29 April, 2016

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 | Boishakh 16, 1423, Rajab 21, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 8 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages plus 24-page Weekend supplement | Price: Tk10

AQIS v IS: Battle for Bangladesh? n Tribune Desk A geopolitical intelligence and consulting firm has claimed that two global jihadist networks – Islamic State and al-Qaeda – are in a race in Bangladesh to establish their dominance.

The two groups are already struggling in Iraq and Syria (IS and al-Nusra), and Afghanistan for leadership of the global radical movement, and the race just found a new turf to wage war, according to a April 27 publication by Stratfor, an Austin-based organisation.

Islamic State has already highlighted its interest in Bangladesh

for the country’s geological location, ethnographic identities of the majority population (Sunni), and demographics in its English magazine Dabiq’s latest edition.

In a lengthy interview, the head of Islamic State operations in Bangladesh, one so-called Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, laid out the group’s goals for the country, not only sticking to only attacks and threats on atheist or secular bloggers in Bangladesh, rather to conduct large attacks to boost its credentials among local jihadists and promote the interests of the larger organisation.

“But it is not the methodology

of the Khilafah’s soldiers to send more threats to the enemies of Allah,” he stated. “Rather, we let our actions do the talking. And our soldiers are presently sharpening their knives to slaughter the atheists, the mockers of the Prophet, and every other apostate in the region,” alHanif said in the interview.

The Stratfor report shows since the Islamic State’s first claim in Bangladesh on September 28 last year, just seven months ago, the IS has claimed responsibility for 15 attacks in the country so far. The attacks accompany AQIS’ (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent) and its affiliates’ longstanding grip

in Bangladesh, tallying 13 attacks in the country (11 killed and five wounded) since 2013.

According to Stratfor, the biggest impediments to the Islamic State’s expansion in Bangladesh will be al-Qaeda’s branch in the Indian subcontinent and its allies.

Stratfor claims al-Qaeda has a head start in Bangladesh, especially in the capital, Dhaka, thanks to its leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

In 2014, al-Zawahiri outlined the same plan al-Hanif is laying out now: to use Bangladesh as a point from which to expand into India and Myanmar.

Al-Qaeda also has a number of

homegrown allies – Ansarullah Bangla Team or Ansar-al-Islam – with which the Islamic State will have to contend, Stratfor argues.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday once again stated that the IS has no existence in Bangladesh. “There are a few local homegrown militant groups but we have never found any kind of IS activity here,” he said.

The minister said the propaganda about IS’ presence in Bangladesh was “nothing but a conspiracy established by a group in support of some foreign countries.”

Inspector General of Police AKM  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

South Asian women earning 80% less than men n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Women in South Asian countries earn 80% less than their male counterparts, an ActionAid study has found.

The study also reveals that inequalities of all kinds are on the rise.

This is happening despite the fact that the moral, political and economic justifications for such inequalities – whether between women and men, between Dalit and Brahmin, or between black and white – are increasingly being challenged.

ActionAid, an international NGO working against poverty and injustice, published the findings yesterday in a report titled “The Price of Privilege: Extreme wealth, unaccountable power and the fight for equality in the 21st century.” The study was based on work experiences in 45 countries and information from around the world.

The study finds that women in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia earn 80% less than men.

Also, women from 32 countries contribute as much as $3 trillion in labour value to global healthcare in 2010, nearly half of it unpaid, the report states.

It recommends that women’s

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Local adaptation to climate change impacts stressed The 10th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation ended yesterday.  PAGE 3

Bangladeshi women work no less than men, yet do not receive equal pay

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Double murder planned two months back

Rural people of Naogaon facing acute water crisis

The assailants had made plans to kill LGBT magazine Roopbaan Editor Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy two months before the day of the incident.  PAGE 5

More than 400 people of Monikura Dighipara village under Sapahar upazila in the district have been facing acute water for the last several weeks.  PAGE 8

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Police need assistance from Ex-UK envoy grenade attack case full citizens to fight crimes n Kamrul Hasan People, more often than not, prefer acting as bystanders when a crime is committed in front of them instead of taking initiatives to stop or catch the criminals, and such inaction, police say, makes it difficult to maintain law and order.

According to police, they discharge their duties with a number of limitations and assistance of citizens in maintaining law and order in the society is thus crucial.

They also said they had started community policing in an effort to build better communication with locals in different areas but the measures they had taken were yet to produce any significant result.

Such inactivity on the part of people when they are witnessing crimes could take the society backwards, observed experts, adding that there would be worse consequences if people kept displaying such irresponsible behaviour.

A neighbour of LGBT rights activist Xulhaz Mannan, who was killed in his flat in the capital’s Kalabagan on Monday, told the Dhaka tribune that some people were chasing the criminals who were fleeing the scene but residents of some nearby houses tried to discourage the chasers.

“There were people who were on their balconies and shouted at the chasers to stop running after the criminals, saying that it was a risky act,” she said.

Asking not to be named, a sociology professor at Dhaka University told the Dhaka Tribune peo-

‘People usually now take action against robbers but in case of street crimes, they remain silent’ ple were becoming increasingly self-centred and were unwilling to carry out social responsibilities.

“This paints a negative picture of our society, which is going through continuous changes but is not yet ready to adopt values found in modern western societies. Here we see a clash between traditional and modern thoughts, which is creating problems in how people respond to particular situations. The society in Bangladesh has not advanced enough to adopt western norms.”

Another professor told the Dhaka Tribune the education system had largely failed to make people aware of their social responsibili-

ties, such as taking action if they witnessed crimes.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (media) SM Jahangir Alam Sarker said it is the duty of citizens to assist police if they are asked to do so.

“If people are socially aware and perform their social duties accordingly, it will make the job of police easier. Also, criminals fear making attacks in societies where citizens are very much aware of their duties,” he explained.

Professor Zia Rahman, chairman of the Criminology Department at Dhaka University, told the Dhaka Tribune: “If the judicial system worked properly and ensured exemplary punishment to criminals, people would have responded to criminal acts more responsibly.”

According to barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, there was a time when people would unite to protest crimes but this tendency is no longer common nowadays.

“People usually now take action against robbers but in case of street crimes, they remain silent. Many blame police for failing to prevent crimes but only law enforcers cannot stop killings and other crimes.

They need support from the people,” he added. l

verdict released n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court has released the full text of its judgment that upheld a lower court’s verdict against five Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HujiB) militants for an assassination attempt on former British high commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004.

This furthers the way for the death sentence of HuJi leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, who masterminded several bombings between 2001 and 2004. He will still able to challenge the verdict at the Appellate Division.

The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Amir Hossain pronounced the judgment on February 11 this year, over seven years after the trial court verdict that gave death sentence to three and life imprisonment to two militants.

The 167-page full text written by Justice Rahim was uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website yesterday.

Three militants of the banned outfit HuJi - Mufti Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul, and Md Delwar Hossain alias Ripon – were sentenced to death while two others – Hannan’s brother Muhibullah alias Muhibur Rahman alias Ovi

and Mufti Mainuddin Khaja alias Abu Jandal – were given life terms

by Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal on December 23, 2008.

A Sylhet court is currently hearing another case filed under the Explosives Act. “After the release of the verdict there is no bar to carry out the death sentences as all the convicts are now in jail, unless they file an appeal with the Appellate Division,” Deputy Attorney General Shaikh AKM Moniruzzaman Kabir told reporters.

The High Court started the hearing on January 6 this year. Hearings were held for nine days. The convicts filed their appeals against the lower court sentence in 2009.

Three people, including a police assistant sub-inspector were killed while former high commissioner Anwar and 70 others were injured in grenade attacks after the Jumma prayers at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal in Sylhet on May 21, 2004.

Born in Sunamganj and a naturalised British citizen, Anwar served as the British high commissioner to Bangladesh from 2004 to 2008. He is currently serving as the Ambassador to Peru. l

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South Asian women earning 80% less than men unpaid care burden should be redistributed and reduced. This issue is especially important for Bangladesh where ActionAid says women spend six hours to do unpaid care work each day compared to only one hour spent by a man.

The richest 1% of the global population now control over half of the global wealth, while the poorer half of the world control less than 1% of

wealth, the report says.

The combined wealth of the 200 richest people in the world – $3.18 trillion – is greater than the total wealth of Africa – $2.83 trillion – and nearly equivalent to the total wealth of Brazil – $3.194 trillion.

According to the report, the richest 64 individuals control as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people combined.

“When so many of the world’s resources are controlled by so few, we cannot talk about poverty and inequality without also talking about extreme wealth, consumption patterns and elite capture of power,” said Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh.

All governments have now promised to act on inequality but almost all were failing to walk the

talk. The power of money was ripping societies apart, she added.

Countries like Bangladesh should focus on creating more and better jobs and ensuring that the rich paid their fair share as a way to pay for social protections for the poor and vulnerable communities, said Farah.

The ActionAid report also identifies a range of policy solutions that would decrease inequality by redis-

tributing power and wealth in societies, including innovative solutions such as a maximum wage and better recognition and compensation for women’s unpaid care work.

The report further addresses the range of inequalities and the interconnections between them – especially how inequalities of gender and ethnicity intersected with inequalities of wealth. l

Shahdiul Hoque echoed the home minister. He claimed to have settled down around 80% militant cases that happened in the past couple of years and none arrested in connection with those cases have admitted having involvement with the IS or any other group.

“In some incidents, especially in Satkania or Chittagong communal violence, we arrested a number of accused and all of them later confessed that all these activities were done at the directive of some top leader of Jamaat-e-Islam and Islami Chhatra Shibir,” added the police chief.

When contacted by the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, security analyst Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rashid said: “There might be some dif-

ferences between the two groups internationally, but I do not think that these killings are happening in Bangladesh as internal conflicts between the AQIS and the IS.” On getting support from homegrown militant groups, he said the local groups were yet to enter the organisational curriculum of the AQIS or the IS. “We only see some ideological similarities among these militant groups.”

Besides, the local militants’ activities mainly survive centring local political phenomena and they are not able to play any effective role in IS activity, he said. “Moreover, the homegrown militant groups have not got any international support yet.”

About establishing supremacy,

Brig Gen Rashid said: “We have never seen these groups engaged in clashes among themselves; we have not even got any evidence that signals such clashes. We have rather seen the militant outfits working together in the international stage.

“They locked in clashes over some small reasons sometimes, but they are all together about establishing their main agenda and they are fighting for it standing on the same ground.”

Meanwhile, InSITE Blog, a sister concern of SITE Intelligence, showed in a latest post that both the AQIS and the IS have demonstrated drastically different targets and attack methods. The AQIS has focused on those perceived to insult Islam, largely resorting to

knife and machete attacks. A May 15, 2015 list of target categories by the group includes those “trying to destroy Muslim social values.”

“Those who are trying to destroy Muslim social values by introducing and spreading the nudity and zina (unlawful sexual relations between Muslims) among the Muslim youths. Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between doing something bad personally and spreading it in the society.”

The IS’ target range has shown to be contrastingly open-ended, including foreigners of “Crusader coalition states,” Christian converts, Hindus, police personnel, and Shia establishments. Methods have included shootings, stabbings, and the use of explosive devices, the

InSITE blog post reads.

SITE Director Rita Katz, a former intelligence operator herself, said: “As soon as the Islamic State began carrying out attacks in Bangladesh, we predicted attacks would increase while the group and AQIS competed.

“This is exactly what we are seeing now as the Islamic State claimed six attacks in 2016 alone.”

Stratfor stresses that al-Hanif’s promise to expand Islamic State operations in Bangladesh should be taken seriously by the government, especially his vow to take on rival extremist groups since. If provoked, al-Qaeda and other groups already operating here will retaliate, dramatically raising the threat of terrorist activities in the country. l

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Conference on climate change ends n Nure Alam Durjoy

Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, addresses the 10th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation at Independent University, Bangladesh, yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Local adaptation to climate change impacts stressed Alam Durjoy and n Nure Shadma Malik The Tenth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA10) ended yesterday, as speakers urged NGOs, infrastructure investors and the government to work with community federations for mainstreaming local adaptation and ensuring that funds reach those most vulnerable to climate change impacts in urban settlements.

They stressed the need to build on the opportunities presented by the Paris Agreement on climate change, which was signed by 175 countries in New York last week.

Yesterday’s session at Independent University, Bangladesh, was addressed by Dr Saleemul Huq, director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development, Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Dr Paul Desanker, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat in Germany, Dr Shamsul Alam, member of the Planning Commission, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, Terry Canon of the Institute of Development Studies, Pablo Suarez of Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre

and Arivudai Nambi of World Resources Institute among others.

Dr Saleemul said: “The urban poor communities have begun to work in towns and cities within countries as well as across countries. It is important that national and international policy-makers and donors support them to build resilient cities. Without the involvement of the urban poor, no city will be resilient.”

Dr Atiq said: “We are pleased to successfully conclude the conference. When we first started, climate change was originally perceived to be an environmental problem, but developing countries soon realised that the poorest communities were going to be affected the most.”

“At that time, there was very little space for that discourse to take place. Hence we initiated the process of community-based adaptation, which is an integration of climate change, development and poverty,” he added.

“One cannot just talk about climate change alone, the focus should be on people’s livelihood too,” said Dr Paul.

He said people living in slums were not trying to become resilient. “They are trying to survive.”

Saber Hossain said resilience falls in the context of risk reduction which has not been heard much in

the climate change discourse.

“Moreover, it is also about making the convergence of risk reduction and climate change adaptation. The convergence of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation has the same response as that to climate change, and if we converge disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, we deliver efficiency for both mechanisms.

“The challenges of climate change adaptation present a very dynamic scenario as the rural coasts are constantly changing. We know we will be challenged and tested in terms of our resources, creativity and compassion to respond to climate change impacts,” he added.

Cristiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, sent a video message to the CBA10 audience, which was screened at the beginning of the session.

She said: “The pipeline of capacity building you have established is creating the leaders and champions of tomorrow. These are the leaders who can and must seize the Paris Agreement opportunity. The opportunity is here, the challenge is clear, and the moment is now.

“We must not lose sight of the

vulnerable communities — urban and rural — that stand to benefit from enabling effective adaptation practices and policies.”

Professor M Omar Rahman, vice-chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh, said: “The university will train the next generation of leaders to create new knowledge. However, universities cannot do it alone. This is because intuitions need to collect data and work with other stakeholders.”

The concluding ceremony saw representatives from a range of public, private, local, regional and international organisations, and the civil society who presented a summary of outcomes and recommendations, and those will be published next week.

The CBA10 was organised by Independent University, Bangladesh in association with the International Institute of Environment and Development, International Centre for Climate Change and Development, and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies.

Earlier in the day, there was another plenary session where Dr Saleemul presented the conference outcomes and highlights of the previous conferences.

The next conference will be held at Kampala in Uganda in June next year, said Dr Saleemul. l

The most vulnerable communities suffer the most from poor governance as well as climate change impacts, says a statement released by the 10th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA10).

The four-day long conference along with a three-day field visit in Dhaka and its surrounding areas came to an end yesterday at noon, Dr Saleemul Huq, a renowned climate change expert and also director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), shared the outcomes of the conference with the audience.

The statement focused on different issues in an urban setting on the context of climate change. These issues include urbanisation, climate change and cities, urban communities, climate funding, urban infrastructure and governments.

The statement said over 50% of the global population live in cities and urban areas. This proportion will rise very quickly. Of them, around 1 billion live in unsanctioned settlements such as slums.

“The majority of smaller, fastest-growing towns are in Asia and Africa. And the cities are strongly linked to rural people and surrounding ecosystems where local governance capacities vary enormously,” it said.

Cities are often very vulnerable to climate change impacts such as floods and cyclones. Many coastal cities are very prone to sea level rise, Dr Saleemul said in the statement.

“Informal settlements in cities are the most vulnerable populations and the cities are also a major source of global emissions,” the statement said.

“All cities have very mixed communities, including formal and informal settlements, with different groups that include women, children, elderly and disabled, among others,” it said.

The statement suggests global and national funds for supporting climate adaptation need to find their way into informal settlements in cities. The best way to do so is through intermediaries who can manage millions and provide small grants and loans in thousands.

“The Green Climate Fund (GCF) should fast track Enhanced Direct Access for such intermediary implementing entities,” it said.

“Cities will receive trillions of dollars over the next decade for infrastructure investments. In order to make these investments resilient and useful to citizens, local communities must be engaged in planning them,” it added. l

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Study: Homeless young men at risk of HIV n Abid Azad

A study showed young men who live on the streets are more likely to contract HIV including other negative health and social outcomes.

Research revealed multiple partners, inconsistent condom use, substance abuse, violence, minimal health care utilisation and low knowledge of HIV are the main causes, at a dissemination seminar titled “To Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Young Key People” held yesterday at BRAC Center Inn and jointly

organised by the Project Management Unit of Link Up Bangladesh, Marie Stopes Bangladesh and the Population Council.

Link Up implemented the intervention at the community, Marie Stopes provided the health care services through satellite and fixed clinics and Population Council conducted studies.

Link Up was a three year project supported by Netherlands Government through International HIV/ AIDS Alliance, UK implemented in five countries that include Bangladesh, Myanmar, Uganda, Ethiopia

and Burundi.

The Link Up programme conducted stigma reduction training for medical professionals to reduce their negative perspective towards vulnerable people such as sex workers and street dwellers.

16 local NGOs implemented the Link Up intervention at the community in 17 districts.

Dr ASM Habibullah Choudhury, the deputy project director of Link Up Bangladesh said the seminar was designed to provide information and health services to the youth at risk aged 10-24 years.

