THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 | Jyoishtha 12, 1423, Shaban 18, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 33 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

SECOND EDITIONIN

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Shahriar rubbishes IS claimsInternational militant group Islamic State is trying to ride a wave of religious radicalisation by falsely claiming a spate of killings in Bangladesh, State Minister for Foreign A� airs Shahriar Alam has said. PAGE 32

Ctg people fearing gridlock during Ramadan Chittagong city dwellers fear that massive tra� c gridlock may take place during Ramadan due to ongoing development projects.

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‘Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Johnson?’As a former journalist who made his name by bashing Brussels but was sometimes accused of twisting the facts, Boris Johnson knows there’s no easier way to hook readers than to lead with Hitler. PAGE 9

Corruption has long been endemic in the insurance sector of Bangladesh, and the lax enforcement of the new insurance act of 2010 has not helped. Shocking levels of irregularity were revealed recently when regulators audited several leading insurers. In the second of a series, Dhaka Tribune's Jebun Nesa Alo looks into what auditors foundFor three years straight, authorities at Meghna Life Insurance – one of the leading insurers in Bangladesh – had been concealing its excess management cost of around Tk100 crore from the regulators.

Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) found the inconsistencies in Meghna Life’s consolidated statement of se-lected � nancial indicators for 2012, 2013 and 2014 – when it hired au-ditors Masih Muhith Haque and Co to go through the accounts of the insurance company.

Following the � ndings, the IDRA recently served a show-cause

notice to Meghna Life, asking why punitive action should not be taken against the company for violating the insurance act.

The Dhaka Tribune visited the company’s headquarters to get comment from its Chairman Nizam Uddin Ahmed and Managing Direc-tor NC Rudra.

Both of them refused to meet with this correspondent or provide any statement on the allegations.

According to the IDRA notice, Meghna Life Insurance – between 2012 and 2014 – had shown that its total excess management expense was around Tk48 crore: Tk23.66

crore in 2012, Tk17.25 crore in 2013 and Tk7 crore in 2014.

But the auditor found that the actual amount was Tk129.44 crore – almost 2.7 times more than what was claimed. Of the excess spend-ing, Tk67.28 crore was spent in 2012, Tk43.31 crore in 2013 and Tk19 crore in 2014.

Most of the bills of Meghna Life were paid in cash instead of through banking channels.

Paying insurance agents com-missions that were way above the regulatory limit was one of the main reasons behind the high manage-ment cost, the auditor identi� ed.

According to the audit report, beyond the certain limit of 35% commission allowed, the insur-ance company paid an additional 33% commission to agents in 2012, 29% in 2013, and 18% in 2014.

In what was also another viola-tion of the insurance act, the com-pany mostly paid commissions to unauthorised agents.

Unit managers and branch man-agers were also paid commission beyond the allowed limit.

In December 2013, Managing Director NC Rudra was given Tk10 lakh in cash under Corporate Social Responsibility – which was unethi-

cal and a violation of income tax ordinance and the insurance act, the audit report read.

The insurance company also dodged tax of around Tk88 lakh between 2012 and 2014.

According to the income tax or-dinance, insurers have to deduct 5% source tax on commissions, but Meghna Life deducted less than the required amount. Their source tax deduction was Tk22.27 lakh in the year 2012, Tk65.39 lakh in 2013 and Tk32,811 in 2014.

The auditor also found rule vio-lation in the use of company cars.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Meghna Life conceals Tk100cr extra expense

n S Basu Das, Bandarban

Indigenous people in the remote hills of Bandarban are facing star-vation as an acute food shortage resulting from poor crop yields has begun to bite.

Thousands of people in Kho-imukhipara, Remarky, Tindu, Boro Modok and Sangu Forest areas are foraging for food, even resorting to eating leaves from trees, local resi-dents said.

Remarky UP member Mang Chang Mro said the desperation of unbearable hunger was driving some locals to criminal activities.

Hatiram Tripura of Remrky area said he and his six family members were facing a hard situation with-out food.

“We have su� ered for more than three days, but no government agency or NGO has come to help us,” said he.

According to local sources, their hardship is the result of wild boars destroying crop � elds coupled with recent bad weather. Crop prices have also hit farmers hard.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

HC orders Tk50 lakh payoutfor mistrialn Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court has ordered the government to pay Tk50 lakh to a man who was convicted of rape un-der inappropriate legal provisions 15 years back.

The court also threw out the lower court's sentence of life term for Abdul Jalil from Bhola and or-dered jail authorities to release him immediately if he is not accused in any other case.

The full details of the verdict pronounced by Justice AFM Ab-dur Rahman on December 15, 2015 were made public yesterday.

Jalil was 15 years old and therefore underage when he was charged with rape in 2001. But in-stead of a trial under the Children’s Act, he was tried under the Wom-en and Children Repression Act, which is applicable to adults.

The High Court said the trial court's judge could not avoid liabil-ities in this wrong conviction.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Starvation struggle for Bandarban hill people

With an acute food shortage prevalent in the remote hills of Bandarban, locals are being forced to eat wild potatoes – which are often inedible – to survive. The photo was taken recent in Remarky of Thanchi upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

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HC orders Tk50 lakh payout for mistrialHe was sentenced to life imprison-ment and � ned Tk20,000 in 2001 by a Bhola court. Jalil had � led an appeal against the court’s verdict with the High Court.

The High Court verdict said: “This court feels that it is reasona-ble for the state side to give � nan-cial compensation to Abdul Jalil. Therefore, the court orders the state to pay Tk50 lakh in compen-sation to accused Abdul Jalil for his life’s 14 years.”

Additional Registrar of the High Court Sabbir Faiz said that Jalil would be released after the jail au-thorities receive a copy of the ver-dict.

The High Court also observed that Jalil was not accorded due process because he was not tried in Children’s Act despite being un-derage. The lower court did not pay heed to the High Court’s observa-tion that Jalil was a teenager, which was an injustice, it said.

The High Court had sent back the case to the concerned court for retrial, with some instructions but the trial court did not follow them which led to the verdict being un-changed.

The trial court granted time pe-

titions for the state several times but did not award bail to Jalil, a child at that time. He was not given equal rights which the constitution accords him.

Though Bhola’s district court formed a juvenile court to try the case but in the end he was tried at the Women and Children Repres-sion Prevention Tribunal.

If the state e� ectuates sentenc-es against it’s citizen by doing in-justice, the state is not entitled to be exempted, the verdict said.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the state would � le an appeal against the compensation order.

“The High Court has come to a decision that the case against Jalil was a false one,” he said.

But it would tough for the state counsels to pay such a large sum of money, the attorney general add-ed.

“State is not liable here. There was a complaint against him and he was tried. If there were � aws in the trial, it might have been com-mitted by the judge or the prosecu-tors. For this the accused deserves to be freed,” he said.

Mahbubey said if he had been

implicated in a false case, the � ne should be extracted from the plain-ti� , not the state.

He added that the state had nothing to say about the other ob-servations made by the court. l

Meghna Life conceals Tk100cr extra expenseThe person who achieved premium target of Tk1 crore was supposed to get car allocation according to the company policy; but the rule was not followed.

The auditor could not � nd any real information on car usage and fuel related costs as the company does not use log books for vehicles.

But the company showed trans-port management cost of around Tk39 lakh between 2012 and 2014 – which the auditor said appeared unusual.

For transport management, the company spent Tk11.61 lakh in 2012, Tk10.19 lakh in 2013 and Tk17.17 lakh in 2014. l

Starvation strugglePaddy harvest is going on in the hills but most farmers are frustrat-ed as little of the yield has been left by rats.

Quoting indigenous jhum farm-ers, sources said around two-thirds of the paddy has been destroyed in hilly terrains in Bandarban.

Thanchi upazila Chairman Ko-hoching Marma said relief must soon be provided in the areas af-fected by food shortage.

“More than 700 families in my un-ion are passing days amid hardship due to food crisis,” said Mong Pro Marma, chairman of Tindu union.

“This year most indigenous people cultivated turmeric and ginger instead of rice and vegeta-bles, to seek more pro� t. But prices crashed and most of them lost out,” said a local NGO o� cial.

There have been no reported hunger-related deaths yet, but lo-cals say without aid, it is only a matter of time.

Oti Chandra Tripura, a local leader in Bandarban said at least 30 families in his village were threat-ened with starvation and children were the worst su� erers.

Many are complaining that gov-ernment and non-governmental

organizations have not yet provid-ed them any relief supplies.

Local government o� cials have denied ignoring the crisis and have tried to reassure people, saying plans are being drawn up to pro-vide the best possible support to alleviate their su� ering.

According to DAE o� cials, around 20 varieties of jhum pad-dy are grown in Bandarban hills by indigenous farmers. These include Sonali, Chigan, Galong, Kamarang, Bhuppoy, Bini, Pattigi, Rengui, Ka-barak, Amei Dhan.

Elders said � owering, fruiting and withering of bamboo forests take place in the hills after about every 50 years. It broke out in a large scale in 1937 when natural bamboo forests were destroyed, followed by massive rat attack on paddy � elds, they said.

Deputy commissioner (DC) Dilip Kumar Banik said he had ordered upazila nirbahi o� cers to visit af-fected areas.

“We will provide relief. I told UP chairmen, members and NGOs to help the victims,” said.

“Meanwhile we have allocated 16 tonnes of rice for victims in the a� ected areas,” he added. l

Journalist Probir Sikdar gets fresh bailn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Senior journalist Probir Sikdar has been granted fresh bail in a case for defaming LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Facebook.

He surrendered before the Cy-ber Tribunal yesterday and pleaded for bail.

Judge KM Shamsul Alam also accepted charges pressed against Probir by Faridpur Kotwali police’s Sub-Inspector Monir Hossain and � xed September 18 for hearing on charge framing.

Probir was arrested in August last year after he wrote about threats to his life from controver-sial business tycoon Moosa Bin Shamser, Minister Mosharraf and death-row war criminal Abul Kal-am Azad alias Bachchu Razakar.

Moosa’s daughter is married to the son of Awami League presid-ium member and the prime min-ister’s cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim.

Mosharraf is the father-in-law to the prime minister’s daughter and an MP from Faridpur.

Faridpur’s Assistant Public Pros-ecutor Swapan Kumar Pal had � led the case with Kotwali police on Au-gust 16 last year under the ICT Act accusing the journalist of slander-ing the minister. l

Bangladesh Diploma Bekar (Unemployed) Nurses Association is stopped by police in front of Shahbagh National Museum yesterday as they try to march towards he Prime Minister’s O� ce seeking her audience to meet their demand of nurse appointments on the basis of merit and seniority MEHEDI HASAN

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27 BNP leaders face arrest warrantsn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Personal Assistant Shimul Biswas and 26 leaders and ac-tivists in a case � eld over a deadly � rebomb at-tack on a bus in Jatrabari area last year that left a person dead and 30 others burned.

Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Dhaka's Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court issued the warrants after accepting the charge sheet in the case � led under Explosive Sub-stances Act.

The court also directed the OC of Jatrabari police to submit a report before it by July 18 on the execution of the warrants.

The same court on March 30 issued arrest warrant against three-time former premier Khaleda in the case � led under the Special Powers Act. Khaleda later secured bail after surrendering before the court.

The other accused include MK Anwar, Ru-hul Kabir Rizvi, Barkat Ullah Bulu, Aman Ullah Aman, Shawkat Mahmud, Qaiyum Commission-

er, Latif Commissioner and Selim Bhuiyan.In the same case, DB police � led two charge

sheets – one under the Penal Code and the oth-er under Explosive Substances Act – against the same accused on May 6 last year. The other charge sheet under the Special Powers Act was submitted on May 19 last year.

According to the case, at least 31 people suf-fered burns as two petrol bombs were thrown by suspected blockaders at a bus at Jatrabari on January 23 during the anti-government movement last year. Of the injured, one Nur Alam, 60, died at Dhaka Medical College Hos-pital on February 1.

A day after the incident, police � led two cas-es against 68 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists mentioning Khaleda’s name as an abettor. The cases were later transferred to the DB police.

Four of the arrestees gave statements before magistrates on di� erent dates admitting their involvement in the attack. They claimed that they had been hired by some central and local BNP leaders to carry out the arson attack to cre-ate anarchy in the city. l

PM to join outreach meeting at G7 summitn Abu Hayat Mahmud, from Mie

Prefecture, Japan

The 42nd summit of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised countries will kick o� today at Ise-Shima Na-tional Park in Mie Prefecture, 300 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.

Chaired by Japanese Prime Min-ister Shinzo Abe, global leaders will discuss issues related to the global economy, investment, trade, refu-gee crisis, climate change and ener-gy, � ght against terrorism, foreign policy and development.

The talks will see United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, president of the European Commission and chairman of European Council as participants.

The declaration to be issued at the summit is expected to stipu-

late concerns about China’s actions in the South China Sea, where it is building arti� cial islands as out-posts and possibly as military bases.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was scheduled yesterday to meet US President Barack Obama, whose visit to Hiroshima tomorrow threat-ened to overshadow the summit.

Obama will become the � rst sit-ting US leader to travel to the city, the site of the world's � rst nuclear attack on August 6, 1945.

Japan is expected to raise the issue of maritime security at the outreach meeting during the summit. Japa-nese authorities increased security measures ahead of the G7 summit. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force deployed several ships, includ-ing an Izumo-class helicopter de-stroyer in the waters surrounding Ka-

shiko island, where the hotel that will host the major meetings is located.

Chubu International Airport in Na-goya, where the � ights of leaders land-ed late yesterday, has been subjected to more rigorous measures both inside and at the entrances for days.

Police presence is noticeably strengthened at major train sta-tions, shopping complexes, and other crowded places potentially vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

According to NPA chief Masahito Kanetaka, 70,000 policemen have been dispatched to 3,500 locations across the country through tomor-row, including the major stations To-kyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya.

Hasina to leave for Japan todayPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves Dhaka today for Japan on a

four-day o� cial visit to attend the G7 Outreach Meeting at Nagoya, re-ports BSS.

She is expected to reach Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya at 7:15 pm (Japan time).

Bangladesh Ambassador to Ja-pan Rabab Fatima and Parliamenta-ry Vice Minister for Foreign A� airs of Japan Miki Yamada will receive Sheikh Hasina at the airport.

Tomorrow, Hasina will attend the G7 Outreach Programme at Shi-ma Kanko Hotel, where she will de-liver a statement.

She will deliver another state-ment at the Working Lunch with the G7 outreach leaders.

Hasina will hold a meeting with British Prime Minister David Camer-on on the same day.

On Saturday, she will meet with

Sri Lankan President Mirthipala Srisena and her Japanese counter-part Abe.

Later that day, Hasina will leave for Tokyo by train to inaugurate the new Bangladesh Chancery Complex in that city.

On Sunday, she will have a breakfast meeting with the leading Japanese businessmen and witness signing of a memorandum of un-derstanding (MoU) between FBCCI and Jetro, apex trade bodies of the two countries.

In the afternoon, she will attend a reception hosted by the Bangla-deshi community.

In the evening, the prime min-ister will leave Haneda Interna-tional Airport for home on a Biman � ight, scheduled to reach Dhaka at 11:45pm. l

Family members pay respect at National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's grave at Dhaka University on the occasion of his 117th birth anniversary yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016News4D

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BTRC opens helpline to receive mobile subscribers’ complaintsn Ishtiaq Husain

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has introduced a helpline to receive complaints from mobile subscrib-ers.

Short code 2872 will be avail-able for subscribers from 9am to 5pm from Sunday to Thursday to make complaints, BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood made the an-nouncement at a news conference yesterday. He said calling the help-line would cost callers Tk0.25 per minute.

But BTRC’s complaint manage-ment taskforce will also address

complaints lodged in other ways such as e-mail.

At the initial stage, unresolved complaints will be received from subscribers and will then be sent to mobile phone operators con-cerned. After the problems are solved, the BTRC will inform the subscribers.

Shahjahan Mahmood said BTRC is working hard to implement the government’s Vision 2021.

“This new short code will be helpful for providing quality ser-vice to mobile phone users. As of now, a total 97 million SIM cards have been biometrically regis-tered.” l

Kabir Hossain new BTCL MDn Tribune Desk

The government has given the charge of managing di-rector of Bangladesh Tele-communications Company Limited (BTCL) to its member (planning and development) Md Kabir Hossain Bhuiyan.

Kabir Hossain, a member of 1983 BCS (telecom) cadre, took the additional charge of managing director on Tues-day, said a BTCL press release

issued yesterday.Kabir was made the member

of BTCL on December 28, 2015.He completed BSc in Elec-

trical and Electronic Engi-neering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1982.

He visited UK, Japan, China, South Korea, Thai-land, Malaysia, Germany and France for higher training, seminar and conference.

Kabir was born on March 3, 1959 and has two daughters and a son. l

CPD: Negotiations to � x VAT rate importantn Tribune Desk

The Centre for Policy Dia-logue (CPD) yesterday said � xing VAT rate without prop-er negotiation with business-es will not help boost reve-nue collection.

“Without consultation with the stakeholders to � x the VAT rate, the administra-tion will face problems, as we have seen disputes publicly between the government and the business community,” said Debapriya Bhattacharya, CPD distinguished fellow.

He was speaking at a press brie� ng on Macroeconomic Performance for FY2015-16 (third reading) at the Cirdap auditorium in Dhaka.

The National Board of Revenue has proposed to � x uniform VAT rate at 15% un-der the new VAT law passed in 2012 in the parliament to increase revenue collection.

The new law came into e� ect from July 1 this year. For long, stakeholders have demand-ed to reduce VAT rate to 7% from the proposed 15%.

CPD Executive Director Professor Musta� zur Rah-man said: “VAT is a progres-sive system. However, VAT rate should be � xed in a way so that the commoners do not feel pain.”

According to the CPD, the culture of black money whitening facility, without any condition and punish-ment given in every budget, should be stopped as it has negative impacts on the faith of other policies of the ad-ministration.

