August 15, 2016 by DhakaTribune

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Shraban 31, 1423, Zilqad 11, 1437

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 110

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A nation mourns n Abu Hayat Mahmud The country is observing National Mourning Day today marking the 41st death anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangabandhu was assassinated by army officials on this day in 1975 along with his wife Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, and sixteen other who were present at the house. His two daughters Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived because they in Germany during the assassination. In separate messages on the eve of the National Mourning Day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recalled with gratitude Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long and eventful political career and his immense contributions and dedication to the independent movement for a sovereign Bangladesh. To observe the day, ruling Awami League, its student wing, associate bodies and other like-minded pro-liberation, democratic and progressive political parties, social, cultural and different professional organisations and associations have arranged various programmes across the country. All the programmes has been convened cooperating with government agencies concerned, says a press release. The programmes will be begin with hoisting of the National Flag at half-mast and raising black flags atop all public and private buildings including Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi and all Bangladesh Missions abroad. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will lay wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Bangabandhu Memorial in Dhanmondi at 6:30am. Prime Minister will also lay wreaths at the graves of her family members at Banani Graveyard in the capital at 7:30am, while she will be also offer prayers there. The ruling Awami League central leaders will place wreaths at the Mausoleum of Bangabandhu at Tungipara in Gopalganj district at 10am, and attend a milad and doa mahfil at the Mausoleum at 11am. l

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Extradition effort continues for six killers n Asif Showkat Kallol As the country observes the National Mourning Day today, the government continues to pursue diplomatic and legal efforts to bring back six death-row fugitive killers of Bangabandhu. The main legal effort in the US and Canada is being carried out by reputed New York-based law firm Skadden for the past two years. The Bangladesh Law Ministry is looking after this issue, ministry sources said. Another task force at the Home Ministry is also monitoring the extradition efforts. Following recent initiatives by the cell, the inspector general of police issued an arrest warrant through Interpol against Risalder Moslehuddin, one of the fugitive killers who is believed to be residing in Germany. The other five absconding killers are Khandaker Abdur Rashid – a dismissed lieutenant colonel, Shariful Haque Dalim – a relieved lieutenant colonel, Lt Col (Retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Lt Col (Retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, and Captain Abdul Mazed. In January 2010, five of Bangabandhu's killers – Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed – were hanged for their crime. Another fugitive convict Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe in 2001. In June 2007, AKM Mohiuddin was successfully extradited to Bangladesh from the United States, following a series of failed attempts by him to gain asylum or permanent residency there. In a recent comment to media, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said: "I have learnt that among three of the fugitive con-

The picture shows the spot in Bangabandhu’s house in Dhanmondi where his body was found after his assassination victs in Bangabandhu murder case – Lt Col (Retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury is living in Canada, Rashed Chowdhury in the US and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan in Germany." The minister said diplomatic and legal efforts were already in place to extradite the fugitives from the US and Canada, but added that their exact locations were still unknown. However, security and intelligence activities have been strengthened to trace them, he said. Law Minister Anisul Huq told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have definitely progressed in bringing back Bangabandhu's killers from aboard in terms of a legal point of view. But I

do not want to publicise the matter. “We have confirmed the location of Noor Chowdhury and Rashed Chowdhury in Canada and the US respectively, but we have no information about four other Bangabandhu fugitive killers,” he said. However, Home Ministry sources told the Dhaka Tribune that Khandaker Abdur Rashid is believed to be currently living in Pakistan or Libya, Dalim in Pakistan, and Abdul Mazed in Senegal. Senior Home Secretary Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan said: “We will deploy intelligence agencies for locating the fugitive killers. If the situation arises, we will arrange

for their extradition.” It is difficult to extradite the fugitives as many of them were rewarded with government services and patronised by other Bangladeshis, said Mozammel, who is a member of the task force to bring back Bangabandhu's killers. Other obstacles for extradition included the senility of the killers and the fact that they enjoyed financial support from foreign sources, he added. According to Home Ministry sources, there was an opportunity to bring back Noor Chowdhury in 2006 from Canada when his appeal for political asylum was cancelled and

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his Bangladeshi passport seized. At the time, the Canadian government sent a letter for the extradition of Noor, but the then government reportedly did not take any initiative to bring him back. In 2009, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh upheld a High Court verdict that handed down death sentence to 12 men for killing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on August 15, 1975. Five of them were executed in January 2010 while another fugitive had died earlier. But the search for six more fugitives continues, 41 years after the heinous murders. l

Justice waits in three August 15 cases n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Forty-one years have elapsed but justice is yet to be delivered in three cases filed in connection with the murders of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and Abdur Rab Serniabat, and a mortar attack in Mohammadpur on August 15, 1975, the night Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was murdered along with his family members. Disgruntled army personnel killed Bangabandhu's nephew Moni, founding chairman of the Awami Jubo League, and his wife Arzu Moni at their Dhanmondi house. Bangabandhu's brother-in-law Serniabat, a former water resources minister, and seven others were murdered at his Minto Road residence. A mortar attack killed 14 others in Mohammadpur, raising the

death toll to 34 on that fateful day. Three murder cases were filed in 1996 in connection with these incidents with three police stations in the capital. Although many years have passed, the family members of the victims are yet to get justice over the murders of their relatives.