These vulnerable groups include female sex workers, men having sex with men, transgender people, as well as transport, factory and fish processing workers, young men who live on the street and people living with HIV. 240,972 youths were provided information and sexual and reproductive health services and over 76,000 received direct medical services from Marie Stopes Clinics during the three year project, said Marie Stopes Bangladesh acting managing director Masrurul Islam.

“About four to five decades be-

fore, our government had started family planning which was merely limited to the size of the family numbers.” said Mohammad Wahid Hossain, directorate general of family planning department (DGFP).

The programme was chaired

by DGFP Deputy Director Dr Fahmida Sultana, Ella de Voogd from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, UK’s International HIV/AIDS Alliance’s Felicity Morgan, and Population Council Country Director Dr Ubaidur Rob were also present at the program. l

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Double murder planned 2 months back n Mohammad Jamil Khan

The assailants had made plans to kill LGBT magazine Roopbaan Editor Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy two months before the day of the incident.

The killers recced the Kalabagan area near Xulhaz’s residence to keep vigil on him and their last watch was on Monday morning before they killed the LGBT activist in the evening. They had also rented a house in Dhaka’s Adabar area in Mohammadpur.

The information was disclosed yesterday to the Dhaka Tribune by a high official of the Detective

Branch of Police, requesting not to be named. The official said the DB gathered the intelligence after analysing clues and a mobile phone left behind by the killers.

The DB official, who is involved in the investigation of the double murder, also said that they have managed to identify a few suspects and are moving forward with the information.

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the US has shown keen interest in helping the DB with the murder investigation.

The official said the FBI has offered to provide any form of assistance in solving the murder.

problem with that.”

On Monday, Xulhaz was killed along with his friend Mahbub Tonoy at his Kalabagan residence. Xulhaz was also a cousin of former foreign minister Dipu Moni, an official of the USAID and a former protocol officer of the US Embassy. Tonoy was also an LGBT and theatre activist.

Another source in the DB said they have found clues that indicate Xulhaz was murdered for his involvement with LGBT activities.

The source said the killers were university and college students.

Regarding the investigation, Asaduzzaman Miah, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said

He also said that the FBI has been asking the DB if the murder took place because of Xulhaz’s work history with the US Embassy.

However, the DB has informed the FBI that Xulhaz might have been murdered because of his involvement with LGBT activism.

When asked if the FBI has sent any proposal in writing, the DB official said that they are just communicating with us.

Regarding the issue, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said he has not been informed about FBI’s interest in the murder investigation yet but “if they want to help, the government has no

‘Al Qaeda to kill 8 types of people’ n Mohammad Jamil Khan Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) will be targeting people who commit eight specific kinds of offenses against their ideology, SITE Intelligence Group has said.

The list of targets were put forth in a statement written in Bangla, dated April 8 and signed by one Mufti Abdullah Ashraf, claiming to be the spokesperson for Ansar Al Islam, or Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent, Bangladesh Branch.

US-based extremism monitoring company SITE Intelligence Group uploaded the statement to their website yesterday, saying it was released on the official AQIS website and twitter account.

The AQIS statement comes with the heading, “who are our next targets.”

The first category includes people who make statements against and belittling Allah, the Prophet (SM) and Islam.

It emphasises however, that being an atheist in personal life would not make anyone a target.

“Rather the targets are those who under the guise of atheism and free thought make insults against the Prophet SM and Islam.”

In the second category are the people who are supporting or patronising those making insults against Islam or Allah.

The third category includes people who are “preventing the practice of Shariah and Islamic tenets” in their own spheres, whether they are school, college or university teachers, mayors or local leaders, heads of any organisation, judges,

A pair of dysfunctional CCTV cameras are pointed at wrong directions at Demra beside the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway as their snapped wires dangle. No apparent steps have been taken to fix the cameras. The photo was taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Home boss: Couple of murders can’t establish IS theory n Mohammad Jamil Khan The theory that Islamic State was behind the recent killings cannot be established by a couple of murders in Bangladesh, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said.

“People are being killed under the name of IS, but where is the IS?” he told a religious harmony conference yesterday at Dhaka’s Krishibid Institute Auditorium, where leaders from all religious communities were present.

The minister said none of the Olamas or Islamic scholars present

at the conference were involved in activities of the so-called Islamic State, while there was also no report that any madrasa or mosque had any IS link.

Kamal, however, admitted that local militants in Bangladesh have been trying to create problems; but skilled law enforcers were thwarting such attempts.

The whole IS issue was nothing but a conspiracy hatched by a group that had earlier set vehicles on fire, he claimed, adding that those forces were now again killing people with support from some

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foreign nations.

Bangladesh is witnessing such conspiracy at a time when the country is going forward and establishing itself as a strong country, the minister added.

Also speaking at the programme, police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque said law enforcers have solved 80% of the militant attacks and killings that had taken place over the past couple of years, as well as arresting the perpetrators.

The inspector general of police said his force was carrying out its duty with full professionalism. l 28

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they have gathered information which is a major lead in tracing the killers, but he refused to disclose the details.

Sources in the DB said they have received more CCTV footage from the escape route of the killers which shows the faces of three to four killers.

“We are now trying to refine the footage to get a clear picture of the assailants,” said the official.

Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism and trans-national crime unit, said no one has been arrested yet regarding the murder.

“We are currently investigating and analysing the clues,” he added. l

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lawyers or doctors.

The fourth category are the people who are “implementing a western/Indian agenda” by presenting a “distorted view of Islam” with their speeches and writings.

“The person might be a story or drama writer, intellectual, poet, journalist or editor and artist of any cinema or drama,” the statement said.

Number five includes people opposing Shariah or undermining Islam through their speeches or statements.

Number six consists of people who are spreading “nudity and shamelessness” in the society.

Here the statement underlines that there is a great difference in Shariah between engaging in something forbidden and trying to lead the society towards it.

People who are involved efforts to remove Shariah from education, culture and the economic arena fall under the seventh category.

Finally the last group of people are those who are trying to “extinguish the light of Islam from this land.”

The statement then emphasised that ordinary Muslims and people from other faiths were not the targets of AQIS. Asked about this statement, Monirul Islam, the head of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, said they were looking into the AQIS claim on the Kalabgan murder.

The CT Unit was keeping an eye on social media and online activities, the additional commissioner said. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:05am | Jumma: 11:56pm Asr: 3:22pm | Magrib: 6:26pm Esha: 7:47pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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Forest dept: Fire in Sundarbans sabotage Forest and Environment Ministry forms probe body to investigate fire incidents

n Hedait Hossain, Khulna Fire that broke out in Dhansagar area, Chandpai range of Sundarbans, Khulna on Wednesday afternoon was a subversive act, claims forest officials.

Station Officer of Dhansagar range filed a general diary with Swarankhola police station yesterday afternoon.

Divisional Forest Official Md Saidul Islam said: “The forest department has put restriction on the movement of common people in Chandpai range in order to check occurrence of such type of subversive act.”

Forest Conservator of Chandpai Forest range Jahir Uddin Ahmed

told the Dhaka Tribune that Forest and Environment Ministry had formed a committee led by Joint Secretary of the ministry Md Mojahed Hossain to investigate all fire incidents that took place in Sundarbans in the last 14 years.

He said he received a letter from Forest and Environment Ministry yesterday afternoon.

The probe body has been asked to submit its report within 10 working days.

A vested quarter sets fire to Tulatola and Andarmanik areas to facilitate their illegal activities in forest area, he said.

Firefighters from Moralganj, however, managed to extinguish the fire by yesterday afternoon.

“The fire that lasted about 24 hours has burned down forestry on at least five acres of land,” said Saidul Islam.

With the fire, this is the fourth incident of forest fire in the area over four weeks.

On April 19, another fire broke out in Nangli area under the same range.

Then local sources said a vested quarter might have set fire to the forest area in order to facilitate fish netting and collecting honey.

On April 14, a fire originated at Dhansagar station and gutted forestry on several acres of land before the forest officials, firefighters and locals managed to extinguish the blaze.

On March 27, a fire broke out in Nangli area. Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control by the morning of March 28.

Local people alleged that some influential in the locality set fire to the forest in Rajapur and Dhansagar areas during dry season every year to set up a canal and facilitating their fish netting.

The probe body formed over March 27 fire submitted its report on April 4.

The probe blamed carelessness of local people for the fire incident.

Six people have also been sued in connection with the fire incident.

Prime accused of the case was Shahjahan Hawladar, vice-president of Swarankhola upazila unit

Awami League.

Forest officials also filed a case against five people in connection with April 19 fire incident. But law enforcers yet to arrest anyone in this connection.

In the last 14 years, there have been 25 fire incidents in Chandpai and Sharankhola ranges of the Sundarbans.

Locals said people who set fire to forest were very influential as they had connection with political high-ups. Nobody dared to raise voice against them.

“After every fire incident they ask us not to talk before media. So we keep out mouth shut because we have to live here,” said a local who preferred to be unnamed. l

All public procurements to come under e-GP n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong All types of public procurements are going to come under the system of electronic government procurement (e-GP) within this year.

Farid Uddin Ahmed, secretary of Planning Ministry, made the announcement yesterday at a workshop held at a city hotel.

Addressing as the chief guest at the workshop, Farid Uddin Ahmed said: “There are around 1,200 government offices in Bangladesh and all the public procurements will be brought under e-GP system. In order to ensure transparency and accountability in public procurements, we have already decided to

engage citizens under Third Party Monitoring system.”

“The public procurement activities aim at the service of the citizens. People will lose interest and credibility will be questioned if citizens cannot be involved in the public procurement activities,” said the secretary of the planning ministry. With Chittagong additional deputy commissioner Doulatuzzaman in the chair, the workshop was addressed by planning commission member Abdul Mannan and Aziz Taher Khan of planning ministry.

Engineers from different government agencies and contractors participated in the workshop. l

A jewellery shop located at Saheb Bazar, Rajshahi was robbed yesterday. The robbers exploded several bombs while fleeing from the spot that left three people, including, owner of the shop Monish Roy, injured. Monish Roy has been admitted to Rajshahi Medical College in a critical state AZAHAR UDDIN

Cargo vessel owners vow to continue strike

Creative Challenge begins in Chittagong

n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

The cargo vessel owners vowed to continue their countrywide wildcat strike for an indefinite period which commenced from Wednesday demanding revision of the newly declared wage structure for the vessel workers.

The owners under the banner of Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association (BCVOA) have already stopped operating lighter vessels all over the country to press home their demands.

The BCVOA operates as many as 2,100 lighter vessels all over the country. Costal Ship Owners Association (COAB) and Khulna Jahaj Malik Group which operate around

2,000 vessels also suspended vessel movement on different sea and river routes of the country.

The association’s senior vice-president Khorshed Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that they sat in an emergency meeting at the association’s Dhaka office on Wednesday.

“The meeting with the presence of over 250 vessel owners decided not to operate lighter ships demanding revision of the newly announced wage offer,” said Alam.

“We could not agree with the newly fixed wage structure as the Shipping Minister declared it without any consultation with the cargo vessel owners,’ said an indignant Alam.

“The cargo vessel owners cannot afford to implement the new-

ly fixed wage structure. The new wage offer will deal a severe blow to the cargo vessel business in the country,” warned Alam.

The inland water transport workers who went for a strike to press home their 15-point charter of demands including wage structure revision have withdrew their strike on Tuesday night. However, activities at Chittagong Port and 16 private jetties (ghats) of the river Karnaphuli have not returned to normalcy yet till yesterday.

Mabubul Alam, traffic inspector of Chittagong Port Authority, said 60 mother vessels laden with around 17 lakh tonnes of goods remained stranded at the outer anchorage. l

A four-day long Inter Business School National Business Idea and Branding Competition titled “Creative Challenge 2016” kicked off at Chittagong University (CU) yesterday.

With the slogan “Building Chittagong, Banding Bangladesh” the competition began at the auditorium of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) faculty while CU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury inaugurated the programme as the chief guest.

Finance and Banking Debating Association of CU organised the programme for the third time at

the campus. A total number of 120 participants under 40 public and private universities participated the programme.

VC called upon the youth to retain the pace of development of Bangladesh through generating the new ideas.

Presided by Finance department’s Associate Professor Tanvir Mohammed Haidar Arif, BBA faculty’s dean Prof Jahangir Alam also addressed the progrrame as the special guest while Prof Dr Mohammed Mohiuddin, Dr SM Sohrabuddin, Dr Firoza Akhtar Khanam were present among others.

National English daily Dhaka Tribune is the media partner of the event. l

DT

8

News

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

Rural people of Naogaon facing acute water crisis Md Abdur Rouf, n Khondaker Naogaon More than 400 people of Monikura Dighipara village under Sapahar upazila in the district have been facing acute crisis of drinking and using water for the last several weeks.

Local sources said without getting any other alternatives people of 80 villages are forced to collect dirty water from nearby pond as tube wells are not working with the ground water level depleting.

Normally the level of underground water in the area goes down in the dry season.

But this year the situation has become more dangerous as the water level has gone down earlier due to recent drought.

There are few wells in the village. In the morning, many women stand in line to collect water from the wells. But many of them have to return without water as there is no adequate water in the wells.

Maximum people of the village lead a life of hand to mouth. So it not possible for them to set up deep tube well in the area. The normal tube wells have lied idle for six

People collect water from a well at Monikura Dighipara village, Sapahar upazila, Naogoan as water crisis has turned acute in the area for the last couple of weeks. The photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE months as the water level has gone down.

Rampada Sarker, a resident of the village, said they had to do daily works with the dirty water collect-

ed from ponds, canals and wells.

The wells had not been dug for many years. So the water of the wells is not useable.

The only pond in the village is

out of order as it is filled with different dirty things.

But the villagers are bound to use the water of the pond for their daily works like bathing and washing.

Cooperative changes Pre-polls clash leaves 1 dead n lives of destitute women Tribune Desk

n Hedait Hossain, Khulna

The lives of a group of destitute women have changed after they started a small cooperative in Khulna. They eventually opened an aluminium factory which now employs 33 workers and 1,112 women have shares in the factory.

Their net monthly income is about Tk30,000. The cooperative says it plans to construct a six-storey building and expand business. It owns a piece of land and has properties worth about Tk25 lakh – almost half of the shares and savings belong to the destitute women.

Its president Najma Akter said the cooperative was set up in 2008. The members are slum dwellers in the ward no 18 of the city. She said the cooperative decided to set up the factory, after being inspired by the success of one of its members.

There are currently 14 such factories in Khulna, mostly owned and run by men.

Mosharraf Khan, owner of Alauddin Metal at Gallamari, said he had been in the busi-

ness for nearly a decade. “The industry requires a huge manpower. Lack of bank loans, power cuts, gas crunch and shortage of land disrupt production,” he said, adding that the sector needs patronage.

The sector, he said, can create a lot of jobs. “Lack of investment discouraged entrepreneurs.”

World Vision Bangladesh Sundarbans ADP Manager Tapan Kumar Mondol said they had donated goods worth about Tk8 lakh to Nabarupa factory and the cooperative managed another Tk4 lakh to set up the factory.

About 500 men and women are involved in the 14 aluminium factories. Nabarupa factory worker Arif Hossain said they are paid between Tk1,400 and Tk3,500 per week based on production.

Cooperative member Johra Khatun said the factory was the most profitable among four projects.

Worker Maleka Begum said: “The work is tough. A little lapse in attention can ruin the product quality but good work pays a lot.” l

An activist of Awami League was killed and 15 other people were injured in a clash between the supporters of the ruling party-backed chairman aspirant and a rebel candidate over the ensuing union parishad elections in Kushtia yesterday morning.

Quoting locals, police said supporters of the incumbent chairman, Ak-

taruzzaman Biswas, attacked men of AL-rebel candidate Sheikh Siraj Uddin, a former chairman of the union, after they gathered in front of a tea stall in the area around 10am, leaving 15 people injured.

The attackers also hacked Laltu Molla, who with grievous injuries was rushed to Kushtia General Hospital, where he died later.

The fourth phase UP elections are scheduled to be held on May 7. l

As a result, they became the victim of numerous diseases, he said.

Anima Rani and Rupali Sarker of the village said some people used to do business of sweetmeats. But they cannot run the business due to crisis of water.

Ram Sarker, another villager, both male and female had to stand in line from the early morning for water.

They spend a long time of the day behind this work. So their another important works of the day remain undone.

Villagers informed the incident to the higher authorities several times. But they did not try to solve the problem.

Uunion Parishad chairman Rafiqul Islam said meanwhile two tube wells had been provided to the villagers. But it could not be set up as the water level had gone down.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Muniruzzaman Bhuyan said higher authorities had been requested to instal two submersibles to pump water in the pond.

“If the submersibles reach, we will start the work soon,” he said. l

4 held with arms in Ctg n Tribune Desk Police arrested four suspected robbers from Hamidchar area, Chandgaon police station in the city in the early hours of Thursday.

The police said the arrested were members of an inter-district robber gang and they were preparing to commit robbery. l

9

DT

Feature

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

An envelope full of remorse

PHOTOS: COURTESY

n Mahmood Sadi Shumon Ahmed likes to identify himself as a visual artist, rather than a photographer.

In his own words, he takes his snapshots in such a way that redefines the actuality of the subject by placing it in the centre, experimenting and exploring by encircling its periphery.

That periphery encompasses nostalgia, unwanted reminiscence, repentance, angst and isolation. Almost all of his photographs have shown those subliminal human elements.

“I don’t know why my photographs are like this. I really don’t,” he told me when we recently met at a café to talk about his work.

“It probably has something to do with my traumatic childhood,” Ahmed confessed, looking towards me darkly, his permanent stubble more visible than ever.

“My mother has a mild intellectual disability as a result

of an iodine deficiency. I didn’t know that as a child but I grew up seeing both sides of my family ridiculing her,”he continued.

