03 March, 2015

PAGE 6Cabinet okays draft for amending Battalion Ansar Act

PAGE 7Jail Khal, lifeline of Barisal city, shrivels up

PAGE 8BCL men fell hundred trees in Barisal

PAGE 9Ongoing unrest takes a heavy toll on Sonahat land port

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015 | Falgun 19, 1421, Jamadiul Awal 11, 1436 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 2, No 327 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

MANNA USED KHOKA TO REACH KHALEDA PAGE 3

KHALEDA TO SKIP COURT? PAGE 4

IRAQ FORCES ADVANCE ON TIKRIT PAGE 11

RAB: Farabi shows no remorse, denies involvement in the murdern Mohammad Jamil Khan

Sha� ur Rahman Farabi, prime suspect in the Avijit killing, has said during interrogation that the slain blogger-writer “has got what he deserved.”

Although he claimed that he had nothing to do with the murder, Farabi praised the inci-dent saying Avijit got the reward for mocking religion.

Ziaul Ahsan, additional director general (ADG) of RAB, told these to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Earlier in the day, Rapid Action Battalion brought Farabi in front of reporters and said he had been nabbed from the capital’s Jatra-bari around 5:30am; he was trying to leave for Chittagong.

Meanwhile, seeking anonymity, a high of-� cial of RAB told the Dhaka Tribune that ana-lysing CCTV footage from around the crime scene, they had identi� ed � ve people who were following Avijit and his wife Bonna from the book fair premises.

“In the footage, one of those � ve men could be seen pointing at the couple when

they were leaving the fair. Later, they went away and another team started following Avi-jit and Bonna,” the RAB o� cial said.

While addressing a brie� ng at the force’s headquarters in Uttara in the capital, Com-mander Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of the Legal and Media Wing of RAB, told reporters yesterday that they have proofs that Farabi was involved with the killing.

Farabi had been posting photographs and news about Avijit and his family on social me-dia for a long time and instigate others against him, Commander Khan said.

“On Thursday, one of his Facebook friends posted a photograph of Avijit soaked in blood and asked Farabi whether he had seen that photo. In reply, Farabi said yes.

“After that, Farabi wrote in a status update that he would be arrested within a day or two,” Commander Khan said at the brie� ng.

The RAB director also cited another wide-ly-discussed post put up by Farabi on social media in which he said Avijit would be killed once he came to Bangladesh from the USA.

In reply to a query, Commander Khan said: “No accused ever admit involvement right away. Information come out only after inter-rogation. We are still not sure whether Farabi was directly involved with the killing or not.”

According to RAB, Farabi said during pri-mary investigation that he came across Avi-jit Roy � ve years ago as both of them used to blog. At one point, they got into a con� ict of opinions. Around two years ago, Avijit blocked Farabi. But Farabi kept on sending messages and threats using other media.

In 2010, Farabi, a former student of physics at the Chittagong University, joined banned Islamist militant out� t Hizb-ut Tahrir. At that time, he got arrested and spent about a month in jail for his militancy links. He never com-pleted his studies.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Who is Farabi?n Tribune Report

The Facebook pro� le of Sha� ur Rahman Farabi has become a centre of motivation for the sup-porters of radical Islamist parties and groups because of his harsh stance against secular forces, especially the progressive bloggers.

Until February 25, a day before blogger Avijit Roy was killed on Dhaka University campus, he had been posting statuses and comments on Facebook, condemning and de-faming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bang-abandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 1971 Liberation War.

He also criticised the law enforcers’ action during the BNP-Jamaat-led 20-party’s block-ade and hartal programmes aimed at uproot-ing the government. He has over 26,500 fol-lowers on the social network.

As per his posts, Farabi supports extrem-ist Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Jasim Ud-din Rahmani and Hefazat-e-Islam’s 13-point movement and respects daily Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman. Both Jasim and Mahmudur are now in jail and facing charges of inciting violence in the name of religion.

Farabi also operates a blog after his name where he writes about bloggers terming them atheists.

He also claims that the Gita and the Vedas – Hindu sacred texts – were written by the Brit-ish rulers during the 18th century.

Despite doing these activities while also on bail in a case � led over issuing death threat to an imam of a mosque, Farabi was instigat-ing extremism actively through his Facebook pro� le and blog site.

Earlier, he threatened to kill Avijit several times through Facebook which inspired his followers. He also threatened blogger and ar-chitect Ahmed Rajeeb Haider with dire conse-quences, before the latter had been killed on February 15, 2013.

Farabi labelled both Rajeeb and Avijit as atheists and Islamists. He threatened the imam as he had administered the funeral prayers of Rajeeb. Seven Ansarullah activ-ists, who were also students of North South University, and their guru Jasim have been charged with Rajeeb murder.

The Rapid Action Battalion, which arrested Farabi yesterday, said he had been involved with banned out� t Hizb ut-Tahrir since 2010.

Hailing from Brahmanbaria, Farabi com-pleted SSC from Kendua Joyhori High School, Netrakona and later passed HSC from Notre Dame College, Dhaka.

He got admitted to Chittagong University to study physics in 2005-06 session.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

‘Avijit got what he deserved’

Five people, who were following Avijit and Bonna, have been identi� edfrom CCTV footage

RAB personnel take Sha� ur Rahman Farabi to a press conference at the force’s headquarters in Uttara yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

NEWS2DTTUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

Titas to launch online payment system next year n Aminur Rahman Rasel

Starting next year, customers of the state-run Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd will be able to pay their bills online.

A deal was signed yesterday in this regard between Titas and a Bangladeshi consorti-um of Devine IT Ltd, Businessland Ltd and Rightbrain Solution Ltd. Mustaque Ahmed, secretary at Titas, and Ashraf Uddin Mukit, director of Devine IT Ltd and on behalf of the consortium, signed the deal at Titas Bhaban in the capital.

The new system, which will take around 10 months to install, will ultimately provide real-time payment facilities for both the con-sumers and the Titas authorities, according to the deal. The consumers can pay their bills through mobile operators’ Point of Sale sys-tem.

Under the payment gateway system, bills can be paid using credit card, debit card and ATM card, as well as via internet banking.

A Titas o� cial said both the Titas authori-ties and its customers face an acute problem with their bill payment.

Titas selected the consortium for the job via tender process. The project will cost around Tk10 crore.

The largest natural gas distribution compa-ny in the country, Titas has a total of 1,722,712 customers.

The company is responsible for supply-ing gas in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Narshingdi, Manikganj, Gazipur, Tangail, My-mensingh, Netrakona, Sherpur, Jamalpur and Kishoreganj districts. l

Government promotes nine bureaucrats as secretariesn Tribune Report

In a recent move of promotion, the govern-ment has promoted nine senior public admin-istration o� cials to the rank of Secretary.

Earlier, all of the bureaucrats had been serving the onus of acting secretary or equiv-alent post.

In this regard, the Public Administration Ministry issued a gazette noti� cation yester-day making the � gure of secretary 72.

The noti� cation reads that the Planning Commission’s acting members Humayun Khalid and Arastu Khan were made its full members while acting Liberation War A� airs secretary MA Hannan made secretary of the ministry.

Acting secretary (Coordination and Re-forms) of the Cabinet Division M Nazrul Islam and acting Information and Communication Technology Division secretary Shyam Sundar Sikdar were elevated to secretaries in their re-spective divisions.

Acting secretary of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division under the Planning Ministry M Shahid Ullah Khand-ker has been made secretary of the division while acting planning division secretary Mu-hammad Sha� qul Azam made secretary of the division.

Besides, acting member of the Privatisa-tion Commission Shyamol Kanti Ghosh has been promoted to full member of the com-mission while acting secretary of the An-ti-Corruption Commission Maksudul Hasan Khan was promoted to the designation of the Cabinet Division. l

Dhaka and Delhi to strengthen regional tiesn UNB

Bangladesh and India yesterday agreed to ex-pand cooperation in the regional, sub-region-al and international arenas.

“The key message is to have a deeper friendship [with India]. We want coopera-tion, they also want cooperation,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told reporters at a press conference at the ministry after his meeting with visiting Indian Foreign Secre-tary Dr S Jaishankar.

Shahidul said the Indian side sought deep-er regional and bilateral ties, although politi-cal issues were not discussed.

“We are seeing a major change in Indian foreign policy towards its neighbours,” he said.

Responding to a question on the Teesta water-sharing issue, he said India responded positively that the issue would be settled.

Two sub-regional issues were discussed – water and power links, and connectivity and transport links.

The next meeting on sub-regional coop-eration with India, Bhutan and Nepal will be held in the second half of the year.

Shahidul said improving the capacities of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) and the Bay of Bengal Ini-tiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Eco-

nomic Cooperation (Bimstec) were discussed. The foreign secretary said India would

remove all trade barriers and would soon re-spond to a list of para-tari� barriers submit-ted to the Indian side.

The visiting Indian foreign secretary also met Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, call-ing it a constructive meeting.

Asked whether the Teesta issue was dis-cussed at the meeting, the Indian foreign sec-retary parried the question saying: “That’s all I would like to say at this time.”

Jaishankar, who took over as Indian for-eign secretary on January 29, arrived yester-day morning from Bhutan as part of a Saarc tour.

He will leave for Pakistan today, wrapping up a less than 24-hour stay in Dhaka. He is scheduled to visit Afghanistan on March 4.

Visit with PM Jaishankar handed over a letter to Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina sent by her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, during a courte-sy call at her Sangsad Bhaban o� ce yesterday.

The Prime Minister’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri said: “Modi, in the letter, has reiterated his invitation to Sheikh Hasina to visit India.”

Hasina said she was keenly waiting to wel-come the Indian prime minister.

The prime minister’s press secretary said

the Indian foreign secretary informed Hasi-na that New Delhi would sign two deals – on

trade protocol and on coastal shipping – with Dhaka. l

The visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pays a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her parliament o� ce yesterday and hands over a letter from PM Narendra Modi PMO

‘Avijit got what he deserved’In February 2013, Farabi was arrested by po-lice again after he gave threats to the Imam who conducted the janaza or the funeral prayer another slain blogger and Gonojagoron Moncho supporter Rajib Haider. He however was freed on bail in August of that year.

RAB also said Farabi was among those who commented under the Twitter post of a group named “Ansar Bangla-7” that rejoiced the murder of Avijit.

Later in the day, RAB handed Farabi over to the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Met-ropolitan Police (DMP) who are investigating the murder.

Contacted, DB Joint Commissioner Mon-irul Islam, who is coordinating the investiga-tion, said they are now analysing the CCTV video footage and talking to witness for hunt-ing the killers down. “But we are still to make any breakthrough.”

Bangladesh-born US citizen Avijit Roy, who was a software engineer in the states, was hacked to death with machetes near the

TSC roundabout on the Dhaka University campus on the night of February 26.

Avijit died at the Dhaka Medical College Hos-pital later and his wife Bonna, who sustained severe injuries in the attack, is currently taking treatment at the Square Hospital in the capital.

Yesterday, a team of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who are assisting po-lice in the investigation, went to the Square Hospital and talked to Bonna, sources said.

Avijit came to Bangladesh from the USA a few days before he was killed to attend the launching of one of his nine books at this year’s Amar Ekushey Book Fair. He and his wife Ra� da Ahmed Bonna came under attack after they came out of the book fair having at-tended the book launch.

Friends said Avijit had got a lot of threats over the last few years because of his progres-sive, anti-orthodoxy and anti-superstition blog posts and books. They said Farabi was one of those who openly threatened Avijit over various media. l

Who is Farabi?Police � rst arrested him in 2010, RAB said.

During his stint as an extremist, Farabi also threatened Editor Naeem Nizam of the daily Bangladesh Protidin for publishing columns of exiled writer Taslima Nasreen and Rokom-ari.com chief Mahmudul Hasan Sohagh for selling books of Avijit.

After his arrest on February 23, 2013 for threatening the imam, Farabi was sent to Kashimpur High Security Jail. He stayed there until August 21 the same year before coming out on bail.

According to sources, Farabi was kept in the same building where Ansarullah chief

Jasim and � ve of the other Rajeeb murder accused had been staying. They used to meet regularly.

While serving in jail, Farabi also used his Facebook account and posted updates on the social media site.

Until yesterday, supporters of Farabi were posting harsh comments on his statuses con-demning the arrest while his blogsite and the Facebook pages of Ansarullah Bangla Team remained active.

Some of Farabi’s followers also opened a new page demanding his unconditional re-lease. l

NEWS 3D

TTUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

Manna used Khoka as a stepping stone to reach Khaledan Mohammad Jamil Khan

Nagorik Oikya Jote Convener Mahmudur Rah-man Manna was striving to get close to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia through Sadeque Hossain Khoka, detectives say quoting Manna who is being interrogated in remand.

Manna often mentioned during the inter-rogation that using Viber had appeared as his worst enemy. After his conversation with BNP Vice-Chairman Khoka had been leaked in the media, he destroyed all his mobile phones and started living in a relative’s house, but could not evade arrest.

“I have good relations with some BNP lead-ers, especially Khoka. Through him, I just wanted to get near BNP chief Khaleda Zia and was planning to visit her o� ce,” Manna was quoted as saying by a DB o� cer, who asked not to be named.

“I wanted to establish my political career. Therefore, I spoke to the BNP leaders as well as a few others from the ruling Awami League on political issues,” Manna told detectives on the � fth day of interrogation yesterday.

Manna has been on a 10-day remand in a case � led with Gulshan police for his alleged involvement in inciting the army to take over power. Police � led the case following the leak of his conversation with another person so far known only as Mamun.

The DB police has not made any o� cial state-ment on the interrogation so far.

The detectives also asked Manna about the murder of blogger and science writer Avijit Roy on Dhaka University campus on February 26. The source said Manna broke down and said he never believed in violent politics. “I

have been engaged in qualitative politics.”Manna was asked about Avijit’s killing as in

his conversation with Khoka he had advised on capturing one hall or two of Dhaka Univer-sity even if it involved “one or two falling dur-ing the � ghting.”

Avijit, who is also a US citizen, was killed within a few days of the leak of the Viber con-versation, the DB o� cial said.

Mohammad Nasim, spokesperson of the ruling 14-party alliance, had earlier hinted that the murder might have a link to the con-versation.

When contacted, Mahfuzul Islam, addi-tional deputy commissioner of DB police, said they had nothing to disclose about the outcome of the interrogation at the moment. “We need to analyse the information � rst,” he added.

Earlier, Manna was also questioned about his links with former army o� cials and gov-ernment o� cials. He gave the detectives a name, Mamun, a person believed to be living in Australia who he had talked to through Viber. That conversation was also leaked in media. l

Netrakona War Crimes: ICT indicts Taher, Nonin UNB

Dismissing the defence discharge plea, the In-ternational Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday in-dicted detained Obaidul Huq alias Abu Taher and Ataur Rahman alias Noni of Netrakona district for their alleged crimes against hu-manity during the Liberation War in 1971.

Passing the order, the three-member tri-bunal, headed by its Chairman Justice M Enayuetur Rahim, also set April 5 to begin the formal trial with the opening statement by the prosecution followed by the testimony of the prosecution witnesses (PWs).

The tribunal framed charges against Taher and Noni, members of infamous razakar - an auxiliary force of the Pakistan occupation army – on six counts that include killing, gen-ocide, persecution and ransacking.

On August 12 last year, police arrested the two war-crimes accused from Netrakona, hours into the tribunal issued a warrant for their arrest following a prosecution petition.

Ali Reza Kanchan, a nephew of martyred freedom � ghter Badiuzzaman Mukta, � led a case in 2010 with the judicial magistrate court of Netrakona accusing a dozen anti-liberation forces, including Taher and Noni. l

Warrants issued against 8 Jamalpur war crimes suspectsn UNB

The International Crimes Tribunal 2 yester-day issued arrest warrants against eight war crimes suspects of Jamalpur district.

The three-member tribunal, headed by its chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan, passed the order upon a petition by the prosecution.

The wanted suspects are Ashraf Hossain, Prof Sharif Ahmed alias Sharif Hossain, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Bari, Harun, Abul Hashem, Advocate Shamsul Huq and SM Yusuf Ali.

Designated prosecuted Barrister Tapas K Baul told reporters that war crimes-suspects Jamaat leaders Shamsul and Yusuf had played a key role in forming its secret killing squad Al Badr and Peace Committee in Jamalpur during 1971, while the other six worked as al-Badr operatives - committing crimes against humanity during the war. l

HC: Why blockade, hartal will not be declared unconstitutionaln UNB

The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the government and political parties to ex-plain why blockade and hartal should not be declared unconstitutional and void.

In its series of rules upon a writ petition, the High Court division bench also asked the government to explain why its inaction to im-pose legal restrictions on blockade and hartal should not be declared unlawful.

Four business bodies FBCCI, BGMEA, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Ex-porters Association and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) – � led the writ pe-

tition in the form of public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to make illegal the nationwide inde� nite transport blockade and hartal en-forced by BNP-Jamaat alliance to realise their political demands and asking compensation for the losses incurred due to blockade and hartal since January 6.

In the face of the court’s stance, the coun-sel for the business bodies dropped the word PIL during the admissibility hearing on the writ petition.

In its rules, the High Court further asked the respondent-political parties to explain why calling hartal without notice with a rea-sonable time should not be declared illegal

and why they should not be held responsible for incurring losses due to blockade and har-tal.

Besides, the High Court asked the govern-ment and the political parties to explain why it should not be directed to compensate the business bodies that have su� ered � nancial losses due to blockade and hartal.

In addition, the High Court asked the re-spondents to explain why directive should not be given to prevent the media from pub-lishing, airing or telecasting the news about the announcement of blockade-hartal pro-grammes.

Moreover, the High Court asked the re-

spondents to explain why the aggrieved peo-ple su� er from blockade and hartal be allowed to invoke before the High Court for remedy.

In all 48 people, including the government, its Home, Finance and Information Secretar-ies, Bangladesh Bank Governor, political par-ties registered under the Election Commis-sion, including ruling AL and, BNP have been made respondents to the case.

The rules were made returnable in four weeks, said the High Court orders.

Advocates Quamrul Huq Siddique and Im-tiaz Moinul Islam appeared for the writ peti-tioners while deputy attorney general Tapas K Biswas stood for the government. l

Three days after the killing of blogger-writer Avijit Roy, police visit the spot of the murder and interrogate a few street children yesterday. Earlier, police cleaned the bloodstained footpath, where tributes continue to pour in for the slain writer SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Manna:I have good relations with some BNP leaders, especially Khoka. Through him, I just wanted to get near BNP chief Khaleda Zia and was planning to visit her o� ce


Khaleda unlikely to appear before court tomorrown Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is unlikely to appear in court tomorrow in the Zia Orphan-age Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases, even though the court issued an arrest warrant against her for earlier skipping a deposition hearing.

“As there is a security concern, she might not appear before the court,” Khaleda’s law-yer, Sanaullah Miah, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

A Dhaka court on February 25 issued an ar-rest warrant against Khaleda in two graft cases, cancelling the time petition � led by her lawyer.

Khaleda last attended trial proceedings on December 24, the day clashes broke out between police, supporters of the BNP and supporters of the ruling Awami League in the Bakshibazar area of the capital.

“How can she [Khaleda] appear before the court? There was not enough security for her in the court area last time. She came under at-tack there. Even her lawyers were obstructed from talking to her. What scope is there for her to appear before the court?” Sanaullah said.

A Dhaka court earlier issued a search war-rant for Khaleda’s Gulshan o� ce, where she has been residing since January 3, to search it for explosives and a communication device

that police claim Khaleda is using to coordi-nate the countrywide sabotage.

Police sources said they had not yet re-ceived a copy of the warrant.

Sources at the political leader’s Gulshan of-� ce said messages were sent out to the party’s district units to continue with the movement even if Khaleda is arrested.

They said Khaleda is determined to con-tinue the alliance’s transport blockade and strikes until the government holds fresh polls under a non-party interim administration.

Party leaders are worried that if Khaleda goes to the court, she might secure bail but she will not likely be able to return to her of-� ce and will be sent to her house instead.

That would mean the leader’s Gulshan of-� ce would likely be put under lock and key like the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters.

The 69-year-old three-time former prime minister asked her 20-party alliance’s leaders and activists to form Protirodh Sangram Com-mittees [Resistance and Struggle Committees] across the country to stop “state-sponsored criminal activities.”

BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, in a press release yesterday, said: “The stepping down of the illegal looter gov-ernment is a must in the face of the people’s spontaneous resistance.” l

Two die in robbery, cylinder blast in cityn Tribune Report

An ex-government o� cial was killed by al-leged robbers, and a balloon vendor was killed and � ve were injured in a gas cylinder blast in the capital’s Rampura and Madhya Badda ar-eas respectively.