Serniabat murder case

In the early hours of the August 15, a group of army personnel led by Maj Shahriar Rashid, Maj Aziz Pasha, Capt Majed and Capt Nurul Huda stormed Abdur Rab Serniabat's house on Minto Road, gathered the residents in the living room and shot them. Serniabat, his daughter Baby Serniabat, son Arif Serniabat, fouryear-old grandson Babu Serniabat, nephew Shaheed Serniabat, do-

mestic helps Potka and Laxmir Ma, and Abdur Naim Khan alias Rintu died on the spot. Nine others were severely injured. Abul Hasnat Abdullah, son of Abdur Rab Serniabat, escaped by hiding behind a door. Hasnat's wife Shahan Ara Begum, who was one of the injured, filed a case with Ramna police station accusing 18 people over the incident. On July 30, 1997, police submitted charge sheet against the 17 accused while the trial started with Dhaka First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on October 4, 1999. Later, the High Court stayed the case's proceedings following a petition filed by Bazlul Huda, one of the accused executed for Bangabandhu's murder. The High Court stay order on the

case's proceedings remains in force till date.

Sheikh Moni Murder case

After a lengthy investigation in the Sheikh Moni murder case, the Criminal Investigation Department submitted its final report in August 2002. The Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in December 2002 accepted the report and acquitted all the accused without even notifying the complainant about the case. No move has been taken for further investigation over the murder case till now. Sheikh Moni's son Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh is currently a lawmaker of Awami League.

Mohammadpur mortar attack

Fourteen people were killed by mortar shells fired in Mohammad-

pur on August 15, 1971. The CID submitted charges against 17 accused in July 1997 for the incident. The trial started on November 1, 2006 but remains pending with the Dhaka Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court due to non-appearance of the witnesses. So far, 15 prosecution witnesses have testified out of 58 witnesses. Additional Public Prosecutor Saiful Islam Helal said: “The court also issued arrest warrant against 11 prosecution witnesses as they did not appear for depositions despite summons against them.” Expressing frustration plaintiff Mohammad Ali, a freedom fighter who was injured in the attack yesterday said; ““I want to die after seeing the punishment of the killers.” l

Bangabandhu app to be developed for iPhone n Ishtiaq Husain

The government has taken initiative to build an iOS version of the Bangabandhu app, a mobile phone application on the life and works of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. An Android version of the app already exists, being launched on August 15, 2014. MCC Ltd, the firm that developed the Android version of the app, will build the version for iPhoness as well. Ashraf Khan, managing director of MCC Ltd, said they were also working to upgrade the Andriod version. “It’s a continuous process. In March this year, we added the coloured version of Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech in the app content,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. He said the app has been downloaded at least 50,000 times since it was launched two years ago, and nearly 1,500 people commented on

the app’s Google Play page. The software firm is working under direct supervision of the ICT Division, he added. The initiative to build such an app was first taken by ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak. The app contains audio and video content, as well as songs and quizzes on Bangabandhu’s life. Results of the quizzes can be shared on Facebook. It contains information on Bangabandhu’s early life, his roles in politics, as well as his speeches, personal letters and interviews. The photo gallery that contains 113 rare pictures of the father of the nation. It also features Bangabandhu’s speech ahead of the 1970 general election of Pakistan, his historic speech on March 7, 1971, his speech upon his arrival to an independent Bangladesh on January 10, 1972, his UN General Assembly address on September 25, 1974 which he gave in Bangla, and his speech when he received Julio Curie award on May 23, 1973, among others. l