“Your mother is mad,”Ahmed’s aunts used to constantly tell him. “I was traumatised by the humiliation my mother had to face. I was ashamed of being the son of a ‘mad’ woman. Somehow I felt guilty.”

He said that most of the time, during his childhood, he hated his mother and made her cry. “I simply didn’t want to be the son of a mad woman. But as time went by and I grew up, I started to feel the sadness behind my mother’s eyes and realised how helpless, beautiful and caring she is,” he said.

Ahmed added that when he realised how unjust his thoughts and behaviour towards his mother were, he understood those thoughts were just the reflection of people around him, “I became angry…. and then guilty…. and then sad.”

This anger, guilt and sadness pushed Ahmed into uncovering the deeper feelings he always hid away. “Taking snapshots then became my refuge, my way of expressing the deeper feelings,” he said.

The reticent artist told me that his images are also a way to confess his guilt and to come to terms with the true feelings he always had for his mother.

Interestingly, in this era of digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera, Ahmed uses an old school Polaroid camera to take his snapshots. “I always love to see the instant print out of my photos.

Then I create my own photo montage with the printed copies,” he said.

He usually takes a series of snapshots. The subject of his photographs are usually ordinary and trivial household objects, such as a light bulb, or a tree in the tub.

He also takes a lot of self-portraits and later, he blurs the facial details metaphorically to indicate the

meditative state of his thoughts.

“I like to experiment with selfportraits by characterising those differently - sometimes I take the shots and make those images emerge from the waves of an ocean or a foggy forest in the dead of winter. Other times, I simply use a dull background to give the snapshots a haunting feel,” he said.

Besides self portraits, Ahmed also has close-up shots of tears falling from sad eyes and shots of an aeroplane’s wings pictured from a plane’s window.

He also created several collages with letters from his mother and some shots set on top of a backdrop of different types of envelopes. “These collages on the envelopes are my favourite.

I expressed my remorse through my work,” he explained. Ahmed added that he also published a book, the cover and contents of which has the same collages as the ones with the envelopes as a backdrop.

Most hauntingly beautiful of all his snapshots was naturally, a dark one - a very young Shumon Ahmed and his mother. He carefully created a photo montage set on the backdrop of a mystic, foggy image of trees during winter. It symbolises the fragility of memories which he tried, heart and soul, to keep alive.

“I know the snapshots that I take are not for everyone. My photographs were being exhibited at Whitechapel gallery in the UK and a visitor there told me that my photos are dark and dour. I am aware of how people look at my photos,” he said.

But Ahmed said that for people who can stand the darker side of human emotions can relate to his photos. “Photography is not just about taking the perfect shots.

Artists have colour to lay out their emotions on canvas. What we have - the photographers, is just the visual sense. A traumatic past will surely reflect on that artistic sense,” he opined. l

DT

10

Feature

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

'Men are not biologically violent' Veteran social scientist Kamla Bhasin speaks to Dhaka Tribune; conclusion of a two-part interview Part 2 of 2

n Promiti Prova Chowdhury Veteran social scientist and feminist activist Kamla Bhasin recently paid a visit to Bangladesh.

The main person behind “Sangat,” a South Asian feminists network, Bhasin is also the South Asia Coordinator of One Billion Rising.

Since 1984, Sangat has developed the capacities of more than 650 women activists from South Asia and offered a greater understanding of concepts related to gender, justice, poverty, sustainable development, peace, democracy and human rights.

As a United Nation’s representative, Bhasin first came to Bangladesh in 1976 and worked with Gonoshasthaya Kendra, a rural health care organisation.

Dhaka Tribune’s Promiti Prova Chowdhury engaged in a conversation with the iconic Indian feminist over the issue of sexual harassment of women.

Some feminists debate about the definition of a true feminist. What are your views on the matter?

I don’t talk about feminists, I talk about feminism. There is not one Islam - there’s Shia and Sunni.

There’s no one Christianity - there are Catholics and protestants.

There is no one socialism and there is no one socialist political party. Similarly, feminism is different from place to place.

According to me, feminism should be like water. Water is H2O everywhere, but it takes the shape of the container it is put into. So feminism for a Bengali woman in Dhaka will be different from a woman living in the rural areas.

In the rural area, her struggle is perhaps to go to a literacy class being run by BRAC. For you, it maybe going to a hostel, living there or even going abroad. Why should there not be debates between feminists? As soon as I have a debate with a feminist, the non-feminist will say “Ah! feminists are debating!” All political parties debate, journalists debate. Do all journalists think alike? Do all Muslims think the same way? No. What is feminism against?

Feminism is against patriarchy.

In the urban areas it is against patriarchy, in rural areas it is against patriarchy, in the US it is again patriarchy. But in the USA, they don’t fight against dowry. Feminism is a response

to patriarchy and the form of patriarchy is different from place to place. However, there are some common forms of patriarchy. For instance, rape takes place all over the world. So women all over the world fight against it. Feminism is a response to particular forms of patriarchy and also our understanding of patriarchy.

There are debates between feminisms, which I suppose is healthy. For example, there’s a huge debate over sex work.

Some feminists say, selling sex cannot be work. It’s prostitution.

Other feminists are saying that it is like any other work. There’s a discussion on reservation. Some feminists are saying that women need reservation, while others say that they do not need it.

Are feminists anti-men?

No, we are not anti-men. We are anti-patriarchy. If you are patriarchal, I am against you and if I am patriarchal, I’ll criticise myself. All men are not patriarchal.

In India, we have seen more media coverage of rape incidents in recent times. Are these regular happenings?

Women who survive rape are reporting their incidents more than before because we have spread the message that the “izzat” of women is not lost.

It is the rapist who is losing it.

The media reports it because more women are going to the police stations and filing reports.

The Delhi rape case is only one incident. But if a girl is raped by her boss inside her office, there’s still a chance that she might keep quiet.

Women are speaking up because there is law and women’s movements have made these laws.

Nobody gives you your rights.

However on one side, there is more reporting to police, while on the other side, there is more anger and frustration in society.

There is more violence, so there is more reporting. The stronger our

PHOTO: COURTESY of emotional intelligence. There is no training given by the family.

When they cry we tell them: “tumi

We are not against any sex, we are against certain actions and systems.

I am also born in patriarchy, I am also born in a certain religion. There are days when I find that a particular action or word of mine is still patriarchal. So it’s a long journey and nobody is a perfect feminist in my eyes

All men do not say patriarchy is good. And all women don’t say that patriarchy is bad. Women are also patriarchal. In my country, either by force or agreement, women decide to abort girls. They want boys not girls. Women give dowry to their daughters either by force or because they believe in it.

We are against people who are against equality between men and women.

The first person a feminist has to criticise is herself. We women also play games. When we like, we become feminine, when we like, we become feminists. We want the male colleague to pay for our tea.

We want them to give away their seats, what for? If we are weak, then yes. But if he is weak, you give him your seat.

movement grows, the stronger is the possibility of a backlash. There are thousands of women who have jobs. They are not wearing sarees, they are wearing panjabis by breaking the so-called cultural norms. So men are not happy.

They have no opportunities for legitimate sex. Where can our boys go for legitimate sex? Our society doesn’t allow them to unless they get married. They seem to like a woman, she talks to them nicely, and they think, “now she should sleep with me or she should marry me.” And when she says no, they can’t take it. Because he is a “rajabeta.”

He buys some acid and throws it on the girl’s face. It happens because of the sense of entitlement, frustration and lack

chhele, tumi kanbe na.” So, we stop their emotional expression.

Men can talk about everything except themselves. They cannot say, “I am not happy, I am depressed,” because as a man, they always have to be powerful. No human being is always powerful.

How effective has the “One Billion Rising” campaign been so far?

OBR is just four years old. It is neither the beginning nor the end of our struggle. It is just another campaign. We have been fighting for women’s rights for decades. With this campaign, we chose to give it one more push. People already working on this issue across the globe came together through this campaign.

Somehow it worked very well in

207 countries. I suppose in every campaign there is something new; although, the basic remains the same which is, “to stop violence against women.” Today we say rising as “survivors” instead of rising as “victims.” OBR got us connected to artists, dancers, musicians. Before, many wouldn’t join because it was boring with all those crying and negativity. But a campaign cannot change the situation. It can create awareness.

A campaign can tell women that you don’t have to accept it and tell men that “see how you are becoming dehumanised,” or, “if you are violent against women, you will get nothing out of it except jail,” and “no woman would like to be close to you.”

In India, a lot of colleges invited us to talk about it. NGOs got more media coverage and social media helped a lot. But that doesn’t mean violence has gone down, it may even increase as a result. Because people are not happy by our questioning them. Also, we are not the only one acting here.

Seeing a woman in short sleeves, men are thinking of raping her on excuses like, “why is she outside?” “Why is she wearing short sleeves?, “Why is she not wearing a burqa?” But a six month old daughter is raped as well. What was she wearing?

Then, there is the billion dollar cosmetics industry telling women that they are only bodies. So ten other anti-feminist things are happening which have more power and money. l

DT

Editorial 11

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

INSIDE

A citizen’s concern Given the fate of Mahfuz Anam, Mahmudur Rahman, and numerous others in recent times, it was only rational for me to assume that it could be a ploy to intimidate the media further.

The state has to play a significant role here to placate such concerns PAGE 12

Three years after Rana Plaza It is time for a model of shared responsibility, where brands, governments, financial institutions, and philanthropies jointly define a funding formula that is practical, transparent, accepted, and then implemented by all stakeholders PAGE 13 BIGSTOCK

Follow the money

New power generation Power generation in the country is primarily dependent on natural gas. With the decline in the rate of production of natural gas, the use of furnace oil has increased which leads to increase in cost of generation PAGE 14

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune.

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

T

he committee investigating the Bangladesh Bank reserve heist has recommended action against on-duty Bangladesh Bank officials who failed to act when abnormalities in the bank’s IT network were discovered.

Its report is right to call for stringent action against gross negligence. It is shocking that the bank’s reported lack of a firewall and use of very cheap network switches might have made it much easier for hackers to steal login credentials and bypass security.

SWIFT’s announcement this week that it has released a software update because malware has infiltrated international security systems also highlights the urgent necessity for Bangladesh Bank to take measures in ensuring its use of SWIFT systems is kept more secure and up-to-date.

Every effort must be made to plug such gaps.

In addition, it remains vital that the task-force seeking to recover the $81 million of Bangladesh Bank funds sent to the Philippines to expedite efforts through its lawyers to recover all of these funds.

As yet, while the location of accounts where stolen funds were laundered in the Philippines and Sri Lanka are known, it is not clearly established who masterminded the plot.

Mystery still surrounds the identity and whereabouts of the masterminds of the theft, even though legal measures are in hand to recover portions of the money. It is vital still to establish clearly to what extent, if any, there was collusion within Bangladesh itself.

All questions about the competence and integrity of staff, and external consultants responsible for managing Bangladesh Bank’s security and IT systems, as well as the duty of care and co-operation provided by the Federal Reserve and international partners, need to be independently and throughly answered.

There is no room for error in safeguarding financial security.

There is no room for error in safeguarding financial security

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DT

Opinion

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

A citizen’s concern What does the Shafik Rehman saga mean for the media and due process?

Shafik Rehman’s incarceration holds a lot of implications for the future

n Israfil Khosru

O

n Saturday morning, April 16, veteran and prominent journalist/ writer Shafik Rehman was arrested by plainclothes DB men posing as reporters from a major Bangla television channel.

He was initially shown arrested on charges of sedition, but, subsequently, it was revealed later that he was arrested based on “specific allegations” against him linking him to a plot to “kill and kidnap” Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of the prime minister of Bangladesh.

It must be mentioned that Mr Wazed resides in the US and the plot was allegedly hatched there.

Incidentally, the octogenarian journalist, who resides in Bangladesh, was brought to book based on details of a case in the US where an individual bribed a former official of a US government agency to extract sensitive information on Mr Wazed.

While there is much discussion on the verdict of that case -- which in no way mentions Mr Rehman and overtly rules out any intent to kidnap and kill Mr Wazed -- it is equally important to delve into the concerns and questions of a general citizen regarding this matter which are beyond legal technicalities and political jargons.

As the news of Mr Rehman’s arrest broke in the media platforms, certain questions automatically crept into my mind. These were definitely not

academic questions but, rather, guided by impulse. Let me lay down these questions in order:

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

fundamental in their nature, yet, these are the questions not being placed or asked continuously to

specific charges that have been filed against him under the law of the land and what is the factual

Given the fate of Mahfuz Anam, Mahmudur Rahman, and numerous others in recent times, it was only rational for me to assume that it could be a ploy to intimidate the media further. The state has to play a significant role here to placate such concerns

Why did he have to be arrested by DB men posing as television reporters when it was subsequently mentioned that there were specific allegations against him? Why could they not go for a standard lawful arrest?

If there were specific allegations against him, what were the motivations behind initially announcing that he has been charged with sedition? Can one be charged with sedition for allegedly plotting to harm an individual?

Did the state provide Mr Rehman with prior notification of the allegations and the legal action that will be taken against him? If not, why was his constitutional right violated? Taking the current context into consideration, is this another attempt to maim free speech in Bangladesh?

The aforementioned questions might appear to be rather

seek answers and hold the state accountable. While the state might decide to avoid these questions in this particular instance, but in the greater scheme of things, this is the nature of questions that matter to a citizen.

If an eminent citizen like Mr Shafik Rehman can be arrested in the manner that he was, it is only logical for a common citizen to feel that his/her rights belong way down the pecking order, and no legal recourse will be available to him/her if the state decides to bring him/her to book with purpose.

The nature of Mr Rehman’s arrest itself implies that he had no prior knowledge of such a predicament, and, furthermore, confirms that charges against him were decided once he was taken into custody. However, the public still remains in the dark about the

basis that supports such charges.

Given the fate of Mahfuz Anam, Mahmudur Rahman, and numerous others in recent times, it was only rational for me to assume that it could be a ploy to intimidate the media further. The state has to play a significant role here to placate such concerns.

If Shafik Rehman is indeed being tried for something as grave as abduction and murder, then he should have been given a proper, procedural recourse where he could have presented his case rather than being whisked away by law enforcment agencies when he was not absconding or in any way subverting arrest.

If he was lawfully arrested, there would be no reason to view the intention of the state with mistrust and search for ulterior motives.

The debate on the legal basis

of implicating Shafik Rehman in whatever he has been accused of will continue, but these are not the points of discussion that really matter to a citizen. A common citizen, in most instances, is primarily not looking to read into the political rhetoric or deeply analytical discussions regarding an event.

The initial reaction is of identifying matters of relevance to them following an event.

When a citizen fears that he/she might be charged with sedition for criticising or questioning an individual, it is only natural for them to assume that their stake in that very state, which is constitutionally empowered to protect them, is only shrinking.

They will only be imbibed with confidence if they feel that they can ask questions of the state and the state will respond with objectivity and care rather than resorting to acrimony. However, if there is a sense that certain individuals are projected as greater than the state itself, then the space for free speech becomes relatively redundant.

However, questions have to be asked. As a citizen, it would be preposterous of me to expect a response, but I leave these questions regardless. The answers have implication for us all. At the end of the day, if you do not ask questions, you cannot blame the state for not responding. l Israfil Khosru is an entrepreneur and a concerned citizen.

13

DT

Opinion

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

Three years after Rana Plaza, Bangladesh’s garment sector is still unsafe Bangladesh’s RMG industry still has a long way to go in ensuring worker safety

Finance and a lack of worker and factory coverage remain key issues for safety in the RMG industry

RAJIB DHAR

n Dorothée Baumann-Pauly

A

fter the deadly April 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex on the outskirts of Dhaka left almost 1,200 garment workers dead, more than 200 North American and European brands and retailers committed to make Bangladesh’s garment sector safe and sustainable.

The collective commitment of up to $100 million to improve factory safety over the next five years came in the form of two separate international agreements: The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.

These initiatives signaled a sea change in corporate responses to rights issues by acknowledging that chronic human rights problems in global supply chains require co-ordinated efforts from the entire industry as well as other stakeholders, including governments and international lenders.

But three years later, labour rights enforcement failures remain widespread, and Bangladesh is far from achieving the declared objective of a safe and sustainable garment sector.

It is time for a model of shared responsibility, where brands, governments, financial institutions, and philanthropies jointly define a funding formula that is practical, transparent, accepted, and then implemented by all stakeholders

As the NYU Stern Centre for Business and Human Rights’ recent year-long research report revealed, there are more than 7,000 garment factories in Bangladesh producing for the global fashion industry, 65% more than previous estimates.

More than half of these factories are small and mediumsized indirect sourcing factories, meaning their workers produce for foreign brands through other, larger factories.

These factories operate in the shadows. The result is that millions of workers in subcontracting factories fall outside the protection of the Accord and the Alliance, and are especially vulnerable in a country where unsafe working conditions are a chronic problem.

Because the initiatives are narrowly focused on a subset of

direct exporters, their protections encompass only 27% of factories in Bangladesh. Almost three million garment workers are excluded from these programs.

Despite the five-year commitments made three years ago, only a handful of factories have been fixed.

In terms of the status of safety measures being implemented, according to the Accord and the Alliance’s own reporting, the actual remediation of factory safety issues is proceeding at a very slow rate and the implementation of the majority of corrective action plans is running behind schedule.

In 2014, both initiatives completed the inspection phase of all factories in their databases.

But as we recently determined, their databases are woefully incomplete, jointly covering less

than 2,000 factories.

The Accord alone had at that point identified more than 80,000 safety violations. Remedying all of these issues posed a monumental task. To date, the Accord has fully completed just seven corrective action plans, and the Alliance, 24 -- representing less than half a percent of Bangladesh’s total factory base.

