30 March, 2016

SECOND EDITION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Tonu’s family exasperated by exhumation order n Our Correspondent, Comilla

The family of Sohagi Jahan Tonu has expressed indignation at a court order to exhume her body, saying it showcased the investigators’ inefficiencies.

“She is being tortured even after her death,” Tonu’s uncle Alal Hossain said. “This situation could have been averted if the matter was investigated with due importance at the beginning.”

A Comilla court ordered the exhumation on Monday, eight days after Tonu’s murder, at the request of the investigation officer to  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

A chunk of BB heist money might be recovered n Tribune Desk

About $6.9m out of the $81m that was stolen from Bangladesh Bank in February are still at casinos in the Philippines and may still be recovered, the Philippine Senate heard in testimony yesterday.

Kam Sin Wong, a Chinese junket operator known in the Philippines as Kim Wong, told the hearing that the $81m was remitted by two casino junket agents and gamblers – Beijing resident Gao Shuhua whom he has known for eight years and a Macau resident named Ding Zhize he just met in February, reports AP. Wong volunteered to return $4.63m dollars that remains in a junket account in Solaire Resort and Casino, and another $863,000 still in Midas Hotel casino under the account of his company, Eastern Hawaii Leisure Co. Wong said Gao also paid him $9.71m for a loan that covered Gao’s losses in an earlier gambling spree in the country. Wong said if compelled to do so, he can also return that money.

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Strike at educational institutions on April 3 n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Protesters have called a general strike at educational institutions around the country for April 3 demanding justice for murdered Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu.

Co-coordinator of Progotishil Chattra Jote and Bangladesh Chhatra Federation General Secretary Ashraful Alam Sohel told a media briefing at Shahbagh yesterday that HSC examinees would be out of the strike’s purview as the examinations are scheduled to begin on that day.

TONU KILLING “The government and the army have failed to act responsibly.

Tonu’s murder is the result of a culture of ignoring justice. We want to

Investigation charge now given to CID n Mohammad Jamil Khan

get rid of such culture,” Sohel said.

Second-year history student and cultural activist Tonu was found murdered near her residence inside the cantonment area on March 20.

Her father Yaar Hossain, an office assistant of the Cantonment Board, filed a case with Kotwali police the next day without naming anyone.

In a statement, the ISPR yesterday urged the media to run comments responsibly over the incident. It said Tonu’s body was found in an area adjacent to Comilla cantonment and noted that baseless comments by vested

Police have handed over the charge of investigation into the rape and murder of Comilla college student Sohagi Jahan Tonu to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

In a statement issued yesterday, the Police Headquarters said it handed over the investigation to the CID because of the importance of the case.

Comilla police and the Detective Branch of police will also continue their own investigations.

Apart from these three agencies, the Rapid Action Battalion is conducting a shadow investigation

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tonu’s family exasperated

School and college students take to the streets in the capital yesterday demanding the arrest of Sohagi Jahan Tonu's murderers

was not the right thing to do.

“The Shahbagh intersection is a very important area as there are several hospitals around here.

Such demonstrations can claim patients’ lives on the road. We request the protesters to consider this,” he said.

Students and people from across the social divide have been demonstrating around the country demanding immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the killers since Tonu’s death was reported.l

collect DNA samples and perform a second post-mortem examination.

A police team has been guarding the grave since Monday. Comilla Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Lutfun Nahar has been tasked with supervising the exhumation.

“We will dig up the body once we get the order,” she said. “But we did not receive any order until Tuesday noon. It may be exhumed tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, students of Comilla Victoria Government College and around the country continued demonstrations demanding justice for Tonu. The college organised a special prayer for her.

Tonu, a second-year Victoria college history student and cultural activist, was found murdered inside the cantonment on March 20. She was buried at her village home in Muradnagar upazila the next day. Her father Yaar Hossain, a Comilla cantonment board office assistant, filed a case with Kotwali model police the same day without naming anyone.

The case was initially handed over to the DB on March 25 after police failed to make any progress.

The Criminal Investigation Department was put in charge of the case yesterday, its Special Superintendent of Organised Crime Mirza Abdullah Hel Baki confirmed the Dhaka Tribune.

Investigators have so far made no breakthrough. l

says collecting evidence against a particular person in Tonu murder will take time as the incident did not happen publicly.

“The accused is identified in such a clueless crime by collecting evidential and circumstantial testimony in a scientific manner, analysing and evaluating those. There are chances of mistakes in arresting someone depending on just suspicion,” the statement reads.

“Even the actually accused person/persons may take advantage of such mistakes.

“We are determined to arrest the real culprits of Tonu murder af-

ter identifying them first,” it adds.

Police say they are respectful to the demonstration demanding resolving the mystery behind Tonu murder, but they object to blocking roads. Besides hassles to public, this also creates barriers to police’s work, the statement says.

“There is no need for any movement or demonstration to demand arrest of the responsible persons behind a murder. That is a professional and moral duty of the police,” the statement says.

The PHQ sought people’s cooperation that is favourable for a proper investigation into Tonu murder. l

met in May 2015 in his office to discuss opening the accounts for a big amount of money to be brought in and invested by Gao. Wong, however, said he had no role in the fake paperwork and that was all arranged by Deguito.

On February 4, Wong said Gao told him that he and Ding would close their casino in Macau and invest the money in Manila. Gao also reportedly said he had money from the sale of his land in China.

On February 5, the money was transferred in portions to the five fictitious bank accounts. Philrem

then electronically transferred the money to the casino accounts while other amounts were delivered in cash to Wong and the junket agents, or received by Wong at the house of Philrem owners Salud and Concon Bautista.

Bangladesh also turned over to the committee a list of 30 other suspicious transactions that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York did not execute. The list showed another $850m would have been transmitted to the fake accounts in the Philippine bank had those transfers not been stopped. l

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Strike at educational institutions on April 3 quarters regarding the army and attempts to confuse people were not desirable.

The statement said the army had been assisting the investigators from the beginning and expressed determination to do so.

The case was handed over to DB on March 25. The CID was put in charge yesterday, its Special Superintendent of Organised Crime Mirza Abdullah Hel Baki confirmed the Dhaka Tribune.

Over 200 students from Dhaka

University and other institutions took to the streets yesterday. Chhatra Federation, Students’ Union, Somajtantrik Chattra Front activists expressed solidarity under the banner of Students of Dhaka University.

They took out a procession from the TSC and marched to Shahbagh where students of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Notre Dam College and Dhaka College joined them.

Vehicular movement came to a grinding halt for several hours at the key intersection until the pro-

testers left at around 4pm. At one stage, they stopped a car belonging to Maj Gen Harun-Ur Rashid and pasted posters on it demanding punishment for Tonu’s killers. Gen Harun’s wife Suraiya Jebin came out and told the protesters that she too wanted justice.

Demonstrators let the car go after police intervened. A scuffle with police left two of them injured.

Shahbagh police’s Officer-inCharge Abu Bakkar Siddique said blocking road to demand justice

Investigation charge now given to CID into the murder while the Inter Services Public Relations in a statement said the army authorities were providing full support to the police in its probe.

On March 20, Tonu, a second-year history student of Comilla Victoria Government College, was raped and murdered inside the Mainamati Cantonment. Her father Yaar Hossain, an office assistant of the Cantonment board, filed a case with Kotowali police the next day against unidentified assailants.

Getting the charge of investigation, a team of the CID arrived in Comilla yesterday and met police

Superintendent Shah Abid Hossain.

Confirming it in the evening, Comilla Additional SP Ali Ashraf Bhuyan told the Dhaka Tribune that the CID team arrived in the afternoon and they were holding a meeting with the SP office. He said the team had also visited the crime scene and the cantonment.

About probe progress, CID’s Special Superintendent Mirza Abdullahel Baqui said they had just started assisting the investigation and nothing could be disclosed immediately.

Meanwhile, no decision on conducting Tonu’s post-mortem again was made as of last night.

Following a court order, the district administration gave the responsibility of taking care of this to Upazila Nirbahi Officer Begum Lufunnahar and Muradnagar Assistant Commissioner (land) Ali Azgar.

Bangara police OC Moazzem Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that a police team had been on duty at Tonu’s grave since Monday and hoped the body would be exhumed today morning.

The PHQ statement

Signed by police’s Additional Deputy Inspector General Nazrul Islam, the Police Headquarters statement

A chunk of BB heist money might be recovered quoted Wong as saying that of the total $81 million stolen funds that were deposited and withdrawn from an RCBC branch, about $63 million went to Midas and Solaire casinos.

Wong further alleged that $17m was still with remittance company Philrem, a claim the company owners however denied during the hearing.

Casino operators and government regulators said it may be difficult to account for the rest of the missing money, which was used at gambling tables. Wong said

$370,000 in cash was withdrawn by the casino junket agents in violation of their agreement that all the money would remain in the casino accounts.

During the Senate hearing, Silverio Benny Tan, corporate secretary of Solaire’s operator Bloomberry Resorts Corporation, also confirmed that P1.365 billion ($29.47m) of the alleged stolen funds were transferred from Philrem’s BDO account to Solaire’s BDO account.

Tan said they had already frozen the Solaire account, but the money that was left was only P107 million

($2.34m), reports the Inquirer.

“We confirm, we have frozen the account and we are awaiting for proper court order on how they will be disposed of,” he said.

Chain of events

The stolen $81m was remitted to five accounts created with fictitious names at a branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, consolidated then remitted to the casinos and junket operators through Philrem.

Wong said Maia Deguito, the bank branch manager, and Gao

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Task force to expedite recovery of stolen BB money n Asif Showkat Kallol A specialised task force is being formed to expedite the process of recovering the $81m that was stolen from Bangladesh Bank’s foreign reserves, sources at the Bank and Financial Institutions Division said.

An official of the division, requesting anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that the task force would work on speeding up the recovery of the stolen funds as banking experts have cautioned that the entire process might take from three to ten years.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is now looking at terms and references for the proposed task force while the Banking Division is likely to issue a circular on this regard today, sources said.

The proposed task force is likely to be headed by the additional secretary of Banking Division, while other members would come from the Finance Ministry, Foreign Ministry, the central bank's financial intelligence unit, Anti-Corruption Commission, the Attorney General’s Office and the National Board of

Revenue. The task force would also include qualified persons suitable for the job.

On February 5, hackers stole $101m million from Bangladesh Bank’s accounts in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and transferred $81m of it to Philippines’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, from where the money was moved to local casinos. A further $20m was recovered from Sri Lanka.

An attempt to steal an additional $870 million was blocked in time by the US federal bank.

All BB laptops to be examined

All laptops used by Bangladesh Bank officers will be examined as part of an ongoing investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department.

Bangladesh Bank issued an office order on Monday asking all officers to submit their laptop to the IT department within two days.

The decision triggered panic among officers causing disruption in their daily office work.

Subhankar Saha, executive director of Bangladesh Bank, said the laptops would be examined to see

whether those were at risk of future cyber attacks.

He added that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMCL) of Philippines will help identify the banks through which the stolen money was laundered and find the four people suspected to be behind the digital heist.

“We have a collaborative agreement with the AMCL, and in accordance with that we are providing required information,” Subhankar said, adding that the stolen money was still in the Philippines. l

Top officials bat for homegrown cyber security system n Tribune Report Bangladesh should reduce its dependency on foreign experts to ensure security for online transactions and other information technology systems, a senior government official has said.

Cyber security of local organisations, including government offices, should be controlled by local IT experts in the long-run to minimise risks, Bank and Financial Institutions Division Secretary Md Eunusur Rahman said yesterday.

The secretaries discussed the issue at the meeting of secretaries held yesterday at the Bangladesh Secretariat, he added.

“We will advise Bangladesh Bank on the matter at the next meeting of its board of directors,” Eunus said at a press briefing after a meeting on the progress of VAT Online Project of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith was present as the chief guest.

Finance Division Senior Secretary Mahbub Ahmed, Economic Relations Division Senior Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman were also present at the briefing.

The importance of cyber security comes into forefront after the digital heist of $101 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Just before this scam, a forgery gang stole crores of taka from clients of several private banks by skimming credit and debit cards.

“In most of the cases, Bangladeshi organisations currently have to depend on foreign experts for ensuring cyber security of their IT systems,” said Eunusur.

“We have to take the cyber security issue seriously. Short-, mid- and long-term steps are needed to safeguard the country’s online systems,” he added.

Under the long-term programme, cyber security systems should be brought under the control of local experts, he added.

Senior Secretary Mahbub also suggested the revenue authorities to be more cautious about cyber threats regarding its online VAT payment system which is all set to come into effect with the implementation of new VAT and Supplementary Duty Act 2012.

Mahbub also emphasised on integration and harmonisation among the relevant government offices including the Finance Ministry, Office of the Controller General of Accounts, Bangladesh Bank and other commercial banks for successful implementation of e-payment.

“The finance minister has instructed the revenue board for raising awareness among the taxpayers, particularly the business community, and taking their opinion for proper implementation of the new VAT law,” NBR Chairman Nojibur said at the briefing.

Muhith also instructed the NBR to take steps so that the businesses maintain proper accounts and use the Electronic Cash Registers (ECR) for smooth implementation of the new law, he added.

In his speech, the finance minister said that implementation of the VAT Online Project from July 1 was a political decision and “it will not change.”

Under the project, all the VATrelated procedures including registration, payment, return filing, refund and law enforcement process would be brought under online system. l

Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Union bring out a torch procession in the TSC area at Dhaka University yesterday demanding punishment for the killers of Sohagi Jahan Tonu MEHEDI HASAN

Twoki's father Rabbi sent to jail in forgery case Correspondent, n Our Narayanganj A Narayanganj court yesterday sent cultural activist Rafiur Rabbi to jail in a case filed over Tk70 lakh cheque forgery.

The court of Narayanganj’s First Additional District and Sessions Judge Miazi Mohammad Shahidul Alam Chowdhury passed the order yesterday morning rejecting his bail plea.

Rabbi, convener of Twoki Mancha – a platform formed in 2013 to demand justice for the murder of his slain son, was jailed for one year and fined Tk2.10 crore in the case last year. Of the amount, he was asked to pay Tk1.4 crore to the plaintiff and Tk70 lakh to the government exchequer.

Later, Rabbi filed an appeal with the High Court against the ver-

Rafiur Rabbi dict and submitted Tk35 lakh. The court rejected his plea on February 15 and sent all the relevant documents to the district court.

After the documents reached the court on March 13, it asked Rabbi to surrender.

Rabbi’s lawyer could not be contacted yesterday despite repeated attempts. However, his friends claim that Rabbi is a victim of conspiracy by local ruling party lawmaker Shamim Osman. Rabbi earlier claimed that his son Tanvir

Mohammad Twoki was abducted and killed by Azmeri Osman, a nephew of the lawmaker.

The cheque forgery case was filed by Jalal Uddin Ahmed, unclein-law of Shamim Osman, on February 8, 2012.

Rabbi’s lawyer said that one Shamim Quadri had bought 30 decimals of land from Rabbi and later sold it to Jalal. Later, a meeting decided that Jalal would return the land to Rabbi in exchange for Tk70 lakh.

Rabbi gave two blank cheques to Jalal’s lawyer who was present at the meeting. But the cheques bounced.

A Narayanganj court sentenced Rabbi to one-year imprisonment in June last year. The court also fined Rabbi, the district unit convener of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, Tk2.10 crore. l

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Transparency absent at all levels of climate fund disbursement n Abu Bakar Siddique Transparency is absent at all levels, in the governments of developing nations, donor agencies, NGOs and in developed countries which should disburse climate finance, speakers said at a climate change discussion yesterday.

An attitude of transparency should be shown at all levels, from fundraising to implementing projects that tackle the negative impacts of global warming, they said at the Integrity Dialogue on Climate Change Adaptation Finance: Transparency, Accountability and

Participation.

“The government already spent much money to tackle several projects, but that does not mean funds will return proper output,” said Dr Saleemul Huq, director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development.

Developed countries often refrain from their funding pledges, the speakers also said.

Citing an example of the “New” and “Additional” fund commitment by developed countries as climate finance, Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadeque Ahmed, project coordinator of Community Climate Change Pro-

ject, said only 33% of these funds are really new; the rest are formerly declared.

He said developed countries have pledged to give $10.3 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) till date, but the fund holds only $6.8 billion.

Besides this, developed countries never prioritise the demand of “financing balance between Adaptation and Mitigation,” which developing countries have long desired, he added.

Sanjoy Vashisht, director of Climate Action Network in South Asia, said the climate finance is

supposed to be fixed by the “Polluters pay Principle.”

Yet ironically, the polluters are fixing the rate and modalities of climate finance, he added.

Prof Emeritus Ainun Nishat said all stakeholders, including government agencies and donor agencies, should be brought under close accountability, as many of their capacity-building projects needlessly waste money.

The day-long international conference, attended by foreign delegates working on climate change, was organised by Transparency International Bangladesh. l

Uni teachers call off movement n UNB The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Associations concluded their on-going movement for the eighth pay scale as the government accepted their demand.

ASM Maksud Kamal, Secretary General of FBUTA made the announcement at a press briefing yesterday afternoon after holding a general meeting with FBUTA members at the Dhaka University club.

On March 24, the cabinet committee decided to promote 25 percent teachers of the public universities to Grade I of the 8th national pay scale.

The public university teachers have been protesting against the 8th National Pay Scale since May 2015. l

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BANGABANDHU SATELLITE PROJECT

'HSBC offers high interest rate against loan' Showkat Kallol and n Asif Ishtiaq Husain

The government is negotiating hard with the financier Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) to launch the country's first ever satellite Bangabandhu 1 by 2017.

Under the ongoing negotiation, HSBC has offered to lend Tk3,000cr at an annual interest of 0.5% while Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) wanted it at 0.2%.

The bank also proposed to pay back the entire loan amount by 10 years while BTRC asked HSBC to extend the payment period by two years more.

HSBC offered to pay 1.50% structuring and coordination fee but finally it was agreed at 1.45%.

The BTRC agreed to pay .38% as commitment fee while HSBC offered .42%.