“We should come out of this culture and solve the problem,” said Debapriya.

He called for regulations to review money leaving the country. “Money has been transferred to other coun-

tries, as recent Panama Pa-pers revelations shed light on o� shore accounts.”

For sustainable growth, the think tank put forward some recommendations, in-cluding gearing up employ-ment creation, reduction of diesel and kerosene prices for the bene� t of the poor, increasing public expenditure on social safety net, and prop-er ADP implementation and institutional reformation.

On May 14, in a speech, Dhaka South Business Forum General Secretary Abu Mot-aleb said: “Imposition of 15% VAT with new law has creat-ed worries among traders, particularly the small and medium enterprises, and re-tail shops.”

“Once implemented, it will hike product prices by 10% to 12% immediately, which will create a setback for small traders,” he said. l

Court to give Ashulia bank robbery verdict on May 31n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday set May 31 to deliver the verdict against 11 militants in a case � led over the 2015 robbery at a bank in Savar’s Ashulia that left eight peo-ple dead.

SM Kuddus Zaman, judge of Dhaka District and Sessions Judge’s Court, set the date after the prose-cution and the defence � nished placing arguments.

On April 21 last year, robbers shot dead seven people and in-jured at least 25 others during the robbery at Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd. They took away Tk35 lakh.

As they were � eeing, a mob cap-

tured one of the robbers and beat him to death.

On December 6, Dipak Kumar, investigating o� cer of the case and also o� cer-in-charge of Ashu-lia police station, submitted the charge sheet in the case, naming 11 militants.

Later, on January 21 this year, the court framed charges against the 11.

The 11 are Burhan Uddin, Al-Amin, Babul Sarder, Mintu Pradhan, Jasimuddin, Abdul Bat-en, Mozammel Haque, Ukil Hasan, Mahfuzul Haque, Shajahan Jama-dar and Palash alias Sohel Rana.

They are members of banned militant out� ts Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Jama’atul Muja-

hideen Bangladesh (JMB), accord-ing to police.

All but Sohel Rana are now be-hind bars.

According to the charge sheet, the investigating o� cer found in-volvement of 13 people in the rob-bery and killings.

One of the 13 was killed by a mob while the mastermind, Abdul-lah Al Baki, was killed in a shootout with police in the capital’s Gabtoli area after the incident.

Baki, a JMB-turned-ABT leader, carried out the daring robbery to fund militant activities.

Six militants joined the robbery directly while the rest aided and abetted them, according to the charge sheet. l

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016News 5

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PRAYERTIMES

Cox’s Bazar 32 27Dhaka 34 26 Chittagong 33 27 Rajshahi 38 26 Rangpur 32 23 Khulna 36 26 Barisal 35 27 Sylhet 33 23T E M P E R AT U R E F O R E C A S T F O R TO DAY

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:39PM SUN RISES 5:11AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW36.4ºC 22.0ºC

Satkhira KhulnaTHURSDAY, MAY 26Source: Islamic Foundation

Fajr: 4:40am | Zohr: 1:15pmAsr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:45pmEsha: 8:30pm

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

'Nowhere does my boy feel as at ease as in my lap'n Mazharul Haque Lipu,

Magura

Tripti, the mother of a little boy from Magura who has a rare disorder that is causing his body to age rapidly and prematurely, describes how the condi-tion has a� ected his life.

Aloofness rather than support has been the rule, she says of society's response to her four-year-old. “People tend to stay away … when they are not staring, that is,” Tripti says.

Children his age keep their dis-tance, causing the child to feel lonely, Tripti says. With tears in her eyes, she adds: “Even the elders, out of fear, are not a� ectionate with him.

“But no fear touches me: I am his mother. Nowhere does my boy feel as at ease as when he is in my lap.”

Tripti's son su� ers from Hutchin-son-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a genetic condition charac-terised by dramatic, rapid appearance of ageing beginning in childhood, Dr Abdullahel Ka� , assistant professor at Faridpur Medical College, told the Dhaka Tribune.

The condition is very rare. It is reported to occur in 1 in 4 million newborns worldwide. More than 130 cases have been reported since the condition was � rst described in 1886, according to the United States Nation-al Institutes of Health (NIH).

Progeria has caused Tripti's four-

year-old son to develop the appear-ance of an elderly person, with his skin rapidly losing its elasticity. The condition does not just cause cosmet-ic changes but is causing his internal organs to undergo changes associated with old age.

People with HGPS experience severe hardening of the arteries beginning in childhood, greatly increasing the chanc-es of having a heart attack or stroke at a young age.

These complications are life-threatening for a� ected individu-als, according to the NIH.

Tripti Khatun and her husband Lablu Shikdar are not well to do. They live in Khalia village in Mohammadpur upazila, Magura.

Despite their relative poverty, they say they were happy. Within a year of their marriage Tripti bore a child.

Tripti recalls: “His speech and abili-ty to walk were delayed – he could not do either until after he turned three. He can now walk and speak smoothly but he appears to be ageing a little more everyday.”

HGPS does not a� ect intellectual development or the development of motor skills, according to the NIH.

Father Lablu says: “Every doctor has discouraged me, saying the condi-tion is incurable.

“But I am not disheartened. I shall try to the last drop of my blood to cure my son.” l

Students submit memo to president seeking justice for Tonun Arif Ahmed

Progressive Student Alliance, a platform of seven left student bod-ies, yesterday submitted a memo-randum to President Abdul Hamid demanding justice for the killing of Comilla Victoria Government Col-lege student Sohagi Jahan Tonu, and also protesting the recent crimes, including murder, enforced disappearance and rape.

A six-member delegation of Pro-gressive Student Alliance led by its co-coordinator Naima Khaled Monika submitted the memoran-dum to the President’s O� ce at noon as part of highlighting their � ve-point demand.

Earlier in the day, police resisted them by building a barricade near

the High Court area as they were marching towards the president’s residence. A scu� e broke out be-tween the students and police.

The students removed the bar-ricade and continued to march but police again stopped them after they reached the National Press Club area.

The � ve-point demand of the platform includes punishment of lawmaker AKM Salim Osman and his acolytes involved in the public humiliation of teacher Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, punishment of the killers of Rajshahi University pro-fessor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique, and justice for residents of Bansh-khali in Chittagong who were killed in police � ring during a demonstra-tion against the move to set up a coal-based power plant. l

Bapex, Santos to sign joint o� shore drilling dealn Aminur Rahman Rasel

Country's lone state-run oil and gas exploration company Bapex is � -nally going to enter a joint venture agreement with Australian � rm Santos to carry out o� shore drilling in Magnama structure in the Bay of Bengal.

After a series of negotiations, Bangladesh Petroleum Explora-tion and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) has agreed to sign a deal with Santos for drilling an explora-tion well at the cost of $28.85 mil-lion.

Bapex, a Petrobangla company, has so far drilled onshore gas wells in several gas-� elds, either owned by itself or di� erent state-run gas production companies.

Santos submitted a proposal of work programme to Petrobangla to drill a well in Magnama with a bank guaranty of $4 million one-and-a-half year back.

Bapex Managing Director Md Atiquzzaman said that Santos had spent around $92.3 million for 2D, 3D seismic surveys and other sur-veys since 1994.

Santos had been pushing Bapex to agree to a $46 million deal for some time, which would cover half of these costs. They even went as

far as to get a con� dential agree-ment signed.

This could have meant potential � nancial ruin for the state-owned company.

But Bapex eventually dropped the deal.

The company o� ered to pay $16.35 million instead and Santos consented to that.

Atiquzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that Santos was going to drill an exploration well and the cost of the exploration was estimated at $25 million.

Bapex is supposed to bear $12.50 million, half of the cost. In total the state owned company has to spend $28.85 million to drill the well in Magnama, Atiquzzaman said.

“Bapex has never conducted oil and gas exploration o� shore. It will be a good deal for us because we will be able to gain the experience of drilling wells in o� shore areas which will develop our human re-source,” he said.

The deal will be signed by July and the drilling work will start in winter, Atiquzzaman added.

Santos would have 51% stake in the joint venture, while Bapex will have 49%, � nanced by government exchequer or gas development fund.

The Bapex board recently ap-proved the joint venture agree-ment. Earlier a con� dentiality agreement was also signed with Santos.

Magnama structure is located within Block-16 in the Bay, where the Sangu well, which now remains shut, is located.

Santos recently mapped mean Gas Initial In Place (GIIP) for Mag-nama at 1.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) which shows 16 to 17 gas layers.

Bapex currently has just one 'controversial' joint venture with Canadian Niko Resources. Togeth-er, they developed Feni Gas Field, but production has been suspend-ed there because of a payment dis-pute. They also undertook drilling at Chhatak.

In 2010, Niko � led a lawsuit with International Centre for the Settle-ment of Investment Disputes (IC-SID) against the Bangladesh gov-ernment, Petrobangla and Bapex after Petrobangla withheld pay-ments on gas sales from Feni gas � eld from 2006.

It � led another case involving two blowouts at Chattak gas � eld in 2005 after a Bangladeshi court held Niko liable for the accident.

The proceedings of the trial are still pending. l

Police stop a procession of Dhaka University's Progressive Students' Alliance yesterday inside the campus on its way to submit a memorandum to the president protesting Tonu murder, RU teacher Rezaul Siddique murder and the public shaming of a teacher in Narayanganj MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016News6D

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‘Nazrul memorial centre to be set up in Ctg soon’ n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Cultural A� airs Minister Asa-duzzaman Noor said a centre in memory of our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam would be construct-ed in Chittagong under the super-vision of Nazrul Institute.

The minister made the announcement while addressing as the chief guest at a programme organised on the occasion of the 117th anniversary of birth of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

“We have decided to set up a centre in memory of Kazi Nazrul. We are looking for the site and the construction of the memorial centre will begin very soon after the site selection,” said the min-ister.

Asaduzzaman Noor also urged all to be imbued with the philos-ophy of our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam to build a non-com-munal Bangladesh.

Cultural A� airs Ministry or-ganised the three-day long na-tional level programme at MA Aziz Stadium in the city yester-day morning.

While speaking as the special guest, Khilkhil Kazi, granddaugh-ter of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, demanded establishing university of Nazrul music.

The granddaughter of the na-tional poet also sought necessary cooperation from the Prime Min-ister Sheikh Hasina and Cultural A� airs Minister in establishing the music university.

“Today we are celebrating the birth anniversary of Kazi Nazrul Islam. However, there is no su-perlative research centre here to know more about the national poet. A university of Nazrul mu-sic should be set up without de-lay,” said Khilkhil Kazi.

“People coming from home and abroad will be able to know about the poet’s immortal writ-ings, songs and poems from the research centre. We will be able to spread Nazrul all over the world through the centre,” added the granddaughter of the nation-al poet.

“We have to uphold and fol-low the ideology and philosophy of Kazi Nazrul Islam who tried to unite Hindus and Muslims. Naz-rul fought relentlessly against communalism,” said Khilkhil Kazi.

With Cultural A� airs Secretary Begum Akhtari Momtaz in the chair, the programme was attended by Chittagong City Corporation mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, Chittagong deputy commissioner Mesbah Uddin, and veteran journalist and poet Abul Momen. l

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016News 7

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Ctg people fearing gridlock during Ramadan n FM Mizanur Rahaman,

Chittagong

Chittagong city dwellers fear that massive tra� c gridlock may take place during Ramadan due to on-going development projects.

According to local sources, for the last couple of years, the city dwellers have been witnessing tra� c congestion during Ramadan because of tra� c mismanagement and construction works of di� erent development projects.

The work of 5.2 kilometer-long Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar � yover is under construction and the road from Lalkhan Bazar to Bahaddar-hat have been narrowed following the construction work where peo-ple have been su� ering from im-mense tra� c jam during travelling on the route.

At a cost of Tk462.21 crore, Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has constructed the � yover since 2014 with an aim to ease tra� c pressure on the busiest road in the city which creates now a chaotic situation at CDA avenue areas.

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) has extended road and foot-paths under several projects in dif-ferent parts in the city since April while Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has set up 106 kilometer-long pipeline in di� erent areas since May by cut-ting roads to provide fresh waters

to city inhabitants.People alleged that all the devel-

opment projects have been causing the unbearable tra� c jams in dif-

ferent intersections in the city kill-ing their working time.

The dwellers believed if the drivers obeyed the tra� c rules,

construction works were done at night and police become more ac-tive, the tra� c jam could be kept in expectable level in Ramadan.

Debabrata Ray Debu, a private service holder, told the Dhaka Trib-une: “Every day I have to loss near-ly one hour to go to my work place because of the ongoing develop-ment projects which triggered traf-� c jams in the city.”

“Now I’ve feared that the sit-uation would get worsen during Ramadan if there were no special measures in this regard”, he appre-hended.

Nusrat Jabin Mou, a 4th year stu-dent of Economics department of a private university located city’s Ba-hadarhat area said: “Usually I need around 30 minutes to arrive my university from home by rickshaw but its take now nearly one hour as the ally has been blocked due to main road’s tra� c congestion at Muradpur intersection”.

According to Chittagong Metro-politan Police (CMP) there are 139 intersections in the city while 40 intersections have signals lights. Of them 12 to 13 signals lights are functional while the remained were out of service.

CMP tra� c sources said the amount of the tra� cs would in-crease during the Ramadan as all the o� ces and intuitions have fol-lowed same o� ce routines � xed by the government.

CMP’s Additional Commission-er (Tra� c) Masood-ul-Hasan told Dhaka Tribune that they would take measures ahead of Ramadan to con-trol tra� c congestion in the city. l

The ongoing construction of the Lalkhan Bazar-Muradpur � yover in Chittagong city causes regular tailback on the nearby roads. The photo was taken recently from Provotok area of the city RABIN CHOWDHURY

SEVEN YEARS INTO CYCLONIC STORM AILA

A� ected people yet to get back normal life n Md Hedait Hossain Molla,

Khulna

Seven years have passed since se-vere cyclonic storm Aila hit the coastal belt of Bangladesh, but people of the areas especially who live in Khula region yet to get their normal lives back which they lived before the strom devasted their lives.

On 25 May, 2009, cyclone Aila swept over the counrty that left over 200 people killed and ren-dered thousands of people home-less. Koira and Dacop upzilas in Khulna are the worst a� ected areas where 3,500 people are still living on embankment as they yet to re-build their homesteads due to lack of proper assitance from both the government and non-government organisations.

Local souces said a vast tract of land at the two upzials had re-mained under saline water for long as nearly 2,000 kilometres of the coastal embankment was damaged by tidal surge during the strom.

Adible land had lost fertility due to intrusion of saline water and

thus people cannot produce crops on their land, much to cause food scarcity in the coastal belt.

People of Golkhali, Jorshing, An-gtuhara, Gobra, Gatakhali, Horink-hola, Katkata, Nayani, Tetultola, Patharkhali, Horihorpur, Ghorilal and Hadda areas take shelter at ed-ucational institutions and for that reason education of children are badly hampered.

Abdul Majid, a resident of Koira, said: ”My house was devoured in the Shibsa River when Aila hit the area. Since then, I along with my family have been living on em-bankment as I do not have house to live.”

Gazi Ashraf, former chairman of Sutarkhali union parishad, said farmer could not be able to pro-duce crops due to intrusion of salaine water.

Md Abdul Motin, former o� cial at Water Devolopment Board, told the Dhaka Tribune that the WDB was trying to repair vulnerable portions of embankments putting concrete blocks. Higher authoritues had already been informed to repair damaged portions of embankment

as the rainy season was coming. Koira Upzila Nirbahi O� cer

Bodiuzzaman said they were con-sidering to build 200 cyclone cen-tres in the coastal areas of Koira so that people could take shelter during natural disasters. He said the government was trying hard to get back normal life to Aila-a� ect-ed peoole.

Chairman of Koira upazila AKM Tomijuddin non-government or-ganisations were also working along with the government to reha-biliate people.

Hasan Mehedi, an NGO activtist, said although seven years had passed, 3,500 people of Kamarkho-

la and Sutarkhali villages were still living on embankment as they did not have houses.

Embankments which were built after Alia have arealy damaged by tidal surge as those were not sus-tainable, he added.

Abdul Aziz, an environmental-ist, told the Dhaka Tribune that climate was changing across the world due to adverse impact of global warming. Bangladesh was the most vulneable place in the world and Koira was most vulner-able place in the country.

Upzila Project Implementaion O� cer Proshanta Kumar told the Dhaka Tribune that about 300,000 people of Koira upzila had to live life everyday amid fear of cyclone as they did not have no way but to be victimised by natural disaster. He also opined that the govern-ment should build more cyclone centres in the coastal belt to keep people safe during inclement weather.

Vice-Chairman of Koira upzila became helpless during natural ca-lamities as they had no safe place where they could take shelter. l

BCL leader Rony denied bail in arms case n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong.

Chittagong city chapter Chatra League secretary Nurul Azim Rony was denied bail in an arms case yesterday.

Chittagong District and Sessions Judge Md Nurul Huda rejected the bail petition after a hearing.

However, the convicted BCL leader got bail as he appealed against the sentence of two-year imprisonment on charge of breach-ing electoral code of conduct.

Chittagong district and sessions judge granted the bail to the BCL leader on the same day.

It may be mentioned that the BCL leader was arrested in pos-session of a 9mm pistol, 15 rounds of bullet, Tk26,000 and a rubber stamp from Chittagong’s Hathazari upazila during the 4th phase of Un-ion Parishad polls on May 7.