Remediation rates hinge upon resources, and while factory owners bear significant responsibility, they seem to be unable and/or unwilling to bear all the costs alone.

Multi-national buyers have been reluctant to share the financial burden and have mobilised other sources of funding from the International Finance Corporation and other institutions.

Despite significant international commitments totaling $250m to

improve safety in Bangladesh’s garment sector, at this point, these funds are not reaching the manufacturers, and it remains to be seen whether the necessary investments will materialise.

It is time for a model of shared responsibility, where brands, governments, financial institutions, and philanthropies jointly define a funding formula that is practical, transparent, accepted, and then implemented by all stakeholders.

The vast problem remains that only a fraction of garment factories are even covered by protections currently intended to be in place.

The use of sub-contracting in the garment industry is pervasive.

According to our research estimates, more than 30% of garment-producing facilities in Bangladesh are producing off the radar and without government or private oversight. Workers in these often smaller facilities therefore remain unprotected and invisible to regulators.

It is essential that we increase supply chain transparency in order to be able to bring all garment producing facilities under appropriate safety programs.

The private agreements established in the aftermath of Rana Plaza are scheduled to wrap up their work in just two years. Given the current status of the process, the likelihood that these initiatives will successfully complete their remediation by the deadline seems small.

In December, Bangladesh’s commerce minister said that the government will not extend the operations tenure of either the Accord or the Alliance because “Bangladesh is now a safe place.”

Both public and private actors in Bangladesh have made immense efforts to address factory safety issues, but we will not see success anytime soon until the urgent issues of finance and the lack of factory and worker coverage by the current initiatives in place are addressed. l Dorothée Baumann-Pauly is Research Director at the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and is co-author of “Business as Usual is Not an Option: Supply Chains and Sourcing after Rana Plaza” & “Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Bangladesh’s forgotten apparel workers.” This article previously appeared in Reuters.

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New power generation With great power, comes great responsibility

n Mamun Rashid

T

he Bangladesh economy is poised to leapfrog towards high macroeconomic growth. Energy is a prime mover of economic growth and development; to fulfill the growth aspirations of 160 million people, it is important to ensure availability, affordability, and sustainable access to clean energy sources.

In order to boost economic development in the country, the government is planning to accelerate growth by setting up economic zones and industrial parks, and increasing textile export.

This is expected to lead to an increase requirement for affordable and reliable power and energy in the country. Thus, the causal relationship between energy and economic growth becomes more pronounced given the socio-economic context of Bangladesh.

Nevertheless, the power and energy sector in the country has been grappling with several challenges:

Is Bangladesh producing enough energy to meet its growing demands?

Power generation in the country is primarily dependent on natural gas.

With the decline in the rate of production of natural gas, the use of furnace oil has increased which leads to increase in cost of generation.

To cover the increased cost of generation, bulk electricity tariff has been adjusted five times in the last four years

Widening gap between demand and supply of electricity

A burgeoning population coupled with the rapid pace of urbanisation and expansion of economic activities has increased the demand for electricity manifold, with peak electricity demand increasing by 8-9% from FY 2010 to 2015. However, the energy access (74%) and per capita electricity consumption of the country is still low when compared to some other developing countries. This indicates the requirement for increasing electricity generation to cater to the growing demand and focus on improving the efficiency and viability of the sector.

Ageing power-generation assets A good number of power plants

in Bangladesh have become very old and have been operating at much-reduced capacity. It is estimated that more than 18% of the plants are over 20 years old. Out of the reasons why the average power generation has remained low is frequent retrofitting and overhauling activities involving a number of aged plants. To address this, the government is already planning on developing new supply side assets based on coal, LNG, nuclear, and other renewable forms of energy, in addition to other measures.

Inadequate gas supply to power sector

Electricity generation in Bangladesh is predominated by gas-based fuel sources. Power generation plants, including captive power, are the largest consumers of gas,

accounting for approximately 60% of the total gas consumed.

The consumption pattern over the years shows that the amount of gas consumed by the power sector is increasing gradually. The current installed capacity of gas-based power plants stands at 7,628MW, of which 2,300MW is added in the last five years while another 4,031MW capacity is planned in the next five years. Inadequate gas supplies means that, out of the country’s 11,534MW (FY 2015) generation capacity, 800-1,000MW of gas-based capacity has been shut down.

Increased dependence on furnace oil Power generation in the country is primarily dependent on natural gas. With the decline in the rate

BIGSTOCK

of production of natural gas, the use of furnace oil has increased which leads to increase in cost of generation. To cover the increased cost of generation, bulk electricity tariff has been adjusted five times in the last four years. Furthermore, to keep tariff at an affordable level, the government has provided Tk77,00 crore as budgetary support in FY 2015 to make the power sector financially viable. This subsidy burden usually has adverse impacts on developmental plans.

Over-dependence on natural gas

Natural gas-production growth has failed to match gas demand which is increasing steadily in line with faster economic activity (6.5% GDP growth). The current production of gas is heavily dependent on existing mature fields, with declining production trends. In the absence of further successful exploration and development activities, the existing gas reserves are expected to be depleted in 10 years.

The consumption of natural gas has grown at around 6% over the last 10 years. However, it has been lower than projected implying supply constraints. The existing gas-based power plants have been running below capacity due to gas supply constraints. Another major use of natural gas is in the fertiliser sector. The demand for gas from

domestic and transport sectors is expected to increase significantly with GDP growing at a healthy rate.

Thus, assessing patterns in sectoral gas consumption is necessary for efficient allocation of scarce gas resources and exploring opportunities for fuel diversification to reduce dependence on natural gas.

Environmental concerns

Bangladesh comprises of one of the world’s largest delta systems. with almost 67% of the country being less than five metres above sea level. This makes the country vulnerable to natural disasters like cyclones, floods, storm surges, etc.

The impact of power generation on the environment and social aspects are also posing constraints in the setting up of conventional power generation assets.

The above challenges obviously create opportunities for investment from global operators and government agencies. At the same time, it would warrant better financial management, adoption of appropriate technologies, timely implementation of the projects, and better supply chain management. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

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INSIDE NBR: Only 4% of registered entities submit VAT returns regularly Despite various efforts taken to increase revenue collection, still more than 96% of the entities registered for value-added tax do not submit returns regularly, officials said. PAGE 16

Global smartphone market shrank for first time ever Global shipments of smartphones shrank 3% in the first quarter from a year earlier in the market’s first year-on-year contraction on record, researcher Strategy Analytics said yesterday, reflecting growing strains on the industry. PAGE 17

National aid policy drafted for effective use of external resources n Kayes Sohel The government has drafted national aid policy for the first time in Bangladesh to achieve development goals ensuring an effective use of external resources.

The Economic Relations Division (ERD) has developed the policy under the name of National Policy on Development Cooperation, which will be effective from the date of approval by the government.

The move was taken to manage the external resources after achieving the middle-income status when official development assistance (ODA) flows from bilateral development partners might be decreased.

However, other potential sources, such as support from southern sources and dedicated funds may increase in the future, the draft said.

The external resources include ODA (grants and concessional loans), vertical funds and interna-

tional foundations, climate fund, aid for trade, non-concessional, commercial borrowings and other sources of cooperation such as south-south and triangular cooperation.

The draft policy has outlined the government priorities regarding the provision of foreign assistance, including preferred aid modalities, basic principles to be followed, the main procedures as well as corresponding roles and responsibilities for the provision, acceptance, coordination and management of foreign assistance.

Under the policy, some strategic principles like setting priorities by the national development planning and budgeting process, bringing harmonisation between development partners support and the government planning system, all data regarding development cooperation, both on-budget and off-budget, to be publicly accessible to ensure

transparency will be practiced in external resource management and implementation.

The ERD of the Ministry of Finance will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of this policy. ERD, however, must maintain strong collaboration and consultation with the Planning Commission and the ministries or divisions to ensure that national priorities are rightly communicated and protected, according the policy.

“Once approved, the policy is expected to provide adequate guidance to deal effectively with development cooperation and to ensure that development cooperation contributes to national development goals and targets,” the ERD said in a statement yesterday.

The government earlier tasked an inter-ministerial committee under the leadership of ERD senior secretary to develop the policy.

Later, a draft outline of the policy was developed under the supervision of that inter-ministerial com-

mittee.

Afterwards, extensive consultations were held on this draft outline within ERD as well as with local government representatives, civil service officials particularly associated with foreign-aided projects, NGOs and civil society organisations working at the district and divisional levels. Inputs from these consultations have been integrated in the draft.

The draft policy has been posted on the ERD website for getting feedback of the public and will be sent to the cabinet for approval after its finalisation, said an ERD official.

According to the ERD’s Foreign Aid Budgetary Account, Bangladesh receives foreign aid which is on an average 2% of its gross domestic product every year. After Independence, Bangladesh received a total of $62.39 billion of friendly aid from different bilateral and multilateral development partners. l

FBCCI calls for protection Move for sustainable fish farming of local industry n Syed Samiul Basher Anik France warns over EU-US trade pact France emerged as a leading voice of scepticism over plans for a USEU free trade zone covering 850 million people, bluntly warning it will not accept a deal that lowers standards for people’s health and the environment. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Thursday DSE Broad Index

4,195.7

-1.0% ▼

Index

1,025.1

-0.9% ▼

30 Index

1,612.3

-1.3% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,422.3

24.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

114.9

10.1% ▲

All Share Index 12,918.6

-1.0% ▼

30 Index

11,995.5

-1.0% ▼

7,850.2

-1.0% ▼

CSE

Selected Index Turnover in Mn Tk

214.1 -22.7% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

8.0 -34.3% ▼

Bangladesh’s top trade body urged the government to rationalise tariff, protect local industry, and keep supplementary duty on import.

It also recommended setting a uniform 1% duty on the import of capital machinery and basic raw materials in order to eliminate inconsistencies in the duty-related procedure.

The calls came at the 37th consultative meeting with the National Board of Revenue yesterday.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry demanded 3% duty on intermediary goods and 10% uniform duty on intermediary raw materials and essentials goods.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan and NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman were present at the meeting with FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad in the chair.

The FBCCI president proposed bringing tariff rationalisation to the NBR to eliminate inconsistencies in the duty process of raw material import.

He recommended continuing the supplementary duty on im-

ported finished goods.

Regarding tax structure, he said that there should be a guarantee for businesses on stability about the rates of taxes and duties so that they could prepare their business plans.

“Make a pro-business and pro-industry budget without any additional tax burden on businessmen,” FBCCI presided said.

FBCCI president demanded formulation of a policy for electricity price fixation and boosting regional connectivity to improve electricity generation.

He said the electricity price should be between Tk5 and Tk6 a unit until gas supply is ensured to the industries.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mahbubul Alam asked for reduction of bank interest rate for businesses, regular supply of electricity and adequate infrastructural facilities.

The FBCCI recommended 15% VAT only on value addition, not on total value of the product.

Women Entrepreneur Association of Bangladesh President Selima Ahmad demanded continuation of Tk100 crore allocation for women entrepreneurs. l

n Tribune Business Desk The government has taken a move for sustainable fish farming by tackling climate change impacting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.

To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed recently between the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF) at a city hotel.

Under the MoU, the DoF and BSFF would collaborate and cooperate to address the issues relating to challenges posed by the fallout of climate change for the aquacul-

ture and fisheries sector, to undertake studies and programmes on the possible adaptation measures including introducing alternative livelihood opportunities in fisheries or aquaculture sector needed in specific locations in Bangladesh to overcome the challenge and to support the joint activities towards making the shrimp and freshwater prawn industry more sustainable, with practical emphasis on reducing food safety risks.

Addressing social and environmental issues and increasing the economic and trade benefits from the shrimp and prawn production would be the other highlights of the MoU and related to other issues. l

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NBR: Only 4% of registered entities submit VAT returns regularly n Syed Samiul Basher Anik Despite various efforts taken to increase revenue collection, still more than 96% of the entities registered for value-added tax do not submit returns regularly, officials said.

According to the National Board of Revenue, out of nearly 840,000 registered entities with Business Identification Number (BIN), only 32,000 maintain regularity in submitting VAT returns.

However, NBR expects that the rate of compliance will increase as new VAT law comes into effect. The law, due to be effective from July this year, offers some benefits for the VAT payers, which the tax offi-

cials think will be encouraging for the taxpayers.

Currently, those who can deduct VAT at source on multiple rates include government agencies, private agencies approved by the NGO Affairs Bureau or the Department of Social Services, banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions, public limited companies, and companies registered under the Large Taxpayers Unit (VAT).

Under the new law, the VAT will be calculated on a 15% uniform rate and one-third of the amount of VAT on all products and services can be deducted, said Zakir Hossain, additional commissioner of the NBR VAT Online Project, at a seminar on

Wednesday. The seminar was held on the new VAT law.

NBR Member (VAT implementation) Jahangir Hossain said the new law would simplify the VAT deduction at source process enforcing a single rate.

“We have set some transitional arrangements for a fixed period as the new law comes into enforcement,” he added.

Jahangir Hossain said an information centre would be at work round the clock to help the VAT payers get instant reply to their queries about the new law.

In reply to a question on verification of BIN numbers, he said the NBR signed a contract with a firm to make

a dedicated website for the VAT online project, where the VAT payers will be able to check details of the VAT registered entities, including validity of their registration numbers.

State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan said the government felt it inevitable to enact and enforce a new VAT law. He put emphasis on proper enforcement of the law with any harassment of the tax payers.

NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman, Commissioner of Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (south) Kazi Mustafizur Rahman and NBR Member Md Rezaul Hasan also participated in the seminar. l

Walton launches new model refrigerator n Tribune Business Desk Walton, a local manufacturer of electronics products, has launched a new models refrigerator titled ‘intelligent inverter’ and energy efficient inverter technology-based compressors.

The uses of inverter technology’s compressors in Walton refrigerators not only reduce the electricity cost of the users but also meeting the standard of Europe and America, said the release. The releases of ‘intelligent inverter’ no-frost fridges increased the company’s monthly sales by 15%, according to a press statement released yesterday.

Walton released eight (8) models of intelligent inverter refrigerators of different capacities, including 323 liter, 348 liter, 386 liter, 396 liter, 430 liter, 512 liler, 526 lilter and 585 liter. Among those, a 3-door nonfrost refrigerator (526 liter) is receiving good response from the customers. Seven more models of no-frost refrigerators will be introduced in the local market by June next.

Walton Group’s Executive Director (Sourcing Engineering Dept.)

Ashraful Ambia said: “The inverter technology’s no-frost refrigerators usually consume 30% to 40% less electricity than the induction or general technology’s fridges.’’

“The compressors with inverter technology never switch off even when the temperature stabilizes, but runs at a slower speed maintaining the temperature inside the refrigerators,” said Ambia.

Walton will initially manufacture 20 models of different capacities’ no-frost refrigerators with inverter technology compressors, which would be released in the local market in every month. l

Jet Airways officials hold a press conference in its Gulshan office in the capital yesterday

ISHTIAQ HUSAIN

Jet Airways plans more flights from Dhaka n Ishtiaq Husain Jet Airways, second largest airline in India, is planning to increase more flights from Dhaka to tap growing passengers.

Neubronner Colin, senior vice-president, Jet Airways India Limited, came up with the disclosure while speaking at a press conference held in its Gulshan office in the capital yesterday.

Terming Bangladesh GDP growth fantastic, Colin said it is one of the fastest economies in the world.

“Considering this, we are looking to introduce more flights from capital city Dhaka,” Colin said.

Thousands of Bangladeshi tourists visit India and their number is next to that of US which inspires the airline authority to increase the number of daily flights to different Indian cities from Dhaka, he said, adding that Bangladeshi passengers will get more connecting flights from at least 20 Indian cities.

Besides, there is a scope to connect international flight for London and Amsterdam, said the Jet Airways official.

Anamoy Mitra, general manager, sales (East India and Bangladesh), and Rajkumar Bhattacharya, also spoke at the press conference.

Colin said Jet Airways has strong reputation in the world specially in Bangladesh. It has always customer-centric philosophy as it prefers customer interest.

“Now it has seamless connectivity in different destination in Europe. We always put emphasis on Indian hospitality. Behind the scene, Jet management provides a lot of efforts to maintain quality of in-flight service and on-time departure,” he added.

After meeting with Indian high commission to Dhaka, Colin assures valued Bangladeshi passengers that the Indian visa system would be smooth.

Jet started its operation in Bangladesh on December 16, 2007. Now it operates three flights to Dha-

ka-Delhi, Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-Mumbai daily.

Anamoy Mitra said they would be able to introduce more flight from Dhaka very soon as every year 10% to 20% more passengers visit India.

Replying to a question, Rajkumar Bhattacharya said their ticket fare is reasonable while the airline provides its customers with best services.

The total passenger capacity of Jet Airways from Dhaka is 594 on its three flights while its passenger growth is 100% in 2014 and 2015 in comparison with the previous years.

As of February 2016, Jet has a 21.2% passenger market share in Indian aviation industry. The airways serves 74 destinations including 51 domestic and 23 international in 19 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

The airline has its primary hub at Mumbai and secondary hub at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Pune. l

Stocks keep sliding, ignore BB move n Kayes Sohel Stocks continued to lose their ground for the fifth straight session yesterday, ignoring Bangladesh Bank’s move to prop up the market.

Sell-off mainly on financials, cement, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals dragged down the market.

The benchmark index DSEX lost over 43 points or 1% to settle at 4,195—its lowest since April 7 last year.

The Shariah index DSES was down almost 10 points or about 1% to 1,025. The blue chip comprising index DS30 dropped by over 20 points to 1,612.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX ended at 7,850, slipping over 76 points.