HSBC has taken two weeks to evaluate the regulatory body's proposal. After that certain period Hong Kong based bank will inform the BTRC about their opinion.

Recently, BTRC and HSBC bank high-ups held several meetings at the Head office of the bank in the city to reach a consensus.

A high official of BTRC told the Dhaka Tribune all interest rates and condition of HSBC were too high to be agreed upon.

“We have opposed all condition

and proposed to reduce all interest rates and relax their condition so that we can reach an agreement.

Otherwise, the BTRC will find another financier to set up the country's first ever satellite Bangabandhu 1,” said the official.

Thales Alenia Space, a French aerospace manufacturer and work order winner of Bangabandhu Satellite Implementation Project, has arranged this financing through a one-to-one discussion.

BTRC signed a Tk2,967cr agreement with Thales Alenia Space on November 11, 2015.

According to the BTRC provision if the country’s first-ever Bangabandhu Satellite Project misses its installation deadline, Thales will have to pay compensation.

An official of the BTRC said the government had incorporated the provision as it wanted quick implementation of the project.

Thales Alenia has already embarked on the Bangabandhu Satellite Project so that they can complete the job within two years as per the government requirement.

Once the satellite is launched into orbit, it will eventually help the country save $14m annually.

The government can also earn by renting the satellite.

Bangladesh has already signed a deal with Russia-based Intersputnik to take out a lease on an orbital slot worth $28m. l

Enamul Bari made new Biman chairman n Tribune Report Former chief of Bangladesh Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Muhammad Enamul Bari has been appointed as the chairman of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. The Public Administration Ministry issued a circular in this regard yesterday. Enamul Bari replaced Air Marshal Jamaluddin Ahmed (retd).

The authorities also reconstituted the Biman board of directors as per the Company Act 1994.

The newly appointed board members are Senior Secretary of

Finance Division Mahbub Ahmed, PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum, former secretary Nazrul Islam Khan, the assistant chief of air force (operation and training), the engineer-in-chief of Bangladesh Army, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) Chairman Air Vice-Marshal Ehsanul Gani Chowdhury, former additional secretary Taposh Kumar Ray, Lawyer Tanjib-ul Alam, BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman, Emerging Resources MD Noor-EKhoda Abdul Mobin, and the MD & CEO of Biman. l

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A team of armed police force go through a box full of fake packages of different food brands in a shop during a raid in the capital's Armanitola area yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Payra 1,320MW coal-based power plant deal inked n Aminur Rahman Rasel The contract for building the 1,320MW coal-based power plant in Patuakhali's Payra upazila near the maritime port was signed yesterday.

It will be the first-ever contract signed under a joint venture firm.

A consortium of two Chinese firms - NPEC and CECC – will be the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, while Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL) – a joint venture of Chinese power company CMC and Bangladesh's North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL) – will implement it.

BCPCL Company Secretary Dipak Kumar Dhali, NEPC President Cai Ming and CECC President Chen Yuyu signed on the contract on behalf of their respective organisations.

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhit said this plant is going to be established under a joint venture.

Dr Tawfique-E-Elahi Chowdhury, energy advisor to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, were also present at the signing 24

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ceremony.

The NWPGCL and the CMC signed a memorandum of understanding on March 19, 2014 to set up the plant.

State-owned West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited has been assigned to construct a 65km 33kV distribution line from Patuakhali's 132/33 kV Grid sub-station to the project area with two 33/0.4 kV and 200kva transformers.

The land development and protection project involving Tk783 crore was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on October 21, 2014.

The plant will be built on the bank of the Rabnabad River near Payra maritime port. It will cost an estimated $2bn.

To set up the plant, the NWPGCL and the CMC will have equal share in the joint venture company.

The project will be implemented on a 30:70 equity:debt basis. It means the NWPGCL and the CMC will have to provide 30% of the total project cost and mobilise the remaining 70% from international sources.

The cost of generating each unit of electricity is being estimated at Tk6.

As per the conditions of the tender, there is no need to wait for the

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completion of the financial agreement to begin construction. It can begin right after the signing of the contract.

China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation Sinosure, which is the financier of China's government projects, could invest in the project.

Officials implementing the project hope that it will start generating electricity in 2019.

They also hope the first unit will start commissioning on April 25, 2019 while the second on October 25 of that year.

The plant will be built in Kalapara on a 397-hectare land. To acquire the land from locals, the government transferred Tk69 crore to the deputy commissioner of Patuakhali on April 29, 2014.

So far, the NWPGCL has implemented two 150MW power plants – one in Sirajganj and the other in Khulna.

The government has a plan to set up a series of coal-fired power projects to generate 20,000MW electricity by 2030.

On the other hand, to implement the Rampal coal-based power plant project, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd is going to sign an EPC deal with Indian firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited by next month. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 4:37am | Zohr: 12:04am Asr: 3:31pm | Magrib: 6:16pm Esha: 7:43pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

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No progress in Swadhin murder probe n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

The final entry in Md Swadhin’s personal diary before he was killed was names and contact numbers of several of his friends, including a girl.

Police have interrogated five of his friends but are yet to make a breakthrough, sources said.

Swadhin was murdered at Dakkhin Dania in the capital’s Shanir Akhra on Monday morning. He sat for SSC examinations from Muradpur Samirun Nesa High School.

No case was filed until yesterday evening.

An investigator told the Dhaka Tribune that Swadhin’s affair with a female student from the same school had led to a tiff with several of his friends including Shakil and Polok.

Police initially suspected that the murder was a result of the affair but a review of his mobile call records showed that he was not in contact

with the girl for the last three months.

Swadhin’s father Rana claimed his son was murdered by his friends. “The truth will come out once Shakil, Polok and their ‘Boro Bhai’ Murad are interrogated,” he told reporters yesterday.

The victim’s mother Rina Begum told the Dhaka Tribune that Swadhin was sweating when he returned home on Sunday night and wrote names and phone numbers of some friends in his dairy.

She said Swadhin was watching television on Monday morning when she went to his uncle’s house. “I heard about his death an hour later.

The murderer will be found if Shakil, Polok, Murad and the girl are interrogated,” she told the Dhaka Tribune, adding that her son had bad blood with the three.

A police official, seeking anonymity, said more than one man was involved in the murder. l

BNP: Quiz authorised BB officials to debunk heist mystery n UNB The BNP yesterday suggested quizzing the authorised officials of Bangladesh Bank in connection with the heist of $101 million from the central bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to unearth its mystery.

“The mystery behind the heist will get debunked if the authorised persons, who had the password, physical keys (dongle with certificates) and biometrics identification for making transfer order through Swift systems, are quizzed,” BNP Executive Committee member Shama Obaid said at a media briefing at party chief’s Gulshan office.

Presenting an analytical review of the heist, Shama said: “It can’t be an incident of hacking or a malware. It was rather insiders’ job having the physical access to Swift systems with the password, physical keys and biometrics identification.”

Noting that Swift messages

are extremely secure, she said it is impossible to make transfer order by anyone except the authorised ones.

Matt Bishop, a professor of Computer Science at the University of California, spoke at the briefing through the Skype. He ruled out the possibility of an outside attack.

“Had there been any outside attack why didn’t the system lock down to prevent it? If unauthorised users gained physical access, how did they get the access? Where were the security alerts?” he said.

Amir Khasru said there have been storms in the Philippines, the country of those who are the beneficiaries of the $101m heist, over the scam. “But what’s happening in Bangladesh. Now that’s a question.”

He said the study findings placed by his party will make the government’s job easier to crack the mystery behind the heist.

Of the stolen money, $81m was transferred to accounts in the Philippines. l

HC stays expulsion of 2 school students n Ashif Islam Shaon The High Court stayed an expulsion order of two students of an English medium school in the capital and asked authorities to let them take part in regular academic activities.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq gave the order on hearing a writ petition filed by the two siblings’ father yesterday.

Minhaj Ahmed filed the petition against a decision by Sir John Wilson School (SJWS) at Satarkul of Uttar Badda on March 24.

He said his elder daughter and younger son are students of the school, which shifted its campus from a rented house in Gulshan to its own property at Badda three months prior.

On March 10, when Minhaj went to the school to pick up his son and take him home, a school employee asked Minhaj for his opinion on the annual sports day held some days back. When Minhaj replied the programme was fine, but could be better with a larger school playground, the employee asked him to speak with a school authority.

At one stage of the conversation, a

man introducing himself as the school project director came up and spoke with Minhaj, engaging in an altercation.

“I said they could build a larger playground, as it was the school’s own land, but that man started a heated argument,” Minhaj said.

After he returned home, the school authorities sent a letter to his address stating his children had been expelled.

He tried to convince the authorities but failed, he told reporters at the court yesterday.

Minhaj lodged the writ against the expulsion order of his children. l

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Dhaka’s largest graveyard opens in Rayerbazar n Abu Hayat Mahmud With a view to meeting growing demand for burial plots in the capital, the Dhaka North City Corporation has opened a graveyard with 80,500 burial plots.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandoker Mosharraf Hossain opened the cemetery on Friday. Chaired by Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Annisul Haque, the programme was attended by former minister fro home affairs Advocate Sahara Khatun, ruling party lawmaker Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and Secretary of LGD Abdul Malek.

“The government has taken various projects with an aim at developing and making Dhaka as a planned mega city. This graveyard is a part of the development projects,” said Mosharraf at the function.

He said: “The present government was relentlessly working to cope with different problems, including traffic congestion.

As Dhaka city is witnessing rapid urbanisation, the metropolitan city needs well-designed development programmes to ensure better accommodation for city dwellers, the minister said.

On March 22, 2011, the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project. Construction works on the project began in September 2012.

Although the construction of the graveyard was supposed to be ended in December 2013, the au-

DT

News

Two girls raped

n Our Correspondent, Jamlpur Two minor girls were gang-raped in Zhaula Gopalpur area under Sadar upazila yesterday.

Local sources said the two girls had gone to a fair in Lahikandi Bazar in the afternoon. They were feeling unwell after riding merrygo-round. Two youths took them to an auto-rickshaw assuring to reach home. At one stage, the youths made them take soft drink mixing with drug.

They took the girls to a paddy field near by the way and raped them when they were unconscious.

At midnight, while the rapists fled away leaving the girls in the field in critical condition, locals sensed the matter and caught one Rezaul. l

Two councillors sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Khulna

People are seen roaming around Rayerbazar graveyard on Monday thorities concerned failed to meet the deadline.

Currently, there are six graveyards in the city under the two city corporations. Of them, Jurain and Azimpur graveyards are under the jurisdiction of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The four under the DNCC are Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals

graveyard, Banani graveyard and one each at sectors 4 and 12 in Uttara.

At the Rayerbazar graveyard, there is a room for prayers, a rest room, a washroom and car parking space.

An arch bridge has been built on the Haikkar canal which added the beauty of the entire area, including

DHAKA TRIBUNE

the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial.

Social Welfare and Cultural Officer of DNCC Aminul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that they have not taken decision over giving advance reservation.

“A charge of Tk500 excluding the costs of bamboo and others materials, has been fixed for per burial,” he said. l

A court yesterday sent two councillors of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) to jail in two cases for attacking police and vandalising vehicles.

Those who landed in jail are KM Humayan Kabir, councillor of ward no 27, and Wahidur Rahman Dipu, councillor of ward 28 of the KCC. Metropolitan Sessions Judge Anup Kumar Goshwami passed the order after they surrendered before the court seeking bail.

Sources at the court said police filed two cases against 45 named people, including KCC mayor Mohammad Moniruzzaman Moni and the two councillors -- Kabir and Dipu -- and 250 unknown persons on charges of attacking police during the rally of BNP near the Power House crossing in the city on 26 November 2013. l

SNATCHING OF GOLD BARS

Policeman put on 3-day remand n Tribune Report

A Chittagong court yesterday remanded a suspended member of Railway Nirapatta Bahini for three days in a case filed for snatching gold bars from two businessmen in Chittagong city’s Pahartali Railway Station.

The court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Farhana Yasmin passed order after investigation officer of the case placed the accused RNB Habildar Md Mezbah before the court with seven-day remand prayer.

On March 2, he was placed on a two-day remand in the

same case.

The case is currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

CID Sub-Inspector Jahangir Alam, also the IO of the case, said the case was handed over to the CID by the police on March 25.

According to case details, two persons – impersonating as members of the Detective Branch of police – snatched eight gold bars weighing around 205 bhoris from two gold traders of Biswahkora Bullions located in the port city’s Hazari Lane. l

DT

8

News

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Women falling victim to political violence n Jahirul Islam Khan, Madaripur The number of women actively participating in campaigns ahead of the Union Parishad election in Madaripur is far greater than before. But the growing number also means that they are more vulnerable to polls violence, a common feature of local elections.

Two women, campaigning for Rasti Union independent candidate Billal Hossain Molla, were allegedly beaten up by supporters of rival Awami League aspirant Raju Hawlader last week. Rojina Begum, one of the victims, was hospitalised with serious physical injuries.

Billal’s women supporters took to the streets on that day demanding justice for their comrades.

He claimed women in his locality were campaigning for him on their own volition considering him the most suitable candidate. “This is why Raju’s supporters attacked them,” he alleged.

Raju rejected the claim. Most of his campaigners are also women.

Last week, several women were reportedly attacked during canvassing in the district but the attacks did not deter them. Two of the women had their hands broken.

Ghatmajhi Union’s independent

Women are seen conducting campaign in favour of an independent chairman candidate in Madaripur’s Rasti union parishad yesterday candidate Khalilur Rahman Darji claimed his rival Awami League candidate’s supporters attacked five of his activists with sharp weapons and batons. “A woman’s hand was snapped while another received in-

juries to her chest,” he said.

Superintendent of Madaripur Police Mohammad Sarowar Hossain said this time there was mass participation by both male and female voters. “We are prepared to

AL rivalry may bring boon for other parties’ candidates n Md Tazul Islam, Gaibandha

Gaibandha district unit Awami League is apprehending that internal feud may bring disaster for the party in the union parishad election scheduled to be held tomorrow at 13 UPs under Sundarganj upazila.

Party sources said candidates from other parties, including Jatiya Party and BNP, would get benefit from the rivalry.

A total of 14 Awami League leaders are contesting as interdependent candidates at the 13 union parishads.

Somes Uddin has get party ticket for contesting as chairman candidate while Zahedul Islam, union parishad unit general secretary, and former president of AL Mojnu Mia, are contesting as independent candidates. They have already conducted their election campaign with full confidence.

Awami League gave nominations to Bodirul Ahsan at Sonaray union parishad, however, Udoy Narayan Sarkar, Sundorganj upazila unit Chhatra League’s former general secretary, is taking part in the election as an independent candidate.

He said: “I do not know whether votes will be divided or not as two

people from the same party are contesting as chairmen candidates.”

Mojibur Rahman got party’s green signal for Belka union parishad while incumbent UP Chairman Johurul Haque Sardar and Ashraful Alam, former vice-president of upazila unit Awami League, are determined to contest as independent candidates.

Although Golam Kibria got party’s nomination for Dohobondo union parishad, Shahjahan Mondol, former vice-president of district unit Awami League is contesting as independent candidate.

Sushil Kumar Bormon at Ramjibon and Mokhlesur Rahman at Dhopadanga union parishads are contesting with party’s permission while Shamsul Huda and Rausan Alam and Habibur Rahman are contesting as rebel candidates.

Habibur Rahman said: “I do not know whether I betrayed with party or not. I have worked for the party through my entire life. But the party could not recognise me. I have popularity, that’s why I am contesting in the union parishad election.”

Shafiul Alam got nomination from the party at Konchibari union parishad while Awami League leaders Abdul Karim and Durlov Chandra are vying as independent

candidates.

Organising Secretary of upzila unit Awami League Sazedul Islam said: “Votes may be divided due to participation of rebel candidates in the election from which the party will be effected.”

A party leader seeking anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune that Sundorganj was Jamaat-dominated area.

Jamaat-Shibir use the rivalry among local Awami League leaders. But no step had taken to discourage the rebel candidates from the party’s end.

Apparently it seems that Jamaat candidates are not taking part in the election, but many Jamaat men are contesting under the cover of BNP, he added.

Golam Mustafa Ahmed, general secretary of upazila unit Awami League, told the Dhaka Tribune that he was also contesting as chairman candidate with party ticket. “I do not think rebel candidates would be harmful for me. I have done so many development works in the last five years. But others candidates may be affected in the polls.”

He also said party’s high commands were aware of the matter.

Taking the advantage of the situation BNP and Jatiya Party’s candidates are conducting campaign.l

tackle any situation,” he added.

Women are canvassing in the 15 unions in the Sadar upazila while many rallies are being held with only women participants. Women are also leading the campaigns.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A large number of women voters took part in the first phase UP elections in Madaripur. Candidates in the second phase are wooing them hoping to gain an upper hand over their rivals. l

155 polling stations risky in Dinajpur n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur The election commission have identified 155 polling stations out of 318 as risky in five upazilas of the district in the second phase of UP elections held on March 31.

According to local sources, the election will be held at 35 union councils in Nawabganj, Birampur, Phulbari, Kaharole and Bochaganj upazilas on the day.

A total of 149 candidates are vying in chairman posts, 1173 in member and 417 in woman reserved seats.

Meanwhile, five candidates have been elected uncontested as member in Khanpur, Mukundapur, Kazihal and Kushdaho union councils.

Sources said in Nawbganj upazila, 40 candidates had been nominated in chairman posts, 127 in woman seats and 317 in member posts. 1,65,108 voters will caste their votes in 81 centres. Of them, 66 centres have been declared risky.

In Birampur, there are 32 candidates in chairman, 73 in member and 215 in woman reserved seat posts in seven union councils. A total of 1,27, 515 voter will caste their votes in 63

centres. Of them, 30 are risky.

In Phulbari, 24 candidates are vying in chairman posts, 77 in member and 210 in woman reserved seats posts. 1,28,451 voters will caste their votes in 64 centres where 19 are thought risky.

In Kaharle, 31 candidates are vying in chairman posts, 71 in woman reserved seat and 225 in member posts. 1, 10, 913 voters will caste votes in 54 centres. Of them, 16 centres are risky.