A mobile court led by Judicial Magistrate Harunur Rashid arrest-ed the BCL leader and later on, sen-tenced him to two years imprison-ment for breaching electoral code of conduct. l

My house was devoured in the Shibsa River when Aila hit the area. Since then, I along with my family have been living on embankment

8TOP STORIES

DT World

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

‘Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Johnson?’As a former journalist who made his name by bashing Brussels but was sometimes accused of twist-ing the facts, Boris Johnson knows there’s no easier way to hook read-ers than to lead with Hitler. PAGE 9

Saudi Arabia rulers adapt message for social media ageParticipation of tens of thousands of young Saudis in a social media debate over plans to reform the kingdom’s oil-reliant economy last month marked a shift in how Ri-yadh’s conservative rulers interact with their subjects. PAGE 10

US election: A contest of negatives?The November 9 presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump viewed unfavourably by a majority of the US voters and with electorates motivated as much by whom they don’t like as by whom they do, according to a new Washing-ton Post-ABC News poll. PAGE 9

Trouble-riddled Afghan Taliban appoints new successor

n Reuters, Kabul/Peshawar

The Afghan Taliban named an Is-lamic legal scholar who was one of former leader Mullah Akhtar Man-sour’s deputies to succeed him on Wednesday, after con� rming Man-sour’s death in a US drone strike at the weekend.

Within an hour of the announce-ment of Haibatullah Akhundzada’s appointment, a Taliban suicide bomber attacked a shuttle bus car-rying court employees west of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing up to 11 people and wounding several others, including children.

The new Taliban leader was named in a United Nations report last year as former chief of the sha-ria-based justice system during the Taliban’s � ve-year rule over Af-ghanistan, which ended with their ouster in 2001.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of a feared network blamed for many deadly bomb attacks in Kabul in recent years, and Mullah Moham-mad Yaqoob, son of Taliban found-er Mullah Mohammad Omar, will serve as deputies.

The announcement, following a meeting of the Taliban’s main shura, or leadership council, end-ed days of confusion during which the Taliban declined to con� rm the death of Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan on Saturday.

“All the shura members have pledged allegiance to Sheikh Hai-batullah in a safe place in Afghani-stan,” the statement said. “All peo-ple are required to obey the new Emir-al-Momineen (commander of the faithful).”

Akhundzada, believed to be

around 60 years of age and a mem-ber of the powerful Noorzai tribe, was a close aide to Omar and is from Kandahar, in the south of Af-ghanistan and the heartland of the Taliban.

An o� cial Taliban account on Twitter posted an undated photo-graph it said was of Akhundzada, informally known as Mullah Hai-batullah, with a white turban and long, greying beard.

The post listed his full title as Emir-ul-Momineen Shiekh ul Quran, or “commander of the faithful, scholar of the Koran”.

The Taliban movement banned human images for breaching their strict interpretation of Islam when they governed Afghanistan.

Under their rule, women could only appear in public under a heavy veil and accompanied by a male rel-ative, and they were denied a for-mal education. Public executions were staged and sports banned.

Questions over peace talksSenior members of the insurgent group had been keenly aware of the need to appoint a candidate who could bring disparate factions together and repair the splits that emerged last year when Mansour was appointed.

“It was much quicker than most people expected, including my-self. It shows that the Taliban are keen not to have a new con� ict,” said Thomas Ruttig of the Afghani-stan Analysts Network.

Mansour, a former deputy to Omar named as leader in 2015 after the Taliban announced Omar had died more than two years earlier, faced widespread anger that he had

deceived the movement by cover-ing up his predecessor’s death.

However, there was no sign the appointment would lead to any immediate shift in the stance of the Taliban, which under Mansour gained more territory than at any time since being driven from power 2001 and ruled out participating in peace talks with the government.

“Prospects for the Afghan peace process remain poor,” said former CIA o� cial and White House ad-visor Bruce Riedel, now at the Brookings Institution.

“The Taliban leadership includ-ing the new commander Mullah Akhundzada believe military vic-tory is only a matter of time.”

An audio statement purporting to be from Akhundzada rejected peace talks, but the Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid later said the message was not authentic and did not come from the new leader.

Warning for new leaderThe Afghan government called on the new Taliban leader to end the war, or face dire consequences.

“Latest developments o� er Taliban groups opportunity to end violence and resume peaceful

life; else they will face the fate of their leadership,” President Ashraf Ghani’s deputy spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi said in a tweet.

The United States, Pakistan and China have also been trying to get the militants to the negotiating ta-ble to end a con� ict that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel and left Afghanistan se-riously unstable.

News of the appointment came as a suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying sta� from an appeal court west of Kabul, killing 11 people and wounding as many as 10 others, in-cluding at least six children.

Taliban spokesman Mujahid said the attack on sta� from the judicial system was in response to the Af-ghan government’s decision earlier this month to execute six Taliban prisoners on death row. Other at-tacks would follow, he added.

“We will continue on this path,” he said in a statement.

The decision by Ghani to exe-cute the prisoners on death row was taken as part of a tougher pol-icy towards the Taliban following a suicide attack by the insurgent movement which killed at least 64 people in Kabul. l

HAIBATULLAH AKHUNZADA: NEW FACE OF THE GROUP IN DISARRAY

Ü New Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhunzada is a veteran of the move-ment, but has very little battle� eld experience like his two predecessors.

Ü A cleric from the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Akhunzada’s role was limited to dealing with religious and legal issues during the late 1990s Taliban regime.

Ü Akhunzada follows a strict interpretation of Islam that is followed in most parts of the Wahabi Arab world.

Ü He issued religious decrees to justify Taliban actions against fellow Af-ghans, before the US invaded the country following the September 11, 2011 attacks by al-Qaeda on US soil.

Ü It was only a few years after the movement took over most of Afghan-istan that Akhunzada got close to founder Mullah Omar and was made the chief justice.

Ü Akhunzada was a driving force behind a Taliban decision to blow up cen-turies-old Buddha statues in the province of Bamiyan during their regime.

Ü Said to be around 60 years old, the cleric moved to the south-western Pakistan after US troops ousted the regime in Afghanistan in 2001.

Ü He is thought to have good relations with the Pakistani spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence, which is a key attribute to lead the Afghan Taliban.

Ü Taliban sources said Akhunzada was a “compromise” choice due to the re-spect he commands as an Islamic cleric.

Ü But his role could be ceremonial in the presence of two powerful deputies - Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of Haqqani network and Mullah Yakoub, son of Mullah Omar.

Source: DPA

Newspapers containing news about Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour are on display at a stall in Peshawar on Monday REUTERS

US election: A contest of negatives?n Tribune International Desk

The November 9 presidential race be-tween Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump viewed unfavoura-

bly by a majority of the US voters and with electorates motivated as much by whom they don’t like as by whom they do, according to a new Wash-ington Post-ABC News poll.

Nearly 6 in 10 registered voters say they have negative impres-sions of both major candidates. Overall, Clinton’s net negative rating among registered voters is -16, while Trump’s is -17, though Trump’s numbers have improved since March. Among all adults, Trump’s net negatives are signi� -cantly higher than those of Clinton.

In all, the survey foreshadows a hard-fought, competitive and negative general election. At this point, the two candidates are in a statistical dead heat among regis-tered voters, with Trump favoured by 46% and Clinton favoured by 44%. That represents an 11-point shift toward the presumptive Re-publican nominee since March. Among all adults, Clinton holds a six-point lead (48% to 42%), down

from 18 points in March.Nonetheless, Clinton is rated

ahead of Trump across a range of attributes and issues, and she is seen as having superior experi-ence, temperament and person-ality to be president. Trump is viewed as unquali� ed by a major-ity of adults, but he has strong ap-peal to voters as the anti-Clinton candidate who can bring change to Washington in an election year in which outsiders have thrived.

Among those registered voters who say they favour Clinton, 48% say their vote is in support of the candidate while an identical per-centage say their vote is mainly to oppose Trump. Among Trump’s backers, 44% say they are casting an a� rmative vote for the Repub-lican, while 53% say their motiva-tion is to oppose Clinton.

Nor are people fully satis� ed with their choice of major party nominees — 51% call themselves satis� ed while 44% say they want a third-party option.

Among registered voters, Clin-ton runs away from Trump on such attributes as having the right experience to be president, hav-ing the personality and temper-ament to serve in the Oval O� ce

and having realistic policy pro-posals. Trump’s strongest calling card is as a change agent. The two are judged more or less evenly on honesty and trustworthiness, on strength of leadership and on keeping the country safe.

The poll suggests that Trump has more vulnerabilities than Clinton, but that opposition to the former secretary of state can lead some voters with a mixed to un-favourable view of Trump to sup-port him nonetheless. l

9D

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016World

SOUTH ASIASri Lanka sets up o� ce to trace 20,000 war missingSri Lanka Wednesday announced it was setting up an o� ce to trace thousands of people still missing 7 years after the end of its ethnic war, to try to bring closure for families. Foreign Minister Manga-la Samaraweera said the cabinet had approved the creation of an O� ce of Missing Persons with wide powers to investigate the disappearance of more than 20,000 people. -AFP

INDIA‘Africans in India living in fear after killing’African nationals in the Indi-an capital live in a pervading climate of fear and insecurity, a group of African ambassadors has said, after the brutal murder of a Congolese teacher sparked allegations of racism. The Group said they may recommend their governments not to send stu-dents to India until safety condi-tions improve, following a string of what they say are unpunished racial attacks. -AFP

CHINASteel industry calls on G7 to protect it from China12 global steel associations urged the Group of Seven advanced economies, which meet in Japan this week, to prevent cheap Chinese steel distorting world markets and in� icting further pain on producers. Steelmakers have been hit by a plunge in steel prices, which Europe and the US have blamed on a surge in cheap exports from China. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFICUN chief Ban indicates S Korea presidential bidUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left open the possibility of running in the 2017 presidential election, Wednesday, saying he will contemplate his future after � nishing his tenure at the UN. Ban arrived in the island for a 6-day trip that includes some controver-sial activities that opposition par-ties claim are linked to a possible presidential bid. -AFP

MIDDLE EASTSyrian rebels agree in Qatar to stop � ghtingTwo Syrian rebel groups, Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman groups, which have been � ghting each other near Damascus have ne-gotiated a cease� re in Qatar, state-ments published by the two groups said. The statements said repre-sentatives of the two groups met in Qatar and concluded an agreement on Tuesday to stop � ghting and to release detainees. -REUTERS

ANALYSIS

‘Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Johnson?’n Reuters, Brussels

As a former jour-nalist who made his name by bash-ing Brussels but

was sometimes accused of twist-ing the facts, Boris Johnson knows there’s no easier way to hook read-ers than to lead with Hitler.

Yet his attempt to blacken the European Union by associating its limited, negotiated supranational powers with attempts by the Nazi German leader or the French Em-peror Napoleon to impose their rule on the continent by force was politically perilous.

For one thing, it disregarded the strategic vision of two of his own Conservative heroes, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, both of whom saw a more united Europe as the answer to Hitlerism, and a way to ensure peace and sta-bility after centuries of bloodshed.

The former mayor of London is not just distorting history - the EU’s 28 democracies freely assent-ed to pooling some of their sover-eignty, even creating a voluntary exit clause which Johnson is now urging Britons to use.

His Hitler jibe may back� re on the “Leave” campaign in Britain’s June 23 referendum and derail his ambitions to replace David Cam-eron as prime minister.

Even Britons who distrust the EU and feel, like many Europeans, that its actions are not su� ciently subject to democratic control are unlikely to equate it with jack-booting dictators or the Holocaust by other means.

Latest opinion polls suggest wa-vering Conservative supporters are shifting towards voting to remain in the EU when the island nation faces its geopolitical choice next month.

In an interview with the Sun-day Telegraph, Johnson said the EU was doomed to fail like all at-tempts to create a “golden age of peace and prosperity” since the

Roman Empire 2,000 years ago.

‘Democratic void’Johnson also blames Brussels, rather than President Vladimir Putin, for Russia’s 2014 annexa-tion of Crimea and the success of armed Russian-speaking separa-tists in eastern Ukraine.

As the author of a biography of Churchill, as well as a book on the Roman Empire, Johnson must know that his favourite statesman passionately advocated a united Europe after World War II to pre-vent any return to nationalism and warmongering.

‘Peace and security’Even more striking is the contrast be-tween Johnson’s view of the lessons of European history and Thatcher’s.

In a speech launching the Con-servative “Yes” campaign in Brit-ain’s 1975 referendum on whether to stay in the European Economic Community - the forerunner of the EU - she drew a direct link between European integration and peace.

Thatcher expressed gratitude that her children had not been embroiled in a European con� ict as were the children of the previ-ous two generations.

The strategic lesson drawn by Churchill and his successors was that Britain must be actively en-gaged in building not only the Nato military alliance but also a united Europe, and not be tempt-ed by isolationism or appeasing expansionary powers.

Johnson’s view of Britain’s place in Europe seems closer to the long-running BBC comedy se-ries “Dad’s Army”, which mocked a Home Guard of elderly part-time soldiers preparing valiantly to de-fend the island against a Nazi in-vasion that never came.

The sitcom’s theme tune be-gan: “Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler, if you think we’re on the run?”

That question might well be ad-dressed to Boris Johnson. l

HIGHLIGHTS OF WASHINGTON POST-ABC POLL

Ü 57% of voters have an unfavourable impression of Trump

Ü 56% of voters think Trump is unquali� ed for the presidency

Ü A plurality of voters (44%-39%) think Clinton better understands “the problems of people like you”

Ü A plurality of voters (44%-40%) say Clinton better represents their personal values

Ü A majority of voters (59%-33%) think Clinton has a better personality and temperament to serve as president

Ü A majority of voters (57%-34%) think Clinton has more realistic policy proposals

Ü A majority of voters (50%-36%) trust Clinton more to look out for the middle class

Ü A plurality of voters (48%-47%) prefer a candidate with political experi-ence to an outsider

Ü A majority of voters (64%-25%) think Trump would do more to advance the interests of the wealthy than Clinton would

Ü A plurality of Republican-leaning voters don’t think Trump represents the values of their party

Source: WASHINGTON POST

An imaginative mural of Donald Trump kissing Boris Johnson is seen on a building in Bristol, Britain on Tuesday. The inspiration of it came from the famous “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love” mural at the Berlin Wall East Side Gallery in Germany depicting a 1979 kissing event of Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and the then East Germany president Erich Honecker REUTERS

INSIGHT

Saudi Arabia rulers adapt message for social media agen Reuters, Dubai/Riyadh

Participation of tens of thousands of young Saudis in a social media debate over plans to reform the kingdom’s oil-reliant economy last month marked a shift in how Ri-yadh’s conservative rulers interact with their subjects.

Saudi Arabia’s dynastic leaders, who rule by � at and strictly limit public dissent, have historically courted public opinion only via informal councils with tribal, reli-gious and business leaders or citi-zens seeking to petition them.

But in one of the most active countries on social media in the Arab world, the ruling al-Saud have started trying to shape the online debate with carefully man-aged media campaigns and senior o� cials have been sacked after so-cial media criticism.

One recent showcase for this was the launch of 31-year-old Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform plans, which used Twitter along-side traditional media to build an-ticipation and introduce hashtags - key discussion phrases.

“A strong and determined coun-try with a connection between the government and the citizen,” one of the slogans read.

Some 190,000 Twitter users in Saudi Arabia actively took part in the ensuing debate over Vi-sion 2030, generating more than 860,000 messages according to France-based social media moni-tor Semiocast.

This meant the discussion reached 46% of the 7.4m active Twitter users in the kingdom, Se-miocast said, describing this level of outreach in a state-sponsored debate as exceptional.

Social media stormsThere is good reason for the sen-sitivity: since 2012 social media storms in Saudi Arabia over gov-ernment policies or the actions of senior o� cials have culminated in the sacking of senior people on at least � ve occasions.

Social media use among the 21m Saudis and roughly 10m for-eign residents of the kingdom cuts across political and religious lines: keenly followed social media users include both strict Muslim clerics and self-described liberals.

In a country in which debate has traditionally been strictly reg-ulated by state decree and cultur-al tradition, and in which gender mixing is often illegal, social me-dia has allowed many young Sau-dis to interact in ways that were

impossible before.Twitter is most popular among 18

to 24-year-olds in Saudi Arabia, fol-lowed closely by users in their late 20s to early 40s and its useage is split roughly between men and women, according to iMENA Digital, which serves clients in Saudi Arabia. It said photo-sharing site Instagram has become the leading channel among young Saudis, around three-quar-ters of them women.

Online dissentSpeaking at a packed discussion about Twitter in an expensive Ri-yadh hotel last month, Saudi For-eign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the platform was not always an accurate barometer of public opin-ion, but that it could help track trends.

However, he and other Gulf Arab politicians speaking at the fo-rum also said they were in favour of controls to prevent anonymous posting and of punishing users who broke taboos by criticising re-ligion or calling to end monarchi-cal rule.

Rights groups have criticised Saudi Arabia and its neighbours for jailing some who voiced dis-sent online, including Saudi blog-ger Raif Badawi, who was sen-tenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for a “cyber crime” of in-sulting Islam.

Diplomats in Riyadh say while the judiciary has given harsh sen-tences to online dissenters who

drew the anger of hardliners, the police routinely ignore on social media far more severe criticism of senior people than was ever al-lowed before.

The growing in� uence of so-cial media became apparent in 2012 when the late King Abdullah sacked the religious police chief and replaced him with a relative progressive after a viral video showed members of the body har-assing a family in a mall.

Culture of respectIn April 2014, as a deadly out-break of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) swept Jeddah, anger over a perceived cover-up surged on social media and Abdul-lah sacked the health minister.

Since King Salman came to power in January 2015, such sen-sitivity seems to have only am-pli� ed. Another health minister, Ahmed al-Khateeb, widely regard-ed as a protege of the king, was dismissed after footage of him shouting at a Saudi citizen during a heated argument was captured on a smartphone.

Weeks later, Salman replaced his own head of royal protocol af-ter he was caught on camera slap-ping a news cameraman covering the arrival of the Moroccan king in Riyadh.

It is a far cry from the days be-fore widespread internet use in Saudi Arabia, when discussion was limited to informal meetings or to

newspapers and television chan-nels that rarely held o� cials to account or criticised government policies.