“Lower than expected performance by most companies in latest quarter earnings wrecked the investor sentiment. Investors also snubbed the news on eased rules for banks’ exposure to stock market,” said Lanka Bangla Securities.

On Wednesday evening, Bangladesh Bank relaxed the rules related to the banks’ investment in stocks in a move to boost the ailing market.

“Now, the banks will not have to sell shares to adjust their stock market exposure exceeding the permitted ceiling. The development will enable banks to make fresh investments in stocks although the stock market exposure ceiling remains unchanged at 25% of their capital,” it said.

Earnings-driven trade helped boost activities to some extent, amassing a total turnover of Tk440 crore, up by 24% over the previous session.

While investors awaited the details of Bangladesh Bank’s policy support regarding Banks’ capital market exposure, the market continued in falling trend, with most of the scrips facing erosion in prices.

The market was flooded with quarterly earnings declarations that played a major role in scrip level pricing, according to the IDLC Investments.

First Finance tumbled 26.4% on no dividend declaration and consequently shifting to ‘Z Category’.

Besides, many other companies—Regent Textile declined sharply by over 16%, Linde Bangladesh 6%, CVO Petrochemical and Refinery Limited 7.2%, ACI 7.2%, ACI Formulations 7.9%, DESCO 8.7% and GBB Power 9% –made notable movements in accordance with their earnings declarations. l

Global smartphone market shrinks for first time ever n Reuters

Global shipments of smartphones shrank 3% in the first quarter from a year earlier in the market’s first year-onyear contraction on record, researcher Strategy Analytics said yesterday, reflecting growing strains on the industry.

Strategy Analytics said in a statement January-March shipments fell to 334.6 million devices from 345 million in the same period a year earlier, as major markets such as China matured and concerns about the global economy weighed on consumer sentiment. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd remained the world’s top smartphone maker, but saw shipments fall by 4.5% to 79 million, Strategy Analytics said. The firm’s market share dipped slightly, to 23.6% from 24% a year earlier.

Apple Inc remained in second place, but saw shipments fall 16% to 51.2 million from a year earlier as Strategy Analytics cited what it called “iPhone fatigue”. Apple’s market share dropped to 15.3% from 17.7% a year earlier, the researcher said.

Logitech CEO upbeat amid smartphone slowdown

Swiss-American technology accessories maker Logitech

could benefit from a slowdown in the smartphone market, Chief Executive Bracken Darrell said yesterday after it reported its best annual retail sales growth in five years.

“From our perspective it’s wonderful if there’s a slight slowdown in the mobility and smartphones, for example.

It just means consumers will have more money to spend on other things that can improve the experience. Right now, we’re seeing even growth on mice and keyboards,” he told CNBC in an interview.

He said the advent of virtual reality and augmented reality posed opportunties as well.

“There are lots of companies working on the primary devices there and the peripherals around them. And you can bet that we’re exploring things in that space. Right now, there are so many opportunities for us to grow in other spaces as well, we’re really making choices. But I think as virtual reality and augmented reality come, there will be opportunities for us.”

He played down market concerns about Apple Inc, which on Tuesday posted its first-ever decline in iPhone sales and its first revenue drop in 13 years.

“I’m optimistic about Apple,” Darrell said. l

Samsung holds lead in flat global smartphone market n AFP, Washington Samsung kept the top spot in a global smartphone market which showed signs of flattening in the first quarter of 2016, a survey showed yesterday.

The report by research firm IDC said the worldwide smartphone market saw its slowest growth on record of 0.2%, with shipments totalling 334.9 million.

South Korean giant Samsung maintained its lead over US-based Apple, while Chinese-based Huawei strengthened its third-place position and two new China-based manufacturers, Oppo and Vivo, emerged as the fourth and fifth largest, respectively.

The latest figures underscored a shakeup in a smartphone market showing signs

of saturation in many markets around the world, pressuring some of the well-known vendors.

In the new survey, Lenovo and Xiaomi, two other Chinese brands, fell out of the top five, IDC said.

Samsung kept the number one spot with a market share of 24.5% even as its sales dipped 0.6%, while Apple stayed at number two with a 15.3% market share and its worldwide sales slipped 16%.

Huawei’s 58% sales boost from a year ago helped lift its market share to 8.2%, the survey found.

Oppo, which has been expanding outside the Chinese market, saw 153% growth to grab a 5.5% market share. Vivo meanwhile posted a sales boost of 123% for a 4.3% share. l

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France warns over EU-US trade pact

CORPORATE NEWS

gency” to sign a deal which France has to be sure is “complete, ambitious and which does not disown any of our interests” but is drawn up “fully transparently”.

Street protests

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls recently talked about the planned US-EU free trade zone AFP

n AFP, Paris France emerged as a leading voice of scepticism over plans for a USEU free trade zone covering 850 million people, bluntly warning it will not accept a deal that lowers standards for people’s health and the environment.

Flying in the face of US President Barack Obama’s call for a groundbreaking deal to be wrapped up this year, senior members of the French government said there was no urgency and, indeed, the likelihood of striking any pact at all is waning.

Negotiators are this week sitting around a table in New York seeking a way forward to create the world’s biggest free trade area covering the United States and Europe, which has been under discussion since 2013.

They aim to topple remaining trade tariffs, which are already relatively low.

But, far more challenging, they must agree on streamlined rules for politically sensitive areas such as product standards, genetically-modified crops, the environ-

ment, consumer protection, how to decide disputes between big business and states, and how to treat jealously guarded geographically-based brand names like champagne.

Chance of a deal ‘fading’

“I want to be clear: it will not succeed if it does not guarantee that the standards we have in France for our citizens’ health and environment will be maintained,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told an environmental conference in Paris.

Earlier, asked about whether a deal may be reached before the end of Obama’s term in January 2017, Matthias Fekl, France’s minister of state for foreign trade, told broadcaster RTL: “No, I don’t think so.

The likelihood, or risk, of reaching any accord is fading.”

Fekl, who is France’s envoy to the talks, added that there was no desire in Europe to “sign up to anything at any price”.

Speaking on a visit to Germany, French Finance Minister Emmanuel Macron said “there is no ur-

His comments come a day after US and European negotiators opened a 13th round of talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in New York, which are expected to last a week.

Should the agreement succeed, it could give an economic boost of 120bn euros ($135bn) to the EU and 95 billion euros to the United States by 2027, according to a 2013 study carried out by the London-based Centre for Economic Policy Research and financed by the European Commission.

Earlier this week, Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a joint pitch for more transatlantic trade, vowing to complete the US-EU pact in the face of mounting opposition in Europe.

On the eve of Obama’s visit to Germany, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the country against the proposed pact which has raised fears it would erode ecological and labour market standards, and in protest over the secrecy shrouding the talks.

The pact also faces a threat in the form of a British referendum on exiting the EU which is to take place in June.

As one of the largest trading economies of the bloc, Britain would play a major role in the pact, but if it votes to leave the EU, it could deal a devastating blow to trade pact’s prospects.

It has also invoked growing anti-free trade talk in the US presidential election race and growing suspicions among the American public because details of the talks are secret. l

Vice president (food) of CP Bangladesh and Pakistan, Somchai Tosomsakul has recently handed over awards to first-phase winners of its consumer campaign for CP Five Star outlets in Bangladesh, said a press release

Partex Furniture, a concern of Partex Star Group has recently opened a new showroom at Mirpur, said a press release. CEO of Partex Star Group (Complex 1), Shaibal Ghosh inaugurated the showroom

First Security Islami Bank Limited has recently held its 17th annual general meeting in Dhaka, said a press release. The bank’s vice chairperson, Alhaj Mohammed Abdul Maleque presided over the meeting

Germany’s Merkel warns of risks to banks from low interest rates n Reuters The European Central Bank’s ultra-low interest rates could worsen problems for already weak banks in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, calling for a tightening of monetary policy.

The ECB unveiled a large stimulus package in March that included cutting its deposit rate deeper into negative territory and increasing asset buys, despite the objections

of Germany, the largest economy in the euro zone.

The ECB stimulus prompted a fresh wave of criticism from German politicians who fear the ultra-easy monetary policy is eroding both the savings of thrifty citizens and also bank margins, putting the banking system at risk.

“The risks remain high. There are still too many weak banks in Europe and the low interest rates ... will tend to make this problem

worse over the coming years,” Merkel said at an event in Duesseldorf for German savings banks.

ECB head Mario Draghi says the policy of printing money and keeping borrowing costs at rock bottom is working and that interest rates will stay at current record lows for a long time.

The ECB targets inflation of close to 2% over the medium-term but it is running at just below zero. l

Marcel has recently announced a fourth season of the comedy show named, HaShow on NTV, said a press release. Executive director (PR and media) of Marcel, Md Humayun Kabir and Ranjon Kumar Dutta, head of sales and marketing at NTV have signed an agreement in this regard

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

| offers |

| offers |

Special Mother’s Day offer at Amari Dhaka

Taste from Lanka

Celebrate Mom’s special place in your life with an unforgettable getaway to Hotel Amari Dhaka.

Celebrate all that she has been to the family and show everyone’s appreciation and love for her. With a lavish Mother’s Day buffet lunch and dinner along with indulgent spa specials, it’s never been easier to show mom how much you care.

Dine at Amari’s signature Asian buffet destination Amaya Food Gallery and get 30% off on lunch or dinner buffet for your mother.

On this special day, Amari is open with a family dining offer where mother’s can dine for free for a table of four people. Amari will also surprise your mom with a complimentary cake and free foot

massage voucher under the family dining offer.

Amari’s signature Breeze Spa is also offering a free body scrub if you book any 90 minute spa treatment.

These offers are applicable only on May 8. For more information dial 0255059620, 01777770944 and 01777769444. l

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Biz Info

Taste of Lanka aspires to bring the finest culinary delights of Lankan cuisine through the hard work of expert chefs. They source the finest ingredients while adhering to age old traditions. To try their special

Lankan food, contact House # 90, Road # 19/A, Block # E, Ground Floor, Banani or call them at +8801747-571666. You may also log on to to their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ TasteofLankaBD/. l

| offers |

Breakfast set meals at Fireflies

| inauguration |

British Council and Daffodil Education Network (DEN) inaugurates nationwide book reading program The British Council and Daffodil Education Network (DEN) have recently inaugurated a nationwide book reading competition at the British Council Library premises.

This is the fourth year of the nationwide competition, which is designed to promote book reading habit in English among children, youth and adults. This year, it was held in observance of World Book Day 2016 and Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary.

Reading is fun – and it is also one of the best ways of learning a new language. With this thought in mind, the British Council has started the book reading competition to provide interested students with the opportunity to read literature from around the world in simplified English. The competition involves the following activities: reading books and

taking part in an assessment.

The theme of the competition is “Own a book, read a book.” It will be held under four categories: Group-A (class I to V), Group-B (Class VI to VIII), Group-C (class IX to XII) and Group-D (any adult).

Participants will read a book as per their choice from a selected collection. They will not be required to return the book. The participants from group A will write a summary or draw a picture based on the story of the book and then send it to the British Council

by August 18, 2016. Participants from group B, C and D will attend a test on August 19, 2016 which will be held at Daffodil University premises. The deadline for registration is July 31, 2016.

Md Sabur Khan, chairman, Daffodil Education Network, was the chief guest at the inauguration

event. He said, “Reading books is one of the most productive habits one can nurture. Reading a new book allows us to look at the world with a whole new perspective.

However, reading only does not suffice. It is important that we try to understand the wisdom hidden in a book, and reflect on it. I am delighted to be a part of this noble initiative.”

Deep Adhikari, director examination and Sarwat Reza, library manager were also present at the event. l

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Downtime

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Eat into (4) 4 Circles (5) 8 Purify (6) 9 S-shaped moulding (4) 11 Conductor’s wand (5) 12 Says further (4) 14 Friend (Fr) (3) 15 Delight (6) 19 Be disloyal to (6) 21 Small drink (3) 22 Newts (4) 24 Sends out (5) 27 King of beasts (4) 29 Maker of barrels (6) 30 Ranks (5) 31 Business transaction (4)

DOWN 1 Self (3) 2 Believe (6) 3 Pay attention (4) 4 Curved bone (3) 5 Silly (5) 6 Meshed fabric (3) 7 Poem of 14 lines (6) 10 Sport (4) 13 Mineral spring (3) 14 Away (6) 16 Strong alkaline solution (3) 17 Garb (6) 18 Tolerable (4) 20 Rotating part (5) 23 Ran away (4) 25 Frozen treat (3) 26 Distress signal (3) 28 No score (3)

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 21 represents W so fill W every time the figure 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 DE FG H I J K L MN 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

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World 21

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

INSIDE ANALYSIS

The arithmetics of West Bengal polls n Garga Chatterjee Israel nuclear reactor defects spark secrecy dilemma Growing safety fears surrounding Israel’s largest but ageing atomic research centre have provoked fresh questions over its future and a dilemma over the secrecy of the country’s alleged nuclear arsenal.

PAGE 22

vote shares, the Alliance would be ahead. However, there is are multiple catches.

Even a few months ago, if one were to do election forecasting in West Bengal, few would have predicted any contest.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee was widely seen as the undisputed winner – well on the way to repeat or even better the 2011 Assembly election performance that brought the once unvanquishable CPI(M) led Left Front to its knees.

While almost all opinion polls till date still predict a TMC victory, the race appears to have tightened a lot. What has happened in between is the grand alliance between the CPI(M) and the Congress (I) – two parties which were sworn enemies in West Bengal for decades (and in some cases, still are).

Summation

Prelude

Taliban, Islamic State battling for the soul of Afghanistan Part of Islamic State’s success in recruiting fighters and absorbing existing groups is that it is appealing to an audience that wants to be a part of its so-called caliphate. For this to be sustainable, the group needs to control territory and win over support — by force if necessary — from the local population.

But IS’ strategy hasn’t been as effective in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has undisputed territory to govern.

PAGE 23

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool’s unprecedented success in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, winning 34 out of 42 seats, happened due to a divided opposition. CPI(M)’s party organisation was in dire crisis in wide areas of West Bengal and needed a tonic to be back in the fight. The Congress(I) strongholds were also under pressure from Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool, with major defections helping the ruling party make inroads into areas that Congress (I) held in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

While an alliance between the CPI(M) and the Congress(I) can be painted as opportunistic and unprincipled from an ideological stand-point, politics is also the art of survival. Thus, in many ways, the CPI(M)-Congress(I) alliance was the only political manoevere left to these two parties facing Trinamool as the common foe. All in all, with a few hiccups from Left Front partners like the Revolutinary Socialist Party (RSP) that has refused to be part of an alliance with the Congress(I), the tactic seems to be working well – both politically and at the grassroots.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Leader Mamata Banerjee, centre, leads a campaign rally in Kolkata on Thursday AFP namool polled 39%. While this is a big difference, we have to remember that 2014 Lok Sabha election was unusual in the sense that the ‘Modi wave’ did create a small ‘Modi ripple’ in parts of urban West Bengal helping BJP get an unprecedented 17% vote share.

At present, even that ripple has evaporated and the BJP might find it hard to even cross the 10% mark.

It can be safely assumed that the 2014 Modi-bump in West Bengal will go back to their natural political homes and that is mostly the Congress(I) and the CPI(M), since typical BJP voter is also a stridently anti-Trinamool voter.

Modi-bump of 2014.

It must be mentioned that in the 2011 Assembly elections, the Congress(I) was in alliance with the Trinamool so that does not necessarily give the totally accurate estimate of the Congress(I)’s electoral strength. Be that as it may, taking the 2011 vote shares as face value, the combined Congress(I) and the CPI(M)-led Left front vote share was more or less equal to that of the Trinamool vote share in 2011 and 2014. Now that the alliance is reality, this has created some tension in the Trinamool camp and has energised the opposition. The Trinamool

Electoral calculations

Trump’s major foreign policy speech alarms American allies

Donald Trump’s first major foreign policy address alarmed American allies, who view the Republican front runner’s repeated invocation of an “America first” agenda as a threat to retreat from the world.

PAGE 24

The alliance makes perfect sense in terms of electoral maths. The base strength of the Congress(I) and the CPI(M)-led Left Front can be ascertained from the 2014 Lok Sabha election results where the Trinamool, the Congress(I) and the CPI(M)-led Left front fought separately without alliance.

What does that reveal? The combined vote share of the Congress(I) and the CPI(M)-led Left front in 2014 was 32.3%. The Tri-

Women show their inked fingers after casting ballotes in Kolkata on April 21 REUTERS Thus, we have to look at the 2011 elections results, to get an estimate of the combined strength of Congress(I) and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, without the one-off

is also the party in power and hence, if there is any anti-incumbency factor at play, it might bring down the Trinamool vote share.

In that scenario, in terms of just

Electoral arithmetic is different from normal arithmetic. There is the question of discontent about the alliance in some sectors of the Congress(I). The CPI(M) seems to have taken to it much more enthusiastically. Also, the RSP and some sections of the Forward Bloc, both constituents of the Left Front are not elated with the alliance, with the RSP clearly declaring that it has no alliance with the Congress(I) and that the alliance is not a Left Front – Congress(I) alliance but a CPI(M) – Congress(I) alliance.

But the biggest hindrance in translating vote shares into a victory for the alliance lies in the geographical distribution of the opposition votes. If the Indian Union elections followed a proportional representation system that awarded seats based on vote shares totalled over a state, the alliance would have been better off.

But that is not the case here.

We have a First-past-the-post system in place. Hence, the highest vote getter in a constituency wins. Whether the winner wins a constituency by 500 or 5000 or 50000 votes, it does not matter.

The net result in terms of seats is the same.

