26 Lubricant (3) 27 First woman (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 8 represents B so fill B every time the figure 8 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

A B C D E FG H I J K L M N O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

SHOWTIME 31

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

Chhayanaut celebrates Tagore’s birthday

CELEBS ON SOCIAL Will Ferrell @ WillFerreI If Twitter showed how many times you visit someone page , we would all be screwed!!..

n Showtime Desk Celebrating the 154rd birthday of the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Chhayanaut has organised a two-day-long festival. The celebratory programme titled “Rabindra Utsob 1422” is a tribute to the literary titan of the sub-continent and will be celebrated with colourful acts and musical performances.

An array of inspirational, devotional and love songs of Tagore will be presented at the programme. On the second day, a special segment called “Rupe Rupe Oporupa” will be presented under Sanjida Khatun’s direction. Performers from the dance troupes including Jaago Art Centre and Bhabna will perform lovely dance pieces. Other artistes from various divisions of the country will also be present at the event. Recitations of Tagore’s popular poems will be performed by renowned artistes. The celebration is open for all. l

Kendall Jenner opens up about her father

NICKI MINAJ @ NICKIMINAJ These Chanel bags iz a bad habit https:// instagram.com/ p/2VYExzr8Uq/

Kate Middleton @ HRHCatherine So many parody accounts for #PrincessCharlotte!

I mean really, who would parody a Princess?

WHAT TO WATCH

Kendall Jenner breaks down into tears in a conversation with Bruce Jenner about his transition.

“He’s the most amazing person I know, I couldn’t ask for a better dad.

He taught me how to ride a bike and be the tomboy that I am,” said the model in an interview where she opened up about her feelings towards her father’s transition. Kendall along with the family has expressed full support for Bruce.

Quite recently, Kendall tweeted about how she is immensely proud of her father for being so strong and courageous. l

QUIZ If you were wondering about the event that has been all over the news and your Facebook newsfeed for the last one week, it was the Met Gala. This party is specially known for its style quotient and its display of celebrities in high-fashion and avantgarde attires. Considering the buzz and the controversies, the Met gala has generated over the past few days, it only seemed fair to include the Met Gala in our quiz.

Look at the photos carefully, guess who the celebrities are. You should definitely get most of them right.

Answers to last quiz: Forrest Gump (Top), Pulp Fiction (middle), The Shinning (bottom)

Carriers C HBO 7:46pm Four friends fleeing a viral pandemic soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus.

Casts: Lou Taylor Pucci, Chris Pine, Piper Perabo, Emily VanCamp, Christopher Meloni Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief CMovies Now 7:05pm A teenager discovers he’s the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

Casts: Logan Lerman, Brandon T Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest C Star Movies 9:30pm Jack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones’ service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well.

Casts: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy

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32 BACK PAGE

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015

KAZIR BAZAR BRIDGE LIKELY TO OPEN IN JUNE PAGE 6

PUTIN, XI CEMENT TIES AT WWII ANNIVERSARY PAGE 8

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? PAGE 12

Rogue Russian spacecraft burns up in Earth’s atmosphere n BBC

Tulip Siddiq

Rushanara Ali

Rupa Huq

n Tribune Desk

ment for Bethnal Green and Bow in May 2010.

She moved to the UK with her family when she was 7 years old.

After going up to Oxford and worked in parliament, in a research firm and in government before becoming a lawmaker.

She took her seat in parliament in 2010 after defeating George Galloway’s Respect Party.

She was appointed Shadow Minister for Education in 2013 and before that was appointed as Shadow Minister for International Development.

Rupa Huq is from Ealing, and was born at Queen Charlotte’s in Hammersmith in 1972.

Her parents came from Bangladesh in the 1960s. In 1991, she went up to study Social and Political Sciences and Law at Cambridge University.

After Cambridge, she earned a doctorate at the University of East London, researching youth culture. She has also worked as a DJ. In 1998, she began teaching at Manchester University and in 2004 became a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at Kingston University.

Tulip Siddiq lives in West Hampstead with her husband Chris. Her parents were married in Kilburn forty years ago.