Still, a culture of public expres-sions of respect for government endures. More than a third of re-actions to Vision 2030 on Twitter were positive, Semiocast said, adding the debate generated “pa-triotic pride” and expectations of progress.

The debate had been closely co-ordinated over various media and driven by in� uential Saudi person-alities young people were already connected to, The Online Project’s Murra said.

One was Omar Hussein, a young comedian popular on YouTube and with 1.5m followers on Twit-ter. He promises in a video to ex-plain the vision in three minutes. Filmed as a piece to camera it has been viewed more than a quarter of a million times.

He is careful to explain the plan as a vision, with a more concrete blueprint coming later, something observers say is important for managing expectations about the ambitious goals.

“The vision as it stands has very few concrete measurable outcomes to hold anyone account-able for,” analyst Alyahya said. However, as programmes were developed to implement it, there would be performance indicators and ministers held responsible for meeting targets. l

10DT

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016World

USAProtests at Trump rally overshadow primary win Donald Trump easily won the Wash-ington state primary on Tuesday, but his victory was overshadowed by violence outside a rally in Albuquer-que, New Mexico, where protesters smashed windows and threw rocks at police. Police responded by � ring pepper spray and smoke grenades into the crowd outside the Albuquer-que Convention Centre. -AP

THE AMERICASBrazil’s acting president wins de� cit plan victoryBrazil’s Congress authorised a major increase in the budget de� cit Wednesday, handing interim presi-dent Michel Temer a � rst victory in his bid to tackle the sickly economy. However, the leaking of a secret recording in which a powerful ally of Temer, Senate President Renan Calheiros, is said to discuss a plan to weaken a huge anti-corruption probe posed fresh embarrassment for the new administration. -AFP

UKWTO sees Brexit costing UK billions in trade tari� sLeaving the EU would cost British consumers £9bn in annual addi-tional import tari� s, World Trade Organization chief Roberto Azevedo said on Wednesday. Britain’s exports would be also burdened with £5.5bn pounds of new tari� s in overseas markets, and leaving the EU would require a full reboot of Britain’s trade relations, akin to joining the WTO from scratch. -REUTERS

EUROPEGermany, France hold back Nato, EU ambitions in LibyaEurope’s bold intentions to support Libya’s new UN-backed government are faltering as France and Germany resist a bigger role to rebuild the failed state, scarred by the West’s 2011 air campaign to help topple dic-tator Muammar Gadda� . The EU and Nato have said they stand ready to help the unity government in Tripoli, if requested, to combat smugglers sending migrants into the Mediterra-nean towards Europe. -REUTERS

AFRICAAmnesty: EU arms exports to Egypt fuel killingsAmnesty International has accused nearly half of the EU’s members of fuelling killings and torture among other abuses in Egypt through arms exports, in a report issued on Wednesday. In its report, Amnesty said 12 out of 28 EU member states have remained among Egypt’s main suppliers of arms and policing equipment. However, The Egyptian govern-ment dismissed the report. -AFP

A Saudi man explores social media on his mobile device as he sits at a cafe in Riyadh on Tuesday REUTERS

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016Advertisement

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

Capital market snapshot: WednesdayDSE

Broad Index 4,366.0 -0.6% ▼

Index 1,068.5 -0.5% ▼

30 Index 1,693.0 -0.7% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk 3,768.2 -3.9% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol 108.0 -6.6% ▼

CSEAll Share Index 13,444.4 -0.7% ▼

30 Index 12,432.3 -0.6% ▼

Selected Index 8,175.8 -0.7% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk 209.9 -19.2% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol 8.8 -13.8% ▼

Taxpayers Contact Centre in the o� ngThe National Board of Revenue is set to launch Taxpayers Contact Centre and a Central Processing Unit to help the taxpayers get in-stant reply to any of their queries about the new value-added tax law. PAGE 13

Daraz Co-CEO: We’ve got wild response from customers While Internet-based retail shop-ping marks a growing trend in Bangladesh, Daraz comes to take a leading position in the country’s still nascent business. It believes that the market has enormous potentials if the size is taken into account, but the challenges still remain with payment and delivery systems. Here is what Daraz Asia’s Co-CEO Bjarke Mikkelsen recently shared with the Dhaka Tribune. PAGE 14

TOP STORIES

CPD stresses quality growth n Tribune Business Desk

Bangladesh’s leading think-tank laid emphasis on ensuring quality rather than quantity in measuring economic growth to build a pros-perous nation.

Centre for Policy Dialogue said the key drivers of econom-ic growth remained outside of real sectors, which is a matter of concern and may a� ect the GDP growth prospects.

Despite the macroeconomic stability, a number of concerns, including stagnant private in-vestment, decline in agricultural growth, appreciation of the real e� ective exchange rate, weak (par-ticularly public) banking sector performance and low e� ciency of development spending threaten to undermine the economic po-tential and growth prospects, ac-cording to the CPD analysis.

The report on Macroeconomic Performance for FY2015-16 (third reading) was released at the Cirdap auditorium in Dhaka yesterday.

“This is the year of higher growth, and at the same time, a year of declining private investment, revenue collection, employment generation and labour productiv-ity – all these creating a dialectical situation in the Bangladesh econ-omy,” said CPD’s distinguished fel-low Debapriya Bhattacharya.

“It is important to focus on the quality and sources of growth, not just the quantity for sustaining or strengthening growth momen-tum,” he said referring to the gov-ernment’s over 7% growth fore-cast for the current � scal year.

CPD research fellow Tow� qul Islam Khan presented his key-note paper on the economic per-formance, and said Bangladesh has been experiencing a peculiar situation whereby the modest-ly 6% plus GDP growth has been achieved.

However, this type of situation is not uncommon in developing countries, he said, adding that Philippines had experienced ‘ris-ing growth with declining invest-

ment’ in early 2000s.It is rather surprising to � nd that

despite attaining a double-digit value addition growth rates in the manufacturing sector in last two years, (in net terms) more than 12 lakh jobs were lost in the sector, the keynote paper said.

“Indeed, a GDP growth with a very weak employment gener-ating capacity will not be able to serve the development ambitions of Bangladesh.”

Putting emphasis on employ-ment generation and private in-vestment—the key driver of eco-nomic growth—CPD said given the nature of service sector-led GDP growth, on account of mainly public sector services with slug-gish growth in investment in the manufacturing sector, the role of private investment in GDP growth is becoming rather weak.

“It is also a matter of concern that the attained higher level of GDP growth rates (as per o� cial estimation) did not create ade-quate employment opportunities in the economy. Moving forward, Bangladesh needs to translate the macroeconomic stability into high-er investment and higher growth.”

Amid this higher growth fore-

cast, both revenue collection and public expenditure are project-ed to fall short of target, leav-ing cause for concern regarding implementation of the national budget.

On the National Board of Rev-enue’s uniform VAT rate � xation at 15% under the new VAT law passed in 2012 in the parliament with e� ective from July 1, 2016, the CPD said the new VAT act should not be implemented with-out settlement of contentious is-sues with the business people.

“Without reaching consensus with the business people in im-plementing VAT act, the adminis-tration will fall in problem,” said Debapriya.

CPD Executive Director Profes-sor Musta� zur Rahman said: “VAT is a progressive system. However, VAT rate should be � xed in a way so that common people do not feel pain.”

About the black money, the CPD said the culture of black money whitening facility without any condition and punishment given in every budget should be stopped, as it puts negative im-pact on the faith of other policies of the administration.

“We should come out of this culture and solve the problem,” said Debapriya.

He called for a regulation to check the capital � ight from the country.

“Money has been transferred to other countries, which is now true like a daylight as Panama Papers recent revelation on dealing with o� shore holding reminds us.”

Strongly criticising the repeat-ed recapitalisation facility to the sate-owned banks in the budget, the CPD said it has been given at the expense of people’s tax money, which is di� cult to justify while the state failed to provide ade-quate supports to the poorest and marginalised sections of the coun-try due to scarcity of resources.

The local think tank suggested that administered prices of diesel and kerosene need to be readjust-ed to share the bene� t with the entrepreneurs and poor people.

For the sustainable growth, it said the government will need to most energetically pursue a num-ber of institutional and policy re-forms including in areas of revenue mobilisation, public expenditure management, budget transparency and � nancial sector. l

CPD’s distinguished fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya (third from left) at a press conference last month MEHEDI HASAN

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Two-day Zakat Fair begins tomorrow in Dhaka n Tribune Business Desk

The 4th edition of Zakat Fair begins tomorrow with an aim to remove poverty from the society through proper utilisation of the fund.This also aims to make people aware about the impact of Zakat on building a nation.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal is expected to inaugurate the two-day fair at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka.

“The aim of the fair is to create awareness among people about the impact of Zakat on alleviating pov-erty from the society in a holistic

approach,” said Md Mahbubur Rah-man, member secretary of Zakat Fair Organising Committee, while addressing a press conference in the city yesterday.

He also urged the rich country-men to visit the fair to learn how the real calculation of Zakat is done and contribution made to the society.

During the fair, two seminars styled “Role of Awqaf and Sadqah in Social Security’’ and “Zakat an E� ective Tool for Poverty Allevia-tion” will be held.

The Center for Zakat Manage-ment (CZM) is organising the show not only make people aware but also to highlight the essence of Zakat and

its impact on reducing disparity in the society. The fair will remain open from 10am to 6:30pm every day and the entry is free for the visitors.

Chairman of the Center for Zakat Management Niaz Rahim and General Manager Khondokar Zakaria Ahmed were also present at the brie� ng. l

Taxpayers Contact Centre in the o� ng

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

The National Board of Revenue is set to launch Taxpayers Contact Centre and a Cen-tral Processing Unit to help the taxpayers get instant reply to any of their queries about the new value-added tax law.

The new Value Added Tax and Supplemen-tary Duty Act, 2012 will come into e� ect from July, 2016 where VAT payers will have a good number of queries to cope up with the new system, said o� cials concerned.

They also hoped that the centre would en-hance taxpayers’ services through providing all kinds of information relating to the new law.

The revenue authorities recently awarded a contract to a local � rm to do the job for Con-tact Centre and Central Processing Unit.

The NBR signed the contract with Digicon Technologies Ltd in Dhaka on May 15 for the service at a cost of Tk9,04,21,760 which will come from aid grant from the government’s development budget. The company will pro-vide services till May 14, 2020.

Under the agreement, Digicon will establish a central contact centre for the taxpayers who re-quire either general information about their ob-ligations under the new VAT law or need speci� c inquiries about their VAT compliance matter.

The call centres will help and encourage VAT payers to use the new automated online system instead of the existing manual pa-per-based system.

The platform will work to answer queries and resolve any di� culty faced by the VAT pay-ers in using the VAT Online System (IVAS-Inte-grated VAT Administration System) including VAT registration and return submission.

The company will be responsible for en-suring all provisions of the Contact Center including physical space, servers, CRM soft-ware, PCs, networks, internet bandwidth, power backup, computer telephony integra-tion (CTI), hunting numbers, etc.

The revenue authorities will provide a sin-gle Bangladesh-wide short code telephone number for the use by the Contact Center.

As per the NBR plan, VAT payers will be able to obtain the services from Dhaka and 12 other VAT commissionerates across the coun-try where the centres will be established un-der the banner “VAT Online Service Center”.

In 2012, the parliament passed the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act to automate the overall VAT administration to increase the revenue collection.

Following the initiative, the tax authorities in 2013 undertook the VAT Online Project to ensure a client-friendly and a service-oriented automated system.

Existing and potential new taxpayers will be able to call directly any of the call centres for any queries relating to VAT, excise and turnover tax once it comes into e� ect under the VAT Online System.

The NBR is scheduled to implement new VAT law from July 1, 2016 with an aim to bring all the procedures including registration, pay-ment, return � ling, refund, legal actions un-der the online system.

The NBR considers the contact center ser-vice as complementary and critical to the suc-cessful launch of VAT Online facilities, said NBR o� cials.

“Taxpayers will need more time to seek assistance for adopting the new process. The contact centres will work for characterising the revenue authorities’ service-oriented am-bitions through supporting VAT payers and resolving their problems,” said a high o� cial.

An outsourcing call centre service will be as-signed to manage all the contact messages both incoming and outgoing, according to the plan.

It will also be responsible for dealing with multi-channel messaging, a single nationwide number and short code, contact handling, in-tegration with Integrated VAT Administration System (IVAS) for customer relationship man-agement and taxpayers account inquiries, ac-cording to the plan.

The company will have to provide month-ly, quarterly and periodic reports to the NBR on call statistics, query/complaint resolution rate, types of queries, etc.

The company will manage services for a Central Processing Centre (CPC) for data cap-ture of registration forms, monthly VAT/Ex-cise/SD returns and other forms/returns � led on paper in VAT o� ces, and send those to the CPC on a regular basis.

It will also have to ensure all provisions of the Central Processing Center including physical space, servers, CRM software, PCs, scanners, networks, internet bandwidth, power backup and collection of manually submitted forms/returns from � eld o� ces, etc at its own cost. l

NBR signs a deal with Digicon Technologies last month to introduce the service DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business14DT

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

CORPORATE NEWS

Southeast Bank Limited has recently launched an exclusive savings product named Ananya for women, said a press release. The bank’s managing director, Shahid Hossain unveiled the product along with its � rst account holder, Hasnat Ara Haque

Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh has recently signed an agreement with Building Technology and Ideas (bti) Ltd on providing customers of bti with home loan at an interest rate of 8.75% along with 50% discount on processing fee, said a press release. Managing director of Building Technology and Ideas Ltd, FR Khan and the bank’s head of retail products and segments, Makam E Mahmud Billah were present at the signing ceremony

IDLC Finance Limited and Euromoney Learning Solutions have jointly organised a workshop on mastering project � nance, said a press release. The MD and CEO of IDLC Finance Limited, Arif Khan inaugurated the workshop held at hotel in Dhaka. Edward Bodmer, � nancial consultant from USA, conducted the worksh op

LankaBangla Finance Ltd (LBFL) has recently signed an agreement with Electro Mart on providing cardholders and employees of LBFL with EMI facility at Electro Mart, said a press release. Head of operations at Electro Mart, Mohammad Kamrul Hassan and Relationship Senior O� cer at LBFL, Khandakar Shazzad Hossain were present at the signing ceremony

INTERVIEW

Daraz Co-CEO: Got wild response from customers n Ishtiaq Husain

While Internet-based retail shop-ping marks a growing trend in Bangladesh, Daraz comes to take a leading position in the country’s still nascent business. It believes that the market has enormous potentials if the size is taken into account, but the challenges still remain with payment and delivery systems. Here is what Daraz Asia’s Co-CEO Bjarke Mikkelsen recently shared with the Dhaka Tribune.

What does Daraz offer to its Bangladesh customers? Daraz is an online marketplace of-fering a wide variety of products including electronics, fashion, home appliances, kids’ items and more. It sells and delivers products to the doorsteps of its customers at a� ordable prices. Daraz lets you enjoy an awesome shopping expe-rience. We are constantly expand-ing our product range, and ready to include latest items on market.

What’s your experience about online market in Bangladesh? Bangladesh is a very good place for online market. We’ve got wild response from our valued cus-tomers which we couldn’t even think about. We have special team in Dhaka while we are to depend on Sundarban courier service for reaching the clients living out-side Dhaka. We are working with

Sundarban to track the delivery boy using a special technology as everything needs to be tracked. I am very much optimistic about Bangladeshi market.

What is your prediction about the market size in next couple of years? I think, it’s very tough to forecast about the market size in the com-ing days. However, I hope that the growth would be satisfactory in the

next couple of years. But, it needs a lot of investment.

How much you have so far invested in Bangladesh? We have so far invested around €50 million in Pakistan, Bangla-desh and Myanmar. Most of the money was invested in Pakistan while Bangladesh is the second one. Pakistan market is bigger than Bangladesh. That is why, we have

invested more money in Pakistan than Bangladesh.

How would you manage your delivery system?We have a big warehouse for storing all kinds of products. It is very much important for doing online busi-ness. Whenever, we get any order, we deploy our own deliverymen to send the products on time by motor cycle. We manage our delivery sys-

tem in Dhaka city through our own team. But in case of outside Dhaka, we are totally depending on courier services as of now.

What would be your suggestion for a young entrepreneur? I wish good luck to all the entre-preneurs. As there is a big mar-ket, there are lot of opportunities as well. But, the market is still very much complicated. It needs to improve delivery system and payment system. Everyone has to make sure quality products, not the cheap products.

More global companies are planning to enter into Bangladesh market. How do you assess it? If Amazon comes, it will be more competitive environment that will bene� t the customers. Besides, the country will get more investment in this sector.

Are you facing any difficulties? In Pakistan, there are some places that are 2,000km away from our delivery point. It is very di� cult for us to cover up the long distance there.

On the other hand, tra� c has al-ways been bad in Dhaka. Cross-bor-der business is important and we need help from the government. There is a policy in Bangladesh but still complicated. However, Chinese policy is very much busi-ness-friendly. l

German consumer morale on the rise n AFP, Frankfurt

Consumer con� dence in Germany is on the rise again as households feel that Europe’s biggest econo-my remains on a path of moderate growth in the coming months, a poll found yesterday.

“Consumers are working from the assumption that the German economy will continue its moder-ate upturn in the months to come,” market research company GfK said in a statement.

Economic expectations rose slightly this month and consumers’ willingness to make purchases also increased from its already very high level. Only income expectations eased slightly but remain very high, the statement said.

Looking to June, GfK’s headline household con� dence index was forecast to rise to 9.8 points from 9.7 points in May, the institute said.

“The consumer climate is pur-suing its upwards trend, albeit at a slower pace,” GfK wrote.