This is a problem for the alliance. In the districts of central Bengal like Malda and Murshidabad, in many areas, the Trinamool is hardly the dominant force. It is the 3rd or even the 4th largest force in certain areas. A Congress(I)-CPI(M) alliance in these areas would mean wins by huge margins, which contribute to the vote shares that were cited earlier, but these big wins will mean proportionally higher number of seats.

Thus, the apparent vote share advantage that the alliance has, may not have its fullest impact in terms of number of seats. We might even have a scenario where the Trinamool overall has a marginally higher number of seats while getting marginally lower vote share compared to the alliance. The real decider in these elections will be the electoral outcome in South Bengal. If the alliance is able to increase its vote share here beyond 2011 numbers, Trinamool may be in for trouble. l

[Garga Chatterjee is a political and cultural commentator. He can be followed on twitter @gargac]

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INSIGHT

Israel nuclear reactor defects spark secrecy dilemma n AFP, Jerusalem Growing safety fears surrounding Israel’s largest but ageing atomic research centre have provoked fresh questions over its future and a dilemma over the secrecy of the country’s alleged nuclear arsenal.

Israel, believed to be the Middle East’s sole nuclear power, has long refused to confirm or deny that it has such weapons.

The Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday that a study had uncovered 1,537 defects in the decades-old aluminium core of the Dimona nuclear reactor in the Negev desert of southern Israel.

The defects at the centre, where nuclear weapons were allegedly developed, were not seen to be severe and the risk of a nuclear outbreak is very limited, the report said.

However, there are growing calls for new safeguards and even a new research centre - which could

present the country with a decision on whether to acknowledge for the first time that it has nuclear weapons.

The US-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated in 2015 that Israel had 115 nuclear warheads.

At the same time Israel has strongly opposed other regional powers, most notably its arch-foe Iran, obtaining nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also one of the most vociferous critics of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that was implemented in January, leading to the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran.

Officially the Dimona centre focuses on research and energy provision.

But in the 1980s nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu, a former technician at the centre,

alleged to a British newspaper that it was also used to create nuclear weapons. He was later jailed for 18 years for the revelations.

‘Waiting for disaster’

The core of the Dimona reactor was provided by France in the late 1950s and went online a few years later.

Common practice is that such reactors are used for only 40 years, though this can be extended with modifications.

Israel’s atomic energy agency said in a statement that the country had the “highest international standards” of security and safety, adding that many reactors can last for far longer than 40 years.

Political matter

Building a new site could also see Israel pushed to officially declare its nuclear capabilities.

While Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, officials

This 2002 file photo shows a partial view of the Dimona nuclear power plant in Negev desert AFP do not formally confirm or deny the claims - a policy often dubbed deliberate ambiguity.

As such, the country has yet to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Treaty -- which would require its sites to undergo regular inspection of its facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Motta explained. The IAEA declined to comment. l

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INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Taliban, Islamic State battling for the soul of Afghanistan n Tribune International Desk For Kabul’s residents, springtime in Afghanistan brings three things: sunshine, rain showers and blood.

Over the past two decades, the end of winter has been marked by a renewed campaign of violence from the Taliban. The deadly tradition continued this year with latest suicide bombing in the capital . At least 64 people died and hundreds more were injured in a targeted attack in close proximity to the Ministry of Defense and other military compounds.

The explosion cleared the way for Taliban fighters to enter the area and initiate a fierce gun battle with Afghan security forces, a planned assault that followed a statement from the group published on its official propaganda website, Voice of Jihad, a week earlier: “With the advent of spring it is again time for us to renew our jihadi determination and operations.”

The Sunni militants have kept to their word, but this season of bloodshed is likely to be the most lethal yet because the armed insurgents are not the only jihadis in town.

Islamic State (IS) is a relative newcomer to Afghanistan, declaring its presence by forming Khorasan province in December 2014. The declaration came at vulnerable time for the Taliban, which had last year confirmed the death of its founder and spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, killed in Pakistan the previous year. Mullah Akhtar Mansour was chosen to replace him, with the backing of al-Qaeda’s global leader, Ayman Zawahiri. But even with Zawahiri’s support Mansour was not immediately accepted by

Islamic State

Taliban

An international group with roots in Iraq and Syria, leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

A local and deeply tribal group, current leader is Mullah Akthar Mansour.

Follows the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam

Follows the Wahabi school of Sunni Islam

An armed insurgency aimed at overthrowing the Afghan government and “liberating” Afghanistan from US presence

A terrorist group set on creating a global caliphate and a existential global battle Training takes place for several months once a new recruit has arrived in Islamic State-controlled territory

Both

Members are trained and educated by Taliban scholars from a young age

Use violence to achieve their goals Have ideological and military training Consider the US an enemy Govern using their interpretation of Sharia Law some prominent Taliban leaders, who expressed their displeasure at Mansour’s appointment by defecting from the Taliban to IS. Part of Islamic State’s success in recruiting fighters and absorbing existing groups is that it is appealing to an audience that wants to be a part of its so-called caliphate. For this to be sustainable, the group needs to control territory and win over support — by force if necessary — from the local

I BT

population. But IS’ strategy hasn’t been as effective in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has undisputed territory to govern.

The Taliban governed almost the entire country from 1996 to 2001 until the US led an invasion of Afghanistan to oust the armed political party. Since then, the Taliban’s main goal has been to overthrow the current government and rid the country of foreign forces. After President Barack

Obama announced in 2014 that the US would slowly be withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, the resulting power vacuum enabled the Taliban to consolidate its position.

The group controls large swaths of the country — roughly 80 of Afghanistan’s 400 districts, according to the Long War Journal. IS has not been so successful so far — despite carrying out its first large-scale operation in January, in an attack on the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad, the group has not been able to secure the territory or support needed to defeat its more established rivals.

Taliban fighters, fiercely tribal, are trained and educated by the group’s leaders from childhood.

In contrast to IS, which will allow anyone to join, so long as he or she pledges allegiance to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an individual cannot simply decide to join the Taliban. To the Taliban, IS is a foreign entity trying to control Afghanistan, something the Taliban will not accept. IS claims primacy over other Sunni extremist groups and hopes to absorb them, but the Taliban is not looking to become a branch of IS’ global network, so it believes the two cannot coexist.

Couple of weeks ago, the Taliban issued a statement claiming that several (unnamed) members who formerly defected to Islamic State had rejoined the insurgent group “due to the ambiguous blind policies of Dae’sh ... in short, not having a remedy for the wounds of the Afghans,” the statement said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. l

[This is an except of a World Affairs Journal article, which can be found at http://bit.ly/1SMUNGQ]

27 killed as air strikes hit Aleppo MSF hospital n Reuters, Beirut Air strikes hit a hospital in a rebel-held area of Syria’s Aleppo and killed at least 27 people, including three children and the city’s last paediatrician, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday.

The bombed al-Quds hospital was supported by international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which said it was destroyed after being hit by a direct air strike that killed at least three doctors.

A new wave of aerial bombing

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World

on Thursday on rebel-held districts of the city killed at least 30 more civilians, a rescue worker said. The Observatory put the toll at least 20.

In government-held areas, rebel mortar shelling killed at least 14 people, the Britain-based Observatory and Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

Aleppo has been the epicentre of a military escalation that has helped to undermine UN-led peace talks in recent weeks.

The Observatory said air strikes on rebel-held areas of

Aleppo had killed 91 citizens in the past six days while rebel shelling of government-held areas had claimed 49 lives.

In the hospital bombing, Bebars Mishal of the Civil Defence in Aleppo said 40 people had been killed in a five-storey building next to the hospital.

A Syrian military source said government warplanes had not been used in areas where air strikes were reported.

The Russian defence ministry, which is also conducting air strikes in Syria in support of President

Bashar al-Assad, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Russia has previously denied hitting civilian targets in Syria.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday the cessation of hostilities agreement was “barely alive”.

Peace talks he has convened in Geneva were undermined last week when the main opposition alliance walked out, citing ongoing violence and calling for proper implementation of a UN resolution requiring full humanitarian access to besieged areas. l

Myanmar protesters denounce term Rohingya Hundreds of demonstrators, including Buddhist monks, denounced US for its use of the term Rohingya to describe Myanmar’s stateless Muslim community during a protest outside of the US embassy in Yangon on Thursday. The Rohingya, most of whom live in apartheid-like conditions, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and the term is a divisive topic.

-REUTERS

INDIA

Police, Hindu hardliners halt church wedding A group of hardline Hindu activists and police stormed a church in Madhya Pradesh and stopped a wedding midway after accusing the pastor of forcefully converting the bride to Christianity. It comes as India’s Christian minority has sounded the alarm over a recent rise in attacks on churches and members of the faith, fuelling tensions over religious freedom in the diverse, secular country. -AFP

CHINA

Xi: China won’t allow war on Korean peninsula China won’t allow chaos and war to break out on the Korean peninsula, which would be to no one’s advantage, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a group of Asian foreign ministers on Thursday. North Korea’s drive to develop a nuclear weapons capability, in defiance of UN resolutions, has angered China and raised tension in the region.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Indonesia to host talks on maritime security Indonesia hopes next week to secure an agreement with Malaysia and the Philippines on conducting joint military patrols on the high seas where militants have been on a kidnapping spree. The plight of hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf militant group could also be on the agenda when the foreign ministers and military commanders of the three neighbours meet next Thursday in Jakarta for talks.

-AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq shuts al-Jazeera bureau for instigating violence The Iraqi authorities have shut down the Al-Jazeera channel’s Baghdad office, accusing Qatar’s state-funded TV network of inciting violence and sectarianism.

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission sent the Al-Jazeera Media Network a letter informing it of a March 24 decision to withdraw the bureau’s licence and close its office for one year.

-AFP

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

USA

US House passes email privacy bill US lawmakers Wednesday approved a bill to boost privacy protection for email and other electronic communication, closing key loopholes in digital data protection. By a vote of 419-0, the House of Representatives approved the measure that requires court orders to access emails, text messages and data stored in the Internet cloud for criminal and civil investigations.

-AFP

THE AMERICAS

Panama signs bank account info sharing deal with US Panama and US on Wednesday signed an agreement on sharing of back account information in a step Panama’s finance minister hailed as proof of his country’s cooperation in fighting tax evasion. The bilateral agreement comes weeks after the Panama Papers, a series of reports around the world revealing how one Panamanian law firm set up offshore entities to help the world’s wealthy stash their assets.

-AFP

UK

British expats lose legal battle to vote in EU referendum

INSIGHT

Trump’s major foreign policy speech alarms American allies n Reuters, London Donald Trump’s first major foreign policy address alarmed American allies, who view the Republican front runner’s repeated invocation of an “America first” agenda as a threat to retreat from the world.

While most governments were careful not to comment publicly on a speech by a US presidential candidate, Germany’s foreign minister veered from that protocol to express concern at Trump’s wording.

“I can only hope that the election campaign in the USA does not lack the perception of reality,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

“The world’s security architecture has changed and it is no longer based on two pillars alone.

It cannot be conducted unilaterally,” he said of foreign policy in a post-Cold War world. “No American president can get round this change in the international security architecture.... ‘America first’ is actually no answer to that.”

Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister who served as UN envoy to the Balkans in the aftermath of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, said he heard Trump’s speech as “abandoning both democratic allies and democratic values”.

“Trump had not a word against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but plenty against past US support for democracy in Egypt,” Bildt said on Twitter, referring to lines from

TRUMP’S ‘AMERICA FIRST’ FOREIGN POLICY Ü Trump pledged a major buildup of the military, the swift destruction of the Islamic State and the rejection of trade deals that he said tied the nation’s hands.

The high court has rejected an attempt to force the government to grant around 8,00,000 of UK citizens living abroad a vote in this June’ s EU referendum. The legal challenge brought by two disenfranchised expats on behalf of those living overseas for more than 15 years was dismissed by Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Justice Blake. -THE GUARDIAN

Ü He also pointedly rejected the nation-building of the George W Bush administration, reminding his audience that he had opposed the Iraq war.

EUROPE

Ü New talks would be sought with the United States’ allies in trans-Atlantic alliance Nato, Trump said. He said he would try and reshape the organisation’s structure and discuss a rebalancing of US financing towards it.

Bavaria considers using Mein Kampf in school curriculum The Bavarian parliament was debating Thursday whether an annotated version of Adolf Hitler’s opus Mein Kampf should be authorised for educational use in schools and other establishments. A subdivision of Bavaria’s Education Ministry is drafting a manual on how the book could be integrated into the curriculum. It is set to be completed in October. -DPA

AFRICA

US pledges $90m to South Sudan The US has promised almost $90m of extra aid to South Sudan but warned its newly reconciled leaders that failure to engage properly with the peace process could result in sanctions or an arms embargo.

Hopes that the country’s twoyear-long civil war may finally be drawing to an end rose this week after the former vice-president, Riek Machar, returned to the capital. -AP

Ü Trump is also correct that if he rebuilds alliances he ought to expect more from US partners, especially when it comes to share expenses. Ü Trump reiterated his opposition to last year’s nuclear agreement with Iran. Ü He also has threatened of trade wars with China, Mexico and Japan.

Sources: WSJ, NYT, TIME

Donald Trump

REUTERS

Trump’s speech that criticised the Barack Obama administration for withdrawing support for autocrat Hosni Mubarak during a 2011 uprising.

‘First isolationist candidate’

Trump’s speech, uncharacteristically read out from a teleprompter, seemed aimed at showing a more serious side of a politician who has said he intends to act more “presidential” after months of speaking mainly off the cuff.

He promised “a disciplined, deliberate and consistent foreign policy” in contrast to the “reckless, rudderless and aimless” policies of Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump’s likely Democratic opponent if he secures the Republican nomination.

The speech included no dramatic new policy proposals that might generate headlines, such as his past calls to bar Muslims from entering the US soil or to build a wall on the frontier with Mexico.

Where he was specific, like rejecting the terms of last year’s nuclear deal with Iran, calling for more investment in missile defence in Europe and accusing the Obama administration of tepid

support for Israel, he was firmly within the Republican mainstream.

A major theme - that more Nato allies should spend at least 2% of their economic output on defence - is one that has also been taken up by the Obama administration itself, including repeatedly during the president’s visit to Europe last week.

Nevertheless, Trump’s rhetoric raised alarm in allied countries that still rely on the superpower for defence, particularly the phrase “America first”, used in the 1930s by isolationists that sought to keep the United States out of World War II. Former South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Sung-han, who now teaches at the Korea University in Seoul, said Trump would be “the first isolationist to be US presidential candidate, while in the post-war era all the US presidents have been to varying degrees internationalists.”

In the Arab world, where governments and their citizens are also alarmed at the rise of non-Arab Iran, Trump’s strong rejection of the deal with Tehran is a popular position that would have been embraced if expressed by another candidate.

But Trump’s previous call to ban Muslims from the United States has made him anathema in the region. Emirati political analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdullah said no speech would be enough to salvage his reputation there: “He’s a racist and a chauvinist who will never be widely welcomed in the Arab world.” l

Germany’s right-wing AfD shifts to anti-Islam platform n AFP, Berlin Germany’s right-wing populist AfD plans to adopt an anti-Islamic manifesto at a weekend party congress, emboldened by the rise of European anti-migrant groups like Austria’s Freedom Party.

The Alternative for Germany -a young protest party now polling around 14% - is eyeing entry into the federal parliament in elections next year after a string of state election wins.

Its meeting in the western city of Stuttgart comes a week after the Austrian FPOe’s Norbert Hofer sent shock waves through the political establishment by winning the first round of a presidential ballot.

The AfD was formed only three years ago and has since gradually shifted further to the right, while entering half of Germany’s 16 state legislatures and the European parliament.

Having initially railed against bailouts for debt-hit eurozone economies, it has changed focus to protest against mostly-Muslim migrants and refugees, more than a million of whom sought asylum in Germany last year.

The AfD has loudly protested Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal migration policy but also channelled popular anger against all the long-established political parties and the mainstream press.

In a country where collective shame over the Nazi era and the

Holocaust run deep, the AfD has been careful to stay clear of openly neo-Nazi rhetoric, even as it has banked on rising xenophobia.

With the influx of refugees sharply down since Balkans countries closed their borders this year, the AfD is now shifting focus to directly target Islam.

That moves it closer to the far-right Pegida street movement - short for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident - based in Dresden, in Germany’s formerly communist East.

AfD deputy leader and European parliament member Beatrix von Storch caused a furore last week when she labelled Islam a “political ideology that is incompatible with the German constitution”.

Von Storch said her party at its congress in Stuttgart would call for a ban in Germany on Islamic symbols such as minarets on mosques, muezzins’ calls to prayer and fullface veils for women.

It will openly challenge the government position, repeatedly stated by Chancellor Angela Merkel, that today “Islam is part of Germany”, a country that is home to some four million Muslims.

A study by think-tank the Bertelsmann Foundation last year found that 57% of Germans view Islam as a “threat” and that 61% felt that the religion is “inconsistent with the Western world”, a level of distrust that is “hard to ignore.” l

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

BCB director blasts board in Facebook post n Mazhar Uddin

INSIDE

Bangladesh girls romp to semis The Bangladesh girls maintained their dominance in the AFC U14 Regional Championship as they brushed aside Nepal 9-0.