In the Rampura murder, SI of Rampura po-lice station Saidul Islam said Abu Taher, 73, a retired tax commissioner, who was attacked by a gang of robbers, died at United Hospi-tal in Gulshan yesterday. Quoting Taher’s son, ATM Ariful Haque, the SI said Taher and Rokeya, 60, lived on their own. “Around 3am, four armed youths entered the � at, after cut-ting a window grill.”

They knocked on the door to his parent’s bedroom, where the parents were asleep. As Rokeya opened the door, the robbers held them hostage, showing their weapons and took the wardrobe keys.

When Taher tried to stop the robbers, they hacked at him, leaving him injured, Ariful claimed. After the gang left, Rokeya shouted for help and neighbours came forward and rushed them to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in Madhya Badda, a balloon ven-dor was killed and � ve injured as a gas cylinder exploded around 10am. The dead Ali Hossain, 35, used to live at Panchtala of the area.

The gas cylinder exploded when Ali and his workers were at their workshop. The in-jured were rushed to DMCH, where duty doc-tors declared him dead around 11:45am, con-� rmed Muzammel Haque, in-charge of DMCH police camp.

The injured include the victim’s brother, Billal Hossain, vendor Akhter Hossain, and workers Borhan Uddin, Manik and Al-Amin, all of whom are in critical condition.

Ali’s wife Yasmin said her husband’s legs were separated from his body in the blast. l

Dhaka University observes National Flag Hoisting Dayn DU Correspondent

Teachers, students and o� cials of Dhaka Uni-versity (DU) yesterday celebrated the Nation-al Flag Hoisting Day on the campus.

On this day in 1971, country’s national � ag was hoisted at the DU campus for the � rst time.

DU Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Are-� n Siddique inaugurated the programme by hoisting the national � ag at the historical Bat-tola on the campus at around 11am.

Later, students, carrying the national � ag, brought out a procession on the campus and joined a seminar followed by a musical pro-gramme at the Battola.

In his speech, DU VC AAMS Are� n Siddique recalled the contribution of DU students to the independence of Bangladesh.

“DU was the centre of all democratic move-ments and this is the place (Battola) where the national � ag was hoisted for the � rst time,” he said

He urged the DU students to continue to up-hold their glorious role in leading the country.

DU Pro-VC (academic) Professor Nasreen Ahmed, Pro-VC (administrative) Professor Shaheed Akhter Hossen, and treasurer Dr Ka-mal Uddin were present among others.

The � rst national � ag, designed by Shib Narayan Das, was hoisted by the then vice-president of Dhaka University Students’ Union ASM Abdur Rab on the campus. l

PM: Step up police drive in Ctgn Tribune Report

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the Home Ministry to ramp up police operations in Chittagong in the wake of the recent seizure of large caches of arms and ammunition in the district.

At a cabinet meeting yesterday, the pre-mier also directed o� cials to capture arson-

ists as the crime of torching transports has seen a rise in the capital, said two ministers who attended the meeting.

The murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy was also discussed at yesterday’s meeting. It was said that the criminals could be nabbed easily as the murder of Avijit and that of professor Humayun Azad bore similarities. l

A jubilant crowd of Dhaka University teachers and students observe the National Flag Hoisting Day on the campus yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

NEWS 5D


19 injured, 9 vehicles set on � re across the countryn Tribune Report

At least 19 people were injured and some nine vehicles were set ablaze in the capital and elsewhere yesterday, the second day of the fresh spell of a 72-hour general strike imposed by the BNP amid the non-stop blockade.

Three passengers of a bus carrying Janata Bank sta� sustained injuries when a crude bomb hurled at the vehicle exploded in Jatra-bari around 9:30am.

The three left Dhaka Medical College Hos-pital (DMCH) after they were given � rst aid, said Inspector Mozammel Haque, in-charge of the hospital’s police camp.

Around 4pm, two private cars parked in front of a hotel in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar were set on � re and a some crude bombs were also blasted.

Some crude bombs were blasted near GPO in Gulistan around 6:30pm, leaving three men injured.

Of them, two were given � rst aid at the DMCH and the other was admitted to the hos-pital.

In Gazipur, a bus of Probhati-Banasree Pari-bahan was torched in Bormi of Sreepur around midday, leaving at least 10 passengers injured. But no one was burnt in the arson attack.

Abdul Mannan, driver of the bus, said some three to four young men carried out the attack and � ed.

But O� cer-in-Charge of Sreepur police sta-tion Mohsinul Qadir said police were exam-ining whether the bus caught � re because of engine problems.

Two buses were set alight at Tetulia bus stand in Panchagarh and two local Awami League o� ces at Jagdal Bazar and Tunirhat in the district were also torched early in the morning.

Locals said the buses - Sayem Sapnil and Joy Sekhar – were badly damaged in the arson attack.

The Awami League o� ces were torched around an hour later by some � ve to six men who came on two motorcycles.

Three Ansar members – Moslem, 26, Amirul Haque, 48, and Zamirul Islam, 20 – were in-jured when they chased the attackers, who were � eeing the scene.

Panchagarh Police Super Abul Kalam Azad said operations were underway to nab the ar-sonists.

In Feni’s Aziz Fazilpur, a bus of Sugandha Paribahan was set on � re around 7am but no one was injured.

The arsonists, who boarded the bus under the guise of passengers, forced the driver to stop the vehicle and set it ablaze after pouring petrol.

Md Abu Faisal, o� cer-in-charge of Dagan-

bhuiyan police station, said the bus was trav-elling to Sonapur of Noakhali from Feni.

Unidenti� ed miscreants set � re to two trucks in Arulia area of Bogra Sadar upazila around 5:45am. No injury was reported in the attack.

Ra� qul Islam, driver of one of the trucks, said his � sh-laden vehicle was destined for Natore.

“The other truck was set ablaze around the same time and the arsonists � ed the scene quickly,” he added.

In Dinajpur, a petrol bomb was thrown at a truck on Dinajpur-Dhaka highway in Nawab-ganj upazila early in the morning.

The Dinajpur-bound truck, which was travelling from Sirajganj, was � rebombed in Bhaduria area around 6am.

“No one was injured in the attack,” said Amirul Islam, o� cer-in-charge of Nawabganj police station, adding that � re� ghters from Hili Fire Service Station arrived on the scene shortly and put the � re out.

In Joypurhat, miscreants blasted two crude bombs in front of a branch of Islami Bank and smashed the windows of a diagnostic centre.

After a while, a group of 10-14 men went on a rampage in the district’s Amtoli area and wrecked several business establishments, creating panic among the locals.

Police also detained 14 activists of BNP, Ja-maat-e-Islami and Chhatra Shibir from di� er-ent parts of the capital yesterday on charges of plotting subversion.

Of the detainees, seven are BNP men while the rest are Jamaat and Shibir activists. l

HC revives Khaleda’s Barapukuria case n UNB

The long-pending rule seeking to invalidate the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case � led against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will come up on today’s cause list for � xing the date of hearing before the High Court.

An HC division bench, comprising Justice M Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan passed the order, following a petition of the Anti-Corruption Commission counsel.

The ACC on February 26, 2008, � led the case with Shahbagh police station accusing Khaleda and 10 of her former cabinet col-leagues of taking Tk159 crore in kickbacks on the Barapukuria Coalmine deal awarded to the highest bidder instead of the lowest one.

Responding to a petition � led by Khale-da, the HC on October 16, 2008, stayed the case proceedings and issued a rule asking the ACC to explain why the case should not be quashed. l

Pinak 6 launch owner Bakar gets bail n UNB

The High Court yesterday granted interim bail for six months to Abu Bakar Siddique, the owner of the launch Pinak 6 that capsized in the Padma River with overloaded passengers in August last year.

An HC division bench, comprising Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order.

Earlier, the lower court had rejected a bail petition � led by the accused.

Deputy Attorney General M Bashir Ullah told reporters outsid the court that the gov-ernment would move the Appellate Division against the HC order.

On August 4 last year, the launch with over 250 passengers on board capsized in the riv-er 800 yards o� Mawa terminal due to strong currents while it was heading towards the jetty. Over 50 bodies were recovered leaving many passengers missing. l

Nasim: Khaleda now a militant leader n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has become a militant leader from the leader of the people, said Health Minister Mohammed Nasim yes-terday.

He said Khaleda’s militant activities had claimed around 100 lives.

“Now our objective is to destroy militan-cy,” said Nasim, also the spokesperson of the 14-party, while talking to reporters at Gopal-ganj Circuit House. He went there during a break in the journey from Dhaka to Khulna.

Nasim also ruled out any possibility of holding talks with the BNP chairperson.

He said a dialogue would be held with the chief election commissioner before the gener-al elections in 2019.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on the BNP chairperson to sit for talks before the January 5 election. But she did not respond and began perpetrating violence instead.”

Nasim said the government was under no pressure from the international community. l

Hartal supporters, wielding bamboo sticks, go on a rampage and vandalise a number of vehicles in Hatirjheel area of the capital yesterday during the 72-hr hartal. They also torched several vehicles in Bijoynagar DHAKA TRIBUNE

Three Ansar members were injured while chasing arsonists who torched two local Awami League o� ces in Panchagarh


Cabinet okays draft for amending Battalion Ansar Actn Tribune Report

The cabinet has approved the draft of the Bat-talion Ansar (amendment) Act 2015, keeping the provisions of forced retirement and halt-ing promotion as a punishment.

In case of any kind of mutiny, there would be rules for punishment. In this regard the cabinet asked the Home ministry to follow the new law of the Border Guard Bangladesh.

The cabinet also asked for reducing the existing time-limit of making permanent the service of an embodied Ansar as a battalion Ansar from nine years to six years.

The draft act was approved in a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Muham-mad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told report-ers after the meeting.

The cabinet also approved a draft of the proposal titled “Fund for Social Development of the Project Area of Coal-based Power Plants and Operation Policy.”

The cabinet secretary said the Power Divi-

sion had made the proposal for creating the fund with a tari� of three paisa consumption per unit of electricity, which will be collected from subscribers.

The cabinet also approved a draft policy for operation of the fund by committees to be constituted with local people, he added.

The cabinet secretary said the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Act 2015 was also ap-proved by the cabinet. The new law propos-es raising the capital of the BPC to Tk5 crore from Tk1 crore, and increasing the number of full-time directors to seven from � ve.

The cabinet also asked the BPC to create posts of professional accountants for devel-opment of the � nancial management of the organisation and rejected a proposal of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry for shifting the head o� ce of Petrobangla to Dha-ka from Chittagong.

The cabinet secretary added that the cabi-net also approved in principle the drafts Civil Servant (Married with Foreign Nationals) Act 2015. l

Hasan urges govt to search Khaleda’s o� cen Abu Hayat Mahmud

Awami League Publicity and Publication Sec-retary Hasan Mahmud yesterday urged the government to search BNP Chairperson Khale-da Zia’s Gulshan o� ce as soon as possible.

“As continued petrol bomb attacks and killing of people are being executed on her [Khaleda] directives, she has become a mili-tant leader. Besides, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have now become militant groups,” Hasan Mahmud said.

“When searched, huge amounts of arms and ammunition might be found at Khaleda’s residence, so the government should take im-mediate steps to search the house,” he told a protest programme in front the capital’s Na-tional Press Club.

Hasan Mahmud said since there were around 50-60 men hiding in Khaleda’s o� ce, militants might also be taking refuge there.

The former minister also thanked the po-lice for seeking permission from the court to search Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan o� ce where she has been living since January 4.

He further urged the police to implement the court order immediately.

On February 25, a Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two graft cases.

AL joint meeting for DCC pollsAwami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam has called for a joint meeting tomorrow at party President Sheikh Hasina’s political o� ce in Dhanmondi.

The meeting will be between the party cen-tral leaders and lawmakers.

Party sources said the meeting was called to prepare for the upcoming Dhaka North and South city corporations’ elections. l

Police o� cer crushed under busn Our Correspondent, Barisal

An assistant sub-inspector of police was run over by a bus at Rampatty near Rahamatpur on the Barisal-Dhaka highway yesterday.

O� cer-in-Charge of Airport police station Shaheduzzaman said the deceased - the po-lice station’s ASI Manirul Islam - was on duty checking vehicles at the time.

When he signaled at an MF Paribahan bus, plying on the Barisal-Mawa route, to come to a stop, the driver tried to ignore the sig-nal, then hit and crushed the police o� cer at around 7:30pm.

ASI Manirul died at the scene, and the bus was seized later, though the bus driver man-aged to � ee.

The victim’s body was sent to Barisal Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. l

Bizcare launches HSE training in Bangladeshn Tribune Report

A local consultancy � rm has recently launched globally reputed health and safety training SAMTRAC International in Bangladesh.

The training stipulates occupational health, safety and environment (HSE) man-agement through a state-of-the-art electronic learning platform.

Announcing the introduction of the train-ing in Dhaka recently, BizCare said it can con-tribute in all organisations particularly the readymade garments sector.

SAMTRAC is a unique training course that has fast become popular in many developed and developing countries across the world. l

Garment workers of Gemini Garments Ltd demonstrate in front of BGMEA o� ce yesterday demanding whereabouts of the company’s managing director, who allegedly went missing without paying their January wages and previous dues. MEHEDI HSASAN

NEWS 7D


WEATHER

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:02PM SUN RISES 6:18AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW35.7ºC 18.0ºCTeknaf Chuadanga

TUESDAY, MARCH 3

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 31 22Chittagong 31 22Rajshahi 30 18Rangpur 30 17Khulna 30 20Barisal 31 22Sylhet 31 17Cox’s Bazar 31 21

PRAYER TIMESFajr 5:04am

Sunrise 6:18amZohr 12:11am

Asr 4:24pmMagrib 6:02pm

Esha 7:17pm

PARTLY CLOUDY

Environment-friendly slaughterhouse introduced in Dhakan Abu Bakar Siddique

Aiming to provide healthy and hygienic meat to Dhaka dwellers, the government has intro-duced the country’s only modern slaughter-house in the capital.

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) launched the new slaughterhouse in Mirpur yesterday, renovating an existing slaughter-house in the area. The facilities have the ca-pacity to manage 100-110 animals every day and supply meat to around 200,000 people in the capital.

It has separate slaughtering chambers, a

bio-gas plant to utilise the animal droppings, and a rainwater harvesting plant to run the process in an environment-friendly and ener-gy-e� cient manner, said Dr Tarik Bin Yousuf, superintendent engineer at the DNCC.

The newly-introduced slaughterhouse will reduce environment pollution caused by un-hygienic slaughter of animals in the city, es-pecially during the sacri� cial ritual during the Eid-ul-Azha, he said.

Currently there are only three public slaugh-terhouses in the capital, located in Mirpur, Mo-hammadpur and Hazaribagh, which are very few in number compared to the demand.

Dr Tarik further said the DNCC was plan-ning to build another modern slaughterhouse in the city’s Mohakhali area soon.

Dhaka is a mega city with more than 10 million inhabitants and requires a huge num-ber of slaughterhouses, but a lack of initiative did not let such facilities to be introduced, he added.

The new slaughterhouse was established with the support of Islamic Relief in Dhaka.

However, there are some privately-owned slaughterhouses with similar facilities in the capital, established by meat exporters such as the Bengal Meat. l

Avijit’s murder protested at JUn JU Correspondent

Teachers and students of Jahangirnagar Uni-versity (JU) yesterday formed a human chain on the campus protesting the recent murder of Avijit Roy, founder of the Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog site.

They also demanded exemplary punish-ment to the killers.

Unidenti� ed assailants killed Avijit, 42, and badly wounded his wife Ra� da Ahmed Bonya on the Dhaka University campus when the couple came out of the Ekushey book fair on Thursday last.

Under the banner of “JU Family”, more than one hundred teachers and students from di� erent departments and institutes took part in the event on Shaheed Minar premises on

JU campus around 11am. Several cultural and political organisations also expressed solidar-ity with the programme.

Former JU pro-vice chancellor Prof Dr Af-sar Ahmad, former JUTA president Prof Dr AA Mamun, history department teachers Prof Dr ATM Atikur Rahman and Golam Rabbani; Government and Politics department teacher Prof Noim Sultan, English department teach-er Prof Ahmed Reza, Philosophy department teachers Prof ASM Anwarullah Bhuiya and Raihan Rhyne, among others, attended the programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Afsar, also a teacher of drama and dramatics department, said it is di� cult to accept such death of sci-ence writer Avijit when a pro-liberation war government is power.

Prof ATM Atikur said: “Avijit was working to bring an e� ective change in the society through logic, intellectuality and talent.”

“Whoever committed the incident, the government cannot ignore the responsibility,” he said.

Philosophy department teacher associate professor Raihan Rhyne said the killers might have dared commit such crime as justice has not been ensured in the previous incidence of such killing.

Prof Golam Rabbani said the killers man-aged to � ee the spot as nearby policemen re-mained inactive.

The leaders and activists of JU unit Chhatra Union, Chhatra Front, JU Debate Organization (JUDO), Jahangirnagar Theatre, JU Debating Society (JUDS) also attended programme. l

Jail Khal, lifeline of Barisal city, shrivels upn Our Correspondent, Barisal

It is tough to recognise Jail Khal as a canal because of encroachment, earth � lling, and dumping of waste into the water body.

Now, the canal is facing another challenge. Thus, townspeople of Barisal are fearing that the canal might extinct one day.

To meet the demand of water, the Barisal City Corporation and the Sylhet City Corpo-ration set up two water treatment plants at Amanatganj and Ruptoli of the city in 2013.

The two city corporations and the The Pub-lic Health Engineering Department are jointly implementing the project.

Currently, the PHED is installing water supply pipelines in the canal blocking water � ow. Con-sequently, the canal has already shriveled up.

During a visit to di� erent points of the ca-nal, this correspondent found that water of the canal has been blocked at Nathullabad and Nazirer Pol points.

It was learnt from sources that the PHED is installing these pipelines without taking any permission from the Department of Environ-ment (DoE).

Sukumar Biswas, director of the DoE o� ce in Barisal, said no one had informed them about the matter or taken permission from them.

Lutful Alam, sub-assistant engineer of the PHED Barisal, said the work was implement-ing under Sylhet- Barisal City Corporations Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage Devel-

opment Project with a cost of Tk220 crores. About 70% works of the project has already

completed and now works for installing and developing 20 kilometres pipelines of drink-ing water are going on. He said they did not take permission from the DoE since installa-tion of pipelines has almost done.

Nikhil Chandra Das, chief executive o� cer of Barisal City Corporation, said water would

be supplied to city residents through the pipe-lines from the two treatment plants.

The blocked portions would be opened as soon as the installation works of supply pipe-lines completed, he said. On other hand, city residents alleged that as water � ow of the ca-nal stopped, waste which the townspeople dump into the water body is also in stalled state that polluting environment.

Abdul Motalab, a resident of Nazirer Pol area, said: “Now the canal has become a dust-bin of garbage which is spreading bad smell.”

Kisore Karmokar, a resident of Nathulla-bad area, the canal had turned into a breeding ground of mosquitoes.

He demanded that authorities concerned make water � ow of the canal free as soon as possible. l

Jail Khal turns into a mere drain as the Barisal City Corporation installs pipe line for supplying water to the residents DHAKA TRIBUNE


50 injured in clash for landAt least 50 people were injured in a clash between two rival groups in the district for land. According to police sources, there had been a longstanding con� ict between the people of Sittingbari and Goruchi villages over establishing supremacy on 40 bighas khas land. On the day, people from the two sides were locked in a clash over the issue and attacked each other leaving 50 injured. Goainhat police station O� cer-in-Charge Abdul Hi con� rmed the incident.– Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Three die having liquorin GaibandhaThree people died reportedly after taking liquor at Bhaghbanpur village in Polashbari upazila here yesterday and the previous day. The victims are Mukhlal Robidas, 35, from the village, Robilal Ro-bidas, 45, of Sutrapur area in Bogra Sadar upazila, and Vasani Robidas, 40, from Shapla Chattar area in Rangpur Sadar. When asked, Polashbari police station OC Mojibur Rahman acknowledged the reason of the death, telling that the trio drank locally-made liquor in a marriage programme of one of their relatives in the village early Sunday, resulting they fell in severe sick. However, Mukhlal died before dawn while whisking him o� to Gubindaganj Upazila Health Complex while Robilal died in Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical Col-lege Hospital at the time of undergoing treatment in the morning. And � nally, the rest one died in Rangpur Medical College Hospital in yesterday

morning. The OC went on that he visited the spot to investigate the incident.– Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

Drug addicts attack cops;two injured A team of police came under attack by drug peddlers in the city yesterday and two of them be-came critically injured. Sub Inspector Ahsan Kabir of Barisal Metropolitan police said the team raided the house of drug peddler Kamal Chowdhury at Fishery Road in Kashipur area at night. When the police entered the house, the drug peddlers attacked the cops leaving two of them injured. Later, the police also arrested Kamal and his son. They were sent to jail.– Our Correspondent, Barisal

BGB-BSF friendship matchheld in PanchagarhA friendly volley ball match between Bangladesh Border Guard and Indian Border Security Force was held in the district yesterday afternoon. Panchagarh-18, BGB Battalion organised the event inside Bangladesh on Mirgarh border in Sadar upazila near pillar No.422/12-S.A 25-member BSF team led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Kishanganj BSF Sector S K Panwar entered the venue. Sector Commander of BGB Colonel Md Akramul Haque received the Indian team by giving bunches of � owers. – Our Correspondent, Panchagarh

Bamboo garden at riskof extinctionn Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Bamboo garden in Sylhet, the � rst project of the plants taken by the Forest Department in the country in 2013, faces extinction in span of two years due to lack of proper maintaining and fund crisis.