“Private consumption will re-main an important pillar of the economy in the coming months.” l

Daraz Asia’s Co-CEO Bjarke Mikkelsen gestures while talking to Dhaka Tribune recently MEHEDI HASAN

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016Feature

Digital dreams through UISC

n Mahmood Sadi

Sirajuddin, 42, is a farmer cultivating paddy and vegetables in Kaliakoir Upazila of Gazipur district. He recently encountered some problems while working on paddy cultivation. At � rst he tried to get consultation from the experienced farmers but that didn’t change his fortune.

A fellow farmer, however, asked him to visit the Union Information Service Center (UISC) of the upazila. He told Sirajuddin that he could get help from there. “After that I visited the UISC in Kaliakoir and started looking for a remedy to my problem,” he said.

Aminul Islam, the center manager there, enquired about the problem in Siraj’s cultivated paddy. After getting all the necessary � eld information, Islam searched for the remedy of the problem from Jatiya e-tathyakosh and found the related content and solution.

Sirajuddin applied the recommended insecticides using the method mentioned on the e-tathyakosh. It worked and later Siraj had a successful crop yield.

Siraj’s success story is just one story among many. Slowly but steadily, Union Information Service Center (UISC), a key initiative of the Access to Information (A2I) project of the government aimed towards digitalising government mechanism to ensure public access to basic services, has

started changing the lives of the rural people.

A big stepIn November 11 of 2010, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated UISCs from her o� ce in the capital via a videoconference to UNDP global administrator Helen Clarke in Char Kukri-Mukri union of Char Fashion upazila of Bhola district.

The government launched the Union Information and Services Centres simultaneously in 4,547 unions across the country to disseminate information and

deliver government services to all citizens.

These union parishad based information centres, equipped with computers and wireless Internet, have been o� ering various online and o� ine services to people at a nominal charge. As a result of these initiatives, citizens now have easy and cost e� ective livelihood information and services that a� ect their daily lives.

Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor of the Prime Minister’s A2I project said, “Today, a farmer in a remote location can learn about appropriate fertilizer and pesticide use for his crops; a victim of domestic abuse can access information on legal resources; a villager can apply for land records, a migrant labourer can learn English using digital resources; and rural people can access banking services from UISC.”

“All these are now possible from a UISC located typically within walking distance or a few kilometres from the citizen’s

home.”He said that even a year ago

people in those places were not aware of the bene� ts they could get from using digital services like Jatiya e-tathyakosh and other e-services.

“Now these UISCs and their services have become a part of their life.”

Creating entrepreneursThese UISCs not only change

the lives of the people from surrounding areas but also helps encourage local entrepreneurs who can now earn their livelihood through e-services.

The A2I o� ce depicts the success story of Ziaul Haque, a 32-year-old physically challenged youth in Huzripara under Paba upazila of Rajshahi district. Just two and a half years ago, Haque was a burden to his family. Now, he is the main breadwinner.

Haque now earns around Tk80,000 by providing around 37 categories of services to people through the UISC. At his centre, alongside providing di� erent services including agriculture, health, education and legal aid, Ziaul provides computer training to the students and unemployed youths, which helps them secure better jobs.

Recently, his main source of income came mainly from computer training, composing, scanning, printing services, photography, photocopying, online registrations, birth registrations and internet browsing.

Many also visit his centre to get the results of di� erent public examinations while many go there to get a remedy for their agricultural problems.

What the experts have to sayRenowned information and communication technology (ICT) expert Mostafa Jabbar said, “Introduction of UISC was

a groundbreaking project of the government in digitalising Bangladesh.”

Jabbar said the broader purpose of UISC’s was and remains as a centre that adds value as social initiatives by providing free or very low cost Internet access to low income populations in remote regions.

“Surely, there are some success stories, but if you take a look at the UISC’s of the more remote places like Char areas, coastal regions or the hill tracts where the access to information is hardest, you will � nd out more about the other side.”

Most of the selected operators there are novices, devoid of any technical or business knowledge. These innocent operators without any entrepreneurship skills or business knowledge are failing miserably when it comes to steer the UISC’s to success.

“I think the government should address that and start to make it a real success story across the country.”l

Agriculture goes digital

Fast Facts

• UISC’s were inaugurated simultaneously on November 11, 2010.

• 4,547 UISC’s operational in all Union Parishads.

• 9,094 entrepreneurs are self-employed.

• Top services: Govt forms, examination results, birth and death registration, livelihood information, computer training, mobile banking, email and Internet browsing etc.

• Investment by govt: From LGD through LGSP fund and 1% of ADP. In addition DC o� ces spend from their allocated funds for entrepreneur training, workshop and mobilisation.

• Time and hassle reduced in accessing government and private services.

• Closer ties established between the local administrations and the citizens through creation of service oriented UP’s.

These UISCs not only change the lives of the people from surrounding areas but also helps encourage local entrepreneurs who can now earn their livelihood through e-services

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THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016Feature

This is my jam

PHOTO: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

PHOTO: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

nSK Farhan Rahman

The � rst thing that springs to mind whenever you think of Dhaka is its horrendous tra� c. A typical person’s daily schedule involves � nding ways to work around the inevitable jams; a small prayer to at least keep a grip on day-to-day activities. Tra� c alone is enough to drive anyone insane, and that’s excluding externalities such as noise pollution and smog.

Research has found that normal conversation is a pleasant 60 decibels, while shouting and screaming is annoyingly higher at 80 decibels. Once noise levels reach 85 decibels and above, chances of damage to your hearing starts increasing exponentially.

You’d be correct if you guessed that the noise pollution levels due to tra� c is higher than 85 decibels in Dhaka; it is worryingly high 105 decibels on an average.

Imagine a handheld drill whirring away continuously for a prolonged period; that is the equivalent of 100 decibels. While previously thought that our ears get used to high noise levels and adjust themselves, the theory has since been disputed. Some scientists argue that exposure to loud noise just may have the opposite e� ect – an increased sensitivity to sound.

An exposure to loud noise levels above 100 decibels for a period of two to three hours could result in nausea, headaches, and temporary deafness in the worst case.

To make matters worse, tra� c problems have been awfully unkind to our already thin wallets. It has been found that an average

person spends an extra Tk6,000 every month because of tra� c congestion, which also equals to being stuck in tra� c for 72 hours every month.

All things considered, citizens have taken it upon themselves to address tra� c problems in Dhaka, and its adverse e� ects on the surrounding environment.

“No Horn” movement With ear splitting horns honking thoughtlessly in the capital, raising awareness was a must. Back in April 2016, a couple of female students gathered at Satmasjid road in Dhanmondi, and blocked the � ow of tra� c for a brief period of time. The students, along with a photographer, staged a peaceful demonstration for “no horns.” They were protesting against excessive horn usage, and urging people to use their car horns more sensibly.

Here’s what a student had to say about the noise pollution resulting from vehicular horns. “I had to wait for an hour today to get a CNG. Nobody was willing to take me to Mohakhali as it was rush hour, and the tra� c was at its absolute worst. I had no problems waiting, but the constant blaring of horns got to me. It was early during the day, and all that racket gave me an annoying headache. This happens almost on a regular basis, and ruins my focus during class. I can’t attend classes with the right mentality, and I blame these incessant horns,” said Ratul, a � rst year student at BRAC University.

Horns were meant to be a warning signal, gesturing immediate danger. Instead, it has become a norm in Bangladesh, a means of venting both anger and

It has been found that an average person spends an extra Tk6,000 every month because of tra� c congestion, which also equals to being stuck in tra� c for 72 hours every month

Citizens’ response to tra� c (Part 2 of a two part series)

frustration. While more of these awareness raising protests are recommended, these are not the most constructive way people adapt to tra� c problems. The following are

Shared ridesRide sharing is an e� ective way to reduce vehicle trips, tra� c congestion, and automobile emissions. It’s a relatively new service, at least in the Bangladeshi perspective. The idea is to share a ride with people travelling to the same destination. Dhaka Rides and Share Dhaka are two of the most renowned ride sharing services currently operating in the capital.

Dhaka Rides is quite popular among North South University students living in Dhanmondi. There are numerous rides scheduled all throughout the day to take students to NSU, and back home again. Share Dhaka, on the other hand, prides itself for making shared rides available all over the city.

Since the concept is very new to Dhaka citizens, the e� ectiveness of the service is quite low. The main objective is to reduce the number of vehicles on the streets by using a single vehicle to transport a number of people, instead of using multiple vehicles

for each of them. Shared rides are easier on the wallet as well. Since the rides are shared, the expenses are shared too.

Facebook vigilantesMoja Loss used to be a satirical page on Facebook. Initially, it was just a Facebook page sharing all sorts of gimmicks, memes, and jokes. Later on, they took on a more serious approach by trying to solve neighborhood crimes that were recorded, and then reported by Moja Loss followers. The page has corrently suspended thos activitis and reverted to their humour contents.

Most hit and run cases go unpunished in the capital. The perpetrators usually � ee the scene of the crime even before the authorities get wind of the case. With everyone carrying smartphones nowadays, usually these people don’t go unnoticed. Some hit and run case videos were posted on facebook to crowdsource the investigation, whether to look into a license plate number, or identifying the perpetrators face.

More of these initiatives are required as they gives more power to the people - people who can eventually � nd more innovative ways to tackle Dhaka’s tra� c. l

18DT

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016Feature

Duck-rearing opens the door of success

n Mahmood Sadi

For an outsider, a pond full of ducks amidst the rural outset of the country is nothing more than

pleasantry to the eyes. But for the people of 28 villages in three unions - Dighalbak, Inatganj and Aushkandi of Habiganj district, that sight means something more.

For them, it’s a glimpse of hope, a hope for a better and prosperous future.

Meet Mijanur Rahman Dabir, a resident of Radhapur village of Dighalbak union for instance. Just two years ago, he was � ghting with extreme poverty with his family of two sons and one daughter.

“I have 1,000 ducks now. I bought those when they were two days old and cost Tk30 each. Now after rearing them for nearly 12 weeks, I plan to sell each for Tk260- Tk300 each,” said Dabir.

He added that had to spend around Tk45,000 for rearing 1,000 ducks. “Rearing ducks is cheaper than rearing chickens. Ducks are great foragers and are quite happy to eat the snails, � ies and bugs. So feeding them is way cheaper”, he said.

Besides, unlike raising chickens, when you raise ducks they won’t destroy your � owers or your vegetables if you let them loose in your garden or pond, he said. “Duck rearing has changed my life. Now with the pro� t I am

planning to make by selling the ducks, I plan to buy more ducks and rear those”, Dabir added.

Rukumuddin, another duck farmer said that duck rearing has become more pro� table and sustainable in this area because of the abundance of beels and wetlands. “I used to work as a day laborer and lived a life of extreme poverty but duck rearing has given stability and prosperity in my life. Now I earn around Tk 60,000- Tk70,000 per month and can support my family”, he said.

A fruitful initiativeLike Dabir and Rukumuddin, in the wake of gradually increasing nutritional demand and lucrative market price, many people of the three mentioned unions are now starting to consider farming of ducks as a viable option for their livelihood in the last couple of years.

Thanks to the initiative taken by the NGOs-Centre for Natural Resources Studies (CNRS) and Institute for Development A� airs (IDEA) for changing the lives of 28 villages near Bibiyana gas plant-the largest gas plant in the country. Energy giant Chevron - which operates the Bibiyana gas plant, aid these NGOs with � nancial and technical assistance.

Quamruzzaman Ripon of Chevron’s community engagement unit said that the people of the three unions were very poor and inactive. “They

used to depend on the remittance money and remain idle. That increased the poverty situation of the area. Some NGOs were working here but they too were cash-strapped and couldn’t do much”.

He said that Chevron demonstrates its commitment to the communities where it operates by generating jobs and employing local workforce. Under Economic Development Program (EDP), it took several projects to improve the livelihood conditions of the local people.

“The duck rearing program is one of those initiatives under the Alternative livelihood Program (ADP) under the EDP of Chevron”, said Ripon adding that under that initiative, Chevron has already provided funding and training to over 50 families of the three unions.

“Our partner NGOs has facilitated the training programs. We, from Chevron, not only provided funds but also actively looked after the projects”, he said.

Why the success?Abul Kalam Azad, project manager of ADP said that many have considered duck rearing as a viable option for the people of this locality because of the abundance of water bodies. Ducks also need less expensive, simple and non-elaborate housing facilities which results in very low expenses while setting up commercial duck farming businesses.

“They are very hardy birds and they need little care or management. They can adapt to almost all types of environmental condition. Since during the rainy season, almost all the areas are � ooded here, people here cannot farm. So duck rearing is a very good opportunity for them”, he said.

Azad said that under the project, they train several people about the rules and rituals of duck farming and after that, they are given loan at a meager 5% interest. “Interestingly, we

have almost zero defaulters as we provide the money as well as look after their progress in a holistic approach. Besides, the interest money is not being taken by us, rather it is deposited in a community fund for further development program,” he said.

The local leaders also lauded the initiative saying that duck rearing has changed the lives of local people. Golam Hossain, a leader of Village Development Organisation (VDO) and a successful agricultural entrepreneur of the locality said, “With Chevron’s funding and caring, the people in this area have found new ways to prosper and develop through duck rearing.”

Dr Jalal Uddin Sarder, professor of the department of animal husbandry and veterinary science of Rajshahi University said that there is great potential for improvement of native duck production in the rural parts of Bangladesh by means of nutritional and management engineering.

He also said that women, particularly the housewives, can get involved in rearing ducks of indigenous species and make themselves an earning member of the family. The ducks are mostly fed home-made feed in addition to what they are deriving from scavenging facilities, so the housewives can easily rear duck in their home. l

Rearing ducks is cheaper than rearing chickens. Ducks are great foragers and are quite happy to eat the snails, � ies and bugs. So feeding them is way cheaper

PHOTOS COURTESY: CHEVRON

FMCG corporation launched Or-ganic Harvest; the � rst ever com-prehensive organic personal care product in Bangladesh, on may 24 2016. FMCG corporation is one of the sister concerns of Agrani Hold-ings Group Ltd.

Organic Harvest is India’s only homegrown brand with an entire range of organic skin care products which speak of nature in its purest form. The art and science of pure plant and � ower essences formu-late the core of Organic Harvest. It is “Ecocert Certi� ed” Greenlife 100% organic product and it is of-fering 100% money back guarantee if consumers are not satis� ed with the product.

The launching ceremony was

held at Unimart, a sister concern of United Group. The chief guest of the ceremony was His Excellen-cy Sakib M Rahman, Hon’ Consul General, Liberia, and the managing director of Agrani Holdings group Ltd. As special guests Malik Tal-ha Ismail Bari, managing director of United Group, Murtaza Zaman, chief operating o� cer of Unimart Limited, Gautam Dhar, general manager, International Business of Syscom Consumer Products Pvt Ltd India, and M R Nandi, general manager, sales and marketing of Syscom Consumer Products Pvt Ltd India were present.

The event was rounded o� with a brand inauguration followed by a cake cutting ceremony. l

19D

T

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016Biz Info

This Ramadan, Six Seasons Hotel is observing the holy month with two signature restaurants o� er-ing scrumptious Iftar and bu� et dinner with spectacular lake and city views. With huge success last year, both Bunka restaurant and Sky Pool restaurant is set to welcome Ramadan. The two restaurants will satisfy your day long hunger with traditional Iftar

items such as bora, samosa, piaju, beguni, halim and other special-ities before making room for the main course.

The picturesque 15th level rooftop Sky Pool restaurant pre-sents an international bu� et with a live kabab station, salad bar, continental items such as lasagna, spicy prawn, � sh � llet, shwarma, and more. Sky Pool Iftar and din-

ner bu� et will be available for Tk1,899 net.

The 13th level Bunka restau-rant will highlight Oriental dinner bu� et options including sushi, teppanyaki, dumplings, � sh in hot chili oil, chicken dumplings, special fried rice, beef bulgogi and many more. All of this will be of-fered for Tk3,399 net per person. Exclusive “buy one get one free” o� er is available for various bank cardholders and GrameenPhone star subscribers.

Whether you choose to dine oriental or international, you will be able to � nish o� with delicious mouth-watering selection of Arab, Bangladeshi and continen-tal desserts.

Not to be outdone, this year the hotel will be serving an international Sehri every night at Sky Pool restaurant for Tk1,399net. For more information contact Six Seasons Hotel at House 19, Road 96, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212 or contact 01987009810. l

Ramadan is a time of spiritual re� ection and worship, where Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. There is more to savour during Ramadan; indulge in a lavish Iftar cum dinner bu� et and take ad-vantage of the biggest special If-tar promotions at Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort.

To mark this special occasion, their dining facilities will be dec-orated like authentic Arabic pal-aces; the resort is going to feature dazzling decoration portraying the essence of Ramadan along with gorgeous seating areas at its Gran-diose Restaurant (level 6), perfect

for experiencing an extraordinary Iftar cum dinner bu� et. Please call 01713332661 to book a table.

Their professional chef’s spe-cialising in Middle Eastern culi-nary treats are geared up for the occasion with a selection of tra-ditional Arabic dishes including shwarmas, sambuseks, hummus, mandi, kabsa and mouthwater-ing Arabic desserts like kunafah, katayef, basbousa and the very delectable gulab jamun. There will be platters of Bangladeshi items such as chola, piaju, beguni, aloo, dim chop and shahi haleem followed by a large dinner bu� et.

There are two sets of pre-plat-

ed platters of scrumptious delica-cies for dining in as well as takea-ways, where guests can also enjoy their signature Iftar platter suit-able for 10-12 persons called the Sahan-al-Iftar. This consists of a whole roast Arabian style lamb on Kabsa or Mandi rice, whole grilled chickens accompanied with nu-merous Arabian and continental tidbits and sweets.