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An unknown account of a soldier Gen (retd) Sharif Aziz, n Brig psc On that particular day there were three other military officers, who, besides Colonel Jamil, responded instantaneously in their bid to save Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The story goes like this. Early in the morning at about 6 o’clock on 15th August, I (then a captain and ADC to the President) received a phone call from Ganabhaban from one of the security officers by the name of Fakrul Islam. He said: “Do you know what is happening”? He then said that tanks were rolling by the road in front of Ganabhaban towards Mirpur/ Dhanmondi Road 32. “Something is happening. Please find out.” I then rang up Mohsin, another security officer to the president. He said there were loud noises of gunfire, tank movements and rifle shots. He also said that something terrible might be happening. After hearing this, excited and anxious, I rang up Brigadier Mashoorul Haq, the then military secretary to the president, who along with us used to reside in Bangabhaban. I informed him of what I had heard and said that we should go to Bangabandhu’s residence to find out all about it. His reaction was spontaneous. I also informed Lt Gholam Rabbani, the other ADC from the Navy who was residing next to my room. In the meantime I called up Bangabandhu’s house several times but failed to establish contact with anyone. Quickly we called for a vehicle (an old

Volkswagen car) from the transport yard at Bangabhaban and started our journey towards Road 32 Dhanmondi, the residence of Bangabandhu. We decided to take a different route and soon were at the Science Laboratory area. We intentionally came by the Dhaka University Campus to see for ourselves whether everything was normal in the area since Bangabandhu was supposed to be here in a few hours for a ceremony. We then proceeded towards Bangabandhu’s house but soon were confronted by some people wearing black dungarees on the road opposite the present Road 2 of Dhanmondi. We had some Army jawans stopping our vehicle and asking us about our destination. They were quite surprised to hear that we were going towards Bangabandhu’s house. Since we were in civil clothes, they challenged us, but eventually they let us go when we said we were personal staff of the president. Soon we reached the Staff Quarters area of Kalabagan, where we were again challenged by another group of unruly soldiers. They stopped our vehicle and told us not to proceed towards Bangabandhu’s house and said that they have already killed Bangabandhu. They were quite rough with us and threatened us with consequences if we proceeded further. We were infuriated with their behaviour and told them not to stop us from going ahead. They identified us as officers and since some of them knew us, they eventually let us proceed. However, advancing a little further,

at Kalabagan we were again stopped by another group of black-dressed soldiers. This time they were more aggressive and violent. They pulled us out of the vehicle with force. When we identified ourselves to them, they said you are “Gaddars” [traitors] and we should be killed right way. Thereafter it was a story of abuse and humiliation towards us. We endured and kept quiet. We were identified as the single group of three people on that day trying to reach Bangabandhu to save him. This was most surprising to them that we did not know anything about the murder of Bangabandhu by then. They held a transistor in front of us where we heard for the first time announcements like: “Ami Major Dalim bolchi. Sheikh Mujib ke hotta kora hoyeche. Ami Major Dalim bolchi. Sheikh Mujib ke hotta kora hoyeche.” [This is Major Dalim speaking. Sheikh Mujib has been killed. This is Major Dalim speaking. Sheikh Mujib has been killed.] We really did not believe the announcements and tried to justify our efforts to reach Bangabandhu. Our insistence to go ahead to the residence, which was very near from where we were held captive, made the soldiers extremely agitated and annoyed. When they came to know this was our third attempt to reach the residence they blindfolded us, tied our hands and waists with rope and made us lie on the ground with heads down. We were kept lying like this for the next five hours. In between Colonel Faruk Rahman, Maj Noor Chowdhury and some other officers passed by the road a

number of times. They were told of our locations and our attempts to reach Bangabandhu’s residence. Everything was presented very negatively to them and they had all the reason to think of us as adversaries on that day. The soldiers were whispering all along against us, at times hurling dirty abuses and foul words. We had been lying for a few hours by then, exhausted and hungry we asked for drinking water and one of the soldiers suggested to feed us their urine instead. I was particularly made a target, for I held a revolver loaded with bullets, which belonged to the military secretary, handed over to me before we started our journey from Bangabhaban. Just as we were about to be shot and killed and thrown into Dhanmondi Lake, our lives were spared most miraculously. A reference to the incident is given on page 77 of the English version of Anthony Mascarenhas’ book titled Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Major Mohammad Shahidullah AC (retd), brother-in-law of late novelist Humayun Ahmed, is another surviving officer who was a witness to the incident on that day. God knows what happened. Blind folded, we were moved to Ganabhaban in a vehicle at around 1 0’clock and confined there in a room. It was a Friday. We requested the sentry to allow us to offer prayers in the mosque located in Ganabhaban. The comptroller of Ganabhaban, who was known to us, arranged a vehicle for us before sunset. Escaping the eyes of wary soldiers, we