In Bochaganj, 22 candidates are vying in chairman posts, 69 in woman reserved seats and 206 in member posts. 1, 14, 593 voters will caste votes in 54 centres where 24 have been declared risky.

According to the sources of Detective Branch of Police, there are 318 centres in 35 unions. Of the centres, 155 have been declared very risky.

Election commissioner Nuruzzaman Talukder said at least 7111 members of law-enforcers will be deployed to held the election in peaceful environment.

Superintendent of Police Ruhul Amin said: “We have taken all kind of steps to arrange the election peacefully.” l

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DT

Feature

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Gated communities in Bangladesh Separate from the hustle and bustle of the commercial mainlands, gated communities are highly secured and carefully planned residential areas

n Sifat Mosaddek Bhuiyan Faced with overpopulation, Dhaka is running out of space. There is hardly any place left where one can go and take a deep breath of fresh air. Children are growing up within four-walled buildings, playing games on computers and cellphones instead of playing with peers in open fields. As concerning as it may sound, the residential system spread over most of Dhaka is not ideal for healthy growth. But things are about to change.

Gated communities, which have already gained widespread popularity around the world including our neighbours India

and Pakistan, have started taking baby steps in Bangladesh. The reason for soaring popularity of gated communities is that they comprise each and every element needed for healthy living. The communities have been identified as a new choice of lifestyle for those who choose to live there.

Separate from the hustle and bustle of the commercial mainlands, gated communities are highly secured and carefully planned residential areas.

Residents have the privilege of an abundance of open space in the form of playing fields and gardens for them to relax in the fresh open air and for their

children to grow up in a safe and healthy environment. Moreover, they have all the ingredients to be a self-sufficient community including schools, shopping malls, recreation facilities, gymnasiums, and more. Gated communities are the closest things to a safe haven

that we look forward to for some peace of mind after a long day at work.

In countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and more, gated communities are fast establishing themselves as extremely popular residential destinations. Bahria Town in Pakistan is the largest gated community in Asia.

India also has some notable gated communities like Ambi Valley and Lasava City. Gated Communities are being preferred by global citizens for a safe and sophisticated lifestyle.

Rupayan City Uttara has recently been launched in Dhaka as the first mega gated community in Bangladesh. Spanning over 134.5 bighas and designed by renowned national and international architects, Rupayan City Uttara has already caught attention for being the first of its kind mega gated community in the country. The community

maintains the highest standards of security by means of round the clock surveillance, strict entry privileges, and a walled boundary.

The community has four different parts or phases: Rupayan Grand, Rupayan Majestic, and Rupayan Sky Villa have a variety of state of the art apartments of various price ranges to be chosen by customers, depending on their preference and budget. Each of these phases has an impressive portion of greenery, jogging tracks, and playing fields among other facilities. Rupayan Maxus, the fourth section on the other hand, comprises of cutting edge hotels, office spaces, and a shopping mall.

If you want to be a part of an internationally acclaimed residential system where you will be able to safely indulge yourself and your family to the elegant pleasures of life, it is high time you should consider your options, and adopt the lifestyle of the future.l

PHOTOS: COURTESY

DT

10

Science

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Science says women need more sleep than men n Khan N Moushumi

Hamza Arefin, 39, says his wife is always tired from one thing or the other. “I may have a big night out planned for the two of us, but by the time the clock hits 8, she is already yawning.”

“Many a time, it’s me having to

put our 5-year-old to sleep and I am not such a pro at it like her,” he chuckles about it.

Sonia Mahfuz, 42, believes she has been suffering from some kind of a sleep disorder. “I always feel groggy. I can hardly get myself out of bed in the morning.”

Ashiq Mahfuz, 47, her husband

added to that by saying: “I know she is overworked having to take care of our three children all day, but I work pretty hard too, I have a 9-5 job, six days a week.”

Well, here’s news for you guys!

Your other half does not have a sleep disorder, she just needs more sleep than you do.

According to a recent survey (published on themindsjournal. com), women suffered from major health issues due to lack of sleep, when compared to men.

The survey, that had a sample size of 210 middle aged men and women, concluded that: “Poor sleep is strongly associated with

high levels of psychological distress and greater feelings of hostility, depression and anger. In contrast, these feelings were not associated with the same degree of sleep disruption in men.”

Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University and author of Sleepfaring: A Journey Through the Science of Sleep says: “One of the major functions of sleep is to allow the brain to recover and repair itself. The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need.”

He adds to that: “Women tend to multi-task, and so, they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need is greater.”

The study concludes that the primary reason why women need more sleep is because their brains are more complex and wired differently when compared to that of men’s. Which is why they need more time to unwind and recover overnight. l

for therapies that are applicable to a wide range of patients.”

“So if by doing studies like this we can strongly implicate one area

of biology it gives a new lead for drug companies to try to develop new therapies,” he concludes. l Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Yes, life is driving you crazy n Sarah Knapton Mental illness is largely caused by social crises such as unemployment or childhood abuse and too much money is spent researching genetic and biological factors, psychologists have warned.

Over the past decade funding bodies like the Medical Research Council (MRC) have spent hundreds of millions on determining the biology of mental illness.

But while there has been some success in uncovering genes which make people more susceptible to various disorders, specialists say that the true causes of depression and anxiety are from life events and environment, and research should be directed towards understanding the everyday triggers.

Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Of course every single action, every emotion I’ve ever had involves the brain, so to have a piece of scientific research telling us that the brain is involved in responding

emotionally to events doesn’t really advance our understanding very much.”

“And yet it detracts from the fact that when unemployment rates go up in a particular locality you get a measurable number of suicides.”

Almost half of adults will suffer from a mental health condition at some stage in their life and more than a third of GP surgery consultations are due to mental problems.

One in four people have been diagnosed with some type of mental health problem - most commonly depression. In addition, 18 percent said they had suffered from such illness, but never been diagnosed.

Yet the MRC spends just three percent of its research budget funding studies into mental illness, most of which goes towards genetics or neuroscience.

The MRC said it was currently refreshing its strategic plan and was hoping to increase the amount of money allocated the mental health studies.

Dr Jeff Barrett, who is working on uncovering the genes behind mental illness at the Wellcome

Trust’s Sanger Institute said: “If we understand the fundamental biology of the disease it might be relevant in developing new ideas

DT

Editorial 11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

INSIDE

Bicameralism in Bangladesh?

The bicameralism proposal from the BNP’s national council had garnered its share of rightful criticism on the basis of motives, cost, and realism. Yet, looking into a hopeful future, it would be a folly to dismiss it out of hand PAGE 12

A journey of a thousand miles We are yet to address violence against women in private, public, and virtual places. This failure is enough to mar all other achievements for women PAGE 13 BIGSTOCK

Free our streets from muggers

Banquo’s ghost is leaving the banquet?

Power corrupts in many ways, and one of the most common is that political leaders begin to think of themselves as the ‘essential man,’ the one without which the nation would fail in some way or other PAGE 14

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

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

T

he rapid growth of mobile banking has been a great boon for people across the country.

Unfortunately, it has also seen an increasing trend of organised criminals actively targeting the many mobile banking agents who carry large sums of cash on them as part of their job.

According to incidents disclosed to the Dhaka Tribune by local police and various hospitals, at least 50 bKash agents have been mugged in the last year alone.

Tragically, the rise in violent robberies led to a bKash agent losing his life in Badda this month after muggers shot him and stole Tk1.5 lakh.

The DMP commissioner acknowledges the police have noted an increase in street robbery and mugging in recent years against a backdrop of other forms of crime declining.

It is clear, however, that the official figures reported to police of 173 muggings across the country, with only 38 in the Dhaka metropolitan area in the first two months of the year, reflect a high level of under-reporting. Surveys indicate the real number is much higher, but many victims never report the muggings to the police.

Matters are also made by worse by some known muggers who have been caught and arrested, being readily able to secure bail and start committing the same crimes again.

A smart, multi-level approach needs to be taken to clamp down on this worrying trend.

Communication and co-ordination are key. The police must get better at working with mobile finance companies to provide agents with the same level of protection provided to bigger banks.

Special task forces should be set up to identify and gather evidence against organised gangs to stop them from growing any bigger.

Above all, ongoing efforts to improve community policing and beat patrols should be boosted to help deter criminals and build greater reassurance for the public at large.

Improve co-ordination and focus of efforts to stop street criminals

12

DT

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Bicameralism in Bangladesh?

Why not try out a system that works in the US, India, Australia, and Canada?

More checks and balances in our legislature may better serve democracy

DHAKA TRIBUNE

The bicameralism proposal from the BNP’s national council had garnered its share of rightful criticism on the basis of motives, cost, and realism. Yet, looking into a hopeful future, it would be a folly to dismiss it out of hand

n Esam Sohail

I

t is quite legitimate to wonder why, during its multiple previous terms in office, the BNP ignored making the constitutional changes to state governance that it unveiled in its concluded sixth National Council.

If critics wonder about the motives behind such an about-turn, they can be forgiven. But, legitimate doubts about motives aside, at least one proposal put forward by the BNP needs to be weighed on its own intrinsic merits.

The call for a bicameral legislature is neither particularly new nor an entirely sharp departure from the substance of real democracy. In fact, in SOME shape or form, the same had been proposed by both the Awami League under the late HS Suhrawardy and the JSD under ASM Abdur Rab at different points in history.

From one simple perspective it sounds wise: A legislature of 330 members was designed for

a population of 75 million in 1972; with a current population approaching 200 million, a legislature with nary a difference in its numeric composition makes little sense.

Furthermore, history shows that almost no mature democracy has consolidated its democratic governance with a unicameral legislature which, generally, has been the hallmark of countries with rubber stamp parliaments prevalent in the former Soviet bloc and Arab autocracies.

Bicameral legislatures are found in democracies as varied as the US, India, Australia, and Canada and provide a much needed diffusion of concentrated power that can become a bane of pluralism in any democracy, especially a unitary one like Bangladesh.

The in-built checks and balances of two chambers of parliament are not perfect, but they are better than nothing if each of the two chambers draws its membership from slightly different universes.

In the case of federal systems like the US and Australia, the different universes are, respectively, single member constituencies and the federated states -- India draws its upper chamber mostly from the state legislatures, while Jordan empanels non-partisan retired public servants of repute like former ambassadors and judges.

At the core of the different premises for representation in the chambers of a bicameral legislature is the idea that the immediate impulses of one group of representatives can be scrutinised by another, even if the former does have a greater say, as is the case with the usually directly-elected lower chambers.

Many latter-day democratic theoreticians of representative government -- from Montesquieu to Madison to Blackstone -- have indeed emphasised this “cooling of passions” argument in favour of a bicameral legislature whereas the short-term priorities of one chamber with more frequent and

direct elections is balanced against the longer-term, more holistic vision of the other chamber with less direct and less frequent methods of electoral legitimacy.

It is fair to question even the possibility of a future second chamber of a parliament when the first one’s current electoral legitimacy, institutional health, and practical power is, at best, the butt of too many jokes.

Furthermore, the costs of a second elected chamber are sure to place some burden on the treasury as well. When Bangladesh these days cannot hold free and fair competitive elections even for municipalities, what nonsense is this talk of a bicameral parliament someday?

Sometimes it is important to be both hopeful and practical at the same time. In the event that someday free and fair elections return to Bangladesh and democratic consolidation gets back on the track it was prior to the January 5, 2014 electoral exercise, it would be important not to make the overreach that too many elected governments have had since 1990.

Common sense and intuition would indeed lead us to wonder if the untrammeled and unbalanced power incumbent in a winnertake-all unicameral legislature helped governments get a sense of absolutism that led to the unraveling of the democracy so fondly restored in 1990 after the fall of the then dictator. Our personalised politics, aggrandising mentality, and human folly are all certainly to blame.

But so is an institution which resembles Westminster in little but fantasy.

Why not use the theory and practice of so many successful representative democracies which have wisely chosen to put proven checks and balances in their legislatures by institutionalising a minimal diffusion of concentrated state power through bicameralism?

The bicameralism proposal from the BNP’s national council had garnered its share of rightful criticism on the basis of motives, cost, and realism. Yet, looking into a hopeful future, it would be a folly to dismiss it out of hand, at least, for those whose partisanship and ideological rigidity take a secondary place to love for country and democracy. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

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DT

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

A journey of a thousand miles The state of women’s rights today is the result of centuries of struggle

The feminist struggle does not belong to any particular nation

n Rifat Mahbub

T

o celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, BRAC University and UNESCO Society organised a half day-long event, titled “Women’s Rights in Bangladesh: Myth or Reality?” on March 9.

Being the key speaker of the event, I explained that women’s rights in Bangladesh were both a reality and a myth now, because there needs to be real progress in attaining gender equality in our society.

If we compare the first two decades after our independence, ie 1980s-90s with the following two decades, ie 2000s-2010s, we find that, in many spaces of public and political lives, women’s and young girls’ rights have been asserted.

In education, for example, women’s participation and level of success prove that attaining gender equality is possible.

Women’s increased participation, both in tertiary level education and employment, have helped them to bargain for their positions in personal matters.

Women can have better positions in family-decision-making situations and can see themselves as active parts of the society.

Simultaneously, women’s rights are a myth, since inequality between men and women, and among women are on the rise in many places. The patriarchal mind-set to see and treat women as commodities has hardly shifted.

BIGSTOCK

The frightening “male gaze” is ubiquitous in both public and private spaces. Domestic violence is more pervasive in our society than we would like to confess, and it happens across society.

Property law is caught between the Muslim law and the constitutional law, in both cases, the right itself is easily ignored.

Many women are not aware of their rights over family property, and tend to depend on their male family members -- father, brother, and son -- to look after their property, and consequently they live on the brink of others’ mercy.

Many highly-educated women still fail to enter the job market since there is hardly any formal mechanism to help women mix career and family life in Bangladesh.

Formal child-care facilities are scarce and expensive, and child protection laws are hardly articulated anywhere. Many women, once married and pregnant, fail to join or return to the job market.

Now, the question one may ask: Why have we achieved women’s rights in a piecemeal and ad-hoc manner? This question has made contemporary feminism a living political movement in many countries with better histories of gender equality than ours. At this point, I think we need to take stock of women’s rights in a global context.

If we consider the history, we find that, from its onset, almost all major consciousness of women’s

rights have been a part of, or an outcome of, some other bigger revolution towards human liberty and national identity. For example, the French Revolution of 1789-90 is the watershed event that shaped the oeuvre of modern-day state democracy both in Europe and elsewhere.

The first wave of Western women’s movement was based on the egalitarian ideology of emancipation.

In Britain, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) and in Germany Theodore Gottlieb von Hippel published On the Civil Improvement of Women (1794) asking for equal rights for women with an anticipation that if women were given what men have taken for granted throughout history, women may attain equality in society.

This liberal notion of feminism is widely endorsed by the main body of international development

The end of the American Civil Rights movement in 1865 was immediately followed by voting rights for black males, whereas it was not until the 1920s that white women in the US won suffragette.

These suggest that the paths of the women’s rights movements had many detours, and had been sidetracked, both deliberately and inadvertently.

The history of women’s rights in Bangladesh started within its colonial framework. One of its striking features of the 19th century social reform movement in colonial Bengal was the centrality of women’s question to modernise Indian society.

The dream to create a modern India was intertwined with modernising the condition of Hindu women by abolishing the rites of Sati and child marriage and by legalising widow re-marriage.

The 19th century alone brought certain radical changes in women’s status in society, since it was in

had been mainstreamed in many advanced societies and in the international body of development, such as the UN. The governmental and nongovernmental model of women’s empowerment contributed in changing women’s conditions in both urban and rural places in the 1980s-90s, though such changes need to be evaluated within the context of rising Islamic fundamentalism.

The post-1990s eras of democratic governments yielded, and continue to yield, both liberating and restraining results for women and young girls. We are yet to address violence against women in private, public, and virtual places.

This failure is enough to mar all other achievements for women.

This year’s Women’s Day in Bangladesh was dedicated to addressing violence against women in festivals, as an age-old issue surfaced nakedly after the

The post-1990s eras of democratic governments yielded and continue to yield both liberating and restraining results for women and young girls. We are yet to address violence against women in private, public, and virtual places. This failure is enough to mar all other achievements for women

organisations such as the UN and the World Bank.

The limiting side of this liberal notion is that the issue of women’s rights are subsumed under its umbrella cause, and women only get what the state thinks is legitimate to give them.

Consequently, after the French Revolution when Napoleon designed the French Civil Code, women’s issues were addressed within the framework of granting liberty and equality to every individual.

Yet in reality, women’s guardianship only shifted from church to individual men. Women were not granted their property rights -- they were not allowed to appeal for a divorce, unless the case was strongly proven.

The history of women’s movements in America also shared a similar history of being subsumed under the 19th century anti-slavery and abolitionist movement.

that century that many Hindu women had education and they, in turn, devoted themselves in expanding girls’ education.

In the 20th century, though, the women’s rights movement was largely subsumed under the anticolonial/nationalist movement to decolonise the nation.

The turbulent first half of the 20th century saw the rise of various kinds of ideologies, including the continuation of Western liberal modernisation and the rise of both left and right-wing nationalism.

Each of these ideologies embraced questions and issues regarding gender roles from its own ideological and political perspectives, while the main focus was to free the motherland (Bharatmata) from the patriarchal control of the Empire.

By the time Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation, the issue of gender equality and women’s rights

incidents of sexual harassment in the Bangla New Year celebration last year.

As someone involved in academic feminism, I now see young women’s passionate interest to take part in both feminist academic and political engagements.

I see them get engaged in debates and discussions in alternative platforms of local feminism. I see my young students’ eyes when they can find meaning through reading women’s writings.

We forge a spoken and unspoken solidarity based on our shared experiences of being women in Bangladesh.

We believe our journey of solidarity has only started, and we will have to go a long way to make our society safe for all women. l Rifat Mahbub is Assistant Professor, Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University.

14

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Banquo’s ghost is leaving the banquet?