Sources said the garden started near Sylhet Airport area on 3 acres land.

A substantial number of uncommon spe-cies of bamboo including Kolsi, Rupahi, Ten-ga, Jai, Muli, Thai Barua, Kata Barua, Poly Morka, Konchi, Budum, Kali, Sonali, Dolu, Makal, Mitringa, Tetua, Ora, Betua, Parua, Ba-rua, Butom and Rongon were planted.

A total of 700 foreign bamboo saplings of 24 species were planted in the garden. Each sapling cost Tk4,000 to Tk5,000, said forest o� cer Nalini Kanto Das.

The journey of the garden embarked with enormous ecstasy and long vision. For the people of the district it was one kind of dream.

According to locals, as Sylhet is a rain-prone region, bamboo productions are nat-urally in high rate compared to other region. The presence of bamboo garden gradually declines. Indeed, the garden made thinking to return the golden age of bamboo. But this expectation went in vein.

Visiting the spot it was found that the sce-nario of the area was very fascinating. There is a signboard in front of the garden, where

presented the species and name of various bamboo. Seeing the signboard, people vis-it the garden. But they become frustrated as there is no plant according to the description. Only 50-60 plants are alive.

Ali Ahmed, a visitor also the student of Shah-jalal university said: “I am frustrated to see the poor scenario of the garden.”

Asraful Kobir, the convener of Bhumison-than, an environmental organization, said: “The garden might be a model in Bamboo in-dustry if it was cared properly.”

When contacted, Delwar Hossain, Divi-sional Forest O� cer (DFO) said:

“Development of the � rst Bamboo garden is being hampered due to budget shortage. If we get adequate allocations, we have a plan to renovate it.” l

BCL men fell hundred trees in Barisal n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Ruling party men and roads and highways of-� cials have been alleged for cutting down en-tire trees by the Barisal-Dhaka Highway in the name of trimming branches.

During a visit to the spot, a number of trees that have timber value, including mahogany, rain tree, and chambal, were seen fallen at Bhurghata.

A group of BCL activists carried out the act

in presence of roads and highways o� cials.Shakhawat Hossain, sub-assistant engineer

of Barisal Roads and Highway Department, al-leged that Md Tuhin, Chhatra League president of city ward 23, engaged in the work on a 50-50 share with the Barisal Roads and Highways Department. Rashedul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of Barisal Roads and Highways De-partment, said they were doing the work with permission of the executive engineer and stock-

ing the branches on the courtyard of the o� ce. Khaled Shahed, executive engineer of Ba-

risal Roads and Highways Department, said every year they trim more than hundred trees on the 58-km area by the Barisal-Dhaka High-way for avoiding accidents during storms.

This year, the work started about a month ago under the supervision of the department.

Golam Quddus Bhuiya, Barisal divisional forest o� cer, said he was not aware of the act.

The BCL leaders are cutting down valuable portions of matured trees in the name of trim-ming branches only and taking away the logs by mini-trucks, Shakhawat claimed.

However, denying his involvement, Tuhin said they were trimming only those portions which might turn risky for transports and pas-sengers during stormy season. The o� cials of the Roads and Highways Department were su-pervising the act. l

NEWS IN BRIEF

‘Development of the � rst Bamboo garden is being hampered due to budget shortage. If we get adequate allocations, we have a plan to renovate it’

Full grown trees with a good market value are cut down, instead of trim-ming, on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in the name of ensuring road safety. However, no tender was � oated in this regard violating government reg-ulation. The photo was taken at Gouronadi part of the highway

DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS 9D


Various water bodies of Rajshahi are already drying up even before the scorching summer has set in. This has caused troubles for farmers cultivating irrigation-heavy Boro and wheat on the adjacent lands. The photo was taken at Bagmara upazila yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

Ongoing unrest takes a heavy toll on Sonahat land portn Our Correspondent, Kurigram

Sonahat Land Port in the district has been facing tough time as the running country-wide hartal and blockade programmes have pushed it to a big trouble state.

The untoward situation appeared when the vehicular plying on the highways limited in fear of possible petrol bomb attacks or van-dalism by blockaders or pickets.

Consequently, not only the businessmen were incurring loss also the port authorities failed to reach tax collection benchmark ow-ing to the harmful political activities.

Besides, the workers involving the port were passing their idle time because of less-ening hustle and bustle there.

While visiting, the correspondent found that huge quantity of coal and stone was piled up on the port premises for long.

One coal importer named Nabidul Islam said none was eager to purchase and carry their goods by leaving their lives amid a great risk as petrol bomb attacks have become common scenario since the starting of the political programmes called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

It was learnt that the land port is situat-ed in Bhurungamari upazila, near Gulakganj police station area of Assam state in India. It had been closed during the 1947 India-Paki-stan separation and � nally the government opened the land port again in 2013 and since then basically coal and stone were being im-ported into the country from the neighbour-ing country via it.

Khalilur Rahman, customs inspector of So-nahat Land port, said they had collected ex-cise tax above Tk1 crore in December last year while the � gure stood at just Tk1.71 crore in January and February this year together.

The BNP-Jamaat alliance enforced hartals and blockade led to the decrease in tax collec-tion, the inspector went on.

Sonahat Land Port Importers-Exporters Samity General Secretary Abdur Razzak said activities at the port have lessened alarmingly due to hartal and blockade caused transport cri-sis. As a result, the businessmen were incurring huge amid the su� ocating economic situation.

On the other hand, particularly coal busi-nessmen have been pushed to sell their prod-ucts at low price than usual as the season was left only for one and a half months, the leader continued.

Sonahat Land Port Load-Unload handling Samity President Anwar said recurrent har-tals and blockade have made them workless. “Since the situation continues, the would face tough time,” the president also said. l

Rivals grab a company’scultivable landn Our Correspondent, Panchagarh

A rival company illegally grabbed a 20-acre cultivable land owned by Barbie Green Care at Benghari union in Boda upazila, Panchagarh on Saturday.

Locals said a gang of 50-60 people led by Saifuddin Manik, an o� cial at Green Gold Limited, the rival of Barbie Green Care, alleg-edly entered the area and destroyed tea, fruit and other plantations by ploughing the land. Later they erected a tin house to stake their claim to the land.

When the sta� of Barbie Green Care went to stop them, the thugs chased them away, the witnesses said.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Barbie Green Care’s Public Relation O� ce Md Amirul Islam said: “They have been trying to grab our land for a long time, causing some harm to our plantations every day. But today, they just up-rooted all our gardens.

“We were supposed to have a meeting with that company on Tuesday [tomorrow],to be mediated by Benghari union parish-ad Chairman Abul Kalam Azad, but theydid not wait until the mediation and de-stroyed our land.”

Ashraful Islam Rimon, in-chargeof Barbie Green Care’s Panchagarh unit,said: “They have uprooted more than a hundred trees in our gardens and all our tea plants.

This has caused us a loss of around Tk50 lakh.”

When this report was � led, the victim company was preparing to � le a case with Boda police station in this regard.

When contacted by the Dhaka Tribune, Saifuddin Manik said he was out of station and would contact later. l

Government hospitals in Khulna limp with a myriad of problemsn Our Correspondent, Khulna

The government hospitals and healthcare centres in Khulna division are struggling to provide services to the thousands of people due to manpower shortage, low budget allo-cation and lack of necessary equipment.

According to sources, there are about 2,445 vacant positions in the main healthcare cen-tres in 10 districts of the division.

Moreover, the specialised burn unit, mod-ern ICU, cancer treatment centre and such other initiatives in various hospitals fell � at because of lack of manpower and equipment. In addition, the centres that are running are also not able to provide their best service due to low fund allocation against the high num-ber of patients.

In this circumstance, Health Minister Mo-hammad Nasim is again on a visit to the di-vision within a span of 10 months. During his last visit, he promised to upgrade Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) to a 1,000 bed one and allocate Tk5 crore to buy equip-ment.

However, the promises have not been ful� lled yet and the locals again raised their demands during this second visit of the min-ister.

Some of the demands put forward by the KMCH authorities are upgradation, recruiting manpower, buying equipment for the burn unit, ICU and radiotherapy, opening new de-partments of respiratory and psychiatry, and modernisation of existing departments.

Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital of Khulna city’s Gowalkhali area is also in dire condition. The 75-bed hospital is faced with

huge pressure of patients against its limited resources. The burn unit and ICU of the hos-pital is not operational in � ve years since in-auguration.

Moreover, the chest disease hospital in Khulna is run in a tin-shed building. It is also facing manpower and equipment crisis.

Concerns were raised by the 50-bed hospi-tals of Dighaliya, Terokhada, Dumuria, Paik-gachha and Koyra as well.

Dr Md Abdus Samad, in-charge of KMCH said the visiting health minister would be in-formed about the demands of the hospital. He said the hospital, which is now run with only 382 personnel, needed at least 1600 to operate properly.

Khulna’s Civil Surgeon Dr Md Yasin Ali Sar-dar said: “The Khulna General Hospital needs to be upgraded to a 250-bed one. It also need-ed repair and construction of new buildings.”

President of Greater Khulna Unnayan San-gram Somonnoy Commitee Sheikh Ashraf-uz-Zaman said if the cancer unit of KMCH were fully functional, patients from Khulnawould not need to go to Dhaka for cancer treatment. He urged quick implementation of the project.

The Health Minister is scheduled to visit Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital and Khulna Medical College Hospital during his Khulna tour. Later, he will hold a meeting with prominent doctors and leaders of Bang-ladesh Medical Association.

Health Director of Khulna Dr Anil Chan-dra Dutt said they would put forward all the demands to the minister. He was hopeful of quick solution to the problems facing the hos-pitals and healthcare centres. l

Particularly coal businessmen have been pushed to sell their products at low price than usual as the season was left only for one and a half months

WORLD10DT

TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

ANALYSIS‘Jihadi John’ won’t have the same impact unmasked n Agencies

As “Jihad i John,” he was a terrifying � gure, his identity concealed by a black mask, his threat-ening tone backed up by his oversize, serrated knife and his willingness to use it in the name of Islamic State and its self-declared caliphate.

His professional-looking videos began with a political rant and ended with his victims ly-ing dead at his feet, severed heads cupped in the sands of Syria. He seemed both judge and executioner, savoring each fresh kill.

After the 9/11 attacks on the US, many believed that terrorists would turn to crude weapons of mass destructions to attack cities. Few predicted that a man with a knife and a video production team could have such an impact using a medieval technique.

Now that he has been exposed as Moham-med Emwazi, the tall man with the British accent and mocking tone is no longer a mys-tery. He is revealed as one more furious young Londoner, in this case a well-educated, mid-dle-class jihadi in his mid-20s who turned against his adopted country after he moved to Britain from Kuwait as a boy.

His unmasking may well have reduced his usefulness to the cause.

For one thing, with his identity known, and the global distribution of pictures of him look-ing slightly goofy in an ill-� tting Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap, Emwazi may become less sinister to viewers, less able to send chills up the spines of people who abhor Islamic State’s claim to be killing civilians in the name of Islam.

If he kills again on camera, the element of surprise will be gone and the reaction may well be, “Oh, him again.”

Also, now that authorities know who he is, there is little doubt he will become the target of a drone attack if the US or Britain can learn his precise whereabouts. The pressure on him could make him less valuable to Islamic State militants - perhaps even a liability.

Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism specialist with the Swedish National Defense College, said Emwazi can be expected to play a reduced role in the organisation because every time he speaks on a mobile phone he risks having his location pinpointed, sparking drone � re that could kill him and others. Ranstorp said the identi� cation of Emwazi also gives the public hope that he will be brought to justice.

“It’s quite important for families of the victims,” he said. “They know where to fo-cus. They know there is one particular person who has been named who authorities will fo-cus on and who will live for the rest of his life knowing that every day he will face a possible drone attack. Now that he is known, he may not be as menacing as he once was.”

Now that details about his personal trajec-tory have begun to emerge, Emwazi becomes the stu� of parliamentary inquiries: How was he radicalised? Why didn’t the security ser-vices determine he was a mortal threat and do something to keep him from getting to Syria?

Emwazi is perhaps the most chilling exemplar of the radicalisation trend that is gaining pace not just in Britain but also in France, Belgium, Denmark and other countries in western Europe.

He went to Syria early, in 2013, in the van-guard of the British jihadi movement, before the Islamic State militants seized territory and issued a call for other likeminded people - including girls and young women - to join its ranks in Syria and Iraq. l

Kerry defends Israel before UN rights paneln AP, Geneva

US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday delivered a vigorous defense of Israel before the UN Human Rights Council, urging its members to end what the United States says is its unfair and biased focus on the Jewish State that could undermine its credibility. His remarks came as the Obama administration attempts to blunt complaints that it has not been strong enough in its support for Israel, criticism now centered on its pursuit of a nu-clear deal with Iran.

Even as a bitter US-Israel dispute over a possible Iran deal was expected to heat up in Washington later yesterday, Kerry a� rmed America’s steadfast commitment to its top Mideast ally and called on the council to take a more balanced approach toward Israel. The council frequently targets Israel for criticism in resolutions and investigations, notably over military action it has taken against Palestinian militants in Gaza. A new report commissioned by the council about last year’s Gaza war is ex-pected to be released later this month. l

Netanyahu arrives in US to oppose Iran nuclear dealn The Guardian

Israel and the US are bracing this week for the most strained moment in relations since Barack Obama came to power, after the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, arrived in Washington on Sunday night to urge Con-gress to oppose a nuclear deal with Iran.

As he � ew out of Ben Gurion airport, Netan-yahu described his 48-hour trip to Washington as “a fateful, even historic mission,” which is to culminate in a controversial speech to Congress in which he will speak out against an emerging pact with Iran over its nuclear programme.

“I feel deep and sincere concern for the se-curity of Israel’s citizens and for the fate of the state and of all our people,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to ensure our future.” Netanyahu will address the American Israel pub-lic a� airs committee (Aipac) yesterday, before delivering his speech to Congress on Tuesday.

Dozens of Democrats are threatening to boycott the address and the White House will get its retaliation in � rst at Aipac yesterday when national security adviser Susan Rice urges Israel to give the bene� t of the doubt to the international talks, which are aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, rather than pursue what she has a called a destructive intervention.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday tried to calm tensions ahead of the speech but insisted the Obama administration’s diplo-matic record with Iran entitles the US to “the bene� t of the doubt” as negotiators work to-ward a long-term nuclear deal.

Kerry said in an interview broadcast be-fore he arrived in Switzerland for talks with Iran’s foreign minister yesterday that Netan-yahu was welcome to speak in the US and that the administration did not want the event “turned into some great political football.” l

Iran says nuclear deal hinges on sanctionsn Reuters, Geneva

A deal on Iran’s nuclear program could be concluded this week if the United States and other Western countries have su� cient po-litical will and agree to remove sanctions on Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said yesterday.

“Our negotiating partners, particularly the Western countries and particularly the Unit-ed States, must once and for all come to the understanding that sanctions and agreement don’t go together,” he said in Geneva. “If they want an agreement, sanctions must go... We believe all sanctions must be lifted.”

He told reporters that Iran, whose disa-greement with six world powers over how fast sanctions should be dropped is one of the main obstacles to a � nal nuclear accord, had demonstrated its political will by bringing its highest authorities to the talks and leaving “no stone unturned.”

Asked about his expectations for talks this week with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Zarif said things were advancing. “We have made some progress since last time and if there is the political will to accept that an agreement and sanctions cannot go together, then we can have an agreement this time.”

The objective of the negotiations is a deal

that ensures Iran’s nuclear program is exclu-sively peaceful and also ensures that all sanc-tions are lifted, Zarif said.

Asked if what the West sees as the possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear activity had been discussed, Zarif said: “We talked about all the issues we were supposed to talk about.” Iran denies seeking nuclear energy for bomb purposes.

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, on the other hand, said yesterday Iran had still not handed over key informa-tion to his sta� , and his body’s investigation into Tehran’s atomic programme could not continue inde� nitely. l

File photo shows smog down a main street of Linfen, in China’s Shanxi province, regarded as one of the cities with the worst air pollution in the world. An online documentary on China’s notorious smog has become a viral sensation with more than 155 million views just one day after it was released AFP

TOXIC HAZE

WORLD 11D


North Korea, angeredby drills, � resshort-range missilesn Reuters

North Korea � red two short-range missiles o� its east coast yesterday, South Korean o� cials said, a de� ant response to annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States but one which drew a swift protest from Japan.

The � ring came hours before the US-South Korean military exercises were scheduled to begin, drills which the secretive North de-nounces as a preparation for war.

The missiles hit the sea early yesterday morning after traveling for about 490 km (305 miles), according to South Korea’s defense ministry. Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said North Korea � red the missiles without designating any no-sail zones, which was re-garded as a provocation. Pyongyang has es-calated its rhetoric against the drills, with a spokesman for its army general sta� saying Washington and Seoul “should be dealt with only by merciless strikes.” l

Hong Kong arrests 38 as anti-China protesters scu� e with policen Reuters

Hong Kong police arrested 38 people after a group of about 400 demonstrators clashed with police, in the latest sign of tension caused by China’s in� uence in the city.

Protesters in Yuen Long, in the New Ter-ritories just a stone’s throw from mainland China, chanted “Cancel the multiple-entry permit,” and “Topple the Chinese Communist Party,” as they complained about so-called parallel traders, who make pro� ts by selling across the border goods bought in Hong Kong.

Demonstrators used garbage bins to block the main street in the area, halting tra� c. Po-lice used pepper spray to deter some people. A woman protester was bleeding from the nose as police dragged her away from the scene.

On yesterday afternoon, a police spokesman said a total of 38 people aged 13 to 74 had been ar-rested for o� ences ranging from the possession of o� ensive weapons to assault and disorder. l

Brother of Australianon Indonesia deathrow pleads for mercyn AFP

The brother of an Australian facing imminent execution in Indonesia has appealed on na-tional television for President Joko Widodo to spare the drug smuggler’s life.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug tra� cking gang, were convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005 and sentenced to death the following year.

The men, in their early 30s, recently lost their appeals for presidential clemency, typ-ically a death row convict’s last chance to avoid the � ring squad, and are expected to be put to death soon.

The families of the pair have been calling for Widodo to show mercy, arguing the men are reformed characters after years in pris-on, and late Sunday Chan’s brother, Michael, made a fresh appeal. l

Iraq forces take on Tikrit in biggest operation yetn AFP, Kirkuk

Some 30,000 Iraqi troops and militia backed by aircraft pounded jihadist positions in and around Tikrit yesterday in the biggest o� en-sive yet to retake one of the Islamic State group’s main strongholds.

Government forces have been working their way north in recent months, notching up key victories against IS but Tikrit, which has resisted them several times, is their toughest target yet.

Building on recent successes, command-ers voiced hope that the broadest operation since IS overran swathes of the country last June would be a step towards the liberation of Mosul, the jihadists’ main hub in Iraq.

“Security forces are advancing on three main fronts towards Tikrit, Ad-Dawr (to the south) and Al-Alam (to the north),” a senior army of-� cer on the ground told AFP by telephone.

The operation began in early morning after being announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi the previous evening.

The army o� cer said the forces involved in the battle were from the army, police, coun-ter-terrorism units, a government-controlled volunteer group known as the Popular Mobilisa-tion units and local Sunni tribes opposed to IS.