boarded the civil jeep and made our way to Bangabhaban after darkness. At Bangabhaban we found our place taken over by newly posted officers. New ADCs and a new MSP had taken over our responsibilities. We were identified as arch enemies of the newly formed government. In a week’s time all of us received posting orders and when we were preparing to move out, we received counter orders from the coup makers that we should hold on until further order to conduct the ceremonial functions at Bangabhaban. This happened because the new set up were not confident to conduct credential ceremonies and other state functions that required some kind of expertise and were possible to be done smoothly by us only. However, we were totally barred from attending or entering any meeting halls for the next two and a half months until after November 7, 1975 when we resumed our normal duties with President Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem. The above account is a true revelation that along with Col Jamil another three persons – the personal staff of the president – without fear or hesitation responded on that fateful day. We made repeated attempts to reach Bangabandhu but failed once we were over-powered physically. It was mere luck and miracle that we survived. Readers may please realise that at that time 41 years ago, I was a junior officer aged 25 only, with limited access and knowledge. Therefore, I may not be able to give satisfactory answers to many of your queries today. l

Bangladesh Betar used as propaganda machine n Adil Sakhawat The Dhaka regional office of Bangladesh Betar at Shahbagh was the first target to be captured by the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975 when they also renamed it as Radio Bangladesh to match with Radio Pakistan. “At 4am, I woke up hearing noise outside the office and then heard gunshots. Some army soldiers entered the premises at 5:45am and forced the members of the police in the barrack to surrender,” then radio engineer Pranab Chandra Rai said in his statement given to a court on November 10, 1997. The engineer said that he was taking rest in his room on the premises after the end of Bangladesh Betar’s external service (programme for Bangladeshis living abroad). He was the shift-in-charge of the station from 10pm on August 14 to 6am the next day. Then technical operator Mohammed Ali and me-

chanic Anwar Hossain were also on duty alongside Pranab. “After two to three minutes, some armed officers and soldiers entered my room and enquired about the shift-in-charge. As Pranab identified himself, someone gave his identity as Maj Dalim and

He was ordered to ask the shift-incharge at the Kallyanpur station to switch on the transmitter. When he called Abdul Latif at Kallyanpur through Magneto Telephone and informed him about the assassination of Sheikh Mujib and told him to activate the transmit-

taken over power under the leadership of Khandaker Mustaq Ahmed. A curfew has been imposed,’” said Pranab’s statement. Then Maj Dalim enquired if the station had any power backup, fearing that the government might snap the commercial power con-

‘This is Maj Dalim speaking. Autocrat Sheikh Mujib has been killed and the army has taken over power under the leadership of Khandaker Mustaq Ahmed. A curfew has been imposed’ said: “Sheikh Mujib and all his gang have been killed, and the army has taken over power.” Maj Dalim then ordered Pranab to switch on the equipment to make an announcement about the assassination. He also threatened everyone with death if the announcement would not be aired. Pranab then said that nothing could be done until the Kallyanpur transmitter was operational.

ter, Latif thought that Pranab had gone mad. Realising the situation, Maj Dalim took the phone and hurled abuses at Latif. As Latif complied with his order, “Maj Dalim started his announcement. He mentioned Bangladesh Betar as Radio Bangladesh several times and said ‘This is Maj Dalim speaking. Autocrat Sheikh Mujib has been killed and the army has

nection. As he was told that they had no battery to run the generator, Maj Dalim ordered his soldiers to bring a battery from the two trucks stationed outside. Those trucks were brought by the Rokkhi Bahini (a special force named National Security Force formed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) tasked to ensure security for the Dhaka University convocation.

Sheikh Mujib was supposed to attend the event. “When the soldiers brought a battery from one of the trucks, I asked my mechanic to install it in the generator. At that time, I saw the soldiers forcing the Rokkhi Bahini members to surrender their arms and sit on the field in front of the police barrack,” Pranab said. “Khandaker Mustaq Ahmed came to the radio office at 7am. After some time, I saw then state minister for information Taher Uddin Thakur sitting beside Mustaq and writing his speech.” Mustaq’s recorded speech had been aired at 8am, Pranab said. “After one hour, I saw Mustaq talking to the chiefs of the three forces, police’s IGP, acting chief of Rokkhi Bahini [name not mentioned], Maj Gen Ziaur Rahman, Brig Khaled Mosharraf at studio 2.” Taher Uddin then wrote speeches of expressing allegiance, and it was read out by Army chief Maj Gen Shafiullah,

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Taposh: Aug 15 victims never bowed down to the killers n Tribune Report

We met Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi in India, for the first time after the 15 August tragedy

The killing of Bangabandhu was a great loss for the nation and an attack on the future development of Bangladesh. Bangladesh would have become a developed country 20 years ago if Bangabandhu were alive. Taposh is the Member of Parliament for the Dhaka 10 constituency. He was born on November 19, 1971 during the Liberation War. He is married and has two sons. His elder brother Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, an academic by profession. l

Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, a survivor of the August 15, 1975 said that during the assassination of Father of Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family not a single victim begged for their lives to be spared. Those who were killed on that day died valiantly, said Taposh at a seminar yesterday commemorating the National Mourning Day organised by University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. Taposh also remembered the two women who were killed on August 15, one was Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib and another his own mother Shamsunnessa Arju Moni. Those two women also died beside their husbands without bowing down to the killers, Taposh said. Professor Emeritus of ULAB Rafiqul Islam who was also a direct teacher of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Taposh’s father Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, said: “They killed Bangabandhu because the killers never wanted the Independence of the country.” Taposh also said at the seminar that the killing of Bangabandhu was not only a great loss for the country but also a great loss for the nation and an attack on the future of Bangladesh as well. Bangabandhu died at the age of 55. Had he lived Bangladesh would have been developed before Singapore, he also said. A documentary on Bangabandhu was also presented at the seminar. Among others ULAB Vice Chancellor Professor Imran Rahman, Board of trustees Vice President DR. Kazi Anis Ahmed, member Kazi Inam Ahmed were also present. l

face death penalty if he went back to Bangladesh. According to their law, Canada does not send back any foreign national convict who faces death penalty in his or her own country. Former law minister Shafique Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that he met his Canadian counterpart in 2009 to extradite the killer, but they said laws restricted them to deport any death penalty convict. Shafique said the government should have appointed a constitutional lawyer in Canada to pursue the deportation case, but instead a commercial lawyer was appointed

before the Awami League government took over power in 2009. When asked the reason, he said, “I do not know the reason.” Noor, now a Toronto resident, does not have status and does not enjoy any benefit from Canada; on regular interval, he has to go to immigration office to show his presence, said another official. When asked how he bears the expenses of the best lawyer in Canada and his living expenditure, he said: “We have no idea. But we guess somebody must pay his bills.” The government in 2011 requested Canada to deport him to the US

so that he could be brought back to Bangladesh from there but it was refused by the authorities, he added. “When the request was made in 2011, the reply was if they agreed now, they had to deport many other,” the official said. Noor, an army officer, is one of the 12 killers who were convicted of killing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family in 1975. He fled the country in November 1975 and was inducted into the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry in 1976. He held posts of charge’d affairs, counselor and minister in different missions. l

Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh speaks at a seminar yesterday commemorating the National Mourning Day organised by University of Liberal Arts

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

‘I remember my father lying on floor’ n Abu Hayat Mahmud Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh MP is one of the survivors of the assassination of Father of Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on August 15, 1975. He is the younger of two sons of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and Shamsunnessa Arju Moni, who were assassinated along with Bangabandhu. Moni, a Freedom Fighter, journalist and politician was a nephew to Sheikh Mujib. In an interview with the Dhaka Tribune, Taposh talks about his recollections of the night and his memories of Bangabandhu.

What did you see on that night?

I was less than five years old. I do not recollect much of that night. I only faintly remember the body of my father lying on the floor to the stairs.

How you were rescued and where did you hide?

My brother and I were carried by my aunt Mrs Fatema Selim, to a room inside and hidden there.

What was the last conversation with your father and mother? I do not remember.

What was the last conversation with Bangabandhu? I do not remember.

What is the sweetest memory you have with the Father of the Nation?

Once when my brother and I went to the residence of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with my parents and grandmother. Bangabandhu was on the veranda talking to other family members. When he saw us he took my brother and me on

his lap and started playing with us. This the only faint memory I have.

Do scenes from that night still haunt you?

The dead body of my father lying on the floor to the stairs still haunts me.

Who brought you up after the death of your parents?

My grandfather, grandmother, uncles and aunts reared me with all the love and affection that any parents can give to their children. Especially, my grandmother played a very pivotal role in our rearing.

When did you first meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina?

while she was in exile there.

What was the political situation after the killings?

I was under five years old. I had no ability to understand the political situation during the killing.

What is your evaluation of those brutal killings now?