Musharraf would do well to swallow his pride and stay out of the game

n William Milam

I

n an almost off-hand way, the South Asia Daily blog of Foreign Policy magazine announced that former Pakistani general/president/chief executive Pervez Musharraf, after receiving permission to leave Pakistan, had done so last Friday morning.

Musharraf’s lawyer said he was leaving for medical reasons (back surgery that cannot be performed in Pakistan) and would return. Musharraf, ever the commando, was quoted as saying: “I am a commando, and I love my homeland. I will come back in a few weeks, or months …”

I wonder if he will, whether after house arrest for several years, and under the threat of being tried for treason, this is not the time to take up residence somewhere else and live the life of a retired (involuntarily) autocrat.

There are plenty of them around. The blog piece casually mentions that Musharraf is facing treason charges in Pakistan for, inter alia, the 1999 coup that overthrew Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and brought the Pakistani army back into political power for the third time in the nation’s history. It goes on to say the Musharraf denies the charges. I am not a lawyer, but that doesn’t seem like much of a defense to me.

How could he deny that he was chief of army staff when the army moved against Sharif? How could he deny that it was a coup d’état, as Sharif was removed by force and not by constitutional means?

How could he deny that he was chief executive, then president, for nine years? How could he deny that he, as president, suspended the constitution in 2008? It seems preposterous that he could beat the rap in a court. Why come back to face that.

I have long thought of Shakespeare’s play about King Macbeth of Scotland when Musharraf comes to mind. I admit, however, that Musharraf hasn’t come to mind very often in the past several years. In what I thought was permanent exile after he fell from power, he came back in a rash act of bravado in 2013, thinking that he could again run for office, that he would be greeted by cheering throngs.

In fact, he was greeted by constables who arrested him.

Charged with treason and murder, he has passed his time under house arrest since his not-so-

Innately evil, or simply a man with skewed vision?

Power corrupts in many ways, and one of the most common is that political leaders begin to think of themselves as the ‘essential man,’ the one without which the nation would fail in some way or other triumphal return.

When I think of the play Macbeth in conjunction with Musharraf, I think not so much of Macbeth the King, but of Banquo, his friend, and fellow warrior who was in line for the throne.

Macbeth, wanting to beat Banquo to the throne, murdered the sitting king, and then afraid that Banquo knew of his foul deed, had Banquo murdered too.

At a banquet soon afterward hosted by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the bloody ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth (others can’t see the ghost) and sits in the chair reserved for Macbeth.

Macbeth goes off the rails at the appearance of this apparition, though it is arguable that he was well around the bend even before that. I don’t think I need to finish the story, as readers will know it, but I use it to make a point.

It has been commonly thought that Shakespeare put Banquo in the play as a contrast to Macbeth, who murdered the King to seize the throne, and then an innocent

man to cover up his crime.

Banquo’s ghost came to the banquet to shame Macbeth, and perhaps to drive him crazy. In the latter effort, at least, Banquo’s ghost succeeded.

In relation to Musharraf, perhaps one could cite Macbeth as a warning that the ghosts of history always come back to haunt evil-doers. But I do not consider Musharraf as innately evil -- he seems to me to have been one of those tragic characters in history whose vision was badly skewed, who was easily misled, and who convinced himself, with a lot of help from many acolytes, that he was the saviour of a nation. In fact, he came close to ruining it, and the worse his rule became, the more desperate he became to stay in power.

I remember well that many observers thought at first that Musharraf could be a “transformational leader.” Such wishful thinking came from the fact that many thought that Pakistan was badly in need of

REUTERS

transformation. But soon, it was clear that he was an army man to the core, playing, during my time in Pakistan, from an army playbook that hadn’t changed much since its previous time in power.

I wrote sometime in 2006 or 2007 of the “essential man” syndrome. Power corrupts in many ways, and one of the most common is that political leaders -- sometimes even those who are elected, but more often those who take power by force -- begin to think of themselves as the essential man, the one without which the nation would fail in some way or other. They are not alone in coming to this view of themselves, but always surrounded by sycophants who see that without such self-esteem, their ticket to “success” might even come to believe that there are many others who could do the job just as well, or even better.

I look at the tale of Banquo’s ghost very differently when I think of it metaphorically in the Musharraf case. To me, sitting there all bloody in the king’s chair, and even after he left the banquet, Banquo was a constant reminder to Macbeth of the evil he had done.

And Musharraf, sitting there in his lonely house, under comfortable-but-still-confining house arrest, must have been a constant reminder to the army

not only of the corruption that comes with seized power, but that intervention in politics can, and often does, have dire consequences.

I suppose one could argue that Musharraf, by coming back, getting arrested, serving as Banquo’s ghost for an army that must have been tempted from time to time to think it could govern better than the politicians, makes up a little bit for all his earlier trespasses.

But you can’t keep him there in his house forever.

The Pakistani army has its hands full with the NAP. The civilian government seems to have found a bit of courage and direction. I doubt any such temptation finds much resonance in the army (given Pakistan’s history, I am really going out on a limb here).

And I hope Musharraf swallows his pride, suppresses his commando instincts, and stays away. It would be the patriotic thing to do.

The last thing Pakistan needs right now is a trial that will again back the army into a corner on whether it can really allow a former chief of staff to undergo such humiliation.

I hope someone said this to him on his way out. l William Milam is a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, DC, and former US Ambassador to Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Chief of Mission in Liberia.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

INSIDE Service-oriented businesses want VAT rate cut

Representatives from different service-oriented sectors have urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to reduce the existing Value Added Tax (VAT) rate of 15% in between 4.5% and 7%. PAGE 16

Ramadan unlikely to save falling palm oil price Malaysia’s palm oil exports to predominately Muslim countries have been falling as rising prices for the tropical oil and weak domestic currencies are limiting imports, and the high-consumption period of Ramadan is unlikely to turn the trend. PAGE 17

Asian upstarts eye global aircraft market

Indonesia is about to roll out its first passenger plane, one of several smaller, homegrown aircraft being studied in Asia, designed especially for short hops across the region’s emerging markets, where air travel is booming. PAGE 18

Capital market snapshot: Tuesday DSE Broad Index

4,311.8

0.2% ▲

Index

1,046.1

0.1% ▲

30 Index

1,631.7

0.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

3,030.1

1.7% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

85.8

-8.5% ▼

All Share Index 13,305.0

0.3% ▲

30 Index

11,934.8

0.0% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

8,078.0

0.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

200.4

2.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

7.2

-5.2% ▼

Producers eye e-commerce to boost sales n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi The country’s consumer product manufacturers and fashion houses aim at e-commerce to increase their sales and retain existing consumers through direct sale as well as for branding, thanks to booming online shopping window.

Talking to several giant producers and fashion house owners like Pran, Meghna Group and Arong, the Dhaka Tribune found that they want to increase their sales and expand consumer network using the latest information technology.

“Our aim is to enhance sales in line with the fast expansion of e-commerce and online shopping,” said Murad Hossain, executive of e-freshstore.com, a sister concern of Meghna Group, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We do not sell products directly. It would create direct relationship with consumers,” added Murad.

Murad claimed that the consumers would treat their products as branded ones if they compare their products with those of other companies.

“It is an era of e-commerce that helps a company become known globally and to consumers across the globe,” said Sanchita, an executive of Arong online shopping customer care.

Arong has penetrated the online shopping window to reach its products to people’s doorstep, she maintained.

“At present, we have about 500 customers, the number of which rises to 1,000 during festivals.”

The company has proven service record within the country and now it mulls over sending products to international consumers, she said.

Ariful Ambia, head of IT and senior additional director of Walton Group, said the online-based operation is being emphasised

considering several aspects, including the market expansion, bright prospect of e-commerce business and swift post-sales services.

The e-commerce operation was introduced in order for the customers to easily get the Walton products sitting at home, he said.

“We are serving our customers with a wide range of products including furniture, plastic goods, clothing products,” Nabajit Shaha Anik, assistant manager of othoba.com, a sister concern of RFL group, told the Dhaka Tribune.

In the era of technology, people are more and more involving in e-commerce, which encourages everyone to embrace online method of doing business, he said.

“The engagement of corporate group in e-commerce or online shopping is a good sign and I think every group should have e-commerce link to expand their net-

work and keep existing customers in touch,” Md Abdul Wahed Tomal, general secretary of e-CAB, told the Dhaka Tribune.

On the other hand, corporates’ involvement in e-commerce will help create link with global consumers as well as brand their products, besides opening new window for business, he added.

“Currently, we are facing challenges in delivery of our products.

We are communicating with the postal department and hopeful that we will reach a consensus so that its network can be used.”

According to e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), there are about 1,000 websites doing business while there are around 7,000 Facebook pages used for business purpose.

The annual online market transaction is about Tk1,000 crore, which is growing very fast, and it will double very soon, said Tomal. l

Supermarket owners for Package VAT n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Supermarket Owners’ Association has requested the NBR to ensure a uniform VAT rate for all stores.

They said they should be allowed to pay VAT at a square footbased package rate to facilitate expansion of their business.

Currently, 4% VAT is applicable to sales of supermarkets like Agora, Shwapno and Meena Bazar while other shops including large ones and departmental stores enjoy package VAT facility under which shop owners pay VAT annually based on their shops’ locations and sizes.

“Customers feel discouraged from buying products from superstores as there is 4% VAT on sales of super shops while other general stores pay VAT at a flat rate although the pattern of doing business is same,” the association vice-president Kazi Inam Ahmed said yesterday while attending a pre-budget discussion of NBR at its headquarters.

NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman chaired the meeting.

There was 1.5% VAT on the sale of superstores in fiscal year 201011, but the government hiked it to 2% in FY11-12 and again to 4% in FY12-13. In February 2014, the VAT

rate was halved to 2% again, but the government doubled it again in FY15-16.

The supermarket industry came into being in 2000 in Bangladesh and was witnessing an increasing growth trend, but when the government doubled its VAT from 2% to 4% in 2012, the industry witnessed an immediate drop of 25% of its clients, said Inam.

The market again drew consumers’ interest in 2014 when the government halved the duty to 2%, but the duty was again hiked to 4% after a year that again resulted in dissuading customers from visiting superstores, he added.

“More than 20 stores had to keep their shutters down due to the matter, including five of Meena Bazar and eight of Agora,” Inam said, demanding a uniform VAT rate for all stores.

If the government takes cognizance of the demand, it will help expand the industry, thereby giving a boost to revenue collection, he added.

Supermarkets have been very popular across the world as they offer essential commodities to customers under a single umbrella. The number of superstores in Indonesia is 14,000, 3,000 in India and 1,000 in Sri Lanka.

But it is only 120 in Bangladesh which is insufficient if compared to the demand, according to the association.

Describing the reasons behind the supermarket growth in those countries, Inam said the supermarket industry out there was kept out of VAT net, keeping in mind about its contribution to food safety and food security.

“But there are many hindrances to expansion of the industry in Bangladesh. The industry, however, can reach a position by 2021 if the government enacts investment friendly policy and immediately implements that,” he said.

Placing another core demand,

the association vice-president said the growth of supermarket is being hampered due to tax on capital machinery that varies from 65% to 100%, making it uncompetitive with the small local shops.

“These machines are very expensive and cannot be used for any other requirements. So the tax should be treated as 5%,” he suggested.

Inam also urged the revenue authorities to withdraw 9% VAT on the rent of superstores.

BSOA President Niaz Rahim and general Secretary Md Zakir Hossain also attended the meeting. l

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

Service-oriented business want VAT rate cut n Tribune Report Representatives from different service-oriented sectors have urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to reduce the existing Value Added Tax (VAT) rate of 15% in between 4.5% and 7%.

The NBR should also take necessary initiative to prevent misuse of bonded warehouse facilities that is creating around 58,000 crore revenue loss annually, they said at a pre-budget meeting held at the NBR headquarters in the city yesterday. NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman presided over the meeting.

“The revenue authorities should impose VAT only on value additions instead of total amount that the business charge from the consumers for providing services,” they added.

The business came up with the call at a time when the government is at the final stage for introducing a new Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act-2012 which will have no provisions for package VAT or truncated value-based VAT system.

With introduction of the law,

Alliance cuts ties with 17 more RMG units n Tribune Report The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a retailers platform for North American buyers – has cut business ties with 17 more apparel factories for their failure in making adequate remediation progress.

As of yesterday, the number of factories that the Alliance has severed business ties with stands at 59.

As per the statement of the Alliance, the recent 17 factories have been suspended from its supplier list due to their failure to comply with review panel’s recommendations, closure or relocation and unethical behaviour by the management of the factories. The statement was uploaded on its website last week. l

which will come into effect from July 1, 2016, all levels of business have to pay a unique and a flat VAT rate at 15%.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Abdul Matlub Ahmad said: “Businesses want equity and level playing field while doing their business.”

He suggested that the revenue authorities to set the VAT rates from 4.5% to 7% to help collection of VAT easily from the traders.

Terming the implementation of new VAT law as challenging, he stressed the need for simplification of paper-related procedures to help businesses come forward to pay revenue.

Currently, 9% of the business out of around 64,000 registered VAT entities pay VAT in the country, which can be raised to one lakh easily, he opined.

Courier Service Owners Association, Bangladesh On-Board Courier Service Association, and Money Changers Association of Bangladesh urged the NBR to reduce the VAT rate on their sectors from existing 15% to 4.5%.

To attract foreign tourists in Bangladesh, Hasib Ahmed, director (finance) of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, urged the revenue authorities to reduce VAT rate from 15% to 7% on the hotels, as like other tourist countries-Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Bangladesh Mudran Shilpa Samity President Shaheed Serniabat said: “Local printers are facing troubles in participating in tenders for publication of the textbooks as they have to pay 61% duties on import of paper while the Indian bidders can submit the international tender and do the task without paying any duty as per agreements of World Trade Organisation.”

“We want zero duty on import of raw materials required for printing of government publications, especially the textbooks,” he said.

Hafizur Rahman of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh requested the NBR to allow its member in import of tax-free vehicle and vessels which can only be used to carry tourists in the country.

“The business failed to do businesses in 2012, 2013 and 2015 due to political turmoil situation,” he

also said demanding tax holiday on the income of tour operators for next few years to make the sector vibrant.

Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association General Secretary Rezaul Karim Sarker Rabin also requested the NBR to introduce nit 3% VAT for small restaurants.

He also asked the NBR to introduce 4.5% VAT for sweetmeat shops across the country, except those in Dhaka and Chittagong.

Regarding mandatory use of Electronic Cash Register (ECR), machine by traders, he also opined that most of the cash managers of small restaurants cannot operate ECR machine and therefore the NBR should exempt small restaurants from obligations from using ECR. Tofayel Khan of Bangladesh Textbook Printing and Marketing Association urged the NBR to prevent misuse of bonded warehouse facility to prevent revenue leakage and rescue printers from buying papers on high rates from the actual rates.

Bangladesh Paper Importers Association General Secretary Alamgir Haque demanded the NBR to stop misuse of bonded warehouse

facility by introducing duty draw back facility in the country.

Haque also urged the authorities to set 5% import duty on papers and paper boards that are imported for different sectors including pharmaceuticals, food processing industries, IT industries and other small cottage industries etc.

Bangladesh Gyan O Srijanshil Prokashon Samiti, a platform of book publishers, sought income tax waiver on donations made for libraries.

With his concluding remark, FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmed asked NBR to take support from its 480 line associations for training the traders on ECR uses across the country.

NBR chairman Md Nojibur Rahman has urged the businesses to help in revenue collection.

Representatives from Advertising Agencies Association of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Dress Makers Association, Tourism Developer Association of Bangladesh, Tourism Resort Industries Association of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Security Services Companies Owners Association also placed their demands at the meeting. l

Ecnec okays Tk1,442cr projects n Tribune Report Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved eight development projects worth Tk1,442.42 crore, including establishment of the 2nd campus of the Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and Printing Industrial Park.

The approval came in the Ecnec meeting at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Of the total project cost, over Tk953 crore will come from the public coffer, Tk25 crore from the project-related agencies own fund and Tk463.85 crore from development partners.

Briefing reporters after the

meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said Bangladesh University Grants Commission and Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University will implement the project by June 2019 at Pahartali of Chittagong and Hathazari of Cox’s Bazar at a cost of about Tk239 crore.

Under the project, two new faculties – faculty of agribusiness management, faculty of biotechnology, two new institutes – institute of coastal biodiversity, marine fisheries and wildlife conservation and institute of food safety and nutrition and four departments – Departments of Oceanography, Environmental Science, Biotechnology and Wildlife Conservation and Management would be set up.

Kamal said Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina at the meeting asked the authorities concerned to take initiatives for setting up a specialised university in Cox’s Bazar with an emphasis on research.

More than Tk140 crore project titled Establishment of BSCIC Printing Industrial Estate also got the Ecnec’s nod.

On this project, the minister said the country has 5,500 printing factories, 3,000 of which are in the capital.

“Around 70% factories in the city are built in an unplanned way, posing a threat to environment.”

As part of planning to make the Dhaka city free from environmental pollution, printing factories in Dhaka will be shifted to Sirajdikhan upazila, Munshiganj, he added.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries will implement the project by 2018. Under the project, the park will have 385 plots and 380 industrial units, and employ 15,200 people, said Kamal.

The Ecnec also approved another project titled “Establishment of supervisory control and data acquisition system” with an involvement of Tk152.20 crore to ensure efficiency in electricity management at the zone under Desco.

Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited under the Power Division will implement the project

by June 2019 in Gazipur, Narayanganj, Dhaka Metropolitan City (North), Tongi and Purbachhal Model Town with support from the Asian Development Bank. l

Pharmaceuticals and chemicals had the highest contribution of 22.2% in turnover.

Square Pharmaceuticals topped the turnover leader with shares worth Tk13.7 crore changing hands, followed by Orion Infusion, BSRM Limited, Aman Feed and Emerald Oil. Lanka Bangla Securities said stocks got off to a choppy start this morning, but managed to make a little progress in the afternoon.

It said after a sharp cut in index

in previous session, the benchmark index was relatively flat, adding a few points during the session.