Dhaka Regency is also o� ering special discounts and arrange-ments for booking on banquet iftar events for private, corporate and large family gatherings at one of their élite banquet halls. Please call 01713332623 for reservation. l

| meals |

| meeting |

| product || o� ers |

Iftar and bu� et dinner at Six Seasons Hotel

JCI holds 3rd GM meeting

FMCG corporation launches “Organic Harvest” in Bangladesh

Enjoy the spirit of Ramadan at Dhaka Regency

JCI Dhaka Cosmopolitan organised its 3rd general members meeting for 2016 on May 21 at Nordic Hotel, Banani. Issues related to their community development projects, future projects and upcoming events were discussed during the meeting. Members took oaths as did the local directors. The general opinion of members and di� erent aspects were also discussed at the

event. The meeting chairperson JCI Dhaka Cosmopolitan President Arman A. Khan, JCI Bangladesh National Vice President Rumana Chowdhury, JCI Bangladesh National Director Maruful Islam Jhalak, JCI Bangladesh National Secretery Sarah Kamal, other board members and general members of JCI Dhaka Cosmopolitan and others were present at the program. l

TODAY

The Supreme Court verdict upholding High Court directives designed to protect citizens from arbitrary detention and custodial abuse con� rms the importance of fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution.

Arbitrary detention and torture have no place in a civilised society.In declaring sections 54 and 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure are

inconsistent with protections a� orded by the constitution, and that law enforcement powers must be modi� ed to stop arbitrary arrests and prevent torture, the High Court rightly followed the intention and spirit of Bangladesh’s constitution.

It is welcome the Supreme Court has now � nally dismissed all appeals against the HC directive, which originate from a case brought after the death of student Shamim Reza in police custody in 1998.

The provisions on which it ruled date from colonial era Victorian laws. Other countries, which inherited similar unjust provisions have amended their rules. It is high time Bangladesh also ensures such arbitrary and draconian laws are properly reformed.

As the Supreme Court rightly observed during this month’s hearing, reforms are urgently needed as alarming incidents of arbitrary arrest and abuse by law enforcers are still occurring.

By specifying common sense rules on how police should arrest and treat people taken into custody, the High Court directives add important and essential weight to protections provided for all citizens.

Its provisions improving access to legal assistance and relatives, and in ensuring interrogations are only conducted if properly authorised and monitored, are vital to help protect the rights of suspects. By requiring magistrates to intervene if any allegations of physical abuse are made, they make very clear the standards to which law enforcers should be upheld.

We hope the government will now act to ful� ll the commitment made by the attorney general after the verdict, that it will take steps to comply with the Supreme Court’s full judgement.

Arbitrary detention and torture have no place in a civilised society

Everyday things

The real caring hands But the real caring hands comes from those who belong to the community, have relationships with the pregnant women from the time of conception to child delivery, and even till 42 days after childbirth

PAGE 23

PAGE 21

PAGE 22

The dysfunctional politics of democracyThere is no symptom that the AL regime will allow a better political space for democracy to thrive. But that should not be an excuse to act like a heretic party which is, one may like it or not, the largest shadow opposition party

The person in charge is the government, who repeatedly fails the mass population, and allows hate and intolerance to breed as they play busy with more ‘important’ issues at hand

Make torture and custodial abuse a thing of the past

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207

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The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors

alone. They do not purport to be the o� cial view of Dhaka

Tribune or its publisher.

BIGSTOCK

EditorialTHURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

DT 20

Opinion 21D

TTHURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

n Farida Akhter

The cabinet has passed on February 29 the Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill 2016, replacing the

Nursing Ordinance 1983, arguing that it would stop entry of “gate-crashers” into this very crucial side of health profession.

The nurses and midwives will have to be registered from the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the same way doctors enter the medical profession through the certi� cation from the present Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.

Through the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Bill 2016, a council will be formed for the registration of professionals with degrees on nursing, midwifery, and related professions.

For giving false designation of nursing, midwifery, and related professions, the person concerned will have to face either maximum one year imprisonment or

maximum Tk50,000 � ne.It is indeed a necessity that the

women giving birth to babies at home or at institutional facilities need skilled attendants so that both the mother and the child are safe.

In a recent roundtable discussion organised by UNFPA and Prothom Alo, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mohammed Nasim reiterated the fact that 80% of births are happening at home, and it is the government’s intention to have safe home delivery.

There are only 600 midwives recruited so far out of 3,000 planned. That means only 20%

could be ful� lled. The minister, however, raised

a very important issue, that is, for the midwives to be “caring,” they must have a momotamoi haat -- a caring hand.

He made a distinction between a sophisticated building and a caring hand that would save the lives of the mother and child.

The question is: Would the Nurses and Midwifery Council be able to identify those who do not have a “caring hand”? How safe are institutional births? The minister himself raised questions about the unhygienic situation in the labour rooms in many hospitals.

Who will be the midwives? This is not clear. In Bangladesh, the common understanding of midwife is a woman “trained” or experienced to assist women during childbirth.

She attends childbirth and looks after the pregnant women during pre-natal and post-natal periods. For ages, this service has been provided by the traditional birth attendants (locally known as Dai Ma, Dhatri, Dhoroni, etc).

The international de� nition of midwife is a person who has successfully completed a midwifery education program that is duly recognised in the country where it is located, and that is based on the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice and the framework of the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery Education, who has acquired the requisite quali� cations to be registered and/or legally licensed to practice midwifery and use the title “midwife,” and who demonstrates competency in the practice of midwifery (adopted June 15, 2011, due for review 2017, http://mana.org/about-midwives/what-is-a-midwife). This de� nition is indeed in the context of the developed countries such as the US.

Bangladesh does not have a shortage of traditional birth attendants who are presently handling over 75% of births in the country. Unfortunately, there is no system of recognising them as

service providers. In 2010, in response to UN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s “Every Woman Every Child” initiative, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina committed to train 3,000 midwives to be trained through the diploma in Midwifery.

So far, over 1,100 nurse-midwives have been trained to become certi� ed midwives, and currently there are 1,200 students enrolled in the newly developed program.

But this is far from meeting the needs of pregnant women in the country. No time limit has been set to meet the target number.

Is Bangladesh ready for such

courses for midwives? Certainly, it could train and develop the skills of those who are already closer to the pregnant women living in di� erent parts of the country, including remote and hard-to-reach areas.

One estimate for the number of midwives needed is 20,000, who should be recruited all over Bangladesh.

The government does not seem to have any plan for meeting such a number.

The Directorate of Family Planning has suggested union-level Family Welfare Visitors be trained with a course of six months or a year. This is a practical way of using the existing human resources that are already in the � eld.

But to create a new category of “midwife” and to have mandatory registration for providing services is a premature decision.

Are there enough training institutes for midwives? Who will be eligible for being trained as midwives? Already some questions are being raised for their recruitment at the grassroots level.

Besides developing infrastructural facilities including a labour table, the question of providing security for them is raised.

The question is also about having normal deliveries and reducing “unnecessary” cesarean sections that is on the rise in private clinics and institutional facilities.

Anyone attending a mother delivering a baby is expected to have a “caring” attitude besides being professional in providing the services.

But the real momotamoyi (caring) hands comes from those who belong to the community, have relationships with the pregnant women from the time of conception to child delivery, and even till 42 days after childbirth.

They are the Dai Mas, who do this work as a service to humanity, not for earning money or a salary.

These Dai Mas need support for identifying the risks which they cannot handle and to be able to take the women to the nearest government hospital in time where there are midwives and nurses.

The Dai Mas can play a complimentary role to this initiative. The Dai Mas are not gate-crashers, they are the gate-keepers. l

Farida Akhter is Executive Director of UBINIG.

But the real caring hands comes from those who belong to the community, have relationships with the pregnant women from the time of conception to child delivery, and even till 42 days after childbirth

The real caring hands Traditional midwives should be recognised as integral partners in child delivery

Is Bangladesh ready to train all the caring hands that are required? BIGSTOCK

Long Form22DT

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

n Shahab Enam Khan

While the BNP is surviving through some populist TV talk shows, which

the government is sportively allowing in order to project its pledge for freedom of speech, and through loud speakers in the mosques -- the ship is sinking, and no amount of unsinkable loyalty to the greater idea of democracy and religious harmony can change that. The question is whether the loyalists are consciously willing to sink with it.

The BNP’s insipid spokespersons on television or public debates may talk of introspection, security paranoia, and political auditing, but it sounds like nothing more than “whining and groaning.”

Despite its media presence, meagre though, the BNP no longer determines what the news agenda is nor has it been able to erase o� its terrorism-extremism tattoo.

However, ceteris paribus, many will surely decide to abandon ship (as many have already in various cuts) and form alternative platforms. In fact, dignity and self-esteem leave them with nothing much to do.

Some of the senior leaders of the party may stick to the party, but they cannot change course until Tarique Rahman wishes to see a meaningful change.

Mr Rahman is who he has always been, and who he will always be. As the classic rules of politics would indicate, the more unpopular the government becomes the more Mr Rahman would rise as Mr Right.

But that too will not happen until he is back home and his so-called loyal clubbers and media trumpets are e� ectively replaced by leaders and workers su� ering at the grassroots level. It is tough to think of precedents for this to happen.

What further disturbs the ordinary Bangladeshis is the political eccentricity of the BNP. It has been taken over by ducked intellectuals. Ducks undersell the party spirit, actually. A fringe party can accommodate eccentricity but the BNP is supposed to be a serious party of the kind that could plausibly form a government in the distant future.

It is by no means obvious that

the BNP has no respect in the society, perhaps its acceptance has increased due to the AL’s indubitable failures in delivering credible elections and public safety. However, all boils down to the BNP’s leadership.

Given the growing anti-establishment sentiment among the aam janata (common people), it won’t be surprising to see even a banyan tree to win a free and fair election in Bangladesh.

But the question is -- who would happily deliver a free and fair election? Neither the Chief Election Commissioner Mr Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad’s o� ce, nor the politics that AL-BNP practice would deliver it.

Hence, the critical mass of the populace will increasingly be looking forward to alternatives (but that surely won’t include Jamaat that acquired less than 5% vote in 2008 elections).

The recent visit of S Jaishankar, the Indian Foreign Secretary, along with the renewed rise of extremist fear and minority crush, will bring more terrible news for the BNP, as it has brought some to the AL too.

For the Indians and the Westerners, the ine� ectiveness of the AL in taming extremism (both political and social) and the

eclipse of the BNP as a compelling political entity would require readjusting to new socio-political realities in Dhaka.

Over the years, Delhi and Washington often found themselves at odds with the BNP-led governments, albeit more so since 2005. At the same time, Delhi and Washington feel a subtle comfort level with the pro-Delhi AL than with homespun religious-nationalist BNP.

It is evident that the foreigners won’t help the BNP come to power. In fact, the alleged BNP-Mossad tie has brought further hefty peril than promise for the party.

The sooner they realise, the

better it would be for them to manage their own politics.

Otherwise, I will keep hearing more debate to the issue of BNP-Jamaat-mukto Bangladesh. The question this time will not be if this is going to happen, but when.

With that fear in my mind, I often ask my BNP friends (and AL friends too), loyalty is good, but what would you do when there won’t be anything left to be loyal to? Things won’t get better anytime soon. There is no symptom that the AL regime will allow a better political space for democracy to thrive.

But that should not be an excuse to act like a heretic party

which is, whether one likes it or not, the largest shadow opposition party.

For now, the BNP faces the biggest challenge in its 38-year history. Will the Zia dynasty ride out this whirlwind, as it has in the past? Or will the AL achieve its often loudly-stated objective of a “BNP-Jamaat-free Bangladesh”? The BNP needs to address these questions with sensibility and maturity.

Or else, oblivion awaits. l

Shahab Enam Khan is Chairman and Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka.

What’s next for Khaleda? SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

There is no symptom that the AL regime will allow a better political space for democracy to thrive. But that should not be an excuse to act like a heretic party which is, one may like it or not, the largest shadow opposition party

Does total oblivion await the BNP? This is the concluding part of yesterday’s long form

The dysfunctional politics of democracy in Bangladesh

Opinion 23D

TTHURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

n Nusmila Lohani

It is the hustle and bustle that one may fall in love with in this city. We all adjust to whatever circumstance

we are living in, and with time, anyone can adjust to the chaos outside and � nd solace in the most unlikely of places. And so, one � nds such a moment during a CNG ride, and while looking out at the tra� c lights Yeats’ words echo and an arbitrary list of “becauses” surges in the backdrop of the sirens and scu� es.

Because it is more convenient to ignore, it is easier to let the noise outside shut o� the sound of the siren. It seems more practical to remain engaged with your hands on the wheel, desperately honking and adamantly trying to move an inch forward rather than making way for a stranger dying in the white van behind.

Sirens tirelessly glimmering red, round and round -- hundreds see but all lack the patience to pay it any heed. Even when it does not take much to make way, we consciously choose not to sacri� ce a few minutes of our time for a person possibly breathing his/her last. Stranger in the white van, better luck next time?

Things fall apart.Because it is widely accepted

how we badly treat the domestic help. The minority, or the � nancially inferior sect, can be treated as we please. We being the better o� , lucky ones, “we” may also mean the ones who go out on streets and rally for human rights but fail to treat respective domestic help with courtesy and respect.

Our self-righteous preachings about social justice on the streets and social media waver and crumble down to nothingness when we treat the help unjustly. It is under our own roof that we can dictate one’s impoverished life in unethical ways, and when no one is watching us behind our closed doors, who can really refrain from showing them who is the master at home? Ever wonder why the standard “servants’ room” in an average, middle-class apartment in Dhaka resembles the space of a cruel prison cell?

Centre cannot hold.Because, they say for the sake

of development, power plants are important. They say it is also important to support and enable projects that encroach on the Sundarbans and other forests. All the green trees and wildlife are not as lucrative, and that is what

lets us pursue the “digital” dream, which promises to make the country great (again?).

If it is all about the cost-bene� t analysis like they keep insisting, and if done right, then the short and long-term cost will greatly deprive us of mother nature’s glory -- but that is only for some to understand and most to ignore, shove aside, and rebuke, most being the ones who are in charge of such projects. Sorry Sundarbans, we got to cut down some trees to make � re.

Things fall apart.Because climate change is

tricky business. With COP21 Paris meets and other seminars and conventions not really amounting to much in terms of immediate action that the delegates, world leaders, and experts promise us -- it is the poor who su� er the brunt of climate change reality. While dams collapse and villages su� er, while droughts take lives and hurricanes kill -- they put on their best masks to negotiate, campaign, take charge (but never the blame), and sign one of those eco-friendly deals.

Now that there is so much to explain, and settle, all the powerhouses rush to suit up. With their entourage, eloquent and inspiring speeches, and � rst-world � ags -- many now make time for that convention.

Many now make time for their attempt to save the world (they damaged) one seminar at a time -- but the lies don’t stop. Will they ever?

Centre cannot hold. Because city life is too fast,

over-crowded, and sometimes insu� erable. It is the children with heavy school-bags on their backs, latest gadgets in hand, and high on sugar who adapt to this strenuous life in their own respective daunting ways, who gradually grow up mostly knowing and loving “creative” Youtube channels, mainstream social networks and their pristine presence in their lives, and all things materialistic and super� uous.

It is they who are deprived of playgrounds, storybooks, and conversations -- which might just be crucial for a healthy childhood.

It is they who eventually become automated to live the city life in all its glory and vagueness. In the end, we may as well be left with educated bankers and engineers, who have the know-how to do their job very well and see nothing wrong with the glaciers melting, the Rampal projects, the mistreated domestic help, or the stranger dying in the white van.

But who can really blame them when their lives breathe and feed on the fantastic PewDiePie? Not to dampen the optimism you had when you woke up today, but seems like we are way past generating the feared PewDiePie generation -- they are already behind desks and signing o� important deals. Does this mean we are about to create even more morbid future?

Things fall apart. Because it is routine now

to hear about suicide bombers and wars raging in lands afar,

but a click of the remote control or a cursor can take away the inconvenience of horrible news. Over a span of a second, we can adjust to an otherwise very unsettling reality and go about our business. “Business” can mean work or dressing up for dinner at an over-priced, pretentious restaurant, the � ve-star kind.

It is no longer possible to become absorbed with the devastation and the unimaginable horror sprayed over various screens in HD. Too many wars and too many deaths to keep count of -- ignorance is necessary now and is still very much blissful.

Centre cannot hold.Because it has become routine

now to hear about someone being maimed and killed in cold blood, sometimes even in broad daylight with a huge audience. It is their views and lifestyles that anger a certain sect of the nation, that anger spreads like wild� re and before the government can decide how to respond to the social media’s outcry over their last kill -- another innocent life is slain.

Such a phenomenon spews a volatile political atmosphere, where the mass population looks

up to the person in charge to take action in an attempt to bring justice to society. The person in charge is the government, who repeatedly fails the mass population, and allows hate and intolerance to breed as it plays busy with more “important” issues at hand -- such as discrediting the opposition party or winning the UN’s environmental “Champion of the Earth” prize in 2015. Does that sound too close to home?

Things fall apart.Because the CNG driver insists

that the meter system is unfair at reaching the destination, yours truly must get o� , pay the due and the insisted additional only-this-makes-it-a-little-fair amount, walk over to the next errand stop, deal with the everyday hassles and inconvenience of this dysfunctional but comparatively “new” country, and let Yeats’ words slowly drown in the chaos outside. For it is in moments like such, one may wonder about what Yeats said so long ago.

So where is the beast, for I am awaited. l

Nusmila Lohani is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune.