Noor Chowdhury: Status-less in Canada n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangabandhu’s self-confessed killer Noor Chowdhury could have been brought back to Bangladesh when the Canadian authorities refused his political asylum application in late 2006. A senior Foreign Ministry official said Noor’s political asylum application was refused in 2006 and that time the death sentence verdict against him was pending with the Appellate Division of the High Court. Another senior government official said his diplomatic passport was returned to the Bangladesh

High Commission to Ottawa in 2006 and Canada also expressed its interest to send him back to Dhaka. He said at that time, a political transition was taking place in Bangladesh and there was no strong effort in bringing him back. Getting a breathing space of couple of months, Noor appointed one of the best Canadian immigration lawyers, Barbara Jackson, and filed an application with the Office of the Canadian Attorney General in mid-2007. Noor’s application is still pending with the office, he said. Noor resorted to a “pre-removal risk assessment,” saying he would

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'It was beyond his imagination' n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi “It was 10.30pm on August 14, 1975. Everyone had left and I came to Dhanmondi 32. Bangabandhu was dining with his family members. He beckoned me to his side and said, tomorrow morning, you will come to my house. You will go to your favourite university campus with me.” Those were the last words of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to his then political secretary. “But I could not go to my favourite campus with my favourite leader.” Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed reminisces to Dhaka Tribune talking about his long journey with the architect of Bangladesh. He speaks about Sheikh Mujib's love for the people and how the visionary leader could not have imagined Bengalis turning against him.

What was Bangabandhu's political philosophy?

Bangabandhu had two dreams one was to make Bangladesh independent, which he accomplished. The second one was to make this independent nation economically prosperous and bring smiles to the faces of the people. This he could not achieve. Some disgruntled army officers killed Bangabandhu along with most of his family members except Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana. But, I am very happy to say that the perfect successor of the Father of the Nation is running the country in right direction to materialise her father's dreams.

Tell the readers about the determination of Bangabandhu's character?

After declaring the historic six point demands, the great leader told us: “I made the bridge, we will achieve independence through it.” The historic sixpoint demand was the original charter of freedom, which shook the Ayub regime. Sensing the impact of the demands, Ayub Khan, the then Pakistani dictator, implicated Bangabandhu in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. Bangabandhu stood fast and went to jail. The bold man, touching a handful of soil to his forehead, said: Oh my soil, I know they will hang me but I want to lay on you forever. That was the boldness of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. GOVERNMENT PHOTO ARCHIVE

What do you think Bangladesh could have become if Bangabandhu were alive?

Bangladesh could have outperformed Singapore and Malaysia in terms of economic development, if we still had him. From 1975 to 1990, Bangladesh was trampled by military rule. The BNP-led government did not work on basis of the spirit of Independence. What the Awami League government has achieved today and is going to attain in terms of development was seeded by Bangabandhu.

What was the reason behind the killing of Bangabandhu?

To take revenge for the defeat in the Liberation War, the defeated forces along with the Bangladeshi cohorts carried out this killing. Conspirators from home and abroad could not tol-

erate the victory of Bengalis and they took revenge on August 15, 1975. The killers and their aides thought that through that killing they would be able to destroy the ideology of Bangabandhu and Awami League, but they failed. Now, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the perfect successor of the great leader is taking the country in right direction. They also wanted to eradicate the successor of Bangabandhu and that is why they killed the young boy Sheikh Rasel.

released from the jail in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. In his speech, Bangabandhu said those who freed me from imprisonment with their lives and blood, I will pay you one day. Bangabandhu gave back to the Bengali nation not only with his life but also his whole family's.

What was the vision of Bangabandhu?

On February 23, 1969, Sheikh Mujibur Rahan was given the title Bangabandhu at a mass reception at Suhrawardy Udyan after being

Bangabandhu was a far-sighted political leader. He first set aims and then followed through with it. He never deviated from his goals. Bangabandhu had great foresight. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the unchallenged leader of Bengal said: “I can feel with my heart that this state is not for the Bengali people. Bengali people have to be the architect of their own fate.”

program for regional autonomy. Bangabandhu was a man of huge self-esteem and an abundance of confidence. At the height of the Agartala conspiracy case trial in 1968, he coolly told a western journalist that the Pakistani authorities would not be able to keep him incarcerated for more than six months. Note that he was on trial for sedition, possibly headed towards execution or a very long term in prison. In any case, he was free in seven months. As he prepared to fly to Rawalpindi in February 1969, to attend the round-table conference called by President Ayub Khan, he quipped: “Yesterday a traitor, today a hero.” In Rawalpindi, he spurned Ayub’s offer of the prime ministership of Pakistan. Always a man who went by the norms of political transparency, he emphatically told Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in January 1971 that the December 1970 elections had given his party the

right to govern Pakistan. The People’s Party had its place marked out -- it was to be on the opposition benches. Bangabandhu’s principled stand in national politics was matched by his diplomatic convictions abroad. He took Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal to task over the latter’s negative remarks on Pakistan’s break-up in 1971. He put Yakubu Gowon in his place when the Nigerian lamented the weakening of Muslim Pakistan through the rise of a secular Bangladesh. He asked Indira Gandhi, in blunt fashion, when she on taking her soldiers back home from Bangladesh. Bangabandhu was our own. The mores and social norms we have grown up with were all exemplified in him. His smile radiated confidence and instilled courage in us. His sense of humour remains unmatched. He never forgot a face and always remembered names. His laughter reverberated across the room and beyond. He was

How Bangabandhu was grateful to the people who fought for the country responding to call from the great leader?