“The attack is being carried out using � ghter jets, helicopters and artillery targeting Tikrit to secure the advance and cut supply routes,” he said.

Military sources said Iraqi warplanes were in-volved but it was not immediately clear wheth-er foreign air support – Iranian or from the US-led coalition � ghting IS – was also called in.

According to both Iraqi and Iranian media, Qassem Soleimani – the commander of the Al-Qods Force covert operations unit of Tehran’s elite Revolutionary Guards – was in Salahed-din province to help coordinate operations.

Appeal to spare civiliansAbadi urged the security forces on Sunday to

spare civilians during the o� ensive.Speaking from Samarra, the other main

city in Salaheddin province, he appeared to be addressing fears of reprisals against the Tikrit area’s Sunni population.

“The priority we gave to the armed forces and all the forces taking part alongside them is to preserve the security of citizens,” he told reporters.

On social media, he called “for utmost care in protecting civilian lives and property.”

Hadi al-Ameri, the Popular Mobilisation commander and a central � gure in Iraq’s � ghtback against IS, appealed to Tikrit resi-dents on Saturday to leave their homes within 48 hours so government forces could “wrap up the battle of the revenge for Speicher.”

Speicher is a military base near Tikrit from which hundreds of new, mostly Shiite, re-

cruits were kidnapped before being executed in the early days of the IS o� ensive that swept through much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad last June.

Shiite militias in particular have vowed to avenge the Speicher executions, sparking fears of mass killings against Sunnis if Tikrit were to be recaptured.

Some Sunni tribes in the Tikrit area have been accused of direct involvement in the Speicher massacre.

Abadi appealed to residents to turn against the jihadists, who have su� ered a string of military losses since Iraq’s foreign partners stepped up their support.

“I call on all those who were misled and made mistakes in the past to lay down their arms to-day. This may be the last chance,” Abadi said, suggesting some could be granted amnesty. l

Kerry meets Lavrov as Ukraine death tollsoars past 6,000n AFP, Geneva

US Secretary of State John Kerry held tense talks with his Russian counterpart in Geneva yesterday to end � ghting in Ukraine, where the UN says more than 6,000 have died in less than a year.

The meeting with Sergei Lavrov in Gene-va came less than a week after Kerry accused Moscow of lying about its involvement in the con� ict, and as high-stake talks to resolve a bitter gas dispute between Kiev and Moscow were also due in Brussels.

Speaking after the Geneva talks, Russia’s foreign minister welcomed “tangible pro-gress” in the implementation of a February 15 peace deal, saying “the cease� re is being con-solidated, heavy weapons are withdrawn.”

Fighting has halted along most of Ukraine’s frontline, raising hopes that Kiev and pro-Krem-lin rebels holding parts of the east are moving towards implementing the shaky deal. l

New Srinagar govt urges talks with Pakistan, Hurriyat n Agencies

Jammu and Kashmir’s new ruling coalition sworn in on Sunday has nudged Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi to resume talks with Pa-kistan and Kashmiri stakeholders, including the Hurriyat Conference.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Kashmir’s People’s Democratic Party nom-inated 11 and 12 ministers respectively who took the oath of o� ce under the watch of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, founder and head of PDP. Modi and his senior party members were present at the ceremony.

“The (Modi) government has recently initiated several steps to normalise the re-lationship with Pakistan,” the coalition’s common minimum programme noted ap-parently referring to the coming visit of Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar to

Islamabad on Tuesday.“The coalition government will seek to

support and strengthen the approach and in-itiatives taken by the government to create a reconciliatory environment and build stakes for all in the peace and development within the sub-continent.”

Sayeed was previously quoted as say-ing that peace dialogue with Pakistan was a non-negotiable precondition for his agreeing to join a coalition with the BJP, which has got its � rst chance to sit in the treasury benches.

Ties with Pakistan would be pursued “by taking con� dence building measures such as enhancing people to people contact on both sides of the LoC, encouraging civil society ex-changes, taking travel, commerce, trade and business across the LoC to the next level and opening new routes across all three regions to enhancing connectivity.” l

Members of the Iraqi security forces coming from the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, drive towards al-Dawr area located south of Tikrit to launch an assault against IS yesterday AFP

EDITORIAL12DT


Violence during the hartal and blockade programs of the last two months has taken over 100 lives, including those of students and teachers.

It is right that university authorities be expected to keep as their highest priority the safety of all students and sta� at educational institutions.

Di� erent universities have taken di� erent approaches to addressing the very real disruption to transport and fear of violence brought about by the political crisis. Most educational institutions have been taking classes on hartal-free Fridays and Saturdays, while some public universities have been holding classes on hartal days on a limited basis.

In all cases, it is understandable that student attendance remains lower than normal, and it is deeply regret-table that exams have had to be post-poned.

As a nation, we cannot to allow this type of costly disruption to higher education to go on inde� nitely.

We believe there is merit in the proposal discussed by the board of the University Grants Commission to issue directives to the vice-chancellors of all public and private universities to stay open during the ongoing hartal and blockade programmes.

The UGC is right to to take a lead in trying to overcome the prospect of further delays to exams and teaching sessions.

In the absence of a political settlement to lift the fear of violence, it is important for the government to ensure and provide more security for sta� and students at uni-versities, so institutions can take a more pragmatic approach to coping with hartals.

The UGC is right to to take a lead to end disruption to higher education

Help keep universities open

We welcome the release of the � nal assessment report on December’s large oil spill on the Sela River in the Sunderbans.

It is vital the government act urgently on the 10 speci� c recommenda-tions made to reduce risk and improve disaster management.

There can be no room for complacency. The report makes clear that the full ex-tent of damage caused to the region’s ecosystem and food chain can only be properly understood via more long-term monitoring of the forest waters and � oor.

Building response capacity mat-ters. The report rightly calls for more priority to be given to ensuring proper equipment and training is provided to the local communities who risked huge health hazards by manually cleaning up furnace oil without protective gear.

More importantly, however, the government has to eliminate the risks caused by vessel movements through this unique World Heritage site. Controls on vessel movement must be strengthened and assisted by ensuring less risky alterna-tive routes are made viable. Faster progress must be made on dredging the Mong-la-Ghasiakhali channel and developing new land routes.

Action must also be taken to hold to account those responsible for the illegality and recklessness which created the conditions for this wholly preventable oil spill to take place.

Without ensuring accountability, stringent legal protections for the Sundarbans will be insu� cient to prevent the negligence and law breaking which leads to disas-ters like this in the � rst place.

Do not delay on action to protect the Sundarbans

There can be no room for complacency

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email [email protected]

Send us your Op-Ed articles:[email protected]

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

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Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email [email protected]

Send us your Op-Ed articles:[email protected]

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

Nationwide cyanideFebruary 12

sundarI will advise the opposite thing to do. Keep your house locked and come out to the streets and highways, creating a tsunami of people which might wash out the bomb throwers, along with those under whose behest they are doing it. Con� ning yourself to your homes will not help, because then they will start throwing bombs at your house.

TJWell said, Rubaiyat! That’s what they want us to do, hide in our houses and watch them destroy our country. And it feels like we are doing that very thing.

The real test for our hospitalsFebruary 12

MSirajullahThe body of a child develops slowly with growth in every part. If one part suddenly grows outpacing the other parts, we call it cancer and it must be cut o� . You cannot have world standard hospitals in a third-world country. If any department should be given more priority that should be education.

MonesaIn conscience, no one should force “rich and in� uential” citizens to use our hospitals. But if a few more freely spent their money in our hospitals, I bet there would be quicker improvements.

Sagar-Runi killing – RAB searching for two unidenti� ed suspects

February 12Abu Syeed

48 hrs to 36 months ... should we be worried?

Adnan Qader36 months to get a lead or cook up the per-fect cover-up story? Who are they framing?

Novels, � ctions, and ghost stories at the top of sales chart

February 11Jarin Japon

Missing Humayun Ahmed.

The cracks in our foundationsFebruary 12

Tarik ChowdhuryOK. This is the � rst one I have read from

Dina, quite impressed.

RMG losses stand at Tk22,000cr in blockade

February 12Sahel Kabir

What will Bangalis eat?

Modi phones HasinaFebruary 13

Nadia Afrin… and did he ask her to be his valentine?

Abducted school girl found dead

February 13Mahbub Manik

A failed police state ...

DT

Jamaat leader held, explosives recoveredFebruary 12

MSirajullahIslam is a religion of peace. If this gentle-man has explosives in his possession, he can not be a Muslim. If he was a Muslim before then he should be beheaded as a murtad!

GuestMSirajullah: Whatever was recovered can’t

be used as car bombs or suicide bombs, as in Iraq and Pakistan.

They can only be used for burning vehicles (gunpowder for more vigorous � ame).

F138Guest: Your point being? Do you know that setting people on � re is against Islam?

OPINION 13D


n Shayan S Khan

I shouldn’t have to break this to you, but “what we’ve got here”... is a situation gone to the dogs. Oh yes, it’s obviously

been said before. It’s not that di� erent from what’s being said right now. All the lying and the blaming, all that disappearing, that’s what it all says all the time. It’s distaste-ful and it is decidedly unworthy. But we shouldn’t have to bother about it.

Not all of us. Not all of the time. Clearly reason will not be the deciding factor in resolving the crisis here. That, by the way, would dictate an election acceptable to all as the best way out of a volley of tricky options. It is notable that the tactical maneuvering of each party to the con� ict is being carried out on the basis of “popular support.”

These claims are mostly baseless, or at least not credible most of the time. We all know it’s actually been seven years now since we’ve had a chance to have our say and settle a debate, be it temporarily. It’s too long, and it’s feeding the tendency, indeed allowing our politicians, to claim the moral high ground

a� orded by citing “public support” for their actions, the belief that the people are behind them, even as the ground beneath their feet is sinking. It needs an election; that tells everyone the score. To say nothing of the farce that was January 5, 2014.

But let’s rein in our imaginations, contain those creative juices, and settle on the reality, where reason is shunned. You would think it’s almost taboo. Or there is some form of it running riot, but it only feeds the frenzy, it’s not the kind you identify with.

It rationalises the killing in full public view of a writer, or advocates the view that Kamal Hossain is a traitor. It’s di� cult to want to have anything to do with that kind of think-ing. Still, I know there are those who must bite the dirt and engage, out of obligation or conscience.

Those on the political beat, rights groups, etc. Poets and dreamers. Although I’m not sure too many aesthetes. They must � nd this all particularly abhorrent, what with all the blood, the sand. In order to relieve those senses, and spare reason its fated manhan-dling, it is eminently advisable to take our

minds o� it all for a period. This may come across as insensitive or

insulting to the su� ering of thousands, the murder of innocents. Yet it’s all you’re left with, to keep your head above these waters, they’re so murky and treacherous. Besides, they won’t let you make a di� erence.

The results from the Pew Research Centre’s survey on global attitudes are telling. They found Bangladeshis report the highest participation in politics, across 33 nations surveyed. From the report’s execu-tive summary: “While about two-thirds of Bangladeshis (65%) report higher levels of participation, other Asian publics are less apt to participate. Pakistan (12%) is home to the lowest level of political engagement among the 30 countries included in the index. Indonesia (20%), the Philippines (21%) and Malaysia (26%) also have relatively low participation rates.”

Unfortunately, for such high levels of in-terest, we were found to be dreadfully want-ing in terms of our political e� cacy, with 69% of those surveyed stating they don’t believe the government care about what they

think, despite all their engagement. These numbers make sense to me. They

radiate a certain reality. They also veer dan-gerously close to reason. Before we tip over, I’d say catch the raindrop before it’s fallen. “Disengage” is the calling.

I’ve found this pretty straightforward to be honest, certainly since the World Cup started, and despite all the vulgarity that’s invaded cricket recently. Much more enriching for the soul to dwell on the shape of Southee’s swing (or Starc’s for that matter), the balance at the crease of Amla, or the extravagance of Sangakkara.

Avijit Roy’s murder came as a rude shock mostly, another sickening chapter that forced the hand quite literally. But calls for justice are really so rudimentary. It’s like being in a bad relationship. End of the day, one can al-ways come back to it, if that cruel heart starts a-pining. There’s no new sun on the horizon. Just a pack of old dogs a-howling. l

Shayan S Khan is Executive Editor of the Dhaka Courier, and teaches media and politics at Jahangirnagar University.

Gone to the dogs

n Shafi qur Rahman

Rationalist, humanist, and anti-reli-gion activist Avijit Roy was brutally chopped to death in Dhaka on the

evening of February 26. Although a religious extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, speculations are rife as usual in our distrust and paranoia-besotted commu-nity about the perpetrators, their motives, and their methods.

I want to say exactly what I said only a couple of months ago after the Charlie Hebdo massacre: It matters little who carried out the attack, far more important is the fact that tens of millions around the world are cheer-ing and supporting the attack. When tens of millions support a particular kind of killing, when tens of thousands profess themselves to be ready to carry out such killings, when hundreds actively look for opportunities for such killing, is it surprising that a few score actually do the killing?

What invited such wrath of millions? Avijit Roy was the pre-eminent anti-religion author and activist in Bangladesh in recent decades. He wrote several books on science and religion that forcefully pointed out the inadequacy of religions to stand up to en-lightenment, science, and humanism.

His books and articles were always meticulously and exhaustively researched, his arguments were systematic. His books inspired tens of thousands of curious minds to know more about the beauty and wonders of science and to be bold enough to ques-tion religious dogmas that fail to stand up to reason.

Therein lies the source of insecure rage of the religious fundamentalists; they cannot counter him with words and reason, so they had to silence the most pernicious threat to

the coherence of their world of faith. And I say it again, it matters little who actually silenced him; the millions who wanted him dead are more of concern.

Avijit Roy wrote against religion and in this overwhelmingly Muslim country with hypersensitive religious issues, he became known as an anti-Islam author. But that is a travestied characterisation of his works. He was an equal opportunity critic of religions.

He wrote many articles that skewered dog-matism of fundamentalist Hinduism. He at-tracted furious responses from Hindu zealots from both sides of the Bengal divide for his critical writing on religious icons like Swami Vivekananda and Ramkrishna Paramhansha.

Only a few months ago, he wrote a hilarious article titled “Sob-e ache Bed-e” (everything is in the vedas) when Naren-dra Modi created worldwide bemusement through his claims of ancient surgery and stem cell technology of India.

Avijit Roy fought indefatigably against mindless and slavish devotion to deities, be them mortal or immortal. He was a dedicated fan of Rabindranath Tagore and could cite hundreds of songs and poems at the drop of a hat.

In fact, just in this years’ book fair, he published a book on Rabindranath’s stay in Argentina and interactions with the famous Latin intellectual Victoria Ocampo. And yet Avijit, the devoted Rabindra fan, was a � re-breathing crusader against the oleagi-nous dei� cation of Rabindranath that is so prevalent among a section of Bengalis.

He wrote meticulously researched critical articles about allegations of musical and scienti� c writing plagiarism against Ra-bindranath; articles that again attracted Rabindra devotees like furious hornets.

The golden test of tolerant free thinking is

when one has to defend the right to express-ing opinions that are most odious to him, and that is why free thinking is so hard. Avijit tried his best to incorporate the free think-ing ideal that is the mission banner of all his works.

He staunchly defended the right of politi-cal opponents to express opinions that could hurt the sentiments of sentimental partisans, and he provided space in the blog for free political debate. He regarded reason as the means and the end for all debates.

As I said, free, absolutely impartial think-ing is hard and almost impossible to make a permanent habit for even the most enlight-ened man. Avijit may also have faltered a few times in upholding the standard that he set himself and let partisan emotions cloud reason. He may also have been needlessly strident sometimes in provoking deep senti-ments of the religious.

And last but not the least, he had surely been foolhardy in moving about unprotected

in Dhaka city knowing how his enemies may take advantage of the ongoing disintegration of the polity.

And yet, Bangladesh did not have a better, braver, and more learned champion of free thinking than Avijit Roy. He showed us that enlightenment and reason are by themselves necessary and su� cient tools to combat fundamentalism. We do not need to erect small gods to combat the crazed followers of big gods.

We do not need to resort to emotions to counter communal passions. Free thinking and reason have a triumphal track record of defeating religious and ideological funda-mentalisms one after another all over the world, and we cannot do any better than adopting free thinking and reason as our own weapons to defeat fundamentalism and obscurantism of our lands. Let that be the legacy of Avijit Roy. l

Sha� qur Rahman is a freelance contributor.

The legacy of Avijit Roy

BIGSTOCK

OPINION14DT


n Samrat Choudhury

It is the unlikeliest of alliances. The BJP, led by Narendra Modi, is forming a government in partnership with the People’s Democratic Party led by Mufti

Mohammad Sayeed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where a separatist insurgency against India has raged on with varying intensities since 1989.

The BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have long campaigned for abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution that grants special autonomous status to the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Under Article 370, Indian laws on subjects other than defence, � nance, foreign a� airs and communications do not apply in J&K except with the approval of the state government. The state also had its own prime minister until 1965, and still has its own

penal code. The PDP, meanwhile, promised in its 2014

campaign that it would “use Article 370 to restore original special status.” Their position has been that the autonomy promised in the Article has been chipped away, while BJP’s, traditionally, was that the constitution clearly said the special status was meant to be temporary.

Another point of contention was the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. This law gives emergency powers to the army that enable them to arrest without warrant and shoot to kill. Stories of excesses abound, particularly from the early years of the Kashmir insurgency.

Kashmiris recall horror stories of rape and murder committed by the armed forces, and the forced disappearance of thousands of people. The army on its part is reluctant to operate without cover of the special law, with generals arguing -- with good reason -- that foreign powers and imported � ghters are involved in the con� ict.

They suspect that soldiers would be trapped in false court cases if the law didn’t exist. Their position is that internal security is not their job, but if they’re going to be stuck doing it, they want some legal cover. The BJP, usually described by the foreign media as “Hindu nationalist,” has always been on the side of the army.

Yet, somehow, the PDP and BJP managed to � nd enough common ground to stand together. This is historic. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who will be chief minister, compared it to a coming together of the North and South poles.

For decades now, the conversation about Kashmir has been a conversation on righting historical wrongs. In the Kashmir valley’s dominant narrative, it was a tale of invasions and deceit stretching from the days of the Mughals to the infamous plebiscite that never happened, and extending to the militarisation that followed the advent of armed insurgency.

Ancient grouses were nursed along with more recent ones, and fuelled a demand for freedom from India. I recall Kashmiri friends chanting slogans for freedom would be raised even if there was a power cut. In the popular imagination, freedom was the cure for all ills.

This was not a narrative many Kashmiri Hindus shared. They had been persecuted as a community during the early days of the Kashmir militancy and had become refugees from their beloved homes. Their

narrative went back to times predating the advent of Islam in the valley. In the Hindu Right’s version of the story, the Muslims were descendants of the � rst invaders, or of converts who had changed faith out of fear or for favour.

In the 2014 state assembly elections, the BJP won 25 seats, all from the predominantly Hindu Jammu region. The PDP won 28 seats, mainly from the Muslim majority Kashmir valley. Both fell short of the halfway mark of 44 in the house of 87.

Political exigency got them to start exploring the possibility of forming a coalition government. They have now managed this feat, and for this, they should

be complimented. This is an example of democracy working towards a bridging of di� cult political and social divides.

To be sure, the job is going to be hard for both the BJP and the PDP. Their deal will be viewed as betrayal by many of their own supporters. The habit of hatred for the other, developed over years, will resist change.

Opponents to the deal -- and there would be many -- will try to scuttle it. This lot would include political rivals of the two parties within India, hardliners inside both camps, terrorists and militants of all hues, and elements of the Pakistan security establishment.

One problem with a con� ict like Kashmir is that entrenched positions become comfort zones of a sort. A war economy develops, many people become rich and powerful from endless con� ict, responses become automatic after a time, and all fresh thinking becomes a threat to somebody’s worldview.

People don’t like having to alter their worldviews.

And yet, rare as it is, individuals and organisations do change their worldviews. Around 250 years before the birth of Christ, a cruel warrior king named Asoka fought and won a bloody war. The reason we remember him to this day is that after his victory, he became a man of peace.

A symbol of four lions and a dharma chakra taken from pillars that he had erected in his time is India’s national emblem. Without allowing for the possibility of positive change in ourselves and others, this world will remain trapped forever in the endless cycle of eye for eye that is making us all blind. l

Samrat Choudhury is a senior journalist and author based in Mumbai.