Strength was found in the financial sector as well as in the consumer and pharma stocks, it said, adding that there were a couple of noteworthy economic releases yesterday which grabbed the eyes of market players, specifically, the government decision to reduce the price of furnace oil relating to global price level. l

Stocks edge up with volatility n Tribune Report

Stocks closed marginally higher amid volatility yesterday, breaking their five straight days of losses.

The market started the day with a positive note, but went into red immediately with benchmark index DSEX falling below 4,300-mark.

However, some buys from mid-session offset all the losses seen in the morning.

The benchmark index DSEX

rose 9 points or 0.3% to end at 4,311, recovering from its previous session’s 11-month low.

The Shariah index DSES inched 1 point up to 1,046. The blue chip comprising index DS30 witnessed a fractional gain of 0.9 points to 1,631.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX was up only 20 points to 8,077.

The volume of trade in value was just over Tk300 crore on DSE, marginally up 1.7% over the previ-

ous session.

Modest rally in banks, engineering and power helped the indexes close positive.

But non-banking financial institutions and food and allied, telecommunication and pharmaceuticals continued to post losses.

Tannery sector showed the highest turnover increase of 124%, led by Apex Footwear’s dividend declaration while food and allied showed the highest turnover loss of 41%.

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Ramadan unlikely to save falling palm oil price n Reuters, Singapore Malaysia’s palm oil exports to predominately Muslim countries have been falling as rising prices for the tropical oil and weak domestic currencies are limiting imports, and the high-consumption period of Ramadan is unlikely to turn the trend.

This could limit gains for benchmark palm oil prices 1FCPOc3 that have rallied to a two-year high on concerns that output from the main Southeast Asian growers will fall this year because of drought caused by the El Nino weather pattern. Prices have gained 8 percent this month, rising for a second month in a row.

The holy month of Ramadan starts in June this year and is known for its communal fasting.

But palm oil consumption typically surges leading up to and during this time as Muslims use the oil to prepare meals to break the fast and during large banquets to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the fasting period.

“The Middle East and Northern African countries are currently seeing a challenging macroeconomic environment amidst low oil prices,” said Aurelia Britsch, head of commodities research at BMI Research in Singapore.

“Economic growth is slowing down and governments are cutting public spending due to the deterioration in their fiscal position.

These two factors are weakening consumer’s spending power and demand for palm oil.”

Predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and South Asia are exerting more influence on palm oil markets. The combined 2015 imports from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt, the Muslim countries among the top 10 global importers, rose to 6.1 million tonnes, surpassing China for the first time, US Department of Agriculture data showed.

While Malaysia’s palm oil ex-

An Indonesian worker sits beside palm oil fruits on a lorry at Felda Bukit Cerakah in the district of Klang, outside Kuala Lumpur ports to those countries have declined during the past several years, in 2015 they represented, along with Shi’ite Iran, 8.7% of exports, according to data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. Malaysia is the world’s second-largest producer after Indonesia.

Pakistan, the largest Muslim buyer of Malaysian palm oil, reduced its imports to about 728,000 tonnes last year, from nearly 1.8 million in 2011, the MPOB data showed.

Egypt was the third-largest Middle Eastern importer of palm oil in 2015 from Malaysia, taking nearly 210,000 tonnes, the MPOB data

showed. However, that was down from over 700,000 tonnes in 2011.

Egypt, which relies heavily on imports to meet its food needs, has been facing a dollar shortage since a popular uprising in 2011 has driven away tourists and foreign investors, both major sources of hard currency. “(Middle Eastern buyers) have seen steep declines in their currencies and this has taken a toll on buying power,” said a trading manager at a Kuala Lumpur-based company that is a key supplier to the Middle Eastern market.

Iranian imports totalled 635,000 tonnes in 2013 and then slid to 331,000 tonnes by 2015, according

IIF: Emerging market March inflows rise to 21-month highs n Reuters, London Foreigners are estimated to have pumped $36.8bn into emerging market stocks and bonds in March, the highest monthly inflow in nearly two years, the Institute of International Finance said yesterday.

The Washington-based body, one of the most authoritative trackers of foreign capital flows to and from the developing world, said in a

note that all four emerging market regions had received inflows, with Asia topping the list with $20.6bn.

The inflow, the highest since June 2014, follows $5.4bn received in February and is substantially above the 2010-2014 average of $22bn, the IIF said. Bonds took in $18.9bn and equities $17.9bn, the data showed.

Latin America, which had been shunned by investors

in recent months, took in $13.4bn, the data showed, with equities in crisis-hit Brazil receiving over $2bn “helped by attractive valuations and rising hopes for political change”.

But the inflow surge may have ground to a halt, the group said, predicting that going could get tougher in coming weeks as expectations again grow for the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates a couple of times in 2016. l

to the MPOB. Bangladeshi imports dropped to about 263,000 tonnes from 442,000 tonnes over same period.

Egypt typically needs to buy a total of about 80,000 tonnes of palm oil a month from Indonesia and Malaysia to boost supplies for Ramadan but the country has been taking only about 60,000 tonnes since the start of 2016, said the trading manager in Kuala Lumpur and a second trader also based in the city.

Expensive palm

Palm oil prices have climbed about 24% since June 18, 2015, when

Reuters Ramadan began last year, to Monday’s close of 2,758 ringgit ($688) a tonne.

“Buyers have been unable to digest the increase (in prices),” said another trader based in Kuala Lumpur. “The market needs to stabilise for buyers to start coming in.”

Palm prices have gained about 10% since the start of the year, bucked by tighter global supplies due to the El Nino - the worst on record since 1997.

Industry experts have forecast global production to fall by 2 million to 3 million tonnes this year, which may lift prices up to 3,000 ringgit by June. l

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Asian upstarts eye global aircraft market n Reuters, Singapore

Indonesia is about to roll out its first passenger plane, one of several smaller, homegrown aircraft being studied in Asia, designed especially for short hops across the region’s emerging markets, where air travel is booming.

State-owned aerospace firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia’s 19-seat N219, which cost $400mn and took just over five years to make, is scheduled to make its first flight in June and start deliveries in 2018.

South Korea is mulling a 100seat aircraft, and India has considered a 70-90 seater.

Novices in a highly competitive industry, these largely stateowned manufacturers are betting on growing passenger numbers and an increase in short flights operated by small, efficient craft.

The planned craft would be smaller than the Airbus 320 or Boeing 737, which seat between about 150 and 190 passengers.

Instead, they aim to be cost-effective, nimble alternatives to planes produced by Brazil’s Embraer, Canada’s Bombardier, and European firm ATR, a joint venture between Airbus and Finmeccanica.

Many of these could suit some markets in Asia, South America and Africa, executives say, where demand for air travel is growing but infrastructure development often lags demand. Runways at many smaller airports are not always long enough to accommodate larger planes like the A320 and 737.

But while countries see the launch of a commercial aircraft as an important economic milestone, designing an airplane from scratch is also an expensive gamble. Both China and Japan have struggled to create jets that sell.

Test case

Asian markets are a testbed for smaller aircraft.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents airlines, expects Indonesia will be one of the five fastest growing markets over the next 20 years.

But the country also has many low-density cities where poor airport infrastructure has been a drag on strong demand for air travel.

Other emerging markets face a similar challenge, Ade Yuyu Wahyuna, vice-president of business development and marketing at PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), told Reuters.

Powered by two turboprop engines from Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies, Indonesia’s N219 is similar to the Airbus CASA CN212 that PTDI manufactured under license in the 2000s. PTDI says it has 150 commitments from small Indonesian regional carriers.

It is just the start of the company’s aerospace ambitions, said Wayhuna. PTDI is also studying a 50-passenger plane.

For its part, Korea Aerospace Industries, which develops and license-produces fighter jets and helicopters, has been studying a 100-seat passenger aircraft for

Growth in eurozone private sector picks up modestly: ECB n AFP, Frankfurt Growth of loans to the private sector in the euro area picked up modestly in February, European Central Bank data showed yesterday.

For the ECB, the statistics are a key indicator of the economic health of the single currency area, as borrowing is a main financing source for corporate investment which in turn should boost the eurozone’s currently weak economy.

In February, approved loans rose 1.1% from a year ago, slightly faster than growth of 0.8% in January, an ECB statement said.

When certain strictly financial transactions are stripped out from the loans data, the trend remained the same - with credit accorded to households and companies up 0.9% in February, compared with 0.6% in January.

The ECB has launched a raft of policy measures to get credit flowing, most significantly a massive programme to buy public sector bonds to pump liquidity into the system.

The ECB already extended that programme by a further six months in a bid to drive eurozone inflation higher.

But earlier this month, ECB chief Mario Draghi announced a further expansion of the programme, a new cut in interest rates and an additional cheap loan scheme for banks.

Growth in the overall money supply, known as M3, stood at 5% in February, the same rate of growth as in January, the ECB also said yesterday.

The ECB regards M3 money supply as a barometer for future inflation. l

more than a year, said an industry executive familiar with KAI’s plans.

KAI would prefer to work with established Western aerospace firms if it goes ahead, this person added.

“We will initially start with midsized passenger aircrafts or business jets, instead of taking on Boeing directly with large-sized jets,” said a KAI spokesman, who added these remain mid to-long term plans.

Indian state-owned aerospace firm Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and research agency National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) have both studied separate projects for a 70-90 seat aircraft. HAL and NAL declined to comment.

Industry executives said both are waiting for the Indian government to clarify its aerospace pol-

icy, especially on the taxation of aircraft and aircraft parts and the opening of smaller airports in secondary cities.

Learning from China

China and Japan’s experience with homegrown craft, however, underlines the costly challenge ahead.

The MA60 turboprop, China’s first passenger aircraft - developed by state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) and delivered from 2000 - has been involved in 11 major incidents. This includes four in which the plane was completely written off and one that resulted in 25 deaths.

In August 2013, the New Zealand government warned tourists not to fly on a Tongan airline’s MA60, citing the incidents. Another Chinese plane, Commercial Aircraft Corp

of China’s long-delayed ARJ-21 regional jet, has not received US certification after seven years of testing.

In Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ MRJ regional jet has also struggled. The jet’s first flight in November 2015 was more than three years behind schedule. Its first deliveries have been delayed by more than four years to mid-2018.

Embraer has since unveiled an upgraded version of its regional jets, giving it an order backlog of 513 planes across its line-up. The MRJ garnered just 233 firm orders.

Industry analysts expect Mitsubishi may only supply a quarter of the roughly 4,000 regional jets that will be needed in the 20 years to 2013. Embraer, by contrast, would control 60 percent of the market, they say. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Bangladesh Development Bank Limited has recently opened its 38th branch at Jainabar in Gazipur. The bank’s chairperson, Md Yeasin Ali inaugurated the branch as chief guest, said a press release

Walton has recently opened an exclusive showroom named M/S Tanvir Traders at Bagherpara in Jessore. The company’s brand ambassador, film actor Ilias Kanchan inaugurated the showroom, said a press release

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

| meal |

| competition |

Craving Loiter D85

BRAC University students win HULT Regional Competition in Shanghai A team of four undergraduate students of BRAC University became regional champions at the HULT Business Competition held in Shanghai on Mach 12, 2016. This is the first Bangladeshi team to have ever achieved such a feat at the world’s biggest social business competition.

The competition took place across five regions of the worldDubai, Boston, San Francisco, London and Shanghai. Out of the hundreds that competed, only one team is crowned victorious from each region. Hence, five teams from five regions will proceed to the grand finale of the HULT Prize 2016 in New York, to win the biggest student competition in the world and a coveted price of $1million to start their own business and change the world. This

Loiter D85 at Banani is well known for their combo chicken dishes.

The BBQ chicken meal comes with quarter boneless chicken served with egg fried rice and sauteed vegetables. The chicken is prepared with their own spice mix and sauce.

Another popular dish of Loiter D85 is their chicken brochette. The dish consists of quarter boneless chicken served with egg fried rice, imported french fries and gravy salad.

Both the dishes cost Tk375 and are very famous among customers.l

year, BRAC University’s team Synergy Global made history by being the first ever team from Bangladesh to win the regional final at Shanghai defeating more than 48 teams from all over the world. This team is composed of four BRAC university students and they were supervised by Mahreen Mamoon, assistant professor, BRAC Business School of BRAC University.

Team Synergy was selected through an internal competition organised by the BRAC Business School in November 2015. The entire team is grateful to Lady Sarwat Abed for her initiative in introducing HULT Prize at Campus to BRAC University and special thanks to Prof Syed Saad Andaleeb, vice chancellor of the university for his constant support.l

| event |

Rivoli brand endorser MasterChef judge Matt Preston’s Dhaka visit

| launch |

The British Council Teaching Centre now in Gulshan

The British Council has launched its fourth Teaching Centre in Dhaka at Gulshan, in partnership with Canadian International School today.

The British Council Teaching Centre offers a full range of courses for children, teenagers, university students, adults, and companies and organisations. Its regular weekday courses and also premium weekend courses cater

to the demands of a wide range of learners. All courses in Gulshan will offer 32 hours of quality classroom time with engaging, experienced, UK-qualified teachers. The offered courses are English Skills, English for IELTS, English for Work, Spoken English and Courses for children and teenagers (5-17 years).

Alison Blake, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh was

present as the chief guest at the launching ceremony and Canadian high commissioner, Benoît-Pierre Laramée attended the event as special guest. Jamie Mann, Teaching Centre manager of the British Council was also present at the ceremony.

The British high commissioner said: “The British Council is the world’s leading cultural relations organisation and the English language is one of the UK’s great cultural assets. This new Teaching Centre will be a centre of excellence for English language teaching, showcasing best practice and innovation. I am sure it will be an asset to the community, a place where children and adults will be able to develop their English skills effectively and learn about UK culture.”

The British Council will begin to deliver its high-quality English courses at Canadian International School at 200 Gulshan Avenue North, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212, from April 6. Level testing and registration started on March 14. l

Matt Preston met the winners of “Meet Matt Preston” campaign organised by Bangladesh’s most prestigious cookies brand Rivoli on March 28 at a local restaurant.

Matt Preston is a renowned judge of MasterChef Australia.

He is also a world famous food critic and food journalist. Matt Preston is the brand endorser of the international standard and delicious Rivoli Cookies.

He is visiting Bangladesh for the first time on Rivoli Cookies’ invitation. As a result, the winners of “Meet Matt Preston” campaign got to spend time talking, taking pictures and eating cookies with him.

Unimech Food Factory’s Rivoli branded cookies have made a significant impact on the market in a very short time.

During his Dhaka visit, Matt Preston visited Sadarghat Launch Terminal, Ahsan Manzil, Lalbagh Fort, University of Dhaka, TSC, National Parliament House, Chandrima Uddan,

Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Hatirjheel, Rayer Bazaar Jaago school, Banani and a few other noteworthy places in Dhaka and spoke to his fans. During this time, he tasted the unique foods of Dhaka and gave away Rivoli Cookies.

Matt Preston is not only a judge of MasterChef Australia, but also the restaurant reviewer of world famous Vogue magazine. He also writes reviews in many renowned Australian food magazines.

Rivoli chose him as their brand endorser because of his popularity and the confidence he exudes as a food critic. The unique taste of Rivoli cookies got Matt Preston interested about South Asia and as a result, he came to Dhaka to talk directly to the fans and energise the Rivoli marketing campaign.

Needless to say, world class Rivoli cookies are being made in Bangladesh and are available everywhere.l

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Long angry speech (6) 4 Devoted follower (3) 7 Stringed instrument (5) 8 Dress (6) 11 Plunder (3) 12 Wander (4) 13 Nominate (4) 15 Impressive exhibition (5) 16 Trembling poplar (5) 20 Pay attention (4) 23 Fish (4) 24 Bricks carrier (3) 25 Corrects (6) 26 Very hard mineral (5) 27 Lump on the skin (3) 28 Wine (6)

DOWN 1 Jewelled coronet (5) 2 Give life to (7) 3 Level (4) 4 Ceremony (4) 5 Drug-yielding plant (4) 6 Seize suddenly (3) 9 Hill (3) 10 Sailor (3) 14 Severely simple (7) 17 Play on words (3) 18 Finish (3) 19 Unpleasant (5) 20 Habitual dwelling-place (4) 21 Paradise (4) 22 Periods of time (4) 24 Cut with blows (3)

Downtime CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents S so fill S every time the figure 1 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

A B C DE FG H I J K L MN O P Q RST UVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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World 21

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

INSIDE ANALYSIS

Easter Sunday suicide blast shows plight of Pakistani Christians Indian cattle farmers’ growing rift against BJP over sale ban A ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter in Maharashtra, arguably India’s richest state, is threatening to push millions of farmers into penury, deepening distress in the countryside and fanning resentment against ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

PAGE 23

Egypt aircraft hijack ends with passengers freed unharmed An EgyptAir plane flying from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus on Tuesday by a man with what authorities said was a fake suicide belt, who was arrested after giving himself up.

PAGE 23

Where in Asia journalists face renewed pressure?

In many countries across Asia, governments are growing less tolerant of critical reporting, even arresting journalists and closing media outlets in some cases.

PAGE 24

n Tribune Desk Jamaat ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility of the attack on Sunday in the Pakistan city of Lahore, saying it was directed at the country’s Christians who were celebrating Easter Sunday.

At least 72 people, mostly women and children, died in a suicide bombing in the crowded in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in the provincial capital of Punjab.

“It was our people who attacked the Christians in Lahore, celebrating Easter,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the Taliban group, said. “It’s our message to the government that we will carry out such attacks again until sharia [Islamic law] is imposed in the country.”

The bombing, which took place just by an area of the park designated for women and children, is the latest attack in recent years that has targeted the small yet important Christian community in the majority Muslim nation.

Who are Pakistan’s Christians?

Pakistan is a country of 190m people, the vast majority of whom are Muslims. Christians make up about 1.5% of the total population, according to the latest census, although some Christians argue that the government undercounts their numbers, which they claim should be closer to 5%. Lahore is one of a number of centres for the community in the country.