Tell us about Bangabandhu's philosophy on people?

Bangabandhu loved the people very much. It was beyond his imagination that his people would kill him. He began his speeches with 'Bhaiera amar' (my brothers), a call that filled everyone's hearts with passion and they became loyal to him. But the traitors failed to feel Bangabandhu's passion for his countrymen. Being driven by greed and international conspirators, who were against the Independence, on August 15, 1975, they killed him.

What is the present status of trial of Bangabandhu killers?

We have ensured justice for Bangabandhu's blood by hanging five killers and the government is trying heart and soul to bring the fugitives bak from several countries to execute their death sentences. l

Their Mojibor – their unforgettable Sheikh Shaheb n Enayetullah Khan

On Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 40th death anniversary, you remember the larger-than-life man he was. He inhabits our consciousness in all his largeness of form and substance, and not just in the figurative sense. Tall for a Bengali, he gave us to understand that in him were all those traits which underline the making of a political giant. His height mattered. So did his convictions. Think about it, think about all the other significant political figures who, in the course of our modern history, have influenced our evolution into where we happen to be today. Bangabandhu falls within that category. And yet, he breaks free of all those earlier stars and forms, within and by himself, a world apart. Of all the historical icons we have had cause to observe in our political ambience, only Bangabandhu stayed steadfast in purpose.

That element you call compromise, or a shifting of the ground, was not part of his nature. And that made all the difference. It was made clear to Bangabandhu towards the end of the 1950s that Bangalis needed to make their way out of Pakistan. And remember that he came of a generation which, in the 1940s, went all the way into making sure that the Lahore Resolution of 1940 was implemented in the interest of the muslims of India. That Sheikh Mujibur Rahman could break out of the communal mould, that he was beginning to question the very basis of the country in whose creation he, like millions of other young men, had once taken immense interest, was an early hint of the greatness he was destined for. The path to that greatness was clearly laid out in 1966, when he overrode every other concern to inform the ruling classes of Pakistan that it was time to reinvent the state through his Six Point

always filling the room with his presence. When he met complete strangers, he made them feel they had known him all their life. When he found himself in the company of academics, he did not forget that these were men who deserved his unqualified respect. Alone among the great men we have known, he drew respect from the intellectual classes and the more humble citizens alike. Across this land, men of letters speak of Bangabandhu with reverence. Peasants and rickshaw-pullers have always known him as their very own “Mojibor” or as their unforgettable “Sheikh.” In the hallowed councils of the world, Bangabandhu was a colossus striding across the moments that constituted the embroidered fabric of history. l

Enayetullah Khan is Editor, Dhaka Courier and Editor in Chief, United News of Bangladesh (UNB).

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The Unfinished Memoirs In this part of his memoir, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shares how it was to be united with his family – especially with his father, wife, and two children – Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Kamal

How inhuman can people be to keep a man away from his dear ones and his children because of political reasons? People become blinded by greed. Our nation had been freed just the other day after being in chains for 200 years. Even if I hadn’t done a lot, I had contributed at least a little to our independence

he next day my father took me out of the prison. A lot of people had come to the jail gate to see me. I was taken in a stretcher to the gate and kept outside. It was as if they were hoping that if anything was to happen to me it was best for them that it happened outside the jail. A few people carried my stretcher on their backs to Mr Alauddin Khan’s house. I was kept here for a while. In the evening I was taken to my sister’s house. I spent the night there. Many of my relatives as well as a lot of other people came to meet me there. My father remained with me all the while. The next morning one of my friends drove me all the way to Bhanga in a car. My father hired a big boat there. My aunt’s house was close to the road. She came to the road to see me. She asked my father to stay with them in Nurpur village for the time being. However, my father said that he would take me in the boat to his older sister’s house in Dattapara ... Dattapara is in Madaripur and from there it takes a day and a night to go to Gopalganj by boat. Our party workers were waiting for us in Sindhia Ghat and when they saw that I was on my way they headed for Gopalganj to receive me there. We reached Gopalganj a few hours later only to see that a huge crowd had gathered there to receive me. Indeed, the entire riverbank