The endless cycle of an eye for an eye

Without allowing for the possibility of positive change in ourselves and others, this world will remain trapped forever in the endless cycle

The job is going to be hard for both the BJP and the PDP. Their deal will be viewed as betrayal by many of their own supporters

15D

TBusiness TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

Remittance drops for second month n Tribune Report

The in� ow of remittance into the country continued to fall in the last two consecutive months of January and February.

The ongoing political unrest, which started since January 6, has taken a heavy toll on the remittance in� ow, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

As a result, he observed: “The coun-try has witnessed a declining trend in remittance in� ow since the beginning of the year.’’

The country received remittance worth US$1.17bn in February, dropped by 5% from $1.2bn in the previous month.

However, the remittance amount received in February this year, was almost same in the corresponding period of last year, according to Bangladesh Bank data released yesterday.

The expatriate Bangladeshis sent home $2.42bn as remittance in the � rst two months of this year, which was slightly lower than $2.43bn in the same period of the previous year.

A fall in manpower export in the global market also played a vital role in slower remittance in� ow for the last two years, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

The remittance in� ow from middle-east-ern countries has also fallen in one and a half year.

Remittance in� ow from middle-eastern countries fell 23.38% in October last year, according to the central bank data.

The remittance in� ow from Europe increased 10% in the � scal year of 2013-14 compared to the previous � scal year.

Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserve has surpassed the $23 billion mark because of the “stable in� ow of remittance.”

Import of capital machinery has expe-rienced sharp fall in January due to the ongoing political unrest started since the beginning of the year.

The LC (letter of credit) settlement value against capital machinery import dropped to $176m in the � rst month of the new year compared to $258m in December last, according to Bangladesh Bank data.

The overall LC settlement value dropped 7.54% year-on-year during the month, according to the data.

The LC opening value also declined by 7.25% in January compared to same period of the last year and 8.54% compared to previous month.

The country’s foreign currency reserve was $21bn in June, $19bn in February last year and $18bn in December 2013. l

China’s economic growth expected to slow to 7% in Q1

ECB braces for QE as others shift rates

Business cries for restoring investment-friendly climate

201716

RejoinderWorld Bank Country Director Johannes Zutt sent a rejoinder to Dhaka Tribune that the news article “WB suspends mission due to po-litical unrest” in the March 1 issue was incor-rect. He said the macroeconomic forecasting support mission began from March 1 and will continue until March 5. We regret the mistake.

Muhith assures business of bailout package n Tribune Report

Finance Minister AMA Muhith assured busi-nessmen of giving bailout packages to recoup damages caused by the political unrest.

“Something needs to be done for you as you have faced losses,” he said at a meeting with the business people in Dhaka yesterday.

Muhith said every sector has been a� ected

by the blockade and shutdowns with the ap-parel sector leading the losers.

“Due to the blockade, transportation cost has risen, which is very worrying.” � nance minister said.

The businessmen urged the minister to suspend instalment of rescheduled loans, ex-tend tenure of classi� ed loans by six months instead of three months, extend � ve-year

term loans to eight years and allow to pay forced loans in 24 months.

They also sought withdrawal of extra charges in port for ship-ment delay, reduction of insur-ance premium by 35% and con-tinuation of 5% tax at source for next � ve years, 1% special incentive for FoB (freight on board) and 3% incentives for EU export as Euro fell sharply.

Terming the ongoing situ-ation as a national crisis, Mu-hith said: “It is a big problem

towards development.” “But when will the crisis end? It’s respon-

sibility of BNP to end it.” He said if BNP was in parliament, it could

have been easy to have talks with them. Mu-hith said the RMG exporters are losing orders as buyers are not coming to Bangladesh for last two months due to political instability.

He added: “Life goes on as usual, but fear remains among people.”

BGMEA President Md Atiqul Islam pre-sented an account of losses the country’s RMG sector had faced in the political unrest since January 6.

FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed urged � nance minister not to limit any facili-ty to large businesses only, but to extend it to all businesses who have su� ered losses in the blockade and shutdowns.

Garment manufacturers present at the meeting said the longest-ever political tur-moil has tarnished the image of the country, which according to them another big problem for the sector. l

Lending rate hits four-year low n Jebun Nesa Alo

The lending rate in the banking sector hit four-year low in January thanks to Bangla-desh Bank that had earlier warned the com-mercial banks to cut the interest rate on loans and advances for reducing the interest rate spread within a desired level of 5%.

The weighted average lending rate stood at 12.32% in January this year. The rate was ear-lier 11.34% in 2010.

The interest rate spread – the gap between advance and deposit rates – came down to a 10-month low in January, due to the lending rate cut by the banks.

The spread stood at 5.06% in January, which went up to 5.21%, hitting a � ve-month’s high, in December last year, accord-ing to Bangladesh Bank data. Earlier, the gap was 5.06% in February last year with highest 13.40% lending rate of the year.

The spread came down close to the author-ised level of 5% as the banks had to cut their lending rate under pressure from Bangladesh Bank, said a senior executive of the central bank.

The gap was on rise since the last couple of months as the deposit rate was much lower than the lending rate, he said.

In these perspectives, ministry of � nance asked the central bank to bring down the spread within the expected level.

Moreover, the board of the central bank also expressed concern at a recent meeting over the widening of the spread.

Banks went for massive cut in lending rates

due to the pressure of the central bank for re-ducing the spread, he said.

The lending rate came down to 12.32% in January, dropped by 0.14% from 12.46% in the previous month. The deposit rate improved to 7.26% during the month, instead of declin-ing from 7.25% in previous month.

The banks have increased the interest rate on deposit for the � rst time in the last one year while lending rate was increased time to time during the period.

The state-owned banks improved the lending rate as well as the deposit rate in Jan-

uary. The lending rate of these banks stood at 11.28% during the month from 10.67% in No-vember while deposit rate improved to 7.19% from 7.08%, according to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) data. The foreign banks, which mainly accounted for high spread, have also cut lending rate to 11.48% in January from 11.81% in November last year.

The lending rate of private commercial banks dropped to 12.82% in January com-pared to 13.05% in November while the de-posit rate fell slightly to 7.52% from 7.6%, ac-cording to the BB data. l

BUSINESS16DT


China’s economic growth expected to slow to 7% in Q1

n Reuters, Shanghai

China’s economy is expected to slow to an an-nual 7% in the � rst quarter of this year, a top Chinese government think tank said in a re-search report, a sign policy makers will have to roll out more stimulus to support faltering growth.

The forecast by the State Information Cen-tre underscored the rationale of Saturday’s move by China’s central bank to cut interest rates for the second time in less than four months as it steps up e� orts to ward o� de-� ation.

“Our country’s economic growth still fac-es relatively heavy downward pressure amid structure adjustments,” the think-tank said in its research report published in the o� cial China Securities News on Monday.

“As such, it will continue searching for a bottom in the � rst quarter of 2015 and is pre-liminarily forecast to grow around 7% in the quarter,” it said.

The think tank operates under the purview of China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission.

China’s economic growth held steady at 7.3% in the fourth quarter of 2014 from a

year earlier but still hovered near the weakest pace since the global � nancial crisis, reinforc-ing expectations that policymakers will have to roll out more support measures to avert a sharper slowdown.

China’s consumer price index (CPI) is ex-pected to increase only 1.2% on-year in the � rst quarter of 2015, compared with 2% a year earlier, the think-tank said.

Annual growth of exports is expected at 5% in the � rst quarter, slowing from 6.1% a year earlier, while imports are likely to decrease 10.7% in the quarter, compared with a 0.4% increase in the same period of 2014, it said. l

A worker welds at a construction site in Yiliang, Yunnan province REUTERS

China’s Huawei enters smartwatch frenzy with round-face modelsn Reuters, Barcelona

Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei on Sunday launched its � rst smartwatch, a round-faced device that works with Android phones, joining a crowded market weeks be-fore the introduction of the highly anticipated Apple Watch.

At an event tied to the Mobile World Con-gress in Barcelona, the � rm unveiled its Hua-wei watch line in classic, business and sporty versions, while at the same time across town, Korea’s LG Electronics launched a similar round-faced model.

Both are following the lead of Motorola, which has drawn favourable reviews for its more fashion-conscious alternative to the dozens of bulky, square smartwatches that characterised the � rst generation of these de-vices.

Wearables shipments are expected to jump 158% this year to 75 million, analysts at CCS Insight estimate. By 2018, almost 350 million wearable devices will be worn worldwide.

The Huawei Watch is 42 mm in diameter, slightly larger than Motorola’s futuristic rival, the Moto 360.

Pairing the device with a smartphone run-ning Android, users can receive text-message noti� cations, emails, calendar reminders or incoming phone alerts.

It is not, as some analysts had hoped for, a watch which can operate independently from a smartphone, using its own SIM card.

Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said whether a smartwatch or wearable device can operate independently from a phone is irrelevant: “Smartwatches will complement, not replace smartphones” for at least the next two to three years.

Huawei also launched the second genera-tion of a � tness tracking band, dubbed Talk-Band B2, which allows the users to remove a wireless, Bluetooth earpiece to talk on their mobile phone. l

Samsung unveils sleek new Galaxy phones to battle Apple n Reuters, Seoul

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd un-veiled its latest Galaxy S smartphones, featur-ing a slim body made from aircraft-grade met-al, in a bid to reclaim the throne of undisputed global smartphone leader from Apple Inc.

Designed from scratch in an operation dubbed “Project Zero”, the Galaxy S6 and its curved-edges variant are critical for Sam-sung’s plans to reverse plunging smartphone revenues that led to its � rst annual earnings fall in three years in 2014.

A warm initial reception sent Samsung shares rising as much as 3.9% yesterday to their highest in nearly nine months. Some technology publications described the phones as Samsung’s best-looking to date af-ter its previous � agship device, the Galaxy S5, failed to impress.

By 0223 GMT, the shares were up 3.4%, outperforming a 0.2% rise for the broader market.

“We listen to our customers and we learn from our missteps,” J.K. Shin, Samsung’s mobile chief, told a packed hall in Barcelona ahead of the annual Mobile World Congress trade show, where the Galaxy S6 and the Gal-axy S6 edge were unveiled on Sunday.

By some estimates, arch-rival Apple sur-passed Samsung as the world’s top smart-phone maker in the fourth quarter, with re-cord sales of the big-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Samsung begins its � ght-back on April 10 when the revamped Galaxy phones go on sale in 20 countries in one of the most important product launches in the company’s history.

Stand-out features include a casing made from light-weight metal used in airplanes, a step up from the plastic that disappointed many critics of the S5, and Corning Inc’s Go-rilla Glass on both front and back.

In addition to camera and screen upgrades, Samsung stripped out many of its unpopular in-house apps that infuriated users by gob-

bling up memory. The new phones will be powered by Samsung’s own 64-bit, 14-nano-meter Exynos processors, a departure from its previous reliance on Qualcomm Inc’s chips.

In another departure, batteries in the new phones cannot be replaced. To compensate, the devices are the � rst from Samsung to sup-port wireless charging without a dedicated accessory and can also get four hours of pow-er with a 10-minute charge by cord.

Samsung is also touting the Galaxy S6’s compatibility with a new mobile payments system it is preparing to launch in the United States and South Korea in the second half of this year.

The system, in partnership with major U S banks and credit card companies including Visa and MasterCard, will allow users to make mobile payments through magnetic strip-card readers without an external accessory needed for other models.

The rival Apple Pay system, launched in the United States in September and rapidly winning retailer support, requires merchants to install near-� eld card readers, limiting its reach as contactless credit cards have been slow to take o� there. l

A hostess displays the Galaxy S6 edge smartphone at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event before the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona REUTERS

BUSINESS 17D


Oil prices stabilise in Asian tradeOil prices stabilised in Asia yesterday following sharp gains in the previous session as dealers predicted the end of volatile trading and the beaten-down commodity bottoming out, analysts said. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery fell 37 cents to $49.39 while Brent crude eased 28 cents to $62.30 in late-morning trade. WTI advanced $1.59 while Brent gained a hefty $2.53 on Friday. WTI, after having fallen in early 2015 to a six-year low, has swung wildly in February, but � nished the month a little more than $1.50 higher. By contrast, Brent gained about $12. Crude oil has lost about 50 percent of its value

since June, largely due to a global supply glut partially caused by surging US shale production. “Although there is still a global supply glut, oil prices are on a general increasing trend especially with the falling rig count numbers indicating that US shale is responding to low prices,” Ken Hasegawa, energy trading manager at Newedge Group in Tokyo, told AFP. The weekly Baker Hughes US drilling rig count showed the number of rigs in operation fell by 33 to 986 in the week to February 27. The count is down 39 percent since October, according to Bloomberg News. Hasegawa said thin losses in Asian trading early Monday was possibly due to “a pro� t-taking setting coming into play”. – AFP, Singapore

Dollar extends gains after US growth data, China rate cutThe dollar extended its gains in Asia yesterday as better-than-expected revised US economic growth data and an interest rate cut by China boosted con-� dence, analysts said. In Tokyo, the dollar fetched 119.87 yen, compared with 119.63 yen in New York and well up from 119.17 yen in Tokyo earlier Friday. The euro slipped to $1.1174 and 133.91 yen from $1.1195 and 133.93 yen in US trade. “China’s rate cuts improved risk sentiment while data showing Japa-nese corporate pro� ts rose signi� cantly supported buying Japanese equities, leading to the dollar’s gain against the yen,” Nobuo Ichikawa, chief manager

of foreign exchange � nancial products trading at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking, told Bloomberg News. The People’s Bank of China on Saturday cut interest rates by 25 basis points, citing “historically low in� ation” among the factors behind its decision. The move is the latest by authorities aimed at lifting the world’s number two economy after it grew in 2014 at its slowest pace since 1990. The PBoC has also cut the percentage of funds banks must hold in reserve to boost lending. The dollar edged higher Friday, booking its eighth consecutive month of gains after the latest government estimate of US growth showed the economy grew 2.2% in the last quarter of 2014, slower than the 2.6% � rst estimat-ed but not as slow as the 2.1% forecast. – AFP, Tokyo

NEWS IN BRIEF

ECB braces for QE as others shift rates n Reuters, Brussels

Greek funding and quantitative easing in Eu-rope, an expected rate cut in Australia and the buoyant US labor market are set to be the fo-cus of an economic week dominated by a host of central bank meetings.

Greece may have secured an extension of its bailout last week, but it remains reliant on emergency funding.

The European Central Bank’s Governing Council convenes in Cyprus on Thursday and may take a decision on whether to accept Greek government bonds as collateral for its direct ECB funding, which it stopped doing at the start of February.

If the ECB does not - and it most likely will not - it could be forced to prolong the provi-sion of Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) to the Greek central bank.

“The Greek question will be a hot topic,” said ING Chief Eurozone Economist Peter Vanden Houte. “(Greek Finance Minister Yanis) Varoufakis has been saying the country is counting on the ECB for � nances over the next few months.”

ECB President Mario Draghi is also expect-ed to provide further details on the bank’s 1tn euro ($1.1tn) government bond buying pro-gram, which begins in March.

He may face questions about the program’s ability to reach its target, such as how the ECB intends to convince domestic banks to sell their government debt, with the prospect of then parking the money with the ECB at a negative interest rate.

The ECB will also release new economic forecasts. Chief Economist Peter Praet said last week that it was likely to revise upward its expectations for growth in the euro zone, with low oil prices and a weak euro helping.

Aussie, pole rate cuts, brazil hike The ECB will be just one of many central banks to meet.

The Reserve Bank of Australia opens proceedings tomorrow, its board meeting a month after it surprised markets with a quar-ter percentage cut to its cash rate to 2.25%.

A wafer-thin majority of economists polled by Reuters expect a further reduction to 2% to spur an economy hit by lower prices for its raw material exports and to keep downward pressure on the Australian dollar.

A day later, it will be the Bank of Canada’s turn to decide on rates. It too surprised with a 25 basis point cut to 0.75% at its last meet-ing in January, citing risks to its outlook from

week oil prices. By contrast it is seen holding � re on Wednesday, with a cut seen more like-ly in the second quarter.

On the same day elsewhere, a rate cut is ex-pected in eastern Europe’s largest economy,

Poland, to counter declining consumer pric-es.. Brazil’s central bank, by contrast, is seen raising interest rates for a third straight time as in� ation races above the government’s 4.5% target.

The Bank of England is expected to keep rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday.

Us jobs could signal end of fed ‘patient’ stance in the United States, labor market data for February on Friday are likely to be the high-light of the economic week, a major data point ahead of the Federal Reserve’s rate-set-ting committee meeting on March 17-18.

Economists polled by Reuters are fore-casting a healthy 240,000 rise in non-farm payrolls last month. If con� rmed, it would be the 12th straight month of job gains of over 200,000, the longest such streak since a 13-month run in 1994-95.

It should be enough to persuade the Fed that the economy could cope with a rate hike and may prompt it to alter its forward guidance lan-guage, in particular dropping its view that it will be “patient” in nor malizing monetary policy. l

A picture illustration shows Euro banknotes in Zenica REUTERS

Quantitative easing is an unconventional monetary policy in which a central bank purchases government securities or other securities from the market in order to lower interest rates and increase the money supply. It therefore increases the likelihood of domestic in� ation in absence of adequate growth in production. More than half (54% in 2011) of total exports by Bangladesh are exported in European Union countries

BUSINESS18DT


SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

Sector DSE CSE TotalMillion Taka % change Million Taka % change Million Taka % change

Bank 430.94 14.46 29.24 10.30 460.18 14.10NBFI 140.75 4.72 7.88 2.77 148.63 4.55Investment 23.49 0.79 1.87 0.66 25.36 0.78Engineering 382.26 12.83 59.20 20.85 441.46 13.52Food & Allied 115.32 3.87 9.23 3.25 124.55 3.82Fuel & Power 376.97 12.65 35.54 12.52 412.51 12.64Jute 5.10 0.17 0.00 5.10 0.16Textile 218.37 7.33 13.14 4.63 231.51 7.09Pharma & Chemical 411.58 13.81 18.51 6.52 430.09 13.18Paper & Packaging 8.11 0.27 0.81 0.29 8.92 0.27Service 126.37 4.24 10.05 3.54 136.42 4.18Leather 11.92 0.40 0.85 0.30 12.78 0.39Ceramic 19.89 0.67 2.21 0.78 22.11 0.68Cement 166.90 5.60 25.51 8.99 192.41 5.89Information Technology 77.80 2.61 5.03 1.77 82.83 2.54General Insurance 16.92 0.57 0.64 0.23 17.56 0.54Life Insurance 101.33 3.40 6.31 2.22 107.64 3.30Telecom 185.20 6.21 24.71 8.71 209.92 6.43Travel & Leisure 40.50 1.36 6.07 2.14 46.57 1.43Miscellaneous 120.79 4.05 27.07 9.54 147.86 4.53Debenture 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00

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

News, analysis and recent disclosuresALARABANK: The Board of Directors has recommended 14% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2014. Date of AGM: 31.03.2015, Time: 10:00 AM, Venue: Al-Arafah Islami Bank Bhaban (Proposed), Head O� ce, 63, Purana Paltan, Dhaka. Record Date: 15.03.2015. The Company has also reported consolidated EPS of Tk. 2.20, consolidated NAV per share of Tk. 17.51 and consolidated NOCFPS of Tk. 4.68 for the year ended on December 31, 2014.SAPORTL: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating of the Company as A1 with a stable outlook based on audited � nancial statements up to December 31, 2014, bank liability position as on January 31, 2015 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualita-tive information up to the date of rating declaration.SOUTHEASTB: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on March 03, 2015 at 4:00 PM to consider, among others, audited � nancial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2014.IPO Subscription: Tosrifa Industries Limited Subscription March 24, 2015 to March 31, 2015; NRB UPTO April 09, 2015. O� er Price per share Tk. 26.00, Market Lot (Shares) 200.Dividend/AGMPRIMEBANK: 15% cash, AGM: 30.03.2015, Record Date:

10.03.2015. PUBALIBANK: 10% cash, AGM: 31.03.2015, Record Date: 10.03.2015.SIBL: 18% cash, AGM: 30.03.2015, Record Date: 10.03.2015.HEIDELBCEM: 380% cash, AGM: 15.04.2015, Record Date: 12.03.2015.SINOBANGLA: 10% cash, AGM: 21.05.2015, Record Date: 19.03.2015.BANKASIA: 5% cash and 10% stock, AGM: 31.03.2015, Record Date: 10.03.2015.SINGERBD: 35% Cash & 25% Stock (Total 220% including Interim 160% paid), AGM 28.04.2015. Record Date 15 .03 2015. LINDEBD: 110% � nal Cash (i.e. total 310% cash dividend for the year 2014 inclusive of 200% interim cash dividend which has already been paid), AGM 30.04.2015, Record Date 10.03.2015.EBL: 20% cash dividend, AGM: 31.03.2015, Record Date: 11.03.2015. IDLC: 10% cash and 25% stock dividend, AGM: 30.03.2015, Record Date: 09.03.2015. SALAMCRST: 15% cash dividend, AGM: 28.03.2015, Record date: 09.03.2015. IPDC: 5% cash and 10% stock dividend, AGM: 29.04.2015, Record Date: 09.03.2015, PRIMEFIN: 12.50% cash dividend, Date of AGM: 30.03.2015, Record Date: 09.03.2015. MTB: 20% stock, EGM and AGM: 30.03.2015, Record date for EGM and AGM: 08.03.2015.

CSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Al Arafa Islami B-A 4.79 3.19 15.21 15.30 15.40 14.80 2.351 2.20 6.9BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 4.14 2.20 32.52 32.70 33.40 30.90 18.932 1.01 32.2Delta Life Insu. -A 4.11 4.92 155.90 154.50 159.00 150.00 6.012 2.92 53.4Ifad Autos -N 3.46 5.99 54.32 53.80 55.80 52.90 7.987 1.92 28.3National Feed-N 3.07 2.91 26.92 26.90 27.30 26.20 4.356 1.37 19.6Meghna Life Ins. -A 3.00 3.00 79.00 79.00 79.00 79.00 0.008 6.45 12.2First Security Bank-A 2.78 1.94 11.04 11.10 11.20 10.90 0.494 0.79 14.0S.B. 1st M. F.-A 2.56 2.56 8.00 8.00 8.00 7.80 0.010 1.54 5.2Aziz PipesZ 2.50 2.50 20.50 20.50 20.50 20.50 0.005 -0.37 -veCity G Insu.-A 2.45 1.96 16.61 16.70 16.70 16.50 0.005 1.89 8.8

DSE GAINER


Aver-age (%

Change)


in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

Progressive Life-A 5.49 8.12 75.00 73.00 74.80 70.00 0.006 2.30 32.6Intl. Leasing-B 5.04 2.34 14.41 14.60 14.90 13.50 6.353 -0.09 -veBEXIMCO Ltd. -A 4.82 2.50 32.40 32.60 33.40 30.80 74.721 1.01 32.1Prime Textile -A 4.05 3.99 17.97 18.00 18.80 17.30 0.372 1.00 18.0Ifad Autos -N 3.65 5.79 54.47 54.00 55.60 52.70 100.725 1.92 28.4BDCOM Online-A 3.64 (0.20) 25.24 25.60 25.90 24.60 9.308 1.68 15.0National Tea -A 3.59 3.53 729.83 730.20 733.00 715.00 0.986 -6.49 -veDelta Life Insu. -A 3.35 4.39 155.64 154.20 159.90 149.90 86.038 2.92 53.3Popular Life Insu. -A 3.10 2.16 141.83 143.00 144.50 138.30 5.513 4.13 34.3National Feed-N 3.07 2.41 26.81 26.90 27.20 26.30 14.535 1.37 19.6

CSE LOSER


Aver-age (%

Change)


in MillionLatest

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GreenDeltaInsu -A -8.57 -9.63 63.33 64.00 64.00 63.00 0.094 2.96 21.4Pragati Gen. I -A -8.52 -8.50 36.50 36.50 36.50 36.50 0.000 2.47 14.8Prime Insur -A -7.89 -7.89 17.50 17.50 17.50 17.50 0.004 2.53 6.9Northern G Insur-A -7.87 -7.87 23.40 23.40 23.40 23.40 0.004 2.77 8.4Eastern InsurA -7.28 -7.28 28.00 28.00 28.00 28.00 0.005 2.31 12.1ISN Ltd. -Z -6.40 -5.36 11.83 11.70 12.20 11.60 0.058 0.13 91.0BD Submarine Cable-A -5.83 -1.47 138.51 134.00 145.00 132.00 21.971 0.76 182.3MutualTrust Bank-A -5.61 -6.37 18.51 18.50 18.80 18.20 0.011 3.12 5.9GQ Ball PenA -5.34 -3.46 102.76 102.80 102.80 102.70 0.006 2.21 46.5Imam Button -Z -5.00 -6.00 11.44 11.40 11.70 11.20 0.050 -1.48 -ve

DSE LOSER


Aver-age (%

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in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

GreenDeltaInsu -A -10.96 -11.04 63.40 63.40 65.90 62.60 1.636 2.96 21.4National Tubes -A -7.50 -4.04 120.69 117.20 125.90 115.60 10.754 -1.36 -veGeminiSeaFood-B -7.40 -3.79 196.47 192.60 202.20 191.00 1.613 -6.36 -veAziz PipesZ -6.70 -8.97 19.09 19.50 19.80 19.10 0.021 -0.37 -veBD Submarine Cable-A -5.89 -1.55 138.32 134.10 145.00 132.00 87.806 0.76 182.0Sonali Ansh -A -5.67 -4.77 113.08 111.40 118.10 110.00 4.858 0.64 176.7Ambee Pharma -A -5.55 -3.39 296.81 290.90 306.50 289.00 10.015 4.68 63.4AramitCementA -5.14 -4.87 31.85 31.40 33.10 31.00 1.117 0.32 99.5Wata Chemicals -A -5.05 -2.74 218.54 214.30 225.00 213.00 5.895 5.37 40.7GQ Ball PenA -5.03 -3.20 104.29 101.90 107.20 101.10 3.016 2.21 47.2

DSE key features March-2, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

2,980.57

Turnover (Volume)

71,134,564

Number of Contract

81,098

Traded Issues 306

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

85

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

215

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,547.62

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

30.88

CSE key features March-2, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

283.88

Turnover (Volume)

7,399,260

Number of Contract

12,834

Traded Issues 231

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

77

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

148

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,461.28

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.83

BUSINESS 19D


Bearish spell continues on stock marketsn Tribune Report

Stocks continued to witness bearish spell yesterday ow-ing to rolling political crisis and partly heavy post-divi-dend pro� t-selling in some of stocks.

The market resumed trading with high volatility as it moved between green and red, but the mid-session experienced its retreat from day’s high on late-selling.

The benchmark index DSEX lost 20 points or 0.5% to settle at 4,719, extending losing streak for the second straight session.

The Shariah Index DSES shed around 7 points or 0.7% to 1,115. The compris-ing blue chips DS30 was down almost 5 points or 0.3% to 1,754.

Chittagong Stock Ex-change (CSE) Selective Cat-egories Index, CSCX, de-clined 69 points to 8,781.

Trading volume also fell to around 8.2 lakh trades from previous session’s 9.4 lakh trades at the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

Turnover in terms of value also came down be-low Tk300 crore to stand at Tk295 crore, which was over 11% lower over the previous session.

Share prices fell across

the board as out of 305 is-sues traded, 69 advanced, 187 declined and 49 re-mained unchanged.

Lanka Bangla Securi-ties said market extended its losses, as bearish tone gripped the market senti-ment amid prolonged polit-ical chaos.

It said corporate declara-tion showed up little impact on stocks as market is facing lack of direction at current level.

Unlike previous sessions, buying interest was seen in the cement sector that gave highest return of 1.5%, fol-lowed by life insurance 1.4%.

All other sectors lost their lustre with tannery leading the way shedding almost 2%, followed by telecommunica-tions, fuel & power, textile and pharmaceuticals that dropped more than 1% each.

IDLC Investments said increased sale pressure con-tinued across the bourse as investors lack any clear indi-cation of positivity from po-litical as well as macro-eco-nomic landscape.

“Hence, good corporate declarations in recent times couldn’t attract investors’ pool signi� cantly as they were re-assessing declining trend in market anatomy, cautiously.” l

Good corporate declarations in recent times couldn’t attract investors’ pool signi� cantly as they were re-assessing declining trend in market anatomy, cautiously

ANALYST

Weekly capital market highlightsDSE Broad Index : 4719.40525 (-) 0.43% ▼

DSE - 30 Index : 1754.17356 (-) 0.26% ▼

CSE All Share Index: 14405.33650 (-) 0.63% ▼

CSE - 30 Index : 11934.95940 (-) 0.68% ▼

CSE Selected Index : 8777.59790 (-) 0.86% ▼

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change % ClosingY DHIGH DLOW AvgPrice

BD Submarine Cable-A 158,625 21.97 7.74 134.00 -5.83 142.30 145.00 132.00 138.51GPH Ispat Ltd-A 505,599 21.49 7.57 42.30 -0.94 42.70 42.70 42.10 42.50LafargeS Cement-Z 173,223 19.13 6.74 112.60 2.27 110.10 115.00 107.00 110.44BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 582,247 18.93 6.67 32.70 4.14 31.40 33.40 30.90 32.52Shahjibazar Power-N 74,226 15.53 5.47 197.00 -2.96 203.00 217.90 194.00 209.24WesternMarine -N 288,077 12.40 4.37 42.80 -1.38 43.40 43.70 42.60 43.05Ifad Autos -N 147,021 7.99 2.81 53.80 3.46 52.00 55.80 52.90 54.32MJL BD Ltd.-A 53,530 6.60 2.33 122.40 -2.16 125.10 125.00 122.00 123.32SummitAlliancePort.-A 101,467 6.60 2.32 64.70 2.37 63.20 66.00 64.00 65.03Delta Life Insu. -A 38,562 6.01 2.12 154.50 4.11 148.40 159.00 150.00 155.90CVO PetroChem RL-A 12,127 5.76 2.03 197.50 -2.57 202.70 217.90 194.00 474.94Singer BD -A 25,763 5.69 2.00 219.40 -0.72 221.00 222.80 218.80 220.78HeidelbergCement -A 10,785 5.69 2.00 524.00 -1.30 530.90 530.00 521.10 527.35Social Islami. B-A 347,297 5.52 1.94 15.90 1.92 15.60 16.00 15.50 15.89UNITED AIR-A 557,246 4.68 1.65 8.40 1.20 8.30 8.60 8.10 8.40

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change

% ClosingY DHIGH DLOW Avg-Price

Social Islami. B-A 9,998,694 160.71 5.39 16.10 1.26 15.90 16.20 15.60 16.07Shahjibazar Power-N 576,412 120.05 4.03 197.60 -3.98 205.80 216.70 195.00 208.27SummitAlliancePort.-A 1,557,453 101.40 3.40 64.70 2.05 63.40 66.40 63.90 65.11Ifad Autos -N 1,849,278 100.73 3.38 54.00 3.65 52.10 55.60 52.70 54.47LafargeS Cement-Z 886,292 98.50 3.30 113.20 2.54 110.40 113.30 108.10 111.13Grameenphone-A 292,296 97.40 3.27 331.00 -1.19 335.00 337.30 330.00 333.22BD Submarine Cable-A 634,798 87.81 2.95 134.10 -5.89 142.50 145.00 132.00 138.32Delta Life Insu. -A 552,812 86.04 2.89 154.20 3.35 149.20 159.90 149.90 155.64Square Pharma -A 287,972 75.30 2.53 259.40 -1.63 263.70 264.40 258.80 261.47BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 2,306,209 74.72 2.51 32.60 4.82 31.10 33.40 30.80 32.40IDLC Finance -A 941,369 66.94 2.25 70.80 -1.80 72.10 72.10 70.50 71.11ACI Limited- A 142,398 60.61 2.03 422.20 -2.94 435.00 436.50 420.00 425.65Brac Bank -A 1,580,966 60.17 2.02 38.00 -0.26 38.10 38.40 37.90 38.06HeidelbergCement -A 112,100 59.23 1.99 523.30 -1.47 531.10 532.10 521.00 528.39FAR Chemical-N 2,406,083 56.33 1.89 25.80 0.00 25.80 26.00 23.30 23.41

BUSINESS20DT


Business cries for restoring investment-friendly climate n Tribune Report

The country’s business community has called for restoring investment friendly atmosphere as soon as possible, as the current political stando� wreaked havoc on the economy.

They came up with the call while a delega-tion of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce Indus-try (DCCI), led by its newly elected President Hossain Khaled, paid a courtesy call on Plan-ning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal at the NEC conference room in the city yesterday.

“If existing situation is not improved, both the local and foreign investments will be hin-dered,” said Khaled.

For attaining more than 8% economic

growth, investment needs to be raised up to 32% from existing around 24% of the GDP, he said.

“And for this, political instability is a must.” In addition, he opined that traditional

problems like lack of adequate infrastruc-tures, bureaucratic tangles and higher rate of interest should also be addressed to attract investments.

In response to the business demands, the planning minister said, “The government will give all-out support, including bailout pack-age to the private sector for keeping the wheel of the economy running.”

Lauding private sector contribution to the country’s economy, he observed that both the private and public sector have together gen-

erated 1.4 crore employment over the last � ve years in the country.

“Now, the government sets a target to cre-ate 1.32 crore employment in the next � ve years in the country with the help of private sector and donor agencies,” he added.

DCCI president claimed that the DCCI usu-ally contributed 5.7% of the country’s total GDP.

“Despite 35.5% job creation, SME sector has to pay higher bank interest,” he reminded the minister.

The business leaders also underlined the need for making Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme e� ective for faster economic growth in the country. l

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal speaks at the meeting with a DCCI delegation at the NEC conference room in Dhaka yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Iraq minister sees oil at $64 to $65 per barreln Reuters, Baghdad

Iraq’s Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mehdi said on Sunday world oil prices were gradually re-bounding and he expected to see a barrel of crude selling at around $65. “I don’t think they will return to their previ-ous levels. I can see that oil will be sold at $64 to $65 a barrel,” he told a news conference in Baghdad. Global benchmark Brent crude closed on Friday at $62.58 a barrel after falling as low as $45.19 in January, less than half its price in the middle of last year. OPEC producer Iraq has been hit by the slump, with revenues falling sharply just as it faces a costly military campaign against Islamic State militants who have seized large parts of the north and west of the country. l

Chittagong International Trade Fair begins todayn FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

The month-long 23rd Chittagong Internation-al Trade Fair kicks o� in the city’s Pologround today amid hartal and blockade.

“Like previous years, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has organ-ised the fair with an aim to expand local prod-ucts on international market,” said CCCI Pres-ident Mahbubul Alam at a press conference at the CCCI o� ce yesterday.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed would inaugurate the fair as chief guest while State Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed and MA Latif MP would be present as special guests, said Md Nurul Selim, chairman of the trade fair organising committee while reading out a written speech.

A total of 400 business enterprises from home and abroad will take part. Thailand will be a partner country while traders from India, Turkestan and Iran will participate with their products.

There will be 38 pavilions and 239 stalls at the fair which will remain open from 10:00 am to 10:00 PM for visitors.

To ensure security of the fair, law enforcers will be deployed and CCTV cameras will be on at the key points.

Besides, there will be an information desk to help visitors. Standard Bank Ltd will open a temporary ATM booth inside the fair venue.

CCCI vice-president Sayed Jamal Ahmed, director Mahfujul Haque Shah and other members were also present at the press con-ference. l

Qatar to recruit 1.5 lakh more Bangladeshi workers this yearn Tribune Report

Qatar is expected to recruit 1.5 lakh more workers from Bangladesh this year without migration fees.

“The Qatar government has approved vi-sas of 50,000 Bangladeshi workers in last two months … we will be able to send 1.5 lakh more workers to the country this year,” Ex-patriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said yesterday.

He was addressing a press brie� ng at Bang-ladesh Secretariat yesterday, following his recent 5-day visit to Qatar, concluded on Feb-ruary 27. He led the 6-member Bangladesh delegation.

At a meeting with the delegation, Qatar Minister for Labour and Social A� airs Dr Ab-dullah Saleh Mubarak Al Khulai� said they would recruit more workers for implement-ing di� erent development projects ahead of World Cup 2022, said the minister.

He said: “Usually, it takes Tk 3-4 lakh for migration to Qatar, but now the workers will be sent at zero cost. The recruiting companies will bear the expenses of the workers and the fees of the recruiting agencies.”

The recruiting companies will submit req-uisition to the government through the em-bassy and the government will then select workers from its database.

Replying to a question, he said the 50,000 workers, who have already got visa, will be sent to the Arab country by the next 2-3 months.

Female job seekers’ registrationBegum Shamsun Nahar, Director General of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), said the online registration for women workers willing to go abroad for jobs will begin on Thursday.

She said the registration process will be-gin with Dhaka division when the female job seekers would be able to register their names from March 5 to 11.

The process will continue from March 12 to 16 in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions while from March 17 to 23 in Chittagong and Sylhet divisions and from March 24 to 28 in Khulna and Barisal divisions.

The job seekers could apply in the house-keeper, caregiver, babysitter, gardener, guard, cleaner, driver and cook categories.

The job seekers must be Bangladeshi cit-izens and aged between 25 and 45. Those who want to apply for caregiver, driver and babysitter posts must have SSC certi� cates. l

Usually, it takes Tk 3-4 lakh for migration to Qatar, but now the workers will be sent at zero cost. The recruiting companies will bear the expenses of the workers and the fees of the recruiting agencies

21D

TTUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015T

-JUNCTION

2015 BMW 3-Series

22 tiresSporting sophistication

23auto correctWhat’s the correct way to lower your car?

24troubleshootSnap to it

What if you were to use a single client across all platforms? The app Popcorn Time is your source of the best streaming content around.

If you have an iPhone, we won’t be surprised if you feel inclined to add this little tech accessory to partner up with your other Apple devices.

It’s popcorn time:

Apple on the wrist:

INSIDE

The all new 3-series retains its strong points in the areas where it has always excelled but for now it’s more rounded than ever

n Tahsin Momin

Automotive purists on the look out for the most enthusiastic sports oriented sedan in the market, look no further than the 2015 BMW 3-series. Even though the competitions from Audi, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz are rather very advanced, the well equipped 3-series is still a step ahead of them when it comes to latest in-car tech.

ExteriorFrom the front, the new 3-series follows in the footsteps of the previous model; a modern take on the kidney grille, aggressive headlights and � ared air intakes. But that is where all the similarities with the older model ends. Move to side and a completely new pro� le takes shape. The bonnet has sunken down at the nose, but the overall height has been raised over the previous model, giving it a much more aggressive stance. And also the overall length and width of the car have increased. The upshot is that the 3-series is now up-to-date with a familiar silhouette that still radiates o� the 3-series’ function, performance and luxury.

InteriorThe moment you open those doors and step inside, you realise that the 3-series interior is no longer cramped like before. The cabin is rather spacious and with the additional two inches of wheelbase, it all sums up to an extra inch of legroom over the previous generation models. The well-contoured leather seats can now comfortably seat full-sized adults in the second row, meanwhile the passengers up front get ample amount of space in every direction. There are optional sports front seats available with extended thigh and side support for a more aggressive driving pleasure.

Sporting sophistication The 3-series is not just a range of cars but it is a statement of intent. Although, there are a number of models that swirled up around the peripheries of the marque, the 3-series remains BMW’s rock-solid nucleus, ever since 1975

tires

WheelsTUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015

T-JUNCTION22DT

Dear Readers,Motorheads, gamers and gadget geeks, rejoice, because, starting from today, Tuesdays are dedicated to you. From car reviews and troubleshooting, to cutting edge apps and toys, to the coolest games, this is where you can geek out to your heart’s content. So buckle up, and let us take you on a ride.

Sabrina Fatma AhmadFeatures Editor

EDITOR’S NOTE

Wheels T-JUNCTION 23D

T


If you want to know about any car parts in particular, message us on our facebook page, www.facebook.com/pages/T-Junction/851271244920316

What’s the correct way to lower your car?

n Tahsin Momin

Lowering a vehicle is a tradition that crosses over into many cultures, and even, many drivers outside of low-riding lanes take the drop as well. There is a guttural and good reaction that takes place at the sight of a ground-hugging machine. Lowered suspension isn’t popular for cosmetic reasons alone; there are performance gains as well. But with so many di� erent ways to actually lower a car, which is the correct way has always been a dilemma.

This week we begin by looking into the advantages of lowering the ride height, which are:

Improved traction and handlingIn a broad-spectrum, having the vehicle low to the ground can increase the grip of the tires on the road and provide added handling bene� ts. However, this does not always work the way you want it to; lowering, in some instances, might create additional handling issues.

Better aerodynamicsWith a lowered suspension, there is less air passing under the vehicle, what this does is that it creates a better outcome for wind drag on the vehicle. And that is precisely why some sportier models sit a bit lower to the ground than their standard counterparts.