Christians have a long history in the region; Roman Catholic missionaries first arrived from Europe in the late 1600s. Most of Pakistan’s Christians are the descendants of Hindus who converted during the years of British rule.

Often they were from a low caste, and many have remained on the poorer edges of Pakistani society.

However, the Christian minority has also contributed greatly to Pakistani society. Many of the best schools and colleges in Pakistan were established by Christians and attended by the country’s Muslim elite, and Christians have been among the most decorated and celebrated members of Pakistan’s military since independence.

A growing rift

Before partition, Pakistan was a more multi-ethnic place, and

Pakistani Christian priests hold lighted candles for suicide blast victims during a rally in Lahore on Monday many Christians supported the creation of a Muslim-majority Pakistan. During the mass migration of people after 1947 and the split with Bangladesh in 1971, many non-Muslims, Hindus in particular, left the state. However, for decades there were relatively good relations between the Muslim community and the Christian minority.

Pamela Constable, a former Washington Post correspondent in Pakistan, in an article last year wrote that it was only in the 1980s and 1990s that tensions began to fester. She identified among catalysts for the change the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the rise of military dictator Gen Zia ul-Haq, and the influence of stricter religious teachings coming from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Things grew worse after 2001 with the American response to the 9/11 attacks, “which many Pakistani Muslims saw as a foreign plot to defame their faith,” Constable wrote.

Although most Christians and Muslims still coexist without incident, there has been a growing sense of concern among Pakistan’s Christian community, with many deciding to emigrate. In particular, many activists say Pakistan’s strict blasphemy law — which forbids any derogatory reference to the prophet Muhammad and makes the crime punishable by death — is being abused to target religious minorities, including Christians.

AFP

Family members touch a coffin of a relative, who was killed in a blast outside a public park on Sunday, during a funeral in Lahore on Monday REUTERS

A broader problem for Pakistan

A number of prominent political figures have been assassinated for opposing the blasphemy law, including Shahbaz Bhatti, the country’s only Christian cabinet member, who was shot to death by gunmen in Islamabad in March 2011.

A series of high-profile terrorist attacks have targeted Christians in recent years. In 2013, a suicide bombing at a church in Peshawar left more than 100 people dead, and a series of attacks on churches in Lahore left 14 dead. These attacks were attributed to the Pakistani Taliban or groups linked to it. Analysts suspect that attacks on religious minorities, including Shia Muslims and the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect, are aimed at destabilising Pakistan as a whole.

The attack in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park is a broader problem for all Pakistanis — in fact, despite the stated intent of the perpetrators, early signs suggest that many of the victims were Muslims. The attack also coincided with the deadline set by an alliance of religious groups for Punjab province to withdraw a controversial law that sought to protect women from violence and abuse. That law was passed unanimously by Punjab’s parliament in February.

The government of Punjab province has declared three days of mourning in response to Sunday’s attacks. “Those who targeted innocent citizens do not deserve to be called humans,” Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab’s chief minister, posted on his Twitter account. “We will hunt you down.” l

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INSIGHT

SOUTH ASIA

Indian cattle farmers’ growing rift against BJP over sale ban n Reuters, Belhe A ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter in Maharashtra, arguably India’s richest state, is threatening to push millions of farmers into penury, deepening distress in the countryside and fanning resentment against ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, has historically been banned in most states but was rarely enforced in India, the world’s largest exporter of beef.

But over the past year, states ruled by BJP), such as Maharashtra, have broadened the ban to include other types of cattle, like bulls and bullocks, and Hindu vigilantes have stepped up attacks on traders to enforce the prohibition.

The stricter rules come as the nationalist party lays greater stress on India’s Hindu faith, to which the majority of the population belongs. Minority groups, including around 180m Muslims, have expressed concern over the implications.

The impact of the beef ban has been significant. Prices of cattle have fallen across the country, India’s meat exports fell 13% in the April-December period and rival beef supplier Brazil is gaining from India’s loss.

It has also left millions of farmers, already reeling from

bad harvests due to back-to-back droughts and unseasonal rains, struggling to sell animals they can no longer feed or water.

Traditionally, farmers have sold cattle in a drought year to butchers, mostly Muslims, and bought new ones when their earnings rise after monsoon showers.

That cycle has been broken and could leave farmers with little money to buy seeds or fertiliser ahead of the next sowing season, starting in June. Farmer suicides have nearly doubled in the drought-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

To ban or not to ban?

Their predicament is causing concern within the BJP, which has been trying to bolster its credentials in the countryside, where most of India’s 1.3bn people live.

Rural distress contributed to an embarrassing defeat for the party last year in Bihar state election, and more state polls are due over the coming year.

In the federal budget last month, Modi’s government pledged nearly $13bn on rural development, aiming to double farmer’s incomes by 2022.

Maharashtra BJP legislator Bhimrao Dhonde said the government’s priority should be to support farmers, and they should be allowed to sell their cattle to

n Reuters, Cyprus/Cairo An EgyptAir plane flying from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus on Tuesday by a man with what authorities said was a fake suicide belt, who was arrested after giving himself up.

The passengers and crew were unharmed. 81 people, including 21 foreigners and 15 crew, had been on board the Airbus 320 when it took off

from Alexandria en route to Cairo.

Conflicting theories emerged about the Egyptian hijacker’s motives. A senior Cypriot official said he was psychologically unstable and the incident did not appear related to terrorism. The Cypriot state broadcaster said he had demanded the release of women prisoners in Egypt.

In the midst of the crisis, witnesses said the hijacker had thrown a letter on the apron at Cyprus’s Larnaca airport, written in Arabic, and asked that it be delivered to his Cypriot ex-wife.

After the aircraft landed at Larnaca, negotiations began and everyone on board was freed except three passengers and four crew, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fethy said. Soon afterwards, Cypriot television footage showed several people leaving the plane via the stairs. The hijacker then surrendered to authorities. l

Pakistan detained more than 5,000 after Easter bombing Pakistan has rounded up more than 5,000 militant suspects, then released most of them, in the two days since a suicide bomber killed at least 72 people in a park in Lahore at Easter, a provincial minister said on Tuesday. Investigators were keeping 216 suspects in custody pending further investigation, said Rana Sanaullah, a state minister for Punjab province.

-REUTERS

INDIA

Court order adds fuel in Uttarkhand crisis

A woman spreads out fodder for rescued cattle at a cow shelter, run by Bharatiya Gou Rakshan Parishad, at Aangaon village in Maharashtra REUTERS whomever they want.

“It is time to withdraw the ban,” Dhonde told reporters.

Millions of cows

Maharashtra, home to India’s financial hub Mumbai, has been particularly badly hit by drought.

In one district the government imposed rules that prevent assembly of more than five people around a water tanker or borewell to prevent riots. Cows and buffalos need 70 litres of water per day.

Many farmers are simply abandoning their cattle.

The state has opened hundreds of temporary shelters to house around 250,000 heads of cattle until their owners are ready to take them back, but experts say at least another 4m animals need to

be looked after in Maharashtra.

Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) that had promised to build shelters said they, too, were short on cash and the government should do more.

Laxmi Narayan Chandak, head of the Maharashtra unit of VHP’s cow protection committee, said his organisation has been able to start only one facility that holds 150 cattle.

“Nearly 700,000 cows and bulls ... will starve to death or will be smuggled to slaughter houses. We have to save them,” said Chandak.

He added that only pure Indian breeds “that are worthy of worship” should be sheltered.

Cattle prices in the state have fallen 40% to 60%. l

Egypt aircraft hijack ends with Myanmar lifts state of passengers freed unharmed emergency in Rakhine state

A man climbs out of the cockpit window of the hijacked Egyptair Airbus A320 at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus on Tuesday REUTERS

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World

n Reuters, Yangon Myanmar President Thein Sein, in a surprise move hours before leaving office, lifted a state of emergency in the restive western state of Rakhine, imposed after clashes between Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims in 2012.

Thein Sein announced the move in state media on Tuesday, a day before a president from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) will be sworn in at an official handover, after the NLD won the November 8 election by a landslide.

While there have been no major clashes in Rakhine in the last two years, most of Myanmar’s 1.1m Rohingya Muslims remain stateless and live in apartheid-like conditions. They are denied citizenship and have long complained of state-sanctioned discrimination.

Myanmar has denied discriminating against the group. It does not recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic minority and instead classifies them as Bengalis. Most Rohingya reject the term and many families have lived in Rakhine for generations.

Rohingya were denied participation - both as voters and as candidates - in the November vote. The Rohingya are widely disliked in Myanmar, where they are seen as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh - including by some in Suu Kyi’s party. She risks haemorrhaging support by taking up their cause.

Still, lack of fighting means that some 25,000 Rohingya Muslims have left camps for displaced people and returned to the communities, the United Nations said last week, with the number of people in camps down to around 120,000 from 145,000. l

The Nainital High Court ordered on Tuesday a floor test in the Uttarakhand assembly on March 31 and allowed the participation of 9 rebel Congress legislators who switched allegiance to BJP. The development came on a petition

by Congress against federal government’s Sunday decision to dismiss the party’s provincial government and impose President’s rule.

-HT

CHINA

China, Israel open talks on free-trade deal China and Israel formally launched negotiations on Tuesday on a freetrade agreement that officials said could double commerce between the Asian powerhouse and the Middle East’s self-styled start-up nation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the talks after he met visiting Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong.

-REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Thailand unveils latest charter perpetuating army’s power A panel appointed by Thailand’s military junta on Tuesday unveiled a draft constitution touted as the solution to a decade-long political crisis, but derided by critics as undemocratic and divisive. Controversial clauses include provisions in the draft for a 250-member unelected upper house Senate and the appointment of civil servants, including top military commanders, to the Senate. The document is set to go to the public in a referendum on August 7.

-AFP

MIDDLE EAST

UN: 6 children killed, injured daily in Yemen Six children have been killed or injured daily in Yemen since Saudi-led air strikes began a year ago, the UN said Tuesday, warning the conflict was taking a horrifying toll on the country’s youth. In a report marking the anniversary of the start of the Saudi-led campaign, the UN children’s agency said nearly a third of the more than 3,000 civilians killed in Yemen were children.

-AFP

World

USA

No guns allowed at Republican convention No guns will be allowed into the Republican National Convention, the Secret Service said Monday, refusing to bow to pressure after nearly 50,000 people signed a petition urging a no-firearms policy be overturned. Firearms will not be allowed inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where the event - which could descend into a heated battle for the party presidential ticket - is taking place in July.

-AFP

THE AMERICAS

Fidel Castro slams Obama’s Cuba trip Fidel Castro accused US President Barack Obama of sweet-talking the Cuban people during his visit to the island last week and ignoring the accomplishments of Communist rule, in an opinion piece carried by all state-run media on Monday. Fidel Castro blasted Obama for not referring in his speech to the extermination of native peoples in both the US and Cuba, not recognising Cuba’s gains in health and education.

-REUTERS

UK

Poll: Pro-EU campaignlead narrows sharply The campaign to keep Britain in the EU saw its lead over the rival ‘out’ campaign fall sharply in the last month, according to a telephone opinion poll by Ipsos MORI. The survey showed 49% would vote to remain in the EU at a June referendum, 5% less than in an equivalent poll in February. The poll said 41% of respondents would vote to leave, up from 36% last month. -REUTERS

EUROPE

Turkey summons German envoy Turkey summoned Germany’s ambassador to protest a two-minute satirical broadcast by German television station NDR. The ambassador, Martin Erdmann, was called to the ministry last Tuesday over the NDR broadcast on March 17 that featured a two-minute satirical song mocking Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Spiegel Online reported.

-REUTERS

AFRICA

Egypt retires 31 judges for opposing Islamist’s ouster Egypt’s state-run news agency says the top judicial disciplinary council has rejected appeals by 31 judges who were forced into early retirement for rejecting the military overthrow of an Islamist president.

MENA said Monday that the judges are members of the Judges for Egypt movement, which opposed the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood.

-AP

Where in Asia journalists face renewed pressure? n Tribune Desk In many countries across Asia, governments are growing less tolerant of critical reporting, even arresting journalists and closing media outlets in some cases. In China, authorities recently removed an online story from a financial magazine about censorship - a taboo topic - while Thailand’s military junta has detained journalists for what it calls “attitude adjustment” and shut down TV and radio stations.

A look at how and where journalists are coming under renewed pressure--

China: Setting the tone

The ruling Communist Party has long exercised heavy-handed direction over news media, but recent events speak to a further tightening of ideological controls.

President and party leader Xi Jinping set the tone with visits in February to the official Xinhua News Agency, the party-controlled People’s Daily newspaper and state broadcaster CCTV. At each place, he stated that absolute loyalty to the party was the media’s highest priority. Negative responses to Xi’s visit were censored on China’s once-vibrant social media, Weibo, Most recently, more than a dozen editors and technicians have

gone missing and are believed to be under investigation after an anonymous letter calling for Xi’s resignation was posted on a government-backed news portal.

Thailand: attitude adjustment

A junta that took power in a 2014 coup has detained journalists for what it calls “attitude adjustment,” shut TV and radio stations for perceived critical coverage of the government, banned press events and most recently tightened visa requirements for foreign reporters. Under new measures announced last month, only journalists working for a registered news agency will be able to obtain or renew journalists’ visas. Thai journalists have faced a barrage of pressures over the past two years.

One prominent editorial cartoonist from the Thai Rath newspaper was detained twice and warned he could be prosecuted if he continued to satirise the junta chief in his drawings. A senior writer for The Nation newspaper who was openly critical of the coup was detained twice and ultimately fired. A few foreign reporters have had their visa applications denied since the junta took power.

Malaysia: The $700m scandal

The government is cracking down on media as a financial scandal en-

BIGSTOCK

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016

gulfs Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Two Australian TV journalists were briefly arrested this month after they tried to question Najib about the scandal. The government has also blocked some new websites, including popular news portal Malaysian Insider, over critical reports of the government.

The portal, owned by the Edge Media Group, shut down recently, citing a loss of income caused by the government’s ban.

India: Hindu hardliners

Intimidation of journalists is nothing new in India, but it has taken on a new element under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. India, the

world’s largest democracy, has a relatively free press, but the current BJP government has been criticised for not trying to stop fringe rightwing elements that threaten journalists and activists in the name of patriotism. During a court hearing for a Jawaharlal Nehru University student charged with sedition for allegedly making anti-India statements, lawyers beat reporters and damaged cameras and recording equipment while demanding they not cover public protests against the student’s arrest. Sujata Madhok, secretary-general of the Delhi Union of Journalists, accused the BJP of targeting Muslim and Christian religious minorities and the underprivileged Dalits. l

UN ruling on Falkland Islands dismissed by UK

Obama: Journalists partly to blame for campaign tone

n Tribune Desk

n Reuters, Washington, DC

Britain has played down a report from a UN commission which rules that the disputed Falkland Islands lie inside Argentine waters, reports The Guardian.

The Argentine foreign ministry seized on the findings of the UN commission on the limits of the continental shelf, which expand its maritime territory in the South Atlantic Ocean by 35% to include the disputed Falkland islands and beyond.

But the British prime minister’s official spokeswoman said the UK government had not yet seen the full report, and stressed that the commission was merely an advisory body.

The UN commission on the limits of the continental shelf sided with Argentina, ratifying the country’s 2009 report fixing the limit of its territory at 200 to 350 miles from its coast.

As a result, the Argentine for-

eign ministry claimed its waters had increased by 1.7m sq-km and the decision of the UN commission will be key in its dispute with Britain over the islands.

Argentina lost a brief, bloody 1982 war with Britain after Argentinian troops seized the South Atlantic archipelago.

The UN commission’s finding included the caveat that there is an unresolved diplomatic dispute between Argentina and Britain over the islands.

The Falklands are internally self-governing, but Britain is responsible for its defence and foreign affairs. The British government says islanders cannot be forced to accept Argentinian sovereignty against their will.

The Islands authorities said on Monday it was seeking clarification from the British government on “what, if any, decisions have been made, and what implications there may be” for the territory in relation to the UN ruling. l

President Barack Obama on Monday laid some of the blame for the tone of the presidential campaign on political journalism that has been pinched by shrinking newsroom budgets and cheapened by a focus on retweets and likes on social media.

In a speech to a journalism awards dinner, Obama urged journalists to ask tougher questions of the candidates vying to be president.

He voiced dismay over the vulgar rhetoric, violence at rallies and unrealistic campaign pledges that have continually grabbed headlines.

“The number one question I’m getting as I travel around the world or talk to world leaders right now is, ‘What is happening in America?’ about our politics,” Obama said, describing international alarm over whether the United States will continue to function effectively.

He said the media landscape has changed since his first presidential campaign in 2008, when “there was a price if you said one thing and then did something completely different.

“The question is, in the current media environment, is that still true? Does that still hold?” he said.

He said news organisations have a responsibility to dig deeper despite the faster pace of “this smartphone age” and steep financial pressures in the news business.

Voters “would be better served if billions of dollars in free media came with serious accountability, especially when politicians issue unworkable plans or make promises they can’t keep,” Obama said.

The New York Times earlier this month reported that Trump has so far earned almost $1.9bn worth of media coverage, compared with $313m for the next closest Republican challenger, US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and $746m for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. l

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INSIDE

Streak: Taskin will be cleared soon

TODAY'S MATCH SF-1

Tigers bowling coach Heath Streak confirmed Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed is likely to appear for the test within six weeks.

Streak informed that they want to make sure the pacer is hundred percent ready ahead of the bowling test. PAGE 26

7:30PM at Delhi

England v New Zealand Maasranga TV, Gazi TV, Star Sports 1

V England

85 42 39 4 8

Dreams of thunder for Pakistani racer Saad Ali is in pole position to become Pakistan’s first Formula 1 driver, a seemingly impossible target in a country with no race tracks and where all sport sponsorship money is poured into the national obsession - cricket.

The 28-year-old faces significant hurdles. PAGE 27

Redknapp’s int'l cameo ends on a low Harry Redknapp came down to the earth with a bump in the second match of his cameo as an international manager yesterday when his Jordan side were thrashed 5-1 by Australia to almost certainly drop out of contention. PAGE 28

Waqar apologises, offers to resign Pakistan’s head coach Waqar Younis yesterday begged forgiveness from the nation and said he was prepared to resign.