Yesterday’s crushing win, coupled with the 3-1 win over neighbours India, saw the Bangladesh girls qualify for the semis. PAGE 26

Kane Kiwi captain in all three formats Kane Williamson got the nod as NZ captain in all three forms of the game, replacing the retired Brendon McCullum. Williamson has long been seen as McCullum’s heir and has already skippered the Black Caps in several one-day and Twenty20 matches. PAGE 27

Saul gives Atletico advantage A breathtaking individual goal from Saul Niguez put Atletico Madrid in the box seat in their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich with a 1-0 victory in a tense first leg. PAGE 28

Foxes holds its breath for miracle A euphoria has gripped Leicester’s streets as the English city stands at the cusp of achieving sporting immortality. Many in the Midlands city will not talk about the possibility of one of sporting history’s most unlikely triumphs for fear of jinxing their heroes. PAGE 29

Legends of Rupganj’s Alauddin Babu hoicks one of his three sixes against Gazi Group Cricketers during their Dhaka Premier League tie in Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium yesterday. Babu’s unbeaten 22-ball 34 guided Rupganj to a three-wicket win MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Victoria squeak past MSC Brothers, Rupganj also post first wins

n Minhaz Uddin Khan Victoria Sporting Club rode on Mushfiqur’s Rahim’s seventh List A century to pick up their first win in the Dhaka Premier League yesterday. Legends of Rupganj and Brothers Union also had first wins, beating Gazi Group Cricketers and Kalabagan Cricket Academy respectively.

Mohammedan v Victoria

Half-centuries by Mominul Haque, Abdul Mazid and Nadif Chowdhury helped Victoria win by two wickets with eight balls to spare. Mominul and Mazed added 114 runs for the second wicket before Nadif took charge of the chase and took Victoria home in

the nervous final overs.

Earlier it was Mushfiq who continued with his form in the league.

His 104 runs aided Mohammedan to post 247/9 runs in 50 overs. The century should relieve Mushfiq as it came after 72 in the first match against Brothers Union in Mirpur.

Victoria spinner Sohrawardi Shuvo took four important wickets.

Rupganj v Gazi Group

Rupganj beat Gazi Group Cricketers by three wickets after Mohammad Mithun and Asif Ahmed struck fifties to help their side chase down the 256-run target with three wickets and an over to spare.

Batting first, Gazi Group lost eight wickets to post 255 runs.

Saeed Anwar Jr scored 70 while

openers Shamsur Rahman struck 69 and Anamul Haque 42.

Later, Rupganj needed 11 off the last two overs which however came in the first six balls. A six by Alauddin Babu in the third ball of the 49th over set the tone as Asif took the match-winning run to also reach his half-century.

Mithun’s 75 had set the base after the side had a poor start losing three wickets for 11 runs.

Brothers Union v KCA

In the only one-sided game of the day, skipper Tushar Imran’s unbeaten 67 and 70 by Sean Williams saw Brothers Union dominate a highly spirited but inexperienced Kalabagan Cricket Academy. Their bowling and fielding unit had

Tanjil Chowdhury, Prime Bank Cricket Club’s general secretary, has criticised the Bangladesh Cricket Board after the Dhaka Premier League clubs were instructed not to use video cameras during the matches.

Tanjil, also a BCB director, posted the memo in his Facebook profile where he directly expressed his concern about alleged nepotism in the tournament. In the memo, undersigned by Afjalur Rahman Masum, an umpires department official of BCB, it is stated that the first part of the league will not see any use of floodlights, none of the clubs can record the matches and only the match referee can use mobile phone, among other things.

“See the letter from the BCB and the CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis)!! You want to know our fault? We (Prime Bank CC) have appointed an analyst and statistician to record our Dhaka Premier League matches for training purpose. But as there is a chance of getting caught with their wrongdoings and, please Almighty pardon me, the third umpire would also have to use their brain, we were shunned,” he wrote in the post.

“Thank you BCB. Thank you CCDM. If you don’t know English then I would like to remind you that Bangla is our mother tongue, which I think they were not able to write a single word properly,” Tanjil added.

BRIEF SCORES MOHAMMEDAN SC 247/9 (Mushfiq 104, Ariful 42*, Sohrawardi 4/29) lost to VICTORIA SC 250/8 (Mominul 67, Mazid 55, Nadif 51*) by two wickets GAZI GROUP 255/8 (Saeed 70, Shamsur 69, Anamul 42) lost to RUPGANJ 256/7 (Mithun 75, Asif 54*, Delwar 2/28) by three wickets KALABAGAN CA 213/7 (Mahmudul 54, Irfan 42, Sanjit 2/23) lost to BROTHERS UNION 214/4 (Williams 70, Tushar 67*, Bishwanath 1/47) by six wickets given it all but failed to avoid the six-wicket loss. Brothers were without their Icon player Imrul Kayes, who missed the game due to dehydration. He is expected to recover before the next game. Earlier, Kalabagan skipper Mahmudul Hasan’s 54 runs and opener Irfan Sukkur’s 42 allowed the side to post 213 for seven in 50 overs. l

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Baseball friendly today n Tribune Report

Bangladesh girls romp to semis n Tribune Report

In a bid to raise baseball’s awareness in the country, the Bangladesh team will face Samurai Japan today in the outer ground of the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The friendly match will begin at 8am.

Hiroki Watanabe, a coach of the Bangladesh Baseball and Softball Association who is fluent in Bangla, said he hopes people watching the game will interest them.

“Samurai Japan team will comprise of players of Japanese nationalities who are currently residing here in Bangladesh. They either work for the Embassy of Japan, different multi-national companies or in other Bangladeshi organisations.

Not only will it be a friendly game, [today’s] match will also help raise awareness among the Bangladesh players as well as the people who are interested in taking up the game,” said Watanabe. l

The high-flying Bangladesh girls maintained their dominance in the AFC Under-14 Regional Championship (south and central zone) as they brushed aside Nepal 9-0 in the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe yesterday.

Yesterday’s crushing win, coupled with the 3-1 win over neighbours India earlier in the tournament, saw the Bangladesh girls qualify for the semi-finals.

Reigning champions Bangladesh went 5-0 ahead in the first half before running away with the game after resumption, registering a further four goals.

Marzia Akter and Anuching Mogini both bagged hattricks while Tohura Khatun and Sajeda Khatun shared three goals between themselves. The girls in red and green will now take on hosts Tajikistan in the second semi-final tomorrow in Dushanbe. l

Bangladesh’s hattrick hero Anuching Mogini is about to shoot and score one of her three goals against Nepal in the AFC Under-14 Regional Championship (south and central zone) in Dushanbe yesterday. Bangladesh thrashed Nepal 9-0 BFF

Reds unite for Hillsborough tribute n AFP, Liverpool Thousands of sympathisers came together in Liverpool last Wednesday for an emotional vigil commemorating the 96 Hillsborough disaster victims after a landmark inquest found - 27 years on - that they were unlawfully killed.

Liverpudlians packed their city centre to remember those killed in the 1989 football stadium disaster and to pay tribute to the near three-decade justice campaign waged by their relatives.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson told the rally that the bereaved families were an inspiration to people fighting injustice worldwide.

“The truth was that your loved ones died by the incompetence of those in charge and then they disgracefully tried, the whole establishment, to create a conspiracy

which lay the blame at the door of our fans,” he said.

“But the truth has triumphed and a jury in a court of law has said yes, your loved ones were unlawfully killed, and no, the fans were not to blame.”

In a poignant moment for Liverpool, a jury found Tuesday that police blunders caused the fatal crush at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, following two years of evidence in the longest inquest in British history.

Last Wednesday, the crowd in central Liverpool cheered loudly and chanted “Justice for the 96” as the bereaved families came outside onto the steps of city landmark St George’s Hall.

The families held up scarves reading “Justice”.

Ninety-six youth representatives from the city’s two football

clubs, Liverpool and Everton, each laid a red rose, as “In My Life” by The Beatles - a Liverpool band played in the background.

Members of parliament read out the names of the victims. Of the 96 people killed in the disaster, 38 were aged under 19.

People wiped away tears as the event concluded with people holding up their football scarves for an emotion-filled rendition of the Liverpool Football Club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

Relatives of the dead welcomed the suspension of South Yorkshire’s police chief after the inquest found the force’s blunders were chiefly responsible for the disaster.

South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings, the elected official in charge of policing in the county, said he had suspended David Crompton. l

People hold Liverpool football scarves in the air as they sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' outside St George's Hall in Liverpool last Wednesday during an event held in remembrance of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster AFP

Race ruling leaves Kallis embarrassed n AFP, New Delhi Cricketing great Jacques Kallis has said he is “embarrassed” to be South African after the government banned four sports federations from bidding for international tournaments for failing to pick enough black players.

South Africa’s sports minister announced Monday he would veto any bid by the cricket, rugby, netball and athletics bodies to host multinational events as they had missed racial “transformation targets” designed to redress apartheid era inequalities.

While more than 90 percent of South Africans are black, they remain in a minority in the starting line-up for many national teams - most notably rugby and cricket - more than two decades after the end of whites-only rule.

But Kallis, who is himself white, criticised the government for what he regarded as meddling in sport in a Tweet posted while he was coaching in India.

“So sad that i find myself embarrassed to call myself a South African so often these days #no place for politics in sport,” said Kallis, who is currently coaching the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

However Kallis later tweeted again to stress that his comment was not against racial transformation but rather about political interference.

“Comment y’day was re political bullying NOT anti Transforma-

tion. 40 underprivileged boys had or having education paid for by JK Foundation,” Kallis wrote on his twitter handle.

The government’s veto, which will be reviewed in a year’s time, should not immediately affect South African cricket as the right to host a major tournament is not currently up for grabs.

However it could sink the rugby federation’s hopes of hosting the 2023 World Cup, with the process due to begin in a matter of months.

Although the national rugby body and the government have agreed that the Springboks team in the 2019 World Cup should be at least 50 percent black, only three black players regularly started in the last tournament in 2015. l

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Kane gets nod as Kiwi captain in all three forms n AFP, Wellington

QUICK BYTES SLC restores Jayasuriya as selection boss Sri Lanka last Wednesday brought back former skipper Sanath Jayasuriya to be the chief of a new panel of cricket selectors, following the country’s abortive defence of the Twenty20 World Cup. The four-member panel was brought in to replace a previous ad-hoc committee headed by former Test player Aravinda de Silva, which was set up just hours before the team was due to leave for India.

–AFP

Younis Khan allowed to play in Pakistan Cup Pakistan’s star batsman Younis Khan has been permitted to play in a domestic tournament, cricket authorities said Wednesday, after he apologised for his behaviour following a row with umpires last week. PCB last Tuesday decided to ban the 38-year-old from playing in the Pakistan Cup and issued him a show cause notice, with chairman Shaharyar Khan saying “no one is bigger than the game”.

–AFP

Ronaldo set to miss Real Sociedad game Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo faces a race against time to be fit for the Champions League semi-final second leg with Manchester City on May 4. Ronaldo was surprisingly omitted from the squad for Tuesday’s first leg in Manchester an hour before kick-off.

Coach Zinedine Zidane explained after the goalless draw that Ronaldo felt a recurrence of a thigh strain a day earlier in training.

–REUTERS

Totti gets Olympic support for contract bid Ageing Roma icon Francesco Totti has been given backing from Italy’s Olympic Committee as he seeks to earn a final year’s deal at the club amid interest from Major League Soccer. One-club man Totti is in his 23rd who have been hesitant to offer the legendary playmaker a final year’s contract.

–AFP

Alibaba’s Ma laughs off AC Milan reports China’s richest man Jack Ma yesterday laughed off reports he is to buy Italian football giants AC Milan, posting a convoluted joke online mixing basketball and football. “Is AC Milan in Italy’s Milan?” the Alibaba founder posted on his verified Weibo account, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

–AFP

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and former Indian cricketer Sreesanth yesterday filed his nomination papers from the Thiruvananthapuram assembly seat in Kerala. ‘I am happy to receive such a grand welcome in the party. I am confident ahead of the elections,’ said the former pacer after filing his nomination papers AP

Star batsman Kane Williamson got the nod as New Zealand’s captain in all three forms of the game yesterday, replacing the retired Brendon McCullum.

Williamson has long been seen as McCullum’s heir apparent and has already skippered the Black Caps in several one-day and Twenty20 matches.

“Kane has been a leader within the team for a long time now and already shown himself to be an extremely capable captain,” NZ Cricket chief executive David White said.

“He’s respected by his peers and the wider cricket community for his professional approach both on and off the field, and has a superb cricket brain.”

Williamson, who is currently in India playing in the IPL, said he wanted to build on the achievements of McCullum, who retired in February.

“It’s certainly an honour... (I) believe this team can achieve a lot,” he said in a statement. l

Get used to pink-ball Tests, says Kiwi boss n AFP, Wellington

Players and traditionalists need to accept pink-ball Tests or the fiveday format will not survive, New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White warned yesterday.

Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide last year, attracting huge crowds to rival those at limited-overs versions of the game.

But players from both sides complained about the pink ball, intended to be more visible under floodlights, and some conservatives felt it undermined a Test tradition dating back to 1877.

White said there was strong enthusiasm for more day-night Tests at a meeting of the International Cricket Council board in Dubai last weekend. He said there was also a groundswell of support from fans

Pacquiao shocked at Islamic militant kidnap claim n AFP, Manila Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao expressed shock yesterday at President Benigno Aquino’s claim that Islamic militants planned to kidnap him, and said the alleged plot should not have been made public.

Aquino released a statement Wednesday saying Abu Sayyaf, a notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and beheaded a Canadian hostage this week, had planned to abduct Pacquiao or his children.

“I was alarmed when he announced... the Abu Sayyaf wanted to kidnap me. I’m surprised because all Filipinos are my friends. I

love them, especially the Muslims,” Pacquiao said at his residence in Manila.

Pacquiao said he had responded to Aquino’s statement by taking security measures to protect himself as well as his wife and five children, who are in his hometown of General Santos.

“We added security for my family and me,” he said.

General Santos is in the conflict-wracked southern Philippine region of Mindanao, where an array of Islamic militant groups are based and a separatist insurgency has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1970s.

The Abu Sayyaf’s main stronghold is about 400 kilometres (250 miles) away from General Santos.l

and television broadcasters, expressing confidence that players would eventually come around.

“I think the players will be very supportive going forward, is essential for the survival of the format, to be honest,” he told Radio Sport.

White said day-nighters would never dominate Test cricket but he could envisage a time when most series included a match played under lights.

“It provides an opportunity for the game to be more accessible to the fans and we’ve got to listen to them, they drive the revenue, they drive the game,” he said.

“We’ve got to uphold the traditions of the game - I’m as traditional as anyone - but we’ve got to look to the future as well.”

Players raised concerns after the Adelaide Test about the pink ball’s movement and durability. l

Women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova (R) yesterday plays a match with local athletes during a promotional event for this year's WTA Finals in Singapore.

Serena Williams remains the 'queen' of women's tennis but don't be surprised if she's no longer number one by the end of the year, Navratilova said light-heartedly AFP

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TALKING POINTS AUGUSTO THE GREAT Since joining Atlético Madrid in January, Argentinian international Augusto Fernández has made a name for himself as a tough-tackling, no-nonsense midfielder alongside skipper Gabi. If it took him a few games to develop an understanding with his team-mates, he has now become a fixture in the middle of the park – and this was his best display yet for the Rojiblancos.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez (C) shoots to score during their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid last Wednesday

BAYERN’S UNHAPPY HUNTING GROUND This is the third season running that Josep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich side have been drawn to face a Spanish team in the semi-finals, with the first leg away on each occasion. The German champions lost 1-0 across town at Real Madrid in 2014, then 12 months ago were blown away 3-0 by Barcelona. This year it was Atlético’s turn.

AFP

HOME COMFORT FOR GERMAN SIDE? With the visitors unable to find the away goal, the emphasis is very much on Bayern to come out and attack in next Tuesday’s return match. Wednesday was only the fourth time in 23 UEFA Champions League outings they have failed to score and they have managed 74 in the Bundesliga already this term – cause for hope. So too is the spirit they showed against Juventus in the last 16.

SAUL NIGUEZ MAKING EURO 2016 CASE The Spain Under-21 man has enjoyed a stellar campaign in the capital, netting nine times in 42 appearances in all competitions. Calls are growing for Vicente del Bosque to include the right-sided midfielder in his UEFA EURO 2016 squad, despite the 21-year-old being untested at senior international level.

He described his latest Vicente Calderón strike as “the most important goal of my career and the best too”, yet that was merely one part of an impressive all-round contribution. Guardiola says “Spanish football has a great new talent” and it is impossible to disagree.

Worryingly for Bayern, Diego Simeone reckons there is much more to come. l

Saul gives Atletico advantage n

Reuters, Madrid

A breathtaking individual goal from Saul Niguez put Atletico Madrid in the box seat in their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich with a 1-0 victory in a tense first leg last Wednesday.

The midfielder magically weaved his way through the Bayern defence and produced a low finish that went in off the post to put the home side in front after 11 minutes.

Diego’s Simeone’s superbly-drilled outfit then snuffed out Bayern’s threat and even came close to doubling their lead late on when Fer-

nando Torres’s shot struck the post.

“It was a great game, everyone believed in their work. We put in a huge effort,” said Simeone, whose Atletico side have frequently been a scourge of more-fancied opponents with their disciplined rearguard frustrating Barcelona in the last round. While Bayern’s David Alaba also hit the woodwork with a thumping drive, the result left Pep Guardiola’s side facing a huge task in next week’s return leg in Munich to avoid a third successive semi-final exit.

“I’m not happy with how we played,” said Guardiola, who is leaving Bayern in the close-season to join Manchester City. l

ATM v BAYERN 1 31 11 5 2 4 1 5 2 1 7 209 150

Goals Scored Possession (%) Total Attempts On Target Off Target Blocked Against Woodwork Corners Offsides Yellow Cards Fouls Committed Passes Completed

0 69 19 7 8 4 1 5 0 4 11 729 654

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Foxes holds its breath for footballing miracle n AFP, Leicester A collective euphoria has gripped Leicester’s humdrum streets as the often-overlooked English city stands at the cusp of achieving global sporting immortality by winning football’s most coveted league title.