Reduced rollover riskFollowing the laws of physics, anything with a higher centre of gravity is more likely to tip over than something that has a lower centre of gravity. Almost any vehicle bene� ts from lowering; the higher the vehicle sits, the chances of it rolling over increase.

Greater comfortMany drivers have reported that they feel way more comfortable with a lower suspension. The added sti� ness is desired in a suspension, and this is something that some drivers mentioned after lowering their suspensions. l

In a four part sequence we will look deeply into the conventions related to lowering the ride height of your vehicle.

auto correct

Available atExecutive Motors Ltd

222, Bir Uttam Mir Showkat Sarak, Tejgaon-Gulshan Link

Road, Dhaka-1208,Bangladesh

Phone: +8802 8878492, +8802 8878512

PerformanceA new model has joined the sedan range at the entry-level price point - the 320i. At the heart of the 320i is the same basic 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo charged engine, that can be found in the 328i, but de-tuned to 180Hp and 200lb-ft of torque. The 320i is BMW’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz C180 and Audi A3 sedan. And if petrol is not your thing, you can always opt to go for the 328d, which has 181HP on o� er via a turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine. Both the options are o� ered with a standard six-speed manual transmission, with an available eight-speed automatic transmission as an upgrade. All 3-series models have standard rear-wheel drive with an option to go for all-wheel drive.

SafetyOn par with safety, the 3-series comes standard with stability control, eight airbags, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with collision mitigation features. Other additional safety features include BMW Assist, which provides automatic crash noti� cation and roadside assistance. The 2015 3-Series received a perfect � ve stars overall in the Euro-NCAP crash test.

VerdictThe 3-series is a jubilant testament to BMW’s driver focussed engineering prowess, furthermore, it now stands head and shoulders above its competition, towering clear of any other class-leading car available in the market. And until someone can think of anything better than such a myriad array of diverse fronts that the 3-series has to o� er, it stays � rmly rooted as the world’s best small saloon. l

Tech

n Mahmood Hossain

How much?If you have an iPhone, we won’t be surprised if you feel inclined to add this little tech accessory to partner up with your other Apple devices. Yes, they did take quite some time to make this available to the public but there’s a very good reason for that. Its manufacturing quality and make are of premium materials. Releasing this April, all we know so far is that the all aluminum and glass Apple Watch Sport will cost $349. They haven’t said too much about their higher-end watches, which are made of stainless steel and sapphire crystal-covered display. And let’s not forget the 18-karat gold version. You can take all the guesses you want on the price tag of that gem.

What’s in it?First things � rst, the watch plays music just like an iPod. That’s sort of a given. It also possesses a � tness tracker with heart-rate measurements. Another obvious. The rest are as follows - send and receive messages, calls, and record audio. It also serves as a portal to other apps. And if you happen to have Apple TV, the watch can become a remote to connected smart-home devices. While other smartwatches have their strengths and weaknesses, the Apple Watch

seems to have a stable balance by bringing all the features in a cohesive motion. In addition, there’s the convenient noti� cations, voice-activated controls, and swipe to glance features.

Is this absolutely a must-buy? Well, we’re sticking to our initial thoughts. Yes, it might be � ashy and in some sense, one

Apple on the wrist gadget

n Mahmood Hossain

It’s because of our given circumstances that most of us result to watching our favourite shows and hit movies by downloading torrent � les. And for those who have a speedy connection at home, you’re enjoying your streaming. But what if you were to

use a single client across all platforms? The app Popcorn Time is your source of the best streaming content around. Not only can you download this on your smartphone and tablet, you can directly connect through its service from your desktop

or laptop. If you head on over to their main website (search for it on Google to be completely safe), you will be instantly directed to the app’s download page.

Opening creditsAnd that’s what the entire app is about, getting your instant feed of the best

It’s popcorn timeNet� ix considers them their number one threat

What should you expect from Apple’s new smartwatch

apps

quality content. Their library is incredibly impressive. We can see why Net� ix is � ghting against this free streaming site. They only provide the best HD quality for both shows and movies. However, there is a small di� erence in the streaming strength. As we played around with it on di� erent devices, we’ve concluded that the best way to use this app is on your laptop or desktop. The connection seems to be the most stable. You should use Wi-Fi through your mobile devices though, because let’s face it, who the heck would spend their 3G data by streaming all day?

The � nal cutTechnically, you are streaming videos from torrent � les, and saving plenty of space in your device or storage. And for the Beta version, it’s wonderfully smooth in almost every aspect. Popcorn Time is available for Mac OSX 10.7 and above, Windows 7 and above, 32-bit and 64-bit Linux, and for the time being, only on Android devices 4.0.3 and above. The developers make it very clear on their site that downloading copyrighted materials can obviously be illegal in your country,so download at your own risk. In other words, we don’t condone piracy so we can’t be held responsible for your actions. But have fun at the movies. Wink, wink. l

heck of a fashion statement, but never a necessary purchase. Most of us remain hardcore to the concept of actually holding a mobile device in our hands.

If anything, we’re dealing with a luxury item in the tech world. We recommend

you wait until the prices drop a tad to actually give it proper value, regardless the material used for these wearables. And if you have anything older than an iPhone 5, this watch shouldn’t be on your wish list. Sorry folks. l

T-JUNCTION24DT


Snap to itn Mahmood Hossain

Some of you might be confused to what exactly Snapchat Discover actually does. Most likely, you’ve seen the new feature or service while using your Snapchat app. If you’ve updated to the latest version of Snapchat, you’ll have access to this new service. In order to access the new addition, you’ll have to swipe to the left from the

main screen where you normally view Stories by your contacts. You’ll see a small circular button on the top-right corner of your screen that launches Discover. The new feature displays 12 di� erent brands or sources of news for you to tap into. Each of these icons will o� er a nice mix of articles and video content for you to check and share. It may seem like a funny concept that Snapchat is actually providing users with legitimate news and entertainment tidbits.

So far you’ll be touching into the initial media grids like CNN, ESPN, and Cosmopolitan. Keep in mind this is still in Snapchat, which means each channel gives you a small preview of a larger article. However, the videos can be from around a minute to nearly 15 minutes, for now. Whenever you feel like leaving the previewed content, you can swipe down and head back to the main screen. All of the stories are refreshed every 24 hours so you’ll be given new content everyday to view. With only 12 channels introduced so far, more and more popular media outlets will have their hands on Snapchat soon enough.

Alongside the many social networking feeds of news, these short clips could be the right dose for those who like to have their information in a � ash. l

troubleshoot

25D

TTUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015SportVideo has emerged of

Glenn Maxwell prema-turely taunting the Eden

Park crowd moments before New Zealand’s dramatic victory. The video was posted to

Facebook by Kiwi Sam Holt with the follow-

ing caption: “This was Maxwell just before Kane Williamson tonked that 6 to win it... How’s that for crowd / player banter?!”

CHOKER MAX!

Halsall urges unity during � elding

Triumphant Mourinho feels like a kid

Rakibul, Mehedi tons take the tally to 5126 27 29

Bangladesh national cricket team players and o� cials pose for a photo when they are given an o� cial Maori welcome by the city mayor on behalf of the New Zealand indigenous society at the Nelson gate yesterday

I stopped at the casino to watch Lakmal: Mahmudn Mazhar Uddin from Nelson

Bangladesh cricket team manager Khaled Mahmud Sujon denied any in-volvement with corruption or gambling. It was revealed on Sunday that the for-mer cricketer was seen at the Crown Ca-sino in Melbourne well past the team’s curfew at 10pm on Thursday, few hours after his team lost their World Cup Pool A match to Sri Lanka.

However, Mahmud denied the allega-tions of participating in gambling at the casino and informed he was there only for a short time as they were passing by the casino after � nishing dinner with his two friends.

Mahmud also said that Sri Lankan World Cup squad member Suranga Lak-mal, who also played that day, was pres-ent at the casino and he only stopped there to watch Lakmal when a local

Bangladeshi managed to click a photo. The photo went viral soon after as it was posted on twitter.

“I went there to have my dinner at the food court of the casino as there was no other restaurant open that late at night. I stopped at the casino for a while with my friends when someone took a pho-to. My friend did tell me that my picture was taken by someone and I told him as I am not doing anything wrong then there should not be any problem as I know my job,” said Mahmud.

Only a week back Mahmud was the one who briefed the media of sending back fast bowler Al Amin Hossain who breached the team curfew and said, “No one will get mercy for breaking team rules.”

Now the former Bangladesh captain � nds himself in the line of � re. Can the BCB maintain its strictness with its director? l

Tigers greeted in unique fashionn Mazhar Uddin from Nelson

The cricketers had just returned from a tiring practice session before they freshened up and headed out to attend a reception programme hosted by the Nelson city mayor on behalf of the New Zealand indigenous society at the Nelson gate yesterday.

The tiredness, however, did not last long as the Tigers were welcomed with the rich old heritage which was beautifully portrayed by the young indigenous boys and girls as Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his team were entering the hall.

The Bangladesh skipper was welcomed with a traditional dance by a young aboriginal boy along with their local song, sung by twenty odd school kids.

The cricketers were mesmerised by the performance, followed by the traditional Maori

speech given by the priest where such receptions is rated as one the most prestigious programmes among the local New Zealand citizens.

The Bangladesh team manager along with the coaching sta� were also present at the reception and the players were gifted with an ancient stone as a souvenir.

Furthermore, the Bangladesh team joined the celebrations and sang the song, “We shall over come one day” and gifted a Bangladeshi � ag to the mayor with their autographs on it.

At the end of the reception ceremony, the Tigers greeted the local delegates in Maori style by brushing their forehead and nose with each other.

After that the cricketers enjoyed the local cuisine and the Maori song that lightened up the atmosphere which was indeed a di� erent experience for the Tigers which they would cherish for long time. l

Sport26DT


Halsall urges unity during � eldingn Mazhar Uddin from Nelson

As expected the Bangladesh players put more concentration during their � elding session at the Saxton Oval in Nelson yesterday and Ti-gers � elding coach Richard Halsall was seen busy encouraging the players and injecting fresh enthusiasm in them.

A horrible � elding display that included as many as four catches going down was held the main reason behind Bangladesh’s 92-run defeat to Sri Lanka, but Halsall believes it was just an “o� day” for the Bangladeshi lads who are certainly capable of putting a far better performance on � eld.

“The body language was poor and the players admitted it,” said Halsall after com-pleting the � elding drills. “Its a big stage and a big opportunity. I think if we could have beat-en Sri Lanka we would have been at a very good position. And if we win two of the three remaining matches or possibly one we can go through to the quarter � nal,” he added.

Halsall overlooked the reason of the Tigers being “over excited” and said it was rather a “shock.”

“I think that’s the � rst time they were probably shocked because they did not pro-duce the standard of performance they are used to in recent times. I think they were

shocked after Bijoy (Anamul Haque) dropped the catch in the � rst over. So partly shocked and partly disappointed which is a very natu-ral human thing,” he said.

The former English cricketer urged his charges to be more agile and aware of the sur-roundings when they take on Scotland this Thursday.

“There are 11 Bangladeshi’s on the � eld and they can really help each other. We are trying to encourage the players on the � eld because everyone is watching them and everyone is actually watching Bangladesh.”

“The main thing is not to get isolated,” said Halsall. l

Melbourne took everything from me, gave nothing: Mashrafen Mazhar Uddin from Nelson

Melbourne owes a lot to Mashrafe bin Mor-taza, but the Australian city paid back noth-ing. Determination and consistent hard work saw the 31-year old defeat career threatening injuries time after time as the Bangladesh skipper has been through the worst night-mares any cricketer probably went through in their career, yet he is standing tall and leading the Tigers from the front.

To play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the � rst time was the dream that had a bitter ending for Mashrafe who started excep-tionally well but left wicket less on top of a 92-run defeat to Sri Lanka.

Mashrafe has undergone, recovered and bounced back as good as new from nine sur-geries on his left knee in the last decade and fate had brought him back to the same place where he visited for treatment – Melbourne. 2011 was the last time Mashrafe had a knee surgery in Melbourne which saw him miss the World Cup at home.

The Bangladesh team, yesterday, after completing their training session at the Sax-ton Oval in Nelson were heading back when I caught up with the Tigers skipper.

“This Melbourne has taken a lot from me, from my blood to money to physical strengths I have given my all to this city,” came out of the disappointed sportsman who fought in every step of his career. “But in return when I made my debut at this ground (MCG) I re-mained wicket less plus we lost the match badly. It gave me nothing.”

On the other hand, Tamim Iqbal’s sec-ond-ball duck at the MCG was a horrible sight too. The dashing southpaw who also had a surgery on his meniscus before the World Cup under the same surgeon of Mashrafe – ortho-pedic surgeon Dr David Young at the Avenue Hospital – also regretted his performance.

Walking alongside Mashrafe, Tamim though made the air lighter saying, “I never even dreamed of a duck in Melbourne,” be-fore jokingly adding, “the place where I have given my meniscus and blood.” l

Strong bench key to South Africa’s World Cup campaignn Reuters

South Africa’s impressive depth was under-lined in their emphatic World Cup win over West Indies on Friday and with paceman Ver-non Philander and JP Duminy out injured, the Proteas will again rely on their “bench” to shine against Ireland.

Captain AB de Villiers may have grabbed the headlines with his sparkling 162 o� 66 balls against the Caribbean side but South Af-rica’s reserves gave the team a big boost after their con� dence was rocked by the 130-run thrashing by India.

Rookie batsman Rilee Roussow scored 61 o� 39 balls after replacing Duminy in the middle order, while Kyle Abbott, in for seam-er Philander, took two wickets, including the prized scalp of West Indies talisman Chris Gayle for three runs.

All-rounder Farhaan Behardien said build-ing a strong bench had been an “emphasis” for South Africa for some six months leading

into the World Cup.“We played against the West Indies in

South Africa, and... our bench was so strong,” Behardien told reporters at Canberra’s Manu-ka Oval, where they play Ireland on Tuesday.

“Rilee, what a wonderful player. He came in and scored two hundreds in South Africa against the West Indies when he was on the bench.

“(All-rounder Wayne) Parnell was on the bench against West Indies, picked up four wickets in the last ODI, and similarly (left-arm spinner) Aaron Phangiso is waiting in the wings, and when he steps up to the plate, he’ll be asked to do a job.

“The squad of 15 is vitally important to our cause, and going forward, you never know there might be an injury or somebody might pick up a stomach bug or whatever. The em-phasis is on the 15 instead of 11.”

After playing West Indies in Sydney fol-lowing the India loss in front of 87,000 at Mel-bourne, Behardien said the team were enjoy-

SOUTH AFRICA IRELAND 3 Wins 0

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Steyn has not been as quick or as aggressive as usual and has let some of South Africa’s oth-er bowlers take over from him as the spearhead. But that may all have been part of his warming up and if he is ready to go, opposition line-ups will have something to fear.

Dockrell is Ireland’s highest wicket-taker with four scalps. South Africa do not struggle against either left-arm spin or pace but have been known to be outthought by craftiness and guile, which is what Ire-land’s pack will need to � nd to keep them quiet.

STEYN

DOCKRELL

HEAD TO HEAD

South Africa’s middle-order batsman Farhaan Behardien practises in the nets yesterday AFP

Bangladesh national cricketers attend a � elding practice session under Ricard Halsall at the Saxton Oval in Nelson yesterday BCB

Sport 27D

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Salah strikes again as Viola stun Inter On-loan Chelsea forward Mohamed Salah came o� the bench to hit his third goal in four league games as nine-man Fiorentina ended Inter Milan’s three-game winning run with a 1-0 success at the San Siro on Sunday. Fiorentina were unbeaten in 11 competitive matches and travelled to Milan in con� dent mood having knocked Tottenham out of the Europa League on Thursday when Salah scored in a 2-0 win in Florence. And La Viola, forced to � nish the game with nine men when Nenad Tomovic and Stefan Savic limped o� , extended their run to move to within three points of third-placed Napoli. Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle said it was not by chance Salah had been lured to the club. “It’s not by chance the lad is here. We were following him a long time, well before Christmas,” he told Firenzeviola.it. “Let’s let him grow a little here and we’ll see what happens in the future.” Inter’s setback left them in eighth, 22 points behind Juventus and left Roberto Mancini lamenting missed chances.Vincenzo Montella’s men were missing several regulars with Mario Gomez, Mati Fernandez and goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu sidelined and mid� elder Borja Valero only � t enough for a spot on the bench. But La Viola overcame that setback with a battling performance that was settled by Salah’s 55th minute strike.

–AFP

PSG � u� chance with goalless Monaco draw Paris Saint-Germain � u� ed their chance to go atop the French league with a frustrating 0-0 draw at Monaco on Sunday. Ligue 1 leaders Lyon su� ered their � rst defeat in 12 matches on Saturday, going down 2-1 at Lille to leave second-placed PSG trailing by just two points with a game in hand. But the Parisians failed to capitalise on their domination of in-form Monaco, who managed an impressive 10th clean sheet in their last 11 league matches. “We largely played well but in football you have to turn domination into goals,” moaned PSG coach Laurent Blanc.

–AFP


QUICK BYTES

SERIE ACagliari 1-2 Verona Conti 90 Toni 9, Gomez 56

Atalanta 1-2 Sampdoria Stendardo 16 Muriel 68, Okaka 81

Cesena 1-0 UdineseRodriguez 76

Genoa v Parma - postponed

Palermo 0-0 Empoli

Sassuolo 0-3 Lazio Anderson 45, Klose 70, Parolo 77

Inter Milan 0-1 Fiorentina Salah 55

Torino 1-0 NapoliGlik 68

LIGUE 1Monaco 0-0 PSG

Montpellier 2-1 Nice Dabo 44, Barrios 66 Bautheac 36-pen

Nantes 1-0 GuingampBammou 68

Real’s La Liga stumble promises mouthwatering ‘Clasico’n Reuters, Madrid

Real Madrid’s draw at home to Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday not only cut their lead over second-placed Barcelona to two points but also means the ‘Clasico’ in three weeks time is likely to have added piquancy.

Real and Barca each have two more domes-tic league games before the clash at the Nou Camp, the European champions playing at Athletic Bilbao and at home to Levante and the Catalans hosting Rayo Vallecano and travelling to Eibar. If the gap stays the same, as is likely, a win for Real in the lair of their arch army would put them in an extremely strong position with 10 games left, while success for Barca would give them an edge but a less commanding one.

Luis Enrique’s side lost 3-1 at the Bernabeu in October so unless Barca manage to match or

better that result Real will have the head-to-head advantage that is used to separate teams who � nish level on points at the end of the campaign. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti complained of a lack of speed and shooting accuracy after Sunday’s 1-1 stalemate against a Villarreal side resting many of their regulars ahead of Wednesday’s King’s Cup semi-� nal, second leg at home to Barca. l

Triumphant Mourinho feels like a kidn AFP, London

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said he felt “like a kid” after claiming the � rst trophy of his second Stamford Bridge tenure with a League Cup � nal victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

A de� ected John Terry strike and a Kyle Walker own goal gave Chelsea a 2-0 win at a rain-soaked Wembley on Sunday and earned Mourinho his third success in the competi-tion after two triumphs during his � rst spell as the west London club’s manager.

It ended a 914-day wait for silverware for the 52-year-old Portuguese -- the longest of his managerial career -- and he expressed

hope that it was a sign of things to come for his nascent Chelsea team.

“For me it’s very important to feel that I’m a kid,” said Mourinho, whose previous trophy had been the 2012 Spanish Super Cup he won with Real Madrid.

“Before the game I had the same feelings as my � rst � nal, I don’t know how many years ago. It’s important for me to feel the same happiness after the victory. It’s important for me to feel that I am a kid at 52 years old.

“I know I have a team to build, which is what we are doing, but I feed myself with ti-tles. It’s di� cult for me to live without win-ning things, even knowing that we are doing the work to be stable for many years.

“I need to feed myself with titles. It’s im-portant for me, it’s important for the boys. For the club it’s one more cup.

“But it’s the � rst one of the new team. You have Petr Cech, John Terry, (Didier) Drogba, and after that everybody belongs to a new generation of players. So as a team, very, very important.”

One of Chelsea’s new generation to feature prominently at Wembley was 20-year-old French centre-back Kurt Zouma, pressed into action as an auxiliary holding mid� elder in the absence of the suspended Nemanja Matic.