The person in charge is the government, who repeatedly fails the mass population, and allows hate and intolerance to breed as they play busy with more ‘important’ issues at hand

Everyday thingsFor Bangladesh, there is no second coming at hand

There is no escaping the wasteland that our nation has devolved into RAJIB DHAR

24DT Sport

Musta� zur Rahman of Sunrisers Hyderabad sends down a delivery during the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi yesterday

BCCI

TOP STORIES

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

‘I bow down to AB de Villiers’ South Africa’s Abraham Benjamin de Villiers’ outstanding knock against Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League Quali� er seems to have settled the debate about who is the best batsman in the world, according to his skipper Virat Kohli. PAGE 28

Abahani held by last-gasp MarinerTwo late goals allowed Mariner Young’s Club to earn a 3-3 draw against Abahani Limited in the Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium yesterday. PAGE 25

Wilting Warriors need to � nd quick � xThe Golden State Warriors are becoming a pale shadow of the team that stormed through the regular season and there are no theories as to why the league’s most dominant team are now on the verge of elimination. PAGE 26

Devastated Stokes has surgeryEngland all-rounder Ben Stokes had knee surgery on Tuesday, while his fellow international team mate left-arm paceman Reece Topley learnt he will be sidelined for three months with a partial stress fracture. PAGE 27

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD R BWarner b Kuldeep 28 28Dhawan b Morkel 10 10Henriques c & b Kuldeep 31 21Yuvraj b Holder 44 30Hooda run out (Kuldeep) 21 13Cutting st Uthappa b Kuldeep 0 1Ojha c Uthappa b Holder 7 9Kumar c Pandey b Morkel 1 2Bipul not out 14 6Sran not out 0 0Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 4) 6

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 162

Fall of Wickets1-12, 2-71, 3-71, 4-120, 5-124, 6-145, 7-147, 8-161

BowlingY Pathan 3-0-17-0, Morkel 4-0-31-2, Nar-ine 4-0-35-0, Holder 4-0-33-2, Kuldeep 4-0-35-3, Sathish 1-0-9-0

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS R BUthappa c Henriques b Sran 11 7Gambhir c sub (Shankar) b Cutting 28 28Munro run out (Yuvraj) 16 17Pandey c Hooda b Kumar 36 28Y Pathan c Kumar b Henriques 2 6Yadav c Dhawan b Henriques 23 15Sathish b Kumar 8 9Holder c Cutting b Kumar 6 7Narine not out 1 3Morkel not out 0 0Extras (lb 9) 9

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 140

Fall of Wickets1-15, 2-53, 3-63, 4-69, 5-115, 6-125, 7-139, 8-140

BowlingKumar 4-0-19-3, Sran 3-0-29-1, Hooda 1-0-8-0, Musta� zur 4-0-28-0, Henriques 3-0-17-2, Cutting 3-0-14-1, Bipul 2-0-16-0

SUNRISERS WON BY 22 RUNS

SCORECARD

Fizz’s Sunrisers overcome Shakib-less KKR n Agencies

Three teams had defended suc-cessfully in � ve games on slow Feroz Shah Kotla surfaces this season. There was no reason why Sunrisers Hyderabad, with one of the best bowling attacks in the competition despite Ashish Neh-ra’s absence, couldn’t defend 163 in a knockout game.

Kolkata Knight Riders, who left out Shakib al Hasan, had won six out of their eight games chas-ing. This was therefore an even contest on a surface of the kind Knight Riders have thrived on

back home in Kolkata. But the loss of early wickets on the face of some disciplined bowling and outstanding � elding by Surisers derailed the two-time champions. Sunrisers, by virtue of a 22-run win, setup a clash with Gujarat Li-ons in Quali� er-2 at the same ven-ue tomorrow.

It wasn’t a night of manic six-hitting or breathtaking batting by any stretch, but Yuvraj Singh’s 30-ball 44 had all the elements that made him a feared limited-overs batsman once upon a time. Yet the e� ort that underlined his impor-tance on Wednesday was a direct

hit from backward point to send back Colin Munro early in Knight Riders’ chase to induce a hint of panic. An e� ort of that kind auto-matically lifted a unit that applied pressure courtesy David Warner’s tactful bowling changes to esca-late the asking rate. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then pulled o� a stunner at deep midwicket to dismiss the in-form Yusuf Pathan to further dent Knight Riders. At 69 for 4 in the 11th over, they were � rmly behind in the game.

A no-holds-barred contest then came alive as Manish Pand-ey and Suryakumar Yadav coun-

ter-punched, their 46-run stand, laced with unorthodoxy, caused a few � utters in the Sunrisers camp, but there was always the danger of them perishing in the quest for one big hit too many. Surya-kumar, who was reprieved in the 15th over by Musta� zur Rahman at third man, couldn’t kick on, and miscued a slog to Shikhar Dhawan in the next over to leave Knight Riders needing 47 o� 24.

Warner immediately sum-moned his trump card Musta� zur for the � rst of his two remaining overs, and he responded by con-ceding just eight. l

Sport 25D

T

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

BRIEF SCORESABAHANI LTD 276/6 (Bhatia 90*,

Tamim 55, Mosaddek 47) beat GAZI GC 244 (Shamsur 136, Taskin 4/32, Abul

2/38) by 32 runs

MOHAMMEDAN SC 224 (Milon 64, Habibur 50, Azim 3/40) beat PRIME BANK CC 142 (Maruf 48, Sabbir 41,

Naeem Jr 4/21) by 82 runs

A goalmouth action of the Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League match between Abahani Limited and Mariner Young’s Club (Red) at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Mohammedan's Naeem Islam Jr completes a catch o� his own bowling against Prime Bank as umpire Masudur Rahman looks on yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Mohammedan take back leadShamsur’s 136 can’t stop Abahani n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Naeem Islam Jr’s four-wicket haul against holders Prime Bank Cricket Club enabled Mohammedan Sport-ing Club to move back to the sum-mit of the Dhaka Premier League.

Their 82-run thumping of Prime Bank Cricket Club was their sixth win in eight matches, taking them above Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club due to a higher net run-rate.

In the other match that concluded on the reserve day, paceman Taskin Ahmed kept Abahani Limited’s hopes of a Super League berth alive through a 32-run victory over Gazi Group Cricketers at the BKSP-3 ground.

MSC v Prime BankAt the Sher-e-Bangla National Sta-dium, Naeem Jr claimed four wick-ets conceding just 21 runs as Prime Bank capitulated to 142 all out in 32.4 overs.

Resuming on their overnight score of 41/1, Prime Bank were able to add just 101 runs for the loss of their remaining nine wickets in pursuit of Mohammedan’s 225.

At one stage Prime Bank were coasting thanks to a 72-run partner-ship for the second wicket between opening batsman Mehedi Maruf (48) and No 3 Sabbir Rahman (41).

But the rest of the batsmen failed miserably in the face of the Mohammedan bowlers’ disciplined e� ort, led by Naeem Jr and Sub-hashish Roy, who picked up 3/49.

Abahani v Gazi GroupFollowing three defeats in suc-cession, Abahani � nally returned on winning ways despite the Gazi Group opener Shamsur Rahman’s brilliant 136.

Shamsur’s 130-ball innings fea-tured 13 fours and three sixes but none of the other batsmen crossed 29 as Abahani registered the much-needed win.

Gazi Group lost wickets at regular intervals and only for Shamsur’s one-man show, Abahani could not run away with the game much earlier.

Taskin bagged 4/32 while Abul Hasan and Rajat Bhatia shared four wickets as Gazi Group were dis-missed for 244 in 48.1 overs.

The game also marked the return of Shahadat Hossain to competitive cricket after the Bangladesh Cricket Board lifted his temporary suspen-sion earlier this month. l

n Tribune Report

Two late goals allowed Mariner Young’s Club to come from be-hind and earn a creditable 3-3 draw against reigning champions Aba-hani Limited in the Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Following their loss against Usha Krira Chakra in the previ-ous match, Mariner managed to salvage a point from yesterday’s high-voltage game while this was the � rst time Abahani lost points in four league ties.

Mariner got their � rst penalty corner with just four minutes into the clock but failed to convert it. The miss however, did not prove to be costly as they took the lead only three minutes later through Raju Ahmed Topu.

Rumman Sarkar though soon equalised the margin with a re-verse hit just seven minutes later.

The Sky Blues, who did not earn a single penalty corner in the � rst half,

then went ahead at the half-hour mark through their Pakistani for-ward Shafqat Rasool, whose reverse hit from a Mohammad Irfan push evaded the Mariner goalkeeper.

Irfan then extended the lead in the 49th minute.

Abahani had the golden oppor-tunity of making it 4-1 but failed to convert any of their three penalty corners in the second half.

Just when it appeared Abaha-ni would coast to victory, Mariner shattered their hopes, that too in the last six minutes of the game.

Drag and � eld specialist Ma-munur Rahman Chayan � rst re-duced the arrears from a penalty corner in the 64th minute before Arshad Hossain’s � eld goal in time added on earned Mariner a vital point.

Meanwhile in the day’s other match, Sonali Bank thrashed Rail-way Sporting Club 11-0. Hasan Ul-lah Khan netted four goals while Tousif Ahmed bagged a brace for the victors. Rocky, Yasir, Ajit, Irfan and Taher added one apiece.l

Abahani held by last-gasp Mariner

Arsenal con� rm Xhaka dealn AFP, London

Arsenal announced the signing of Switzerland mid� elder Granit Xha-ka from Borussia Moenchenglad-bach yesterday.

The Premier League side said the deal has yet to be o� cially rat-i� ed, but terms have been agreed with the 23-year-old.

“Arsenal have reached an agree-ment with Granit Xhaka to join the club on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee,” said a statement from the North Londoners.

Xhaka, the son of Kosovo Alba-nian immigrants, has represented Switzerland 41 times and helped Gladbach to a fourth place � nish this season, bringing with it Cham-pions League football.

Gladbach had said last week that they had received an o� er for Xha-ka, who then admitted he could see himself playing in an Arsenal shirt.

“Granit Xhaka is an exciting young player,” said Arsenal manag-er Arsene Wenger.l

Australia close to Gillespie swoopn AFP, Sydney

Australia is close to poaching Jason Gillespie from English cricket to be the national team’s new full-time fast bowling coach, a report said yesterday.

Head coach Darren Lehmann has been on the look-out for a re-placement since Craig McDermott stepped down at the end of the World Twenty20 in India this year.

He said last month that the highly-regarded Gillespie, who has been head coach at Yorkshire for four years and was last year tout-ed as a candidate for the England coaching job, was high on his list.

At the time, the former Australi-an fast bowler said he was commit-ted to the reigning English county champions. But the Sydney Morn-ing Herald reported yesterday that discussions about bringing him home were now at an advanced level and his services could be se-cured next month. l

26DT Sport

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORSSTARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTSD. GreenPF 38 1-7 0-2 4-4 11 2 3 1 6 3 6H. BarnesSF 34 4-6 1-2 2-2 4 0 1 0 2 2 11A. BogutC 11 3-3 0-0 0-0 3 1 0 1 1 4 6S. CurryPG 39 6-20 2-10 5-7 5 5 2 0 6 2 19K. ThompsonSG 29 9-17 4-11 4-4 5 1 3 1 1 4 26A. VarejaoPF 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0B. RushSF 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0A. IguodalaSF 34 3-8 2-4 0-0 2 3 2 0 1 3 8M. SpeightsC 12 2-7 0-1 1-2 4 0 0 1 2 3 5F. EzeliC 10 3-4 0-0 2-8 2 1 0 0 0 1 8S. LivingstonPG 19 2-6 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 1 2 4I. ClarkSG 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0L. BarbosaSG 3 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1TEAM 33-80 9-30 19-29 40 15 11 4 21 26 94

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDERSTARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTSS. IbakaPF 33 7-11 1-4 2-2 7 0 0 2 3 4 17K. DurantSF 41 8-24 1-5 9-10 11 4 4 3 3 1 26S. AdamsC 25 2-4 0-0 7-8 7 2 2 1 1 4 11R. WestbrookPG 41 12-27 4-8 8-8 11 11 4 0 6 1 36A. RobersonSG 40 7-12 1-3 2-8 12 3 5 2 0 5 17K. SinglerSF 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0N. MohammedC 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0E. KanterC 9 0-2 0-1 1-2 2 0 0 0 1 1 1C. PaynePG 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0R. FoyeSG 14 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0A. MorrowSG 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0D. WaitersSG 32 3-7 2-4 2-2 3 3 0 0 2 3 10TEAM 39-90 9-26 31-40 56 23 16 8 17 22 118

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 4, OKC LEAD 3-1

WARRIORS 94 – 118 THUNDER73-9, 34-7 Away 55-27, 32-9 Home

1 2 3 4 TGS 26 27 29 12 94OKC 30 42 22 24 118

Wilting Warriors need to � nd quick � x for playo� problemsn Reuters

The Golden State Warriors are fast becoming a pale shadow of the 73-win team that stormed through the regular season and there is no short-age of theories as to why the league’s most dominant team are now on the verge of playo� elimination.

After Oklahoma City pummeled the Warriors 118-94 to take a com-manding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series on Tuesday, questions poured in like Thunder fast-break points.

Is the team’s talismanic MVP Ste-phen Curry healthy? Did Draymond Green buckle under the pressure of his near suspension? Is Golden State � nally being crushed by the burden of ful� lling a record campaign?

Following their latest setback, the � rst consecutive losses of the season for the Warriors, the de-fending  NBA  champions did their best to de� ect questions demand-ing an explanation for their demise.

“We had a tremendous season and did something no one has done before. We’re proud of that. But in the playo� s, everyone starts 0-0, so there’s no extra pressure,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters.

On the court, however, the fun-loving Warriors of the regular season appear to have been trans-formed into a struggling unit, de-void of form or � uidity. l

Nishikori, Halep, Kvitova early winnersn AFP, Paris

Japan’s � fth seed Kei Nishikori, for-mer runner-up Simona Halep and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova were all early second round winners at the French Open yesterday.

Nishikori, a quarter-� nalist in 2015, coasted into the last 32 with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov.

Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, goes on to face former world number seven Fernando Ver-dasco of Spain.

Verdasco, 32, is playing his 13th Roland Garros and will present Ni-shikori with a formidable challenge holding a 2-1 lead in their head to head record. He won their only meeting on clay in Barcelona in 2012 although that came through an injury retirement.

Sixth seed Halep, the losing � -nalist to Maria Sharapova in 2014, endured a rollercoaster tie on Court Philippe Chatrier against Zarina Di-yas of Kazakhstan before securing a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 win.

Halep, 24, was 1-4 down in the

� rst set to the world number 90 before rallying and grabbing the tie-break.

The opening set featured six breaks of serve before the Romani-an coasted through the second.

Halep will next face Japan’s Naomi Osaka, the world 101 who has reached the third round at a

major for the second successive time having also enjoyed a run to the last 32 in Australia.

Osaka, 18, knocked out 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 6-3 which would have been relief to Halep who lost to the world num-ber 52 Croatian at the French Open last year and US Open in 2014. l

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (L) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson during the � rst half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference � nals in Oklahoma City on Tuesday AP

Simona Halep of Romania returns the ball against Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas during their French Open match at Roland Garros REUTERS

'Mourinho can deliver exciting football'n Reuters

Jose Mourinho will bring attacking � air back to Manchester United, having learnt from the mistakes of Louis van Gaal, the club’s former mid� elder Paul Scholes has said.

The Dutch manager’s two-year tenure at Old Tra� ord ended on Monday, two days after his side won the FA Cup - United’s � rst tro-phy in three years - with Mourinho set to replace him.

The Portuguese coach, who was sacked by Chelsea in December, has agreed personal terms with United to take over from Van Gaal, according to reports by Sky TV.

“The fans at Man United demand entertaining football, and I’m sure Mourinho will come and try and give it,” Scholes told British media.

The former mid� elder, who won 11 league titles with United, was an outspoken critic of Van Gaal’s time at the helm.

United � nished � fth in the Pre-

mier League this season under the Dutchman, scoring 49 goals, their lowest tally since the 1989-90 cam-paign, and Scholes said Mourinho was the right man to spark a revival at Old Tra� ord.

“I think Mourinho will have watched that closely and will have seen what happened. He’s a top manager, he’s proven that be-fore and hopefully he can do that again,” Scholes added.

Scholes also expressed hope that the change of managers would not result in his former team mate Ryan Giggs, who was Van Gaal’s assistant, leaving the club’s back-room sta� .l

Sport 27D

T

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

Bosz appointed Ajax coachAjax have appointed Dutchman Peter Bosz as their new coach in place of Frank de Boer, the Amsterdam club con� rmed on Tuesday. Bosz, 52, leaves his coaching position with Maccabi Tel Aviv to join the Dutch club on a three-year contract until June 2019. “It’s a good time for me as a coach,” said Bosz who led Maccabi to second place in the Israeli league. “I’m very ambitious and so are Ajax,” added the former Dutch international mid� elder, who played six seasons with Ajax’s rivals Feyenoord where he also held the post of technical director from 2006-2009.

–AFP

France blow as Varane ruled out of Euro 2016France’s Euro 2016 preparations took a knock on Tuesday with key defender Raphael Varane ruled out injured of next month’s tournament on home soil with his place taken by Adil Rami. Coach Didier Deschamps had feared the worst after Real Madrid announced Sunday that the 23-year-old Varane, capped 29 time for France, had su� ered a serious left thigh injury. And scans con� rmed his fears and the diagnosis of Real Madrid team doctors that the player would be out of action for up to three weeks.

–AFP

Mascherano wants to quit Barca for JuventusJuventus are in contact with Javier Mascherano over a summer transfer and the Argentine is ready to consider leaving Barcelona, Goal understands. Mascherano would favour a more advanced role than the one he has been playing for Barca, and Juventus would o� er the 31-year-old a mid� eld spot.

–GOAL.COM

United top all-time EPL prize money chartManchester United have earned the most prize money since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, and will go through the one billion pound mark next year if they match their � fth-place � nish of 2015/16, according to spread-betting � rm Spreadex. United have earned 870.3 million pounds ($1.28 billion), ahead of Arsenal with 842.8 million and Liverpool on 815.4 million, according to the study that collated payments to every team over the past 24 years. This year’s champions Leicester City are 25th on the list, with earnings of 247.7 million pounds, of which 93.2 million was won in this season alone.