The 2009 champions have been widely blasted by fans following a lacklustre performance with just one victory. PAGE 29

New Zealand Played Won Lost No result Head-to-head

92 48 41 2 4

Eng take Root to unravel Kiwi spinners’ web

Captain Williamson hails ‘fearless’ Kiwis

n AFP, New Delhi

n AFP, New Delhi

England hope in-form batsman Joe Root and “home” advantage can make the difference against undefeated New Zealand in the first World Twenty20 semi-final today.

Eoin Morgan’s team will be playing their third match in a row in New Delhi, but for the nomadic Black Caps it will be their fifth different venue in five tournament matches.

“We have become quite settled in Delhi,” Morgan said at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“We have got fantastic support, a fantastic following and actually we have grown used to the pitch a lot more than probably the first game that we were here.”

Despite having to adapt to so many different surfaces, New Zealand’s formidable spin attack has so far thrived in Indian conditions.

The Kiwis have won the toss, batted first and used their spin bowlers to great effect to defend totals in all four of their group matches. But Root has

also shown his class on different pitches in the tournament, enhancing his reputation as one of the game’s classiest acts.

“Root is a class player and he is one of the best around in all three formats of the game at the moment,” allrounder Ben Stokes said of his 25-year-old team-mate.l

They are the nearly men of world cricket, with a reputation for faltering at the business end of tournaments.

But a year on from the pain of losing the 50 over World Cup final, skipper Kane Williamson

ENGLAND

NEW ZEALAND

World ranking: Five

World ranking: Two

SQUAD

SQUAD

Eoin Morgan (C), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Ray, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James vince, David Willey Coach: Trevor Bayliss Best overall performance: Champions (2010)

Kane Williamson (C), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Grant Elliot, Colin Munroe, McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor Coach: Mike Hesson Best overall performance: Semi-finals (2007)

ROAD TO SEMI-FINAL

ROAD TO SEMI-FINAL

Lost to West Indies by six wickets Beat South Africa by two wickets Beat Afghanistan by 15 runs Beat Sri Lanka by 10 runs Top scorer: Root (168 runs) Top wicket-taker: Willey (6 wickets)

Beat India by 47 runs Beat Australia by eight runs Beat Pakistan by 22 runs Beat Bangladesh by 75 runs Top scorer: Guptill (125 runs) Top wicket-taker: Santner (9 wickets)

says his unbeaten New Zealand team are a relaxed and fearless unit as they hone in on Twenty20 cricket’s biggest prize.

“At the moment the team is very relaxed, going about their business,” Williamson told reporters yesterday on the eve of New Zealand’s World Twenty20 semi-final clash against England in New Delhi.

“Up until now we have been playing fearless cricket and smart cricket and that’s what we will try and do again and hope that holds us in good stead in terms of a result. But at the same time we are up against a very strong England team that will be trying their best to win the game.

So we are looking forward to it.

It’s going to be exciting.”

Williamson insisted that defeat was not playing on the team’s mind but he also resisted talk that the Black Caps’ wins over India, Australia and Pakistan in the group stages put them in the rare position of favourites.

“We have made one final and lost, but we don’t look at it that closely,” said Williamson. l

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Streak confident Taskin will be cleared soon n Mazhar Uddin Tigers bowling coach Heath Streak confirmed Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed, who has been suspended by the International Cricket Council for illegal bowling action, is likely to appear for the test within six weeks. Streak informed that they are not willing to take any chance and want to make sure the pacer is hundred percent ready ahead of the bowling test.

Taskin has been started his rehabilitation programme under Streak after the twenty-year old was reported for suspected bowling action during the qualifying round game against the Netherlands along with left arm spinner Arafat Sunny in the ICC World Twenty20.

“Look, I think we don’t have any time pressure because we have no international cricket now. I think within four to six weeks we can get him to the [re-assessment] test. We just need to be hundred percent sure before we send him to get reinstated. I don’t think it’s a major problem for him to pass the test. I think a month is good, but he will be playing Dhaka Premier League. Hopefully he will get comfortable with some of the modifications and when he is comfortable he will go,” said Streak to the media yesterday.

However the former Zimbabwe fast bowler informed that he does not find any specific area to work on Taskin’s

Independence Cup rescheduled for April 1 n Tribune Report

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed posts the photo on his official Facebook page yesterday with a caption saying ‘Need some # Refreshment ... Going with my cousins’ before his flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport bowling action as he said that the suspension was surprising.

Meanwhile the two-year contract of the Tigers coaching staff including Chandika Hathurusingha and Streak is close to finish and it was learned that BCB is willing to renew the contract very soon.

And the former Zimbabwean skipper, who already signed a contract with the Gujrat Lions as the bowling coach for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier

League (IPL), informed that as there is no international schedule for Bangladesh national team during IPL tenure, the BCB can allow him to work at the IPL. “I have contracted with Gujarat Lions in the IPL from first of April and I will be joining them soon because we don’t have any international programme here. Yes I have enjoyed here and hope to continue. We will see what BCB says,” he said. l

The already-delayed professional football league season 2015-16 has been deferred once again as the season opening Independence Cup, scheduled to kick off today, has been postponed due to judicial restraint yesterday. The curtain-raiser is rescheduled to begin on Friday.

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) however termed the reason of delay ‘unavoidable circumstances’ and finalised a new date through a press release. The tournament is not going to be held in this month of March when the tournament has been taking place since its introduction.

The new crisis arose after the High Court on Monday asked country’s football governing body to take necessary steps to bring back eight footballers to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club who had left the side recently.

Five out of eight players – Mamunul Islam, Rohel Rana, Rayhan Hasan, Yeamin Munna, Nasiruddin – have recently joined Chittagong Abahani while Alamgir Kabir Rana and Jamal Bhuiyan are in Sheikh Russel and Shahidul Alam Sohel in Abahani.

All of them were scheduled to play in the Independence Cup today or tomorrow but due to writ petition by High Court that don’t allow the players to play for other club before the hearing. The BFF is confident that they will come to a solution to start the tournament on April 1.

The rumor has it that four premier league clubs Sheikh Russel, Brothers Union, Feni Soccer Club and Uttar Baridhara will not participate if the event don’t take place in the month of independence. But the BFF source dismissed the claim.l

Watson bows out of int'l cricket as top T20 allrounder n Cricket Australia Shane Watson has finished his international career as the No.1 ranked T20 allrounder in the world, according to the International Cricket Council’s player rankings announced today.

With strong performances with both and ball in the World T20, Watson retained his spot at the top of the allrounder rankings with 373 points, ahead of Bangladeshi Shakid Al Hasan (346 points) and Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi (332).

Watson announced mid-tournament that this World Twenty20 would be his last appearance in Australian colours and was influential in his final tournament.

After solid performances in his preferred opening position for Australia’s first two World T20 matches, Watson was moved to the unfamiliar spot of six for their last two games but demonstrated his versatility, smashing a crucial 44 off 21 against Pakistan and then 18 off 16 against India.

He was also vital with the ball,

picking up five wickets for the tournament and was the pick of Australia’s bowlers in their loss to India, finishing with 2-23 off four miserly overs.

Glenn Maxwell has moved up three spots to be the fourth-ranked T20 allrounder, while David Warner has slipped out of top-10 in the batting rankings to be 14th.

Aaron Finch, who was left out of Australia’s side for their first two group matches, has fallen off top perch in the ICC T20 batting rank-

INT'L CAREER Competition Matches Runs scored Batting average 100s/50s Top score Balls bowled Wickets Bowling average 5 wkt/ in Best bowling Catches

Test 59 3,731 35.20 4/24 176 5,495 75 33.68 3 6/33 45

ODI T20I 190 58 5,718 1462 40.54 29.24 9/33 1/10 185* 124* 6,406 930 168 48 31.79 24.72 0 0 4/36 4/15 64 20

ings as India superstar Virat Kohli, fresh off his match-winning innings to knock Australia out of the World T20, claims top spot. Watson moved up three places to 10th in the batting rankings and is the only other Australian in the top-10.

Fellow allrounder James Faulkner has stormed into the top10 in the bowling rankings, rising 28 spots to eighth position, while West Indian leg-spinner Samuel Badree remains the No.1 ranked T20 bowler in the world.

Badree has led the West Indian bowling-attack in the World T20, having picked up six wickets so far and gone at just 5.46 runs per over, while Faulkner was Australia’s leading wicket-taker at the tournament.

Despite a disappointing groupstage exit, Australia have gone from eighth to sixth in the T20 team rankings, as Pakistan and Sri Lanka slip to seventh and eighth respectively.

India remain the top T20 side in the world, followed by fellow World T20 semi-finalists New Zealand in second and the West Indies in third. l

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Messi given impromptu standing ovation in theatre n AFP, Buenos Aires

QUICK BYTES Coach fined for raking ball over concrete The bowling coach of the Victoria state cricket side, Mick Lewis, has been fined for ball tampering after raking it over concrete during the final of Australia’s domestic Sheffield Shield competition on Monday. Lewis, a former seamer who played seven one-day internationals for Australia, had already cost his team a five-run penalty against South Australia but on Tuesday he was slapped with a A$2,266 ($1,710.60) fine.

–REUTERS

Du Plessis: Extras made us ordinary The South African trio of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn exited the World Twenty20 stage on Monday, possibly never to return again, and skipper Faf du Plessis felt a bit more discipline from the bowlers could have prolonged their stay. The Proteas beat Sri Lanka in Monday’s dead rubber to conclude their campaign after defeat against West Indies and England had scuppered their semi-final prospects. England chased down a 230-run target against South Africa in a highscoring thriller in which the Proteas conceded 26 extra runs compared to four by their opponents.

–REUTERS

'Guardiola legacy to carry on at Bayern' German champions Bayern Munich will continue to reap the benefits of manager Pep Guardiola’s coaching even after the Spaniard leaves the club at the end of the season, midfielder Xabi Alonso has said.

Guardiola, who has won numerous trophies with Barcelona and then Bayern, will take over as head coach of English Premier League side Manchester City from July. The Spaniard looks set to lift his third successive Bundesliga in his final season and Alonso has hailed the manager’s influence.

–REUTERS

Wenger certain of Arsenal future Arsene Wenger has “no doubt” he will still be the manager of Arsenal next season despite pressure from the club’s supporters to end his 20-year stay with the north London side. A run of just two wins from their last nine games in all competitions has seen the Gunners knocked out of the Champions League last-16 for a sixth successive season and exit the FA Cup in the quarter-final. Arsenal trail leaders Leicester City by 11 points with a game in hand.

–REUTERS

Chittagong Abahani introduced its first ever foreign head coach in club’s history - Jozef Pavlik (C) yesterday. The Slovakian coach holds UEFA Euro A license and is the former assistant coach of Slovak Premier League outfits Vion Zlate Moravce. The former Spartak Trnava footballer also coached in Libya and Greece BFF

Lionel Messi unsurprisingly is recognised no matter where he goes, so an attempt to make an incognito trip to the theatre on Saturday was always going to be in vain.

The Argentinian five-time Ballon d’Or winner tried to quietly take in a play in his home country with family members, but was forced to go on stage and receive a standing ovation after one of the actors spotted him in the crowd.

The 500 people in attendance shouted “Ole, ole, Leo, Leo”, while he was hugged by all the actors.

The 28-year-old will be hoping to help his national side move into one of the four South American automatic qualification places for the 2018 World Cup when Argentina take on Bolivia on Tuesday.l

Dreams of thunder for Pakistani seeking Formula 1 glory n AFP, Islamabad Saad Ali is in pole position to become Pakistan’s first Formula 1 driver, a seemingly impossible target in a country with no race tracks and where all sport sponsorship money is poured into the national obsession - cricket.

The 28-year-old faces significant hurdles before he can become one of 22 elite drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport, but a decade after his “clueless” beginning as a college dropout hooked on racing, he is edging towards his target.

“As a kid I was always interested in cars, but there was no racing in Pakistan, it was not even on television,” he says.

He competed in the Formula Gulf 1000 series in 2014, reaching the podium to take third place twice in one weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Describing that race as a “big stepping stone”, he adds it was “proof to me that this is something that I could pursue and achieve”.

Now he must conquer the Formula 3, GP3 and GP2 classes, seen as stepping stones on the road to Formula 1.

“Getting there is extremely tough, extremely hard, extremely competitive,” he says.

It is also expensive.

“I have been racing by myself for the country without support, flying the Pakistani Flag on circuits making a name for racing (here)”

says Ali, who last year was only able to compete in go-karting’s 2F2F Endurance Grand Prix in Pakistan due to the sheer costs of taking part in motorsport.

Currently, he uses the money earned from his job at information technology company Swiftclick, and his documentary-film work to fund his obsession.

He has more races later in 2016.

But estimates he will need around $2 million in sponsorship over the next three or four years to achieve his dream of racing alongside the likes of Sebastien Vettel or Lewis Hamilton.

“For motorsports you need that expertise, you need those mechan-

ics, you need facilities, infrastructure, you need that architecture to actually perform,” he says.

Right now, he has to make do with a simulator at his home, where he practises his manoeuvres.

The odds of international successes are against him. “There are very few people in the world who make a living from driving racing cars - and even fewer in F1,” Matthew Marsh, a leading F1 TV commentator and former racer, tells AFP. The absence of any sort of official motor racing in Pakistan beyond go-karting means he is unlikely to find the deep wallets he needs there.

But Ali says building tracks would not only boost the economy but help save the lives of restless young Pakistanis who take their need for speed underground.

One 22-year-old racer who asked to remain anonymous told AFP that races take place in Pakistan’s major cities in the dead of night despite accidents and police chases.

“There have been accidents, some really bad in which people have died, but this thing goes on as you cannot restrict youth,” he says.

“If there is a proper track, the risk of accidents would be minimised and the passion of young people for racing could be groomed,” he argues. l

Pakistani race car driver Saad Ali posing with his awards at the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Monday. Saad Ali is in pole position in the race to become Pakistan's first Formula 1 driver AFP

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Redknapp’s international cameo ends on a low n Reuters, Sydney Harry Redknapp came down to the earth with a bump in the second match of his cameo as an international manager yesterday when his Jordan side were thrashed 5-1 by Australia to almost certainly drop out of contention for the 2018 World Cup. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss started his two-match spell in charge with a 8-0 thumping of Bangladesh last Thursday but Redknapp admitted there had been a gulf in class between the Socceroos and Jordanians at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Given the lack of time he had spent with the squad and the lack of support around them, however, the 69-year-old was reluctant to blame his players for the defeat.

“The players did their best,” Redknapp told reporters. “We all did our best but what can you do?

I’ve been here five or six days, what can you do?

“The players are the players, I can’t suddenly bring in Ronaldo. It is what it is. They tried their best but they were beaten by a better team.

“If Australia played Spain next week, they’d probably get beat by four or five because that’s the way the game is, Spain have better players.” l

Australia's Tim Cahill (top) leaps onto Tomas Rogic during their World Cup 2018 Qualifier against Jordan in Sydney yesterday. Socceroos won 5-1 REUTERS

Terms & Conditions:

Prizes: (Second Round)

The lucky winners among all the participants who have answered correctly will be selected in an official lottery and will have their picture published in the newspaper. v Answers must be sent in only the coupon (photocopy will not be accepted). v Quiz coupon should be submitted in the Dhaka Tribune newspaper address. v No one affiliated with Dhaka Tribune and Walton will be able to participate. v Coupon submission deadline April 4, 2016. v A person can send as many coupons as he/she wants. v Walton-Dhaka Tribune T20 World Cup should be written on top of the envelope.

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v

01: Who scored the first T20I century for Bangladesh?

Ans: Tamim Mashrafe Taskin 02:Who won the first World T20 in 2007?

Ans: India Zimbabwe Afghanistan 03:In which year did Bangladesh host the World T20?

Ans: 2014 2004 2015

Name...................................................................................................

Father's Name.....................................................................................

Address...............................................................................................

Phone/Cell...........................................................Age.........................

Dhaka Tribune, F.R.Tower, 8/C, Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka – 1207.

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29

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Serena, Murray ousted in Miami shockers n AFP, Miami World number one and three-time defending champion Serena Williams and second-ranked Andy Murray both crashed out of the ATP and WTA Miami Open on a Monday filled with upsets.

Russian 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova stunned 21-time Grand Slam champion Williams 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 6-2 while British world number two Murray dropped a third-round match to Bulgarian 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-3.

Williams and Murray each made 55 unforced errors, fading in the third set when it mattered most.

“A lot of unforced errors crept in and he was a lot more solid than me,” said Murray, who had 22 unforced errors in the last set alone. “I made many more mistakes than usual, especially in the third set.”

Williams’ struggles prompted questions about her fitness and movement, irking the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to criticize my movement right now,” Williams said. “I did the best I could. I can’t win every match.

These players come out and give their best. I have to give 300 percent every match.”

The 34-year-old American was seeking her ninth Miami crown but instead matched her earliest-ever exit from 2000 with a fourth-round departure.

“It’s obviously disappointing, but I have won here a lot, so it’s OK,” Williams said.

Also ousted were world number two Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, eliminated by 20th-ranked

DAY’S WATCH CRICKET STAR SPORTS 1 3:00PM ICC Women’s World T20 Semi Final 1 Australia v England 7:30PM ICC World T20 2016 Semi Final 1 New Zealand v England

FOOTBALL Ten 1 HD 12:45AM Sky Bet Championship Southend Utd vs. Sheffield Utd

TENNIS TEN 1 HD 3:00AM WTA Tour Miami Open Quarter Final

Svetlana Kuznetsova plays a backhand against Serena Williams in their fourth round match during the Miami Open in Key Biscayne, Florida on Monday AFP Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, and Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza, who fell 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) to 13th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Only two of the top 12 seeds - number two Angelique Kerber and number five Simona Halep remain on the women’s side. Topranked Novak Djokovic is the last top-five man remaining and only

three of the men’s top eight made the last 16.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Murray failed in his bid for a third Miami trophy and fourth final in five seasons.