She was previously a local councillor and cabinet member for culture and communities in Camden council overseeing Camden’s engagement with the 2012 London Olympics, which saw the launch of three legacy schemes to encourage more physical activities.

She has previously worked on corporate social responsibility. l

Bangladeshi-British women stride into UK parliament Three British citizens of Bangladeshi origin were elected members of parliament in the United Kingdom general elections yesterday, all on Labour party tickets.

Rushanara Ali convincingly defended her Bethnal Green and Bow seat securing 32,387 votes while her nearest contender Conservative Matthew Smith won just 8,070.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s niece Tulip Siddiq ousted the Conservatives in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency with 23,977 votes.

Rupa Huq took the Ealing Central and Acton seat with 22,002 votes, sliding past the Conservative candidate Angie Bray who secured 21,728 votes.

Rushanara Ali was elected member of parlia-

The Russian space agency said its out-of-control spacecraft had burnt up as it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere.

Re-entry was over the Pacific, it said, and only a few fragments were expected to hit the sea.

The unmanned cargo ship was launched from Kazakhstan on April 28, but control was lost soon afterwards.

The Progress M-27M was carrying more than three tonnes of supplies to the International Space Station.

Russian space agency Roscosmos said: “The Progress M-27M spacecraft ceased to exist at 05:04 Moscow time (02:04 GMT) on May 8, 2015. It entered the atmosphere ... over the central part of the Pacific Ocean.”

Progress was to deliver food, water, fuel, oxygen and clothing to the crew of six people on the ISS, which orbits about 420km (250 miles) above Earth.

But after a communications failure, it began spiralling out of control.

Since then, it has been slowly descending, and orbiting Earth in a pattern that takes it over the eastern United States, Colombia, Brazil and Indonesia.

The capsules were designed to burn up in the atmosphere after delivering their cargo.

A special commission has been set up in Russia to investigate why Progress was lost.

In 2011, one of its predecessors was destroyed when it crashed soon after take-off in Siberia.

Even after Progress’ loss, the astronauts have enough supplies to keep them going until the next expected delivery on June 19.

A Roscosmos spokesman told Reuters that the loss was valued at 2.59 billion roubles ($50.7m). l

Being a mother in Bangladesh still a challenge n Tribune Desk

As Bangladesh gets set to celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow, the country has fared among the best in the region in the State of the World’s Mothers index. But the region as a whole has a long way to go.

The ranking, compiled by Save the Children each year, to determine which countries are the best places to be a mother put Bangladesh in at 130th place.

Although performing poorly overall, Bangladesh fared better than its neighbours; India was ranked 140th, Pakistan 149th, and Myanmar 158th.

Out of the 179 countries surveyed, Norway, Finland and Iceland were found to be the world’s best countries for mothers to raise children.

Nearly all of the bottom-ranked countries are affected by conflict, with Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic at the bottom of the ranking.

The 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers report, released last week, focused on exploring health disparities between the wealthy and the poor women and children living in cities around the world, and found that urban slums were some of the worst places in the world to be a mother.

The report said one of the key findings of the

survey was that the urban poor were often as bad as, or even worse off than, the average rural family; while for many rural families, moving to the city may result in more hardship.

The ranking also found that the poorest urban mothers and children were often deprived of lifesaving health care, with huge disparities in access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendance.

According to the report, Bangladesh is among the countries which have the largest urban child survival gaps, meaning that the poor urban children in Bangladesh are three to five times as likely to die as their most affluent peers.

Dhaka is among the 22 cities that have the

largest coverage gaps between the rich and the poor. In these cities, stunting rates are 29 to 39 percentage points higher among the poorest compared to the richest.

In Bangladesh and India, over half of the poor urban children are stunted, compared to 20% or less of the wealthiest children.

In case of under-five mortality rate, 41.1 children die for every 1,000 live births in Bangladesh; in last year’s ranking, the rate was 40.9.

Bangladesh also performed poorly on female education. Women in Bangladesh receive about 10 years of formal schooling, while the world average is about 12 years. l

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