SECOND EDITION
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
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Shraban 7, 1422, Shawwal 5, 1436
WHO KILLED MAULANA FARUQI? PAGE 3
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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 96
SLUM FIRE VICTIMS WITHOUT ANY HELP IN SIGHT PAGE 5
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www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10
25K TELETALK SIMS IN ILLEGAL VOIP CALLS PAGE 15
From hyperactivity to hibernation Over the last nine years, the BNP – one of the country’s two major political parties – has habitually dealt with its own political failures by taking time off to regroup and reorganise itself. But the much touted – and much needed – reorganisation of the party has never actually taken place. Instead, the party has experienced an unrelenting losing streak, fallen into increasing disarray and turned the word reorganisation into a cliché in the process. In a series of three stories, the Dhaka Tribune looks into why the party has not been able to put its house in order in nearly a decade. This is the first tranche of the report
n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla In a rare high-level meeting before Eid, BNP chief Khaleda Zia instructed the party’s senior central leaders to go to their areas outside Dhaka and charge up the activists demoralised by state actions. As of yesterday, only a few senior leaders obeyed that instruction. For them, staying back in Dhaka and attending Khaleda Zia’s Eid reception programmes was apparently more important. Among the members of the standing committee – the highest policymaking body of the BNP – Moudud Ahmad, MK Anwar, ASM Hannan Shah and Abdul Moyeen Khan went to their electoral areas. But none of them stayed for long and hence could do very little to execute the other part of Khaleda Zia’s instruction. Among other senior leaders, M Morshed Khan, Abdullah Al Noman, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Mir Mohammad Nasir also paid similar short visits to their areas.
Most other senior and mid-level leaders chose to stay back in Dhaka during the Eid vacations. Absence of senior leaders in the streets, leaving the field-level activists to face police action during major movements is seen as one of the main reasons why BNP’s action programmes have repeatedly failed to bear fruits. Things seem to have changed very little. During those violent programmes – once towards the end of 2013 and again earlier this year – the senior leaders stayed underground to avoid arrest. During this Eid-ul-Fitr again, they said they could not stay in their areas for too long in order to avoid arrest and harassment. Nazrul Islam Khan, a standing committee member, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “Many leaders went to their constituencies following Khaleda Zia’s instructions. But many others could not go because of the cases filed against them and fearing harassment.” BNP’s senior leadership choosing not to play their pro-people roles has had the same results once again.
Just as the last two major movements faded away, the BNP’s organisational activities at the district and upazila levels have come to a standstill because senior leaders prefer to stay in Dhaka and most mid- and grassroots-level leaders are either in jail or have gone underground in the face hundreds of political cases. In recent months, especially after the party retracted from the three-month violent street movement in April, no senior leaders have appeared in any television talk shows either. At a time when every other talk show has at least one senior leader from the ruling Awami League, only a handful of pro-BNP professionals – mainly lawyers, journalists and university teachers – are left to speak on behalf of the party. Even a year ago, almost all senior leaders used to attend five to six round-tables, discussions and seminars in Dhaka every day. But now, even that has come down to zero. In recent times, BNP’s activities in the capital city have been limited to organising PAGE 2 COLUMN 2
Mustafiz, spinners dismantle Proteas n Minhaz Uddin Khan from Chittagong
Team mates run in to congratulate Mustafizur Rahman after he cleans up Quinton de Kock in the first innings of the first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday. Mustafizur, on debut, bagged 4 scalps for 37 runs to play the leading role behind the Tigers’ success on the opening day MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK
PAGE 3 Bangladesh-India teams submit enclave survey reports
PAGE 4 Jamuna rail bridge planned at 3 times higher cost
PAGE 5 MP’s son charged with double murder
A precise Bangladesh bowling attack, spearheaded by debutant Mustafizur Rahman and young leg-spinner Jubair Hossain, skittled out the world’s top-ranked Test side South Africa for a below-par 248 on the opening day of the first five-dayer at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday. In pursuit of the visitors’ first-innings tally, the home side ended the day’s proceedings on seven without loss as openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes negotiated two potentially dangerous overs before stumps. Opting to take first strike, the Proteas crafted a smooth start to their innings, courtesy their top-order batsmen Dean Elgar (47), Stiaan van Zyl (34) and Faf du Plessis (48), and at one point were cruising on 136/1, only to see the Tigers bowlers hit back as they accounted for the last nine wickets conceding 112 runs. This was the visitors’ second lowest total against the hosts. It was a cumulated Bangladesh bowling
PAGE 9 Mumbai bomb plotter loses final appeal
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PAGE 32 New tanneries sighted at Hazaribagh