“It’s very di� cult for a central defender to play there,” Mourinho said. l

LA LIGAReal Madrid 1-1 VillarrealCristiano Ronaldo 52P Gerard 64

Sevilla 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Eibar 0-1 Athletic Club Carlos Gurpegi 36

Valencia 2-0 Real SociedadPablo Piatti 53,56

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho celebrates on the � oor as players celebrate with the trophy during the presentation after Chelsea won the League Cup � nal against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. Chelsea won 2-0 AFP

Sport28DT


Sabina - � rst female to play in foreign league n Raihan Mahmood

Sabina Khatun, the ace forward of Bangladesh national women’s team, is all set to make histo-ry by becoming the � rst female footballer from the country to play for a foreign football club.

She will take the � ight to Maldives to-morrow to join the Maldives Police FC in the Maldives women’s league and will stay in the island for two months.

A number of male footballers including current BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, cur-rent national skipper Mamunul Islam and late Monem Munna had played for foreign clubs but Sabina will be the � rst female footballer to take the � eld for a foreign club. l

Muktis reach � nal with nail biting win n Shishir Hoque

Muktijoddha SKC will face Sheikh Jamal Dh-anmondi Club for second time in a row in the Federation Cup � nal after the all reds earned a dramatic victory in sudden death over Mo-hammedan Sporting Club in the second sem-i� nal at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

After the stipulated 90 minutes and extra 30 minutes was locked at 1-1, Titumir Chow-dhury appeared as the hero after the reds goalkeeper produced three saves which was

followed by the winner from defender Anisul Alam Sweet’s seventh penalty as Muktijod-dha won the nail-biting shootout 4-3

Earlier, Muktijoddha’s veteran forward Enamul Haque netted the opening goal in the � rst half from a penalty which was canceled out by Guinean striker Ismael Bangoura in the latter half.

Muktijoddha dominated the possession and mid� eld throughout the � rst-half with Senegalese forward Camara Sarba and former national striker Enamul playing vital roles.

However, the black and whites could have

easily taken the lead in the 18th minute but mid� elder Biplu Ahmed’s powerful strike from just outside the box came o� the side post.

Muktis broke the deadlock in the 33rd min-ute after Mohammedan custodian Md Nehal brought down Camara Sarba inside the pen-alty area. Enamul stepped up and calmly con-verted the shot. He had the chance to double the lead, but his shot was o� target just at the stroke of half-time.

Mohammedan’s comeback was on the back of more attacks as they managed to equalise in the 61st minute thanks to Ismail

Bangoura’s superb � nish. A brilliant lobbed pass from substitute

winger Mobarak Hossain Bhuiyan set up Bangoura who chipped the ball calmly over onrushing Titumir.

Naeemur Rahman Shahed came o� the bench and tried his luck from 30 yards out only to see Nehal tip the ball out for a corner.

In the shootout, Camara missed the open-ing penalty but he was more happy to see Nurul Nayeem Faisal, Tawhidul Alam Sabuz, Mansa Sylla and Habibur Rahman Shohag miss consecutively for Mohammedan. l

Muktijoddha KC players burst into joy after they beat Mohammedan in penalty shootout in their Federation Cup semi� nal match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

England’s Lanka loss worse than Kiwi crushing: Athertonn Reuters, London

England may have been utterly humiliat-ed in their second World Cup pool match against co-hosts New Zealand but Sunday’s nine-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka was much more damaging, according to former England captain Mike Atherton.

Tim Southee claimed 7-33 and skipper Bren-don McCullum blasted the fastest half-century in tournament history as the Kiwis shot out England for 123 and romped home in the 13th over in a ridiculously one-sided match in Wel-lington. By comparison, Eoin Morgan and his team put up a better batting display against Sri Lanka, posting 309-6, even though it was not enough to avert a nine-wicket defeat.

“In some ways, this was a more damaging defeat than the one against New Zealand,” Atherton wrote in the Times newspaper. l

Faulkner eager to kickstart World Cup campaign n AFP, Perth

Australia all-rounder James Faulkner said Monday he was raring to go against Afghani-stan after fearing his World Cup might be over before it had started.

Last month, Faulkner su� ered a side strain while bowling during Australia’s 112-run tri-series � nal win over England in Perth -- a match where he smashed a 24-ball 50 not out featuring four fours and as many sixes -- and left the � eld at the WACA visibly in pain

But now the 24-year-old Tasmanian hopes the same ground will witness his 2015 World Cup debut against tournament newcomers Afghanistan on Wednesday.

“I’d be lying to say I wasn’t frustrated at the start,” Faulkner told a news conference at the WACA on Monday. “Any time you get

injured it’s a shocking feeling.“And to do it at the time it happened, it was

obviously quite hard to take at the start.“But it has given me some time to freshen

up and get my body feeling good again.“Hopefully it holds me in good shape come

the end of this tournament.” Faulkner bowled several overs in the WACA nets on Monday and, provided there are no ill-e� ects, he should be available to face Afghanistan.

“I think I was lucky being a left arm bowler and a right arm batsman, it wasn’t the same side (bearing the strain) when I was batting,” he said.

Faulkner’s recovery is timely for Australia given fast bowler Pat Cummins is set to miss Wednesday’s match after he su� ered a side strain during the thrilling one-wicket Pool A defeat by New Zealand in Auckland last weekend. l

Sport 29D

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Star Sports 19:30AM CWC 2015: Ireland v South Africa 1:45AM EPL: Southampton v Crystal Palace Star Sports 21:45AM EPL: Hull City v Sunderland Star Sports 41:45AM EPL: Aston Villa v West Brom Ten Action7:30PMI-League: East Bengal v Bengaluru FC 12:00AM DFB Pokal: Leverkusen v Kaiserslautern 1:30AM DFB Pokal: Dresden v Dortmund

DAY’S WATCH

Dhaka division top order batsman Rakibul Hasan pulls on one leg during the � rst day of their National Cricket League sixth round match against Rangpur at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Khulna opener Mehedi Hassan and Dhaka division top-order batsman Rakibul Hasan struck a hundred each on the � rst day of their respective sixth round National Cricket League matches yesterday. The two centuries saw the total tally of hundreds scored in the ongoing season of the � rst-class cricket tour-nament climb to 51 – highest in the tourna-ments history. The previous highest was 39 centuries in the 2004-05 season.

Dhaka division v Rangpur, SBNSRakibul’s unbeaten century aided Dhaka revive from early loss and end the day in a strong position. The side posted 294 runs los-ing six wickets despite losing both the open-

ers with 26 runs on the scorecard. At No. 4, Rakibul remained not out on 115, his second ton of the season, and add 135 for the third wicket with Jony Talukder who made 90.

Dhaka Metro v Khulna, BKSP 3Riding on opener Mehedi’s maiden � rst-class hundred, Khulna posted 299 for � ve. Khulna, currently second in the points table, batted after winning the toss but was shaken with the dismissal of Imrul Kayes for a duck in the � rst over. Mehedi scored 140 o� 205 and also put on 98 runs for second wicket and 131 for the third wicket with Abu Bakker and Tushar Imran respectively.

Barisal v Rajshahi, BKSP 2Rajshahi trailed by 203 runs in the � rst in-

nings after dismissing Barisal with a below par total credit to spinner Saqlain Sajib’s � ve-wicket haul.

Barisal decision to bat � rst back� red as they were bundled out for 235 with Sohag Gazi at NO. 7 making the highest 59. Saqlain bagged his 19th � ve-wicket haul in � rst-class conceding 81 runs.

Chittagong v Sylhet, FatullahChittagong’s misery in the tournament con-tinued as the side were dominated by Syl-het on day one. Sylhet batting � rst scored 214 riding on Rajin Saleh’s unbeaten 72 and Alok Kapali’s unbeaten 43. The only occasion when Chittagong, who are at the bottom of the points table, smiled was during the three Sylhet dismissals on the day. l

BRIEF SCOREBarisal v Rajshahi, BKSP2Barisal: 235 all-out in 78 overs(Gazi 59, Saif 41, Sajib 5/81)Rajshahi: 32/1 in 13 overs(Mizanur 21*, Kamrul 1/14)Rajshahi Division trail by 203 Runs

Dhaka Metro v Khulna, BKSP3Khulna: 299/5 in 90 overs(Mehedi 140, Tushar 69, Sharif 2/82)

Dhaka division v Rangpur, SBNSDhaka: 294/6 in 90 overs(Rakibul 115*, Jony 90, Roy 2/49)

Chittagong v Sylhet, FatullahSylhet: 214/3 in 90 overs(Rajin 72*, Kapali 43*, Monir 2/30)

DCC pioneer football begins todayn Raihan Mahmood

The Dhaka South and North City Corporation Pioneer Football League, co-sponsored by Aarong Diary, comprising 60 clubs kicks o� across � ve venues in the capital today.

The o� cial inauguration will be held at the Paltan Ground with LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam inaugurating the event as the chief guest.

This year, the organisers have chosen ‘To-day’s youth, tomorrow’s star’ as the slogan of the U-16 tournament.

In a press conference held at the BFF House yesterday, the vice president of BFF and dep-uty minister for youth and sports Arif Khan Joy expressed hope of producing the future stars through this tournament. “Last year we saw a good number of talented footballers in the meet and many of them were selected for di� erent training programmes, we want to continue the trend,” said Joy.

The vice chairman of the Pioneer League organising committee Bijob Barua, AGM of BRAC Enterprise HUM Mehdi Sajjad, City Corporation o� cials Khandaker Millatul Islam and Abdul Hai were also present on the occasion. l

Rakibul, Mehedi tons take the tally to 51

ECB says ‘no change’ for Pietersen’s England hopesn Reuters, London

“Nothing has changed” for Kevin Pietersen’s hopes of playing international cricket again, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Sun-day, despite incoming chairman Colin Graves appearing to leave the door open for the exiled batsman’s return.

Sacked by England a year ago and later re-leased by county side Surrey, the 34-year-old Pietersen appeared to have severed any chance of returning to international cricket following the release of his controversial autobiography.

Pietersen berated a number of former team mates and ECB o� cials in his book, and nation-al selector James Whitaker said late last year there was no way he would “ever get back into an England team”.

But in an interview with the BBC, Graves

refused to rule out Pietersen’s return. “The � rst thing he has to do if he wants to get back is start playing county cricket,” Graves said. “The selectors and the coaches are not going to pick him if he’s not playing, it’s as simple as that.

“At the end of the day it’s down to the selec-tors and coaches and what they feel is best for English cricket.

“They will make the decisions and I will sup-port them when it comes to that decision.”

Pietersen told British media he was excit-ed about the development, but the ECB later issued a statement that appeared to pour cold water on the chances of his reinstatement.

“Colin Graves is correct. Nothing has changed -- only players who are playing con-sistent high-quality county cricket and who are seen as a positive in� uence will be selected for England,” the statement said. l

DOWNTIME30DT


CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

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.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 13 represents K so � ll K every time the � gure 13 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropri-ate 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, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1 Says further (4)4 Mohemmedan wom-an’s quarters (5)9 Regret (3)11 Valley (4)12 Silly (5)13 Egg-shaped (4)14 Tom (4)15 Prickle (5)19 Inhabitants of Eire (5)21 Mountain (4)25 Dry (4)26 Big (5)28 Ill-mannered (4)29 Early freshness (3)30 Very hard mineral (5)31 Wagers (4)

DOWN1 Operatic air (4)2 Mouse-coloured (3)3 Distributed cards (5)5 Embellishes (6)6 Utter wildly (4)7 Dash (4)8 Dissolves (5)10 Interior decoration (5)16 Obstruct (6)17 Weapon (5)18 Fixed gaze (5)20 Multitude (5)22 Cukoopint (4)23 Be carried (4)24 Tidings (4)27 Obtain (3)

SUDOKU

SHOWTIME 31D


n Showtime Desk

Nine and Half, a brand new TV serial is currently being produced with a cast of nine youngsters including Tousif, Ishika, Siam, Toya, Ivana, Zovan, Russel, Shanta and Salman. Written by Riad Talukder and Iftakhar Ahmed Oshin, the TV play is

directed by Mabrur Rashid Bannah. For the � rst time, Bannah teams up with

three creative minds from the Underground Creative Factory (UCF), a full service TV and � lm production company.

The story of the TV serial revolves around the life events of nine undergraduate students and their families. Ishika Khan

will appear in the play as herself, playing a university student who intentionally creates a few disturbing incidents to irritate Tousif, who happens to be her classmate and lover at the time.

Director Bannah’s second TV serial goes on the shooting � oor this month and will be aired on Desh TV shortly. l

MANISH MALHOTRA @ManishMalhotra1 FUN TIMES

JOE MANGANIELLO @JoeManganiello “The amateur quits, while the professional � ghts through.” - #Evo-lution

AMITABH BACHCHAN@SrBachchan T 1782 - The love of the daughter is always prime for a Father.

ELLEN DEGENERES @TheEllenShow Happy birthday, @JustinBieber! I can’t wait for “Bieber Be Ballin’” to open in theaters.

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

n Mahmood Hossain

Some of the shows are rounding up to their � nal season, while others are making their introduction to the world of high production value television. Here’s what to expect in the very near future.

Mad MenThe ever-so-popular 60s hit will be showing its � nal chapters, starting April 5, 2015. Don Draper has had an amazing e� ect in modern day fashion and style. Hopefully the series has a proper ending.

Game of ThronesOne season after the other, our favourite TV show keeps getting bigger and better. The 5th season is sure to hook its loyal viewers deeper into its ruthless world of power and betrayal. This

season is going to surprise both die hard book readers and the millions of TV only viewers. You’ll have to wait until April 12.

Daredevil What we love about Net� ix is that they release an entire season in one go. One of Marvel’s more popular superheroes is to make his debut on April 10. l

Most anticipated on the silver screen

In the oval o� ce

Bannah’s new TV serial underway

n Mahmood Hossain

President Underwood has taken charge, albeit for the next 18 months. If there ever was a more evil, cerebral assassin like Francis Underwood, he or she would be swallowed by his overwhelming shadow regardless. Season three of the hit show House of Cards holds no punches. It’s matured, concentrating more on government policy and the president’s legacy. The � rst two seasons were about unraveling his conniving ways to the top, derailing all obstacles in his way. The new president has found himself with even more challenges in his way.

We’ve already established that no one can replace Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood. The same goes for Robin Wright as the First Lady, Claire Underwood. Although, the new season makes way for prominent roles by the people outside of the Underwood thorned circle. They’ve taken the story to a global scene, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The � rst encounter for our diabolical president is Russia’s leader President Petrov. The conversations and unfortunate events really exposes Underwood’s weaknesses. But a wounded animal is a very dangerous

one. Thankfully, Net� ix likes to release their shows on wholesale. Whether you are taking the new season in doses or binge watching, this series will have you dropping your jaw a little too often. l

WHAT TO WATCHTELEVISION

ZERO DEGREE I JUPITER ASCENDING 3D I HORN I SEVENTH SON 3D I JESSABELLE@ Star Cineplex

KINGSMEN I JUPITER ASCENDING 3D I TAKEN 3 I NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB I SEVENTH SON 3D I EXODUS 3D I THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES I ZERO DEGREE I INTERSTELLAR I ROMEO V/S JULIET

@ Blockbuster Cinemas

CINEMA

ZEE STUDIO 3.5 STARSBrave 7:35pmCast: Kelly Macdonald, Billy ConnollyIn this animated fantasy-comedy Princess Merida rebels against age-old traditions and � nds herself seeking the help of a witch.

HBO 4.5 STARSInception 6:38pmCast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page Dom Cobb is a thief skilled in the art of entering people’s dreams and stealing secrets from their subconscious.

Ancient Buddhist site in Bikrampur attracts hundredsn Nure Alam Durjoy back

from Munshiganj

Since it was discovered that an ancient Bud-dhist town remained hidden beneath its soil, the village of Nateshwar in Munshiganj has become a centre of attention for curious tour-ists and researchers alike.

The signi� cance of the site became more prominent when a team of Bangladeshi and Chinese archaeologists announced that the ancient town could have been home to Atish Dipankar – a widely revered Buddhist scholar who is believed to be from Vajrayogini in the historic region of Bikrampur that is the pres-ent-day Munshiganj.

After the discovery of the town was made public on February 16, hundreds have so far thronged to the site to see the ongoing excava-tion e� orts, and check out the remnants of the town that is estimated to be a thousand years old.

During a recent visit to the archaeological site, the Dhaka Tribune found that people from the nearby regions were travelling there to marvel at the relics from another era.

“I heard that there are some ancient re-mains that were discovered by teachers and

students. Now it is good to see this,” said An-war Ali, who along with his wife and children was visiting the site in Tongibari upazila from the nearby Muktarpur area.

“It feels good that the next generation will learn seeing and reading from these rem-

nants,” said Naresh Chandra Das, a local re-tired school teacher.

Shohel, a vendor selling Fuchka beside the site, told the Dhaka Tribune that business has been booming since the announcement of the discovery was made.

“Many people are visiting the site every day in increasing numbers,” said Shohel, adding that he has shifted his business to the afternoon time to reach the most number of tourists.

A billboard was also seen erected beside the excavation site, describing a brief history of the ancient town and the biography of At-ish Dipankar.

Earlier in February 2010, the Agrasar Bikrampur Foundation, a non-government re-search organisation, launched an archaeologi-cal excavation in the area with some � nancial support from the Ministry of Cultural A� airs.

Apart from numerous independent re-searchers, students and teachers from the ar-chaeology departments of the Jahangirnagar and Comilla Universities took part in the ex-cavation from time to time.

Su� Mosta� zur Rahaman, archaeology pro-fessor at Jahangirnagar University, said their team had found primary connections between Atish Dipankar and the newly discovered town.

Describing the � ndings at the site, he said: “We found two concrete roads that shows proof of the advancement of the engineering and architectural capability of the ancient civ-ilisation.” l

BACK PAGE32DT


LENDING RATE HITS FOUR-YEAR LOW PAGE 15

BANNAH’S NEW SERIAL UNDERWAY PAGE 31

TIGERS GREETED IN UNIQUE FASHION PAGE 25

Mobile congress calls for data securityn Muhammad Zahidul Islam,

from Barcelona, Spain

Global leaders of mobile telephony have stressed on the need for working together with governments and regulatory bodies to ensure security and privacy of data usage.

The concern was raised at the inauguration of the GSMA Mobile World Congress, world’s biggest annual telecom event, in Barcelona of Spain yesterday.

Discussants said the worldwide mobile customer base has reached seven billion and so a secured privacy policy is the call of time.

Global leaders of telecom operators also called upon governments deregulation, with a strong common point for security.

“Yes, as Europeans we are concerned about the secrecy issue and privacy is also a must,” said Vittorio Colao, chief executive of Voda-fone, while inaugurating the congress.

“The USA has been establishing its model for security and other countries also have dif-ferent models, but we need to create an um-brella for securing our customers.”

Referring to a study, Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, said 80% of the cus-tomers are now scared of security breaches.

“This number is huge and as an operator, we cannot let the issue go un-addressed. We have certain responsibilities towards our cus-tomers as we deal with the issue of trust,” said Timotheus.

Operators also need to make political leaders understand the situation and try to convince them about formulating security policies, the Deutsche Telekom CEO said.

GSMA Chairman Jon Fredrik Baksaas said: “We are going to prepare digital identity for the subscribers which will help in ensuring security.”

Vodaphone CEO Vittorio Colao said: “Some jihadis can use Facebook for networking, but we can also use the new digital services for policing and ensuring security.”

Organisers said more than 85,000 people are attending this year’s congress; of them 46,000 are C-level leaders, 4,500 are CEOs, over 1,800 exhibitors and 1,700 journalists.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Bangladesh’s state minister for Information and Communication Technology, is also attending some ministeri-al meeting on the � rst day and is scheduled to holds meetings with three leader operators.

On the second day, he will meet Jon Fadrik Baksaas, president and CEO of Grameen-phone’s parent company Telenor and the chairman of the GSM Association.

Dato Sri Jamaluddin Ibrahim, MD and Group CEO of Robi’s parent company Axiata Group, and Jo Lunder, CEO of Banglalink’s parent company VimpelCom Ltd, will also meet Palak, sources said.

Yesterday the junior minister took part in a meeting with two senior executives of Huawei and Ericsson who also work in Bangladesh. l

With a kerosene lamp, posters and a megaphone, a person named Jalal Uddin Mazumdar climbs up a tree in front of the National Press Club in the capital yesterday to go on a 24-hour sit-in programme, demanding an end to hartal, blockade, petrol bomb attacks and cross� re MEHEDI HASAN

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Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial O� ce: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.dhakatribune.com

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03 March, 2015