Many in the medium-sized Midlands city will not talk about the possibility of one of sporting history’s most unlikely triumphs for fear of jinxing their heroes.

“If you look at all the fans, the people, the city, it’s an incredible, incredible time,” said Ian Smith, while readjusting his Leicester City scarf.

“It means the world to them. A once in a lifetime experience.”

But the impossible dream will become a reality if the Foxes win at Manchester United this Sunday.

The club, who started the season as one of the relegation favourites and 5000/1 shots to finish top, would still have two more matches to seal arguably the most unlikely league title in English football history if they were to lose at Old Trafford.

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL SONY ESPN 12:30AM Spanish La Liga Sporting Gijon v Eibar

STAR SPORTS 2 12:15AM German Bundesliga FC Augsburg v FC Koln

TEN 1 12:45AM Sky Bet Championship Birmingham City v Middlesbrough

TEN 2 12:20AM French Ligue 1 PSG v Stade Rennais

TENNIS TEN 3 5:30PM ATP: BMW Open - QFs

CRICKET SONY SIX 8:30PM Indian Premier League Pune v Gujarat

FORMULA 1 STAR SPORTS 4 12:25PM F1: Russian GP Practice Sessions

Sitting between the powerhouses of Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester, Leicester has a population of around 330,000.

Locals pride themselves on their hospitality, welcoming strangers

with open arms and using the affectionate greeting “m’duck”.

For a city instilled with restraint and discretion, the current emotional eruption is unprecedented.

“It’s an unbelievable buzz every-

where, there are... blue items just everywhere,” said Anna Hulewicz-Brown, adding that the city was almost unrecognisable from the one where she had spent her whole life.

The temperature will ramp up a

notch today when the city’s landmarks, houses and shops will be illuminated and draped in blue until the end of the season.

Fans nervous about Sunday’s big match will be able to calm their nerves in the city’s pubs with a “Vardy bomb”, a cocktail invented in honour of star striker Jamie Vardy.

Others are seeking divine intervention, with a city-centre street preacher now using football to begin his sermon while singing the praises of “Saint Vardy”.

Even fans of the town’s successful rugby club Leicester Tigers are on board, having Vardy’s name emblazoned on the back of their shirts.

“Every time I go out in the street, everybody wants to talk about football,” said mayor Peter Soulsby, who has been swamped with international media requests to explain the miracle.

“It’s a wonderful thing for the city, with Richard III being reinterred last year and Leicester winning the Premier League,... we couldn’t hope for anything better,” added die-hard fan Sandra Baum.l

PSG chasing points record against Rennes n AFP, Paris French champions Paris SaintGermain continue to tick off their remaining league fixtures as they welcome Rennes to the capital tonight, knowing that a win would equal their own Ligue 1 points record.

Laurent Blanc’s men made it three French League Cup triumphs in a row last weekend, despite being

reduced to 10 men, thanks to Angel Di Maria’s winner against Lille.

Now they will turn their attention back to the league, where they are 27 points clear at the top of the table with just four matches to play.

PSG have just one game left this season of any real importance, the French Cup final against arch rivals Marseille at the Stade de France on May 21, although they need just four more points to break the Ligue 1 re-

cord of 89 that they set in 2013-14.

The only disappointment for the club this season was the Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Manchester City, but Qatari chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi quashed speculation about coach Blanc’s future by saying that he would stay at the club next term.

Some of the PSG players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore, were allowed to go on hol-

iday to Las Vegas after the French League Cup win.

Rennes coach Rolland Courbis though brushed off any thoughts that the weekend trip could affect their performance or fitness levels today.

“Given that they have had three days’ rest, I have other things to do than to judge PSG players and they had permission to go to Las Vegas,” he told sports daily L’Equipe.l

Palermo hand out biscuits n Reuters Palermo have opened the Serie A “biscuit tin” of conspiracy by implying there is a plot to send them down into the second division as the battle for survival heats up.

The Italian season would not be complete without such speculation, bizarrely known as biscuits by the media, and Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini duly obliged by crying foul after fellow strugglers Carpi beat Empoli 1-0 last Monday.

The win kept Carpi, who are 17th and hovering just above the drop zone, one place and three points clear of Palermo, who won a key relegation battle away to Frosinone (19th) last Sunday to revive their own chances of staying up.

The bottom three in the 20-team table are relegated.

Palermo’s official website (www. palermocalcio.it) listed what it called “three absurd episodes” during Carpi’s win and provided screenshots of incidents where the Sicilian club claimed that the referee had made the wrong call.

It also included a comment from Empoli coach Marco Giampaolo, who told Skysports Italia: “The other teams fighting against relegation must by very angry about this match.”

Palermo then invited the league’s disciplinary tribunal to “monitor with great attention the next matches and all the teams involved in the battle to stay up, to avoid similar episodes”.

Palermo’s volatile president, Maurizio Zamparini, said he feared that “they want to send Palermo into Serie B”.l

Malmo FF football player Tobias Sana reacts after being hit by a large firecracker, thrown from the stands during their match against Goteburg yesterday. Sana was hit and an assistant referee was injured by the firecracker blast and the match was called off. Malmo winger Sana was warming up on the sidelines at the Gamla Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg when a firework that appeared to have been thrown from a section containing home supporters bounced under his feet and exploded AP

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Showtime

An Evening of Ghazals

nRupkotha Chowdhury Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) has organised an Evening of Ghazals, performed by Mustafa Zaman Abbasi and his daughter Samira, today at the IGCC auditorium, House 35, Road 24, Gulshan-1, at 6:30pm.

Mustafa Zaman Abbasi is adored by millions of listeners in Bangladesh and West Bengal, as a singer and writer. A scholarmusician-social worker, he is

one of the important names in Bangladesh, authoring fifty books on subjects varying from music, philosophy, biography, travels, essays, and novels.

Abbasi is a popular singer of Bangladesh Television, performing and lecturing on music and Sufism.

He has received innumerable awards, the main ones are: Ekushe Padak on music in 1995, Apex Foundation Award for his social contributions, Bengal Centenary Award as a writer and singer, Abbasuddin Gold Medal

for music, Manik Mia Award for Journalism, Nazrul Academy Award for Music, Life time Achievement Award from Channel I, and Robi 2011 for music and writing.

Samira, daughter of Mustafa Zaman Abbasi and granddaughter of Abbasuddin Ahmed, is trained in Hindustani Classical vocal music under legendary artists, like Ustad Akhter Shadmani, Ustad Momtaz Uddin Ahmed and Ustad Niaz Mohammed Choudhury. Currently, she is training under Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty of the Patiala Gharana.

A Bangladeshi expatriate living in the USA, Samira has established a music school ‘Abbasuddin Academy’ in Chicago. She has performed in more than 200 concerts in Kolkata, Paris, Singapore, London, and many cities of the United States that included performances for Banga Sammelans and FOBANA concerts.

Samira released her first album of ghazals in 2007, and released an album of Nazrul songs in 2011. She has performed in the Bangladesh National TV and radio several times. In 2010, she received an award of distinction from the Folder Poetry Group for her contribution in music. l

Ranaut-Roshan battle continues! n Showtome Desk Hrithik Roshan’s ongoing battle with Kangana Ranaut is witnessing surprising twists and turns every day. After the leaks of Ranaut’s alleged email to Roshan, it’s a leaked intimate picture of the duo that has started doing the rounds on social media.

In the picture, Hrithik is

seen hugging Kangana in what appears to be an intimate moment clicked at a party. Sources reveal that the picture was taken at a party held right before Krrissh 3 went on floors. The veracity of the picture, however, has not been established yet with some claiming that the image could well be a morphed one. With new ‘leaked’ information tumbling

out with every passing day, both parties, through their respective legal teams continue to issue statements. While Hrithik has been meeting industry elders and media bosses to bring closure on the matter, the feisty Kangana Ranaut remains steadfast weathering the storm with a strong exterior. l

Batman becomes Daddy? n Nazia Lopa Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck announced plans to divorce last August but are reportedly trying to keep things amicable.

Their friends are expecting an announcement very soon that Jen is pregnant as per an American magazine which has been published recently.

“Given Jen’s age, she is 44, she would want to be cautious about saying anything too early, informed the source. According

to the magazine report Ben has been very attentive to Jen, making sure she is taking it easy.

He is even bringing her breakfast in bed. And Jen has been absolutely glowing!

According to an eyewitness, the couple were getting cozy while taking a walk with their son, Samuel, earlier this month.

Earlier while she did not completely trash her husband, she did confirm that he had an affair with their nanny, Christine Ouzounian. l

Bengal Foundation donates art publications

n Showtime Report Cultural Minister, Asaduzzaman Noor delivered a speech in a press conference on the occasion of successful donation of around 40,000 art catalouges, folios and books published by Bengal Foundation to 70 divisional, district, and upazila libraries.

Aktari Mamtaz, the secretary of Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ashish Kumar Sarkar, the director general of Department of Public Libraries; Abul Khair Litu, the chairman of Bengal Foundation; and Luva Nahid Chowdhury, the director general of Bengal Foundation were also present. l

Uncut Aynabaji

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WHAT TO WATCH

this film will try to touch that sensitive core.

The movie stars Chanchal Chowdhury as a criminal mastermind named Sharafat Karim Ayna. Model and television host, Nabila plays the female lead in the film. Gousul Alam Shaon, who penned the script, is also playing a key role in the film.

Veteran actor Sohel Rana is seen engaged in a conspiracy with Chanchal and singer Partho Barua also shares screen space with Chanchal. l

n Rumpa Farzana Zaman Yesterday Aynabaji, a film by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury received certification from the Bangladesh Censor Board.

Amitabh Reza proudly posted on his social media about the uncut censor certificate for his latest film venture.

The director expressed great excitement over this latest bit of success: “It is wonderful to get an uncut censor card from the board.

We, the members of the team

Mad Max: Fury Road HBO 7:01pm A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max. Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

are having a good time, but at the same time we are a bit tense.

It’s a huge responsibility, as the audience has high expectations.

Aynabaji is a film about an actor. Ayna is gifted with the natural talent of acting – he is an interchangeable man, he can morph into anyone. One of the crucial aspects of this film is the dark side of Dhaka’s metro life.

It’s a story about Dhaka city. We generally tell a lot of stories but we hardly get to tell the stories buried deep in Dhaka’s belly,

Who will take over Prince’s kingdom?

n Rupkotha Chowdhury Famous musician Prince was only 57 years old when he died last week. However, a new question is on everyone’s mind: who will inherit Prince’s will?

Prince did not leave a will

and testament when he died.

According to his legal informers, Prince was not broke at the time of his death. His fortune is estimate to be worth around $150 million.

Tyka Nelson, the sister of the legendary singer, filed a

petition yesterday that requested a special administrator to be placed in charge of her brother’s considerable estate.

In response, TMZ now writes that a judge has legally assigned a bank, the Bremer Trust, to manage Prince’s assets.

According to Nelson, her brother did business there for years and placed a great deal of trust in the business.

Therefore, the job of distributing Prince’s fortune to his heirs in this case, his brothers and siblings, now falls to Bremer Trust, which could be a challenging endeavour.

This is because the judge only made the bank the administrator for up to six months, a personal representative will be appointed at some point.

If more than one relative vies for this position, things could turn ugly.

It may take several weeks for the autopsy results to be made public, leaving the star’s millions of fans in the dark regarding what happened to Prince in his final days.

Prince was hospitalised on April 15 with flu-like symptoms but quickly returned to the stage the following day. He was believed to be in relatively good health when he suddenly passed away. l Source: Hollywood life

Avengers: Age of Ultron Star movies 6:26pm When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it’s up to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo Ocean’s Eleven WB 5:36pm Danny Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt The Amazing Spider-Man Movies Now 9:30pm After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spiderlike powers and ventures out to solve the mystery of his parent’s mysterious death.

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans Kung Fu Panda 2 Zee Studio 3:45pm Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past.

Cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

NATIONAL AID POLICY DRAFTED PAGE 15

VICTORIA SQUEAK PAST MSC PAGE 25

AN EVENING OF GHAZALS PAGE 31

Muhith: 15% VAT to stay in new law Showkat Kallol and n Asif Syed Samiul Basher Anik Despite widespread protests from the business community, the government is going to keep the Value Added Tax rate at 15% in the new VAT law that will come into effect from July.

“We don’t mind differentiating rates, but my personal wish is to keep the VAT rate at 15% for some time so that we can grade our products and have more than one VAT rate in future,” finance minister AMA Muhith said yesterday.

The minister said in the next budget he wanted to relocate more resources to education and health

from the two sectors currently enjoying the highest allocation transport and energy.

The finance minister came up with the observation despite widespread concern from the businesses on ignoring their proposals for enactment of the new act.

The new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012 that will come into effect from July has no provisions for package VAT or the truncated value-based VAT system. With the introduction of the law, all levels of businesses will have to pay a unique and single VAT rate at 15%.

Country’s apex trade body FBCCI has long been protesting the de-

cision to replace package VAT with uniform 15% VAT, calling it problematic for the small and medium enterprises and the business community as a whole.

“It will be 15% this time. If you keep your account, you are not really bothered by VAT. You are doing value addition in every stage. If you can keep your accounts, your tax is only on that element of value addition that you have given to finish a product,” Muhith said, urging the businesses to keep their accounts properly.

The minister was addressing the 37th consultative committee meeting of National Board of Revenue (NBR) and Federation of Bangla-

desh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI).

NBR and FBCCI organised the meeting at a city hotel to bring proposals on the upcoming 2016-17 budget from the business community to the government.

The minister however said the government might consider the recommendation of the business leaders and impose a multiple VAT rate after the end of the current government’s tenure.

“I cannot promise it...but by the end of this government’s tenure, we can differentiate rates. I would now request you to stick to 15% and improve your accounting system,” he said. l

Awami League to rebuild its party office Hasan and n Kamrul Abu Hayat Mahmud

The country’s oldest political party Bangladesh Awami League is going to rebuild its headquarters at Bangabandhu Avenue to provide better facilities to its leaders and activists.

Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam has already informed leaders and activists who were running offices of the party’s affiliate organisations at the headquarters to vacate within May 30.

The construction work is scheduled to start in September and expected to be completed in two years.

Sources said the party started using the Circuit House as its temporary office after independence. The office was shifted several times. The penultimate one was at Nawabpur in Old Dhaka.

Finally in 1980s, the office was moved to Bangabandhu Avenue taking a floor on lease from the Department of Public Works. In 1997, the party took the whole building on lease and at present, the party owns the building.

Awami League’s youth affiliate Jubo League and volunteer wing Swechchhasebak League offices are on the ground floor. Offices of Dhaka metropolitan unit and Bangladesh Chhatra League are on first floor and the party’s headquarters is at the second floor. Sramik League, Krishok League, Sheikh Russell Smrity Sangsad, Sainik League, Janata League and Tantee League offices occupy the third floor and rooftop.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Abdul Malek, a caretaker of the building told the Dhaka Tribune that he had been working at the party’s office for 46 years and that he was a little upset after learning that the building was going to be rebuilt.

He said the office was once located at Topkhana Road and was later shifted to Paltan. From there, it was taken to Nawabpur before settling at Bangabandhu Avenue.

He said he had heard that the building was being rebuilt to include modern facilities. “Whatever the reason is, it hurts when I think that the building is going to be torn down.”

Party sources said it was being rebuilt as the party was having difficulties in running organisational activities from here. At present, the central committee was running its activities from the party president’s Dhanmondi office.

That is why the party chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered to rebuild the building.

Awami League Joint Secretary General Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif told the Dhaka Tribune that the party chief had approved the design of the new building. “The central office of the affiliate fronts were asked to vacate within May 30. Construction work would start

once the building is vacated.”

Jubo Mohila League General Secretary Apu Ukil said she was looking for a temporary office for her organisation at Dhanmondi.

She said Dhaka City (South) Awami League General Secretary Shah-e Alam Murad had been tasked with looking for a temporary party office.

Former BCL office secretary Sheikh Russel told the Dhaka Tribune that he believed it would be better if the building was rebuilt.

“There was scant space. After rebuilding, other affiliated fronts will be able to continue their activities from this office.” l

SC to rehear 161 cases resolved by Justice Manik n Ashif Islam Shaon The Supreme Court will hold rehearing on 161 cases in which former SC judge AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik issued judgments and orders before retirement but could not finish writing full texts.

The apex court will also rehear seven other cases in which former chief justice M Mozammel Hossain issued judgment and orders but sent back dockets to the court after retirement without writing the full text.

Two benches of the Appellate Division of the apex court will hold the hearings of the cases after the ongoing vacation, the SC registrar office sources said.

The cause list for the SC Appellate Division published online shows that on Sunday 107 cases lined up for re-hearing at the SC bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, comprising Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Mohammad Bazlur Rahman.

The rest cases were lined up for re-hearing on the cause list of the SC bench led by Justice Abdul Wahhab Miah comprising Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Md. Imman Ali and Justice Nizamul Huq. After taking office Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha had clearly announced that he will not let any of the judges to write judgment after retirement.

The CJ’s comments drew mixed reactions, especially retired AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, who had a number of pending judgments in hand, criticised his comments strongly.

Justice M Mozammel Hossain went on retirement in January, 2015 after serving as the 21st Chief Justice while, Appellate Division Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury went on retirement in October.

Amid the debate, the CJ made some observation in a full text of verdict of a case. In a set of guidelines he said that the justices will have to write judgment promptly and in even cases, judges have to sign on the judgment and orders within six months of pronouncing.

On February 8, Justice Manik submitted 65 pending judgments and dockets to the SC authorities and that day declared that no judgments were pending with him. l

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