–REUTERS

Devastated Stokes has surgery as Topley ruled out for three monthsEngland all-rounder Ben Stokes had knee surgery on Tuesday, while fellow international Reece Topley learnt he will be sidelined for three months with a partial stress fracture. Stokes su� ered a cartilage tear in his left knee during England’s crushing Test victory against Sri Lanka last week at Headingley. He had already said he expects to miss the remainder of Sri Lanka’s tour, but the England and Wales Cricket Board have not o� ered any prognosis following his operation. Stokes is unlikely to be seen again until the start of the Pakistan series in July, though England are not yet committing to a timescale. –AFP

QUICK BYTES

DAY’S WATCHCRICKET

STAR SPORTS 111:30PM

Natwest T20 Blast 2016Surrey v Glamorgan

FORMULA 1 STAR SPORTS 4

2:00PM

F1: Monaco Grand PrixPractice Sessions

BASKETBALL SONY SIX6:30AM

NBA season 2015/16Cleveland v Toronto

A picture taken yesterday shows mannequins wearing the jerseys of the Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid football clubs in a shopwindow at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid AFP

Madrid stars thriving under Zidane’s reignJust � ve months into his � rst sen-ior managerial role, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is already living up to the unenviable task of matching his credentials as one of the � nest players of his generation.

Fourteen years on from the sumptuous volley that rippled a rain-soaked net at Hampden Park in Glasgow to hand Real their ninth European Cup over Bayer Leverk-usen, he can become just the sev-enth man to win the Champions League as a player and a coach.l

–AFP

28DT Sport

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

Kohli: I bow down to AB de Villiers n Agencies

AB de Villiers’ outstanding knock against Gujarat Lions seems to have settled the de-bate about who is the best batsman in the world, accord-ing to his skipper Virat Kohli.

Royal Challengers Banga-lore skipper Kohli could not contain his excitement and charged on to the � eld after Iqbal Abdulla hit the winning runs against GL which booked their place in the summit clash of the Indian Premier League 2016.

De Villiers scored an un-beaten 79 o� 47 balls to guide

RCB to a four-wicket win over Suresh Raina’s side in the � rst quali� er played at the M Chin-naswamy Stadium on Tuesday in Bengaluru.

“I think this should settle the debate about who is the best in the world.

“Come the big game, the big man steps up. I just bow down to him (Ab de Villiers). Proba-bly one of the best knocks un-der pressure I have seen. I’m happy for him and the team.

“We have played good cricket to the play-o� s. I could see the opposition was wor-ried about him, what he can do at the end of the innings.”l

Men only? Not any more as women � ock to IPLn AFP, New Delhi

As women � ock to the stands and take prominent positions in commentary boxes and boardrooms, cricket’s richest Twenty20 league is no longer solely a man’s world.

The days of male-dominat-ed crowds spending as much time ogling cheerleaders on the boundary as taking in ac-tion in the middle have been consigned to the past as the 2016 edition of the Indian Pre-mier League reaches a climax with Sunday’s � nal.

“This perception of wom-en not being cricket-savvy is so passe,” said Reena Verma as she took her seat for a re-cent match between the Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hy-derabad in the Indian capital.

“I know where a gully or point is. I can also tell the dif-ference between a leg-spin-ner and a chinaman,” said the part-time teacher, illustrating her knowledge of cricket’s id-iosyncratic jargon to describe � elding positions and bowling styles respectively.

Verma is one of a growing number of female fans either buying tickets to India’s glitzy T20 tournament or watching on television where the voices of women commentators are increasingly being heard alongside their male counterparts.

Former India women’s cap-tain Anjum Chopra, ex-Eng-land seamer Isa Guha and the

Australians Lisa Sthalekar and Melanie Jones have been regu-lars in this year’s IPL commen-tary booths, sidelining male veterans of cricket broadcast-ing such as Harsha Bhogle.

The commentators are part of an IPL strategy to attract more women, with the aim of increasing ticket sales, domes-tic television viewing ratings home and overall revenues.

“We want families to come, we want women and girls to come, it’s not the usual cricket fan that we are trying to con-nect with,” an IPL o� cial told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The whole thing is tar-geted to draw equal number of female and male fans and that’s the reason why some of the Sony (TV) presenters are female,” he said.

A glance round the IPL grounds suggests around a third of fans are female. “I would de� nitely say the num-ber of women watching the game has increased in India,” Colonel Menon from private company Skidata, which pro-vides crowd data to the IPL, told AFP, although he was un-able to provide exact � gures on the ratio of female to male spectators.

While the cheerleaders who celebrate every four and six do still attract interest from male fans, many spectators’ eyes are drawn instead to the women celebrities populating the executive boxes or team dugouts.l

AB DE VILLIERS

79* 47 balls, 5x4, 5x6

De Villiers on ...When it was time to attackIt was in that Dwayne Smith over in the 15th,” he told iplt20.com. “Virat sent a message out saying there is a bit of bad weather around and it was probably the best time to try and get up with the run-rate again. So, I decided to have a go in that over to see where it takes us.

Using his experienceI have failed so many times in the past in pressure situations like that, but tonight my experience helped me. This is a million times better than any hundred I have scored. I don’t look at hundreds or two hundreds or all of that nonsense. I just want to cross the line for the boys.

Downtime

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 21 represents L so � ll L every time the � gure 21 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � 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

ACROSS 1 Impartial (4) 4 Defect (4)8 Floor covering (3)9 Apiece (4)10 Expensive (4) 11 Slowly (mus) (5)12 Part of a church (4)14 Ship’s record (3)15 Tree (3)17 Incite (3)19 Pale (3)21 Dash (4)23 Coral isle (5) 26 Highland dagger (4) 27 Assumed attitude (4)28 Lubricant (3)29 Observed (4)30 Tear (4)

DOWN 1 Stringed instrument (6) 2 Country (4)3 Bucolic (5)4 Cost for services (3) 5 Cavalry weapon (5)6 Perform (3)7 Which person? (3) 11 Within the law (5)13 Speech sound (5)16 Derided (6)18 Farm bird (5)20 Lowest point (5)22 African river (4)23 Monkey (3)24 Plaything (3)25 Was in front (3)

SUDOKU

29D

TTHURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

n Showtime Desk

The third installment of LUX Look@Me Fashion Runway took place in dazzling fashion in the capital, in Tuesday. Initiated by private TV station RTV, the show featured top models of the country, dressed in various desi couture designed by the likes of Emdad Haque, Shahrukh Amin

30DT

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016Showtime

LUX Look@Me Fashion Runway 2016

nShowtime Desk

When Daniel Craig announced that he was turning down a £68million o� er from MGM studios, because he no longer wants to play the role of James Bond, fans all over the world were dismayed.

Surely, this got tongues wagging about who could be the #NextBond, with people stating their preferences from Tom Hiddleston to Aidan Turner and recently, Idris Elba.

What’s great is that there is � nally discussions about a more diverse take on the character sketch of James Bond. While many like the idea of a talented black actor playing the role, some have gone a step further by re-imagining Bond as a woman!

A fan named Ursie, � rst raised the idea by tweeting “Is Gillian Anderson playing bond yet, I need something good to look forward to.”

People on social media seemed mad about the idea and many have even suggested her bondgirls in the � lm. Gillian Anderson set fans’ hearts racing, when she seemed to respond positively to the idea. The actress tweeted a potential Bond poster, which made many think that she wants to be featured as 007.

Gillian Anderson tweeted “It’s Bond. Jane Bond. Thanks for all the votes! (And sorry, don’t know who made poster but I love it!) #NextBond”

There’s been mixed feelings about a potential female Bond - some have said that it will ruin the role, while others have welcomed the idea.

Pierce Brosnan, who has

played Bond four times - didn’t seem keen on the idea of a female 007. He told Press Association: “Anything is possible for sure, but I think he’ll be male and he’ll be white.”

Daniel Craig had other ideas, however. He told Bustle, when asked that if there could be a female Bond: “Sure, yeah, de� nitely. I think it’s a great idea. If it works, it works.”

“ That’s the great thing about � lm. It’s all about imagination so of course, it could happen. Not that’s it a huge push, it’s just that, anything’s possible.”

Sadiq Khan, London’s new Mayor, told the Hu� ngton Post: “How about a woman? A woman Bond. Rosamund Pike [a former ‘Bond girl’] would be pretty good. Naomi Harris would be pretty good...I know she’s got another role.” l

and Lipi Khandakar. Beauty experts Farzana Shakil, Afroza Amin and Tanjima Sharmin were in charge of the glam department.

The event purely focused on latest fashion trends and glamour. A total of 45 top models of the country walked pn the runway, while familiar faces like actor Ferdous, Sohana Saba, sculptor Ferdousi Priyobhasini and singer Fahmida Nabi walked alongside some of them as guest appearances. Singer Salma and Bindu Kona enthralled the attendees by performing desi numbers.

Mehzabien Chowdhury, Mumtahina Toya, Tanjin Tisha and Mousum, four leading models were honoured with the Best Look award. Syed Ashik Rahman, CEO, RTV, gave the welcome speech at the event.

Produced by Shahid Sharif, the show was anchored by Ambrin and was aired live from Hotel Sonargaon. l

Bond, Jane Bond

31D

TTHURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

Showtime

Artcell announces their much anticipated third album

n Showtime Desk

Artcell, one of the most popular rock bands in the country announced on May 24, that their much-anticipated third album is all set to be released prior to the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr exclusively on GP Music, in association with G Series.

The band, which has rede� ned Bangla rock music since they � rst broke into the scene, is releasing their latest album after long period of 10 years. The title of the album still remains a secret but the unveil is imminent. The band retains its original four-man lineup which includes Lincoln, Ershad, Cezanne and Shaju.

To add even more excitement to the announcement, the band also launched an exclusive music video of their latest single “Obimrishshota” from the album. The teaser of “Obimrishshota” has been widely viewed on the internet since last week.

George Lincoln D’Costa, vocalist and guitarist of Artcell said, “This album is very special for the four of us. We have been through a lot together, and gave everything we had behind the making of all the songs. We sincerely hope that our fans will enjoy “Obimrishshota” and the upcoming album”.

Muntasir Hossain, head of digital services of Grameenphone, voiced his

excitement saying, “We are very proud to bring Artcell back after 10 years with their upcoming album. We had a sneak preview of some of the songs from the new album and I can con� dently say that it will be an instant fan favorite.”

The Music Video of Obimrishshota was launched on GP Music’s o� cial Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GPMusicNow, and the songs will be available for streaming exclusively on GP Music. The GP Music App is available for all android, iOS devices and can be found in both the Play Store and App Store. l

n Showtime Desk

Rumours about Dhallywood’s very own Mahiya Mahi tying the knot some time this year were making rounds recently. But the actor surprised everyone by revealing some of her wedding pictures on social media. Her beau, Mahmud Parvez Opu, is a businessman from Sylhet.

The formalities regarding the bride and groom’s registration of marriage was completed in the presence of close relatives of the

Mahiya Mahi ties the knot

two families at the Mahi’s house in Uttara.

Later, Mahiya Mahi revealed to the press, “By the grace of The Almighty, I have a good-hearted

man as my husband. Opu is straightforward guy. I wanted someone like him beside me. Everyone please pray for our new life.”

On May 12, the couple were formally engaged and then family of the bride

and groom mutually decided the day of the

marriage. The reception ceremony will

take place at the groom’s house in

Sylhet on July 24. l

Back Page32DT

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

CPD STRESSES QUALITY GROWTH PAGE 12

‘I BOW DOWN TO AB DE VILLIERS’ PAGE 28

BOND, JANE BOND PAGE 30

Shahriar rubbishes IS claimsn Tribune Desk

International militant group Islam-ic State is trying to ride a wave of religious radicalisation by falsely claiming a spate of killings in Bang-ladesh, State Minister for Foreign A� airs Shahriar Alam has said.

In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, he claimed that there was enough evidence implicating the local militant groups in these attacks.

Analysts say that as IS loses territory in Iraq and Syria and its � nances get drained, it may be try-ing to build a� liates in countries such as Libya, Egypt and Bangla-desh for jihadists to launch attacks locally and cheaply.

Shahriar said that no local or foreign agency had found any pres-ence of IS in the country. “Those claims [of killings] are de� nitely false,” he said. “But what we’ve agreed with our partnering coun-tries is that we’ll not argue over it

– that sends a wrong message.”His comments came just days

after a EU delegation said that there was an unprecedented threat to human rights and freedom of ex-pression in Bangladesh and urged Dhaka to tackle the challenge to protect its international reputa-tion.

Since February last year, Reuters says, Muslim-majority Bangladesh of 160 million has seen the killing of at least 26 people, including � ve secular bloggers, a publisher, two LGBT campaigners, non-Muslim and non-Sunni preachers.

Al-Qaeda has claimed some of the attacks, while IS has claimed 17 killings since � rst taking responsi-bility for murders in Bangladesh in September last year, according to US-based monitoring website SITE Intelligence Group.

The latest claim by IS was made after the killing of a fan of mystic Baul songs and popular homoeo-path doctor, Sanwar Hossain, in

Kushtia on May 20. It was the sixth murder claimed by the terrorist group since January and third since April.

In its April edition of Dabiq mag-azine, IS claimed that they had operations in Bangladesh, from where they had plans to attack My-anmar and India to avenge the per-secution on Muslims.

“Having a strong jihad base in Bengal [Bangladesh] will facilitate guerilla attacks inside India simul-taneously from both sides [east and west],” its alleged leader for Bangladesh Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif said in an interview. IS has strong base in Pakistan and Af-ghanistan region – they call it Kho-rasan province.

Following this, Home Minis-ter Asaduzzaman Khan labelled the claims as “local and interna-tional conspiracy” and reiterated that two banned militant groups – Ansarullah Bangla Team and Ja-ma’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh

(JMB) had carried out the attacks to destabilise the country and as part of their campaign to establish a Shariah-based state.

He claimed that a certain quarter from abroad was trying to convince the government that Islamic State has activities in Bangladesh. “They [IS] may have some followers here, but not a base,” the home boss had told the Dhaka Tribune.

Shahriar told Reuters on Tues-day that the claims were an at-tempt to “ride the wave” without being involved at all.

“We know from Syria that there is no such common ground for Islamic State and al-Qaeda, they can’t be on the same platform,” he said. “But the funny thing is that in some instances both have claimed responsibility here.

“Islamist violent extremism has gained so much ground [around the world],” he said.

“The question is whether Bang-ladesh is vulnerable. Bangladesh

has always been vulnerable be-cause of the low level of educa-tion, lack of employment. But till date, the global radical organisa-tions, the terrorist groups, haven’t been able to make any presence in Bangladesh, let alone make it their base,” the foreign state minister said.

However, detectives in March last year said that the local militant groups were working in concert to establish a Shariah-based state by 2020 with the help of IS incorpo-rating parts of India and Myanmar with it. A new umbrella named “International Lions Force of Hin-dustan” was also formed, they told media.

Earlier, a four-member IS del-egation from Syria visited Chit-tagong in October 2014 and held meetings with the top leaders of local militant groups. Since 2014, detectives have arrested over two dozens of IS recruiters and freshers in Dhaka and elsewhere. l

British MP for sanctions on Bangladesh n Tribune Desk

A UK lawmaker on Tuesday asked the British House of Commons whether it is high time for the UK government to impose some form of sanctions on Bangladesh to cre-ate pressure on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to hold a “proper” general elections at the earliest.

During a question-answer session on Tuesday, independent parlia-mentarian Simon Danczuk asked the UK minister of state for foreign and Commonwealth o� ce, Hugo Swire: “Does the minister [of State for For-eign and Commonwealth O� ce] not think that it is time to start applying some form of sanctions to try to get Sheikh Hasina to hold a proper gen-eral election as soon as possible?”

The day’s proceedings were pub-lished in the British parliament’s website. According to the proceed-ings, several other British MPs also expressed their concerns over Bangladesh’s current situation.

A labour party MP, Alex Cun-ningham, asked whether the British government was doing enough to tackle the issue of violence against LGBT people in Bangladesh.

In response, Swire said: “We call

on Bangladesh to bring those re-sponsible for the killings to justice. Extremist-related murders of mem-bers of minority religious groups and those whose views and lifestyles are contrary to Islam have increased in Bangladesh since February 2015, and we are discussing this regularly with the government of that country.”

Swire assured the lawmakers by adding: “We have a certain amount of leverage in Bangladesh-we are the largest grant aid donor, giving £162m in 2015-16; so our voice has some in� uence there.”

Bangladesh has been experi-encing a wave of attacks on secular writers and bloggers as well as on members of religious minorities. The so-called Islamic State and the al-Qaeda have reportedly claimed responsibilities of the killings, but Hasina has been blaming the oppo-sition for the killings.

A Conservative MP, Nusrat Ghani, raised the issue in the House and in reply, Swire said there was a “dis-agreement” over Prime Minister Hasina holding opposition parties responsible for the killings and blam-ing the victims for “insulting Islam.”

“We think the problem goes be-yond that,” said Swire. l

HC: Khaleda must surrender in 2 monthsn Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court has published the full verdict that cleared the way for trying former prime minister Khaleda Zia for corruption in the Barapukuria coal mine deal.

As directed by the HC, publica-tion of the full verdict on Wednes-day means the BNP chairperson will have to surrender before the

court within two months. In Sep-tember last year, the court rejected Khaleda’s plea to scrap the case.

The Anti Corruption Commis-sion � led the case at Shahbagh po-lice station on February 26, 2008, accusing Khaleda and 10 of her former cabinet colleagues of tak-ing Tk159cr to award the coal mine deal to the highest bidder, instead of the lowest one.

In 2008, the High Court stayed the case proceedings, and in a rul-ing, asked the government and the ACC to explain why the case should not be dropped.

It was later upheld by the Su-preme Court, bringing the case to a standstill. Khaleda secured bail on January 15, 2012.

The ACC took initiative to revive the case proceedings last year. l

This sign from Dhaka North City Corporation calls on people to be cautious while using footpaths on the Airport Road in Banani area for the sake of safety MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

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