The 28-year-old Scotsman dominated the tie-breaker but fell behind 4-0 in the second set and stumbled after leading 3-1 in the third, swatting a forehand long on

match point to fall after two hours and 24 minutes.

Williams, who said she was physically fine and not affected by the heat and humidity, arrived having lost back-to-back finals for the first time since 2004, falling to Germany’s Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open and Azarenka at Indian Wells.

But intensity only increases as Williams prepares to defend French Open and Wimbledon crowns in the next few months.

Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam champion who lost eight of 10 prior matches to Williams, is starting to feel like she did when she won the 2006 Miami title.

“I have so many people saying, ‘Congratulations,’ I feel like I’ve won the title already,” Kuznetsova said.

Kuznetsova, seeded 15th, next faces 30th-seeded compatriot Ekaterina Makarova, who ousted Ukraine’s 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-4 Radwanska, the 2012 Miami champion, faded in the second set as well to Bacsinszky, a 2015 French Open semi-finalist.

Bacsinszky’s quarter-final foe will be Romania’s Halep, who eliminated 69th-ranked British wildcard Heather Watson 6-3, 6-4.

Next up for Azarenka is British 24th seed Johanna Konta.

And Australian Open champion Kerber of Germany will face US 22nd seed Madison Keys after dispatching Hungary’s Timea Babos 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori cruised into the fourth round by routing Ukraine’s 27th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2, 6-2.l

Waqar apologises, offers to resign n AFP, Lahore Pakistan’s head coach Waqar Younis yesterday begged forgiveness from the nation and said he was prepared to resign after his team was knocked out of the World Twenty20 at the group stage.

The 2009 champions have been widely blasted by fans following a lacklustre performance with just one victory against lowly ranked Bangladesh and big losses to India, New Zealand and Australia.

Team members were jeered on their return this weekend by huge crowds at Lahore airport, who chanted “Shame! Shame!”

Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters in Lahore on Tuesday, Younis said: “I place my hands together and beg forgiveness from the nation.”

The fast-bowling legend, who was hired as head coach for a sec-

ond time in 2014 and whose contract is due to expire in May, added that he was prepared to stand down if it was in the team’s best interest, but stopped short of offering his resignation.

“If my leaving makes things better, then I would do it without delay,” he said.

He also echoed calls made last

week for a revamp of the country’s domestic structure, and added that the malaise stemmed from Pakistan’s lack of home games since 2009.

“When there is no cricket at home then the foundation will for sure become weak,” he said.

Pakistan’s early exit prompted a wave of criticism in the cricket mad country. l

Yarmolenko sinks Wales in Ukraine n AFP, Kiev Andriy Yarmolenko’s well-taken goal handed Ukraine a 1-0 win over Wales in Kiev on Monday in the final fixture before both sides name their 23-man squads for the European Championship.

Wales were without both Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey for their trip to the Olympic Stadium, but forced an early save from Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov through Tom Lawrence.

Joe Allen also saw a long-range drive repelled by Pyatov, with Yarmolenko netting the only goal on 28 minutes as he fired past Wayne Hennessey after latching onto Ruslan Rotan’s clever freekick.

Wales will face Sweden on June 5 in their final friendly before heading to Euro 2016, but Chris Coleman will have to name his tournament squad by the end of May. Debutants Wales are drawn alongside England, Russia and Slovakia in Group B, while Ukraine, co-hosts of the 2012 edition, are in Group C with world champions Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland.l

INT’L FRIENDLIES 1-0

Wales

Northern Ireland 1-0

Slovenia

Ukraine Yarmolenko 28 Washington 41

Andorra

0-1

Moldova Armas 45+2

Liechtenstein Gubser 74, Wolfinger 90+3

2-3

Faroe Islands Hendriksson 6, Edmundsson 44, Holst 58

Du Plessis fined for dissent n Reuters South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis has been fined 50 percent of his match fee by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for showing dissent during Monday’s win over Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 group stage.

Du Plessis, who has accepted the sanction, showed dissent by “occupying the crease for a period of time” after being given out lbw before leaving the field while looking at his bat and shaking his head, the ICC said in a statement on Tuesday.

It was Du Plessis’ second sanction for dissent in 12 months, after being fined 15 percent of his match fee against India in a one-day international in October.

A third offence over the next seven months would result in a suspension for the 31-year-old.l

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Showtime

PDPK2 set to hit the cinemas n Hasan Mansoor Chatak The sequel of Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini, starring Shakib Khan and Jaya Ahsan in lead roles, is all set for release on April 8. Produced by Friends Movies International, it is

one of the most anticipated films of the year featuring Dhallywood’s number one hero and screen diva from the franchise’s first film.

Directed by Safi Uddin Safi, Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini 2 is coming out on the occasion of Pohela Boishakh.

Emon’s supporting role in the film marks his first onscreen partnership with Jaya. Talented actress Moushumi Hamid will also be seen acting alongside Shakib Khan for the first time. Omar Sani will play the role of the coach of national cricket team while Emon will play Raiyan Khan, the captain of Bangladesh cricket team in the film.

Rumman Rashid Khan has written the script, screenplay and dialogue for the sequel. In the film, Shakib Khan appears as a cricketer for the first time while Jaya Ahsan plays a successful model.

Few celebrities from different fields of work, who never appeared on big screen before, will star in the film including singer Asif Akbar, cricketer Habibul Bashar Sumon and ZaE Mamun.

Kabir Bakul has penned the lyrics for all six songs of the film while Shawkat Ali Emon composed five of the songs. Kumar Biswajit, Chandan Sinha, Asif Akbar, Kona, Tousif, Kheya and Saimon lent their voices to the songs.

Shankar, one of the choreographer of South Indian film Baahubali, has choreographed the music videos. Apart from filming in beautiful locations in Bangladesh, the film’s major scenes will be shot at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. l

Adele planning to take a break n Showtime Desk Sources say that the hit maker, Adele is taking a five-year break after finishing her world tour in November this year.

According to The Sun newspaper, the 27-year-old will quit music temporarily to spend quality time with her three-yearold son Angelo with boyfriend Simon Konecki.

Adele, who recently returned to the music scene in 2015 after a three-year break, is set to take another hiatus after finishing her huge 105-day world tour.

A source told the newspaper: “She has told her closest pals that she would step away from the limelight for five years before she brings out her next album. She’s still very new to

motherhood and doesn’t want to miss out on Angelo growing up. It will be a doleful news for the fans.”

The London-born singer is currently touring, with her next stop being Birmingham. Her last show is in Mexico city on November 15.

The Grammy Award-winner is notoriously private about her son Angelo, but has recently gushed about how far she would go to be with her toddler.

“Now that I’m a mum, I feel like everything I do, I’m making a legacy with it for my child,” she said in November last year, “so I try to be proper and professional with everything in my life, not just my career.”

Source: New Magazine l

Bangladeshi films at London Bengali Film Festival n Promiti Prova Chowdhury Screening three Bangladeshi films, the London Bengali Film Festival (LBFF) is going to kick off on April 14 in London amidst the festivity

of the Bengali new year.

LBFF is an annual celebration of films from or about the Bengali diaspora. It is also regarded as the largest Bengali film festival in the world.

A total of six films have been selected for the first London Bengali Film Festival. The three day festival includes Her Own Address (Sutopar Thikana) by Proshoon Rahmaan, Runaway (Udhao) by Amit Ashraf and The Poisoning Sap (Brihonnola) by Murad Parvez; all three entries from Bangladesh.

A Ray of Light (Ek Phaali Rodh) by Atanu Ghosh, Family Album by Mainak Bhaumik from India and joint production of UK and Pakistan Dara will also be showcased at the festival.

In addition to the film screenings, the festival will conduct free seminars to honour the festival’s education partner, the Film Department of the London Metropolitan University.

“The festival is a landmark as it showcases alternative stories and

experiences in the film fraternity from the Bengali diaspora, aimed at the UK public,” says a press release.

“Mainstream films have a global audience, but global stories also need to be seen by the mainstream

audience. The London Bengali Film Festival does exactly that,” says Munsur Ali, founder and CEO of LBFF. l For tickets, teaser trailer and further news visit www.lbff.co.uk

Batman, Superman and a Bangladeshi n Rumpa Farzana Zaman Many stick around to watch the whole movie at theatres and at home, but only a few remain seated to read the list of cast and crew scrolling up the screen.

Perhaps that’s the reason why it took some time to notice Wahid Reza’s name on that list.

Wahid Reza is a young Bangali talent who has worked as the visual effect coordinator in the movie Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. People are

proudly talking about his name and his work. He has worked at Moving Picture company, has recently joined Method Studios and is soon to become part of the upcoming Marvel Movies.

Wahid Reza is well known for playing Humayun Ahmed’s iconic character “Himu.” He played “Himu” several times in TV dramas. Besides being an actor, he is also a writer. Currently, Wahid is residing in North America and working in several projects in Hollywood.

Father of Madonna’s son blasts singer n Showtime Desk The biological father of Madonna’s adopted son David Banda is worried about the well-being of his child, following her public fallout with the other son Rocco. Recent strain of her bitter custody battle with ex-husband Guy Ritchie over their son Rocco has stirred up Madonna’s erratic behaviour on stage.

Yohane Banda, who gave David up for adoption in 2006, is furious that his child has been caught in the crossfire between Madonna and Guy. It follows The Sun’s recent report that Madonna blocked David’s visit to London over Easter for fear he wouldn’t return to New York, like his brother Rocco.

In an exclusive interview from the remote village of Chipunga, Yohane said: “Madonna and Guy’s custody battle turning bitter and nasty is a huge concern.”

“I’d like to know what’s going on behind closed doors and why Rocco wanted to leave his mum and live with his dad like that. What I have heard about Madonna’s lifestyle since her divorce from Guy sounds quite shocking. Her having much younger boyfriends isn’t in line with Malawian culture at all. David would not be exposed to that sort of thing here. It’s not how we live.

We have strong family values.

Turmoil over her family crept into the latter stages of Madonna’s Rebel Heart world tour, which was dogged by controversy. l

During his visit to Bangladesh, he expressed his feelings about working in Batman v Superman.

With a big smile on his face, he said, “it’s unreal! I never thought I would get an opportunity to work in such a great film. I have got the chance to work in three other comic films this year. Bangladesh audience would be thrilled to know that Captain America is one of them.”

“With hard work and a bit of luck, my dream has come true,” Wahid shared with Showtime, further elaborating, “the supervisor of my previous work place is in very good terms with Zack Snyder, director of Batman v Superman. He recommended me based on my performance.”

“It’s not a one man show.

We were a team of 20 people.

However, in Captain America we are only six people in the production team. It basically depends on the type of work and the work load that comes with it. I am glad to be part of both the film productions and the experience.

Wahid believes that his name will inspire the lot who aspire to be at the top and wants to build a career in Hollywood. “But there is no short-cut,” added Wahid and continued, “I went to North America, finished my studies, got a degree, completed my internship and finally got the opportunity to work in a production house.”

Wahid first started working in a starter post in 2014 after which he joined as the environmental

coordinator at the end of 2014. He has also worked as a production assistant for six months. “If everything goes well I might get promoted as the production manager by the end of this year,” Wahid prayed.

On being asked if he would like to work in Bangla film productions, Wahid replied by saying: “Of-course, I would love to, however, I also believe that we are not ready for big budget VFX films. But we can always try something under a more convenient budget by outsourcing studios from India.”

Wahid ends by saying that it is his ceaseless wish to establish a school or a training centre that will help enthusiasts try their lucks in Hollywood production houses. “Nothing is impossible,” Wahid comments, “I am just waiting for some good investors and better opportunities to help me make this work.” l

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WHAT TO WATCH

Son of the Mask HBO 9:30pm Tim Avery comes across an ancient mask that belongs to Loki, the Norse God of mischief. Watch the hilarious turn of events when Tim runs around playing mischief. Things get more funny when he has a son Alvey who is born with the qualities of the mask and tends to change shape very often.

Cast: Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Traylor Howard 24 AXN 10:29pm Live Another Day is a thrilling high-octane event series set to restart the ticking clock on the groundbreaking and Emmy Award-winning drama. It will retain the real-time, pulse-pounding, fast-paced format with split screens and interweaving story lines.

Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Leslie Hope, Sarah Clarke Alien: Resurrection Star Movies 9:30pm This film is set into the future and takes place 200 years after the death of Lt Ellen Ripley who had sacrificed her life to destroy the company’s wish to the alien queen.

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman

Krishnadasi Colors 11:00pm The story starts with Kumudini, who was a Devadasi of Krishnavati, claiming the lost glory of being respected and has come back to take revenge of her humiliation from Pradhyumn Vidhyadhar Rao, the self proclaimed senior of the village who considers them nothing but a social stigma.

Cast: Sana Amin Sheikh, Shravan Reddy, Chhavi Mittal l

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Premier University shut down after student killed in BCL clash n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Premier University in Chittagong was shut down after a student was killed in a clash between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League on the university’s Dampara campus yesterday afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Nasim Ahmed Sohel from Comilla.

He was studying MBA at the university, sources said.

His friends claimed he was a member of Chhatra League’s Chittagong city unit.

Three other students were injured from stabbing during the clash as well. The victims – Ratan Shil Rony, Imtiaz Ahmed Sabbir and Md Rahat – are BBA students at the university. They are current-

ly undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

Sources at the university campus said the clash took place between the two rival faction over the arrangement of a farewell programme scheduled tomorrow.

One faction wanted to invite Chittagong Awami League President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury as chief guest at the programme, while the other group wanted to invite Chittagong City Corporation Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, who is also secretary of city Awami League.

The disagreement led to a clash, where the four students were stabbed and severely injured. They were rushed to the CMCH where Sohel succumbed to his injuries

around 2pm, according to Nayek Abdul Hamid of the CMCH police outpost.

However, Chawkbazar police station OC Aziz Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that the clash had taken place between some senior and junior students of the university.

The incident led to incensed students of Premier University to stage demonstration and vandalise the university’s Dampara and Prabartak campuses, roadside hospitals, clinics and businesses.

The agitating students also vandalised many vehicles and put up a blockade on some strategic roads in the city, causing public sufferings for several hours.

Meanwhile, Mayor Nasir visit-

ed the CMCH and demanded the highest form of punishment for the persons involved in the murder of the student.

Following the clash, the Premier University authorities suspended all academic activities until further notice.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Anupam Sen confirmed the matter to the Dhaka Tribune.

“Several students were injured while a student died during a clash over holding a farewell programme. We have already asked the proctorial body to investigate the incident with all seriousness.

We will take disciplinary action against the students involved with the clash,” Dr Sen told the Dhaka Tribune. l

Detached from its herd, a buffalo went through a fit of fear-induced rage on the street of Panthapath in Dhaka yesterday morning, attacking pedestrians and small vehicles. It took nearly three hours and combined efforts of locals, a fire fighting unit and several butchers to subdue the buffalo. The photos were taken near Panthapath-Green Road intersection SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Escaped buffalo takes a stroll in capital n Tribune Report

A buffalo that got detached from its herd was found roaming on the streets of the capital for nearly three hours yesterday morning.

Locals in the Panthapath area said the buffalo got detached from its herd when cattle traders were driving them to a slaughter house.

The buffalo was first seen on Panthapath around 6am.

Wary of the crowd, the buffalo ran into a nearby building complex

and stayed there for nearly an hour.

A resident of the complex informed the fire service around 6:30am on seeing the animal in the grounds of the complex.

A unit from Mohammadpur fire station rushed to the spot around 6:45am, said Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters control room duty officer Bhajan Kumar Sarker.

He said the fire service, with the help of locals and the traders, later caught the buffalo and sent it back

to the cattle shop around 10:20am.

The buffalo had been in the complex for nearly an hour when the fire service arrived, locals said.

When fire fighters tried to enter the complex through the doorway of the main gate, the animal became angry and hit the gate hard.

The gate broke down and the buffalo was able to get out. Then it came onto the open road and started walking about.

Saiful Islam, a resident in the area, said he came to Panthapath after hearing a noise, and found the buffalo roaming on the road.

The butcher arrived on the spot around 8:45am. With the help of fire fighters, they tied down the buffalo around 9:30am.

Later the fire service brought a bulldozer to pick up the bull and transfer it onto a truck. It was then taken to the cattle trader around 10:20am from whom it had run away earlier, Saiful said. l

Al-Badr kingpin Nizami seeks review n Ashif Islam Shaon

Condemned war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami yesterday lodged a petition seeking review of the Appellate Division verdict that upheld his death sentence.

In the 70-page petition filed through his lawyer, Nizami has prayed to the Appellate Division of Supreme Court to acquit him of all the charges. The convict has cited 46 grounds, his counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain said.

Mahbub, also an adviser to the BNP chief, said that the appeals court had not evaluated some grounds while evaluating the witness accounts. “We are hopeful that he will be acquitted on the two charges he was sentenced to death.

On another charge he was given death though he was not directly involved,” the counsel said.

“If the court considers the facts, he will be acquitted,” he said.

On the other hand, Additional Attorney General Murad-e-Reza told reporters that the state would soon take steps for holding the hearing.

“We think that the apex court will reject the review petition. It has upheld the conviction examining all the witness accounts, evidence and documents. There is no scope of rehearing those. The court will see if there is any mistake in the sentences,” he said.

As per the rules, a war crimes convict can file a review petition within 15 days after receiving the full verdict. Nizami has filed it a day before the deadline.

If the review petition is rejected, the government may start the process of executing the death sentence given by the International Crimes Tribunal. The convict will get a last chance to live seeking presidential clemency admitting his guilts.

If the convict does not seek mercy or the mercy is not accepted, the government will hang him to death at a convenient time.

The tribunal issued the death warrant for Nizami on March 15, the day when the Appellate Division released its full verdict.

A former minister during the 2001-06 tenure, Nizami led the notorious militia force al-Badr which collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces to systematically eliminate noted intellectuals at the fag end of war. He was also found involved in two incidents of mass murders of over 500 people in Pabna. l

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