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seemed to be full of people waiting for me. They wanted me to get down there. My father objected to this but they were in no mood to listen to him. They held me up and carried me in a procession and then brought me back to the boat again. My father decided to take me home without any further delay since my mother, Renu, and everyone else in our house were waiting eagerly for me. My brother too was there, having come from Khulna to meet me. I reached home after five days. It was difficult to explain to my mother what had happened. My daughter Hasina embraced me and said, “Abba, we want Bengali to be the national language; we want all political prisoners to be freed.” She had picked up these slogans when she was in Dhaka on February 21. Kamal wouldn’t come to me although he kept staring at me. I was still very weak and had to lie down every now and then. When everyone had left my room one by one and we were finally all by ourselves Renu began to cry. She said, “I knew as soon as I received your letter you had decided to do something drastic. I had become impatient to meet you. I didn’t know whom to approach to take me to you; it was too embarrassing for me to request your father to do so. Your brother Nasser was elsewhere. When I read the news in the paper

I decided that I would have to risk the embarrassment and asked your father to take me to you. He immediately made arrangements for our trip. And we were soon on our way to Dhaka in our big boat with the help of three oarsmen. Why did you go on a hunger strike? Do these people have any compassion? Didn’t you think for a moment about us? Can you imagine what would happen to us without you? How would I survive with two little children? What would happen to Hasina and Kamal? You might say that even without you, we wouldn’t starve. But is that all one wants? And even if you had died would it have helped the country in any way?” I kept quiet. I let her go on knowing that if we can give vent to pent-up emotions we would feel better. Renu was usually very composed but that day a dam seemed to have burst and words came out of her in torrents. All I said by way of reply was, “I had no options.” The children had gone to sleep by then. In our house, in my own room, in my own bed after 27 to 28 months I kept thinking of the lonely days I had spent in prison and the agony I had gone through there. I had found out what was going on in Dhaka by this time. Mohiuddin had already been released. But just when I had been freed they put my fellow workers behind bars.

Next morning father called a physician over to our house to have me examined. I had brought along the civil surgeon’s prescription. The physician told everyone that I should not be allowed to leave my bed. I would be permitted to walk only after ten days, but that too only in the evening. Some of my colleagues from Gopalganj, Khulna, and Barisal had come to meet me in our house. One morning Renu and I were chatting in bed while Hasina and Kamal were playing on the floor. Every now and then Hasina would come up to me leaving behind all her playthings. At one point she called out to me, “Abba, Abba.” Kamal kept staring at me. Then Kamal told Hasina, “Sister dear, can I call your abba my abba too?” Both Renu and I heard him say this. I got down from the bed slowly and took him in my lap and said to him, “But I am your dad.” Kamal would normally stay away from me but today he hugged me. I realised that he couldn’t keep away from me any longer. But how strange it is that one’s own son can forget his father if he is away for a long time. When I went to jail he had been only a few months old. How inhuman can people be to keep a man away from his dear ones and his children because of political reasons? People become blinded by greed. Our nation had been freed just the other day after being in chains for 200 years. Even if I hadn’t done a lot, I had contributed at least a little to our independence. And now my fellow workers and I had to endure life in prison for months despite all that we had done. Who knows how much longer we would have to be in prison? Was this what freedom amounted to? However, I wasn’t frightened of imprisonment ... ... those who had been left in charge of the nation were more interested in their own fortunes than those of the people. They weren’t bothered about how they could best build Pakistan and improve the lot of the people. After the bullets had been fired in Pakistan it was easy for people to see that the people in charge were not their friends. I found out that when the news of the police firing on February 21 reached the countryside people everywhere had observed a general strike. They had come to understand that a special group of people was trying to snatch away their language from them. l

Translated by Fakrul Alam, professor, Department of English, University of Dhaka. Reprinted by arrangement with University Press Limited, the publisher of the memoir.

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Bengal’s spokesman This is an excerpt from Syed Badrul Ahsan’s book From Rebel to Founding Father

t noon on February 22, 1969, Vice Admiral AR Khan, Pakistan’s defence minister, made a terse announcement in Dhaka. The government of Pakistan, he informed the media at a news conference, had decided to withdraw the Agartala Conspiracy case and release all 35 individuals accused in the case without conditions. It was thus that Mujib came to score, till that point in time, the biggest triumph of his political career. By the time he arrived home in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi residential area, huge crowds had gathered along the roads leading to his residence. It had been nearly three years since he had last been home, except for a few hours in 1968 when he had been escorted to his village Tungipara in Faridpur to see his ailing mother. On this day, however, the manner of his release from captivity and the cult status that he clearly enjoyed was evidence of the veneration in which Bengalis now held him. Awami League politicians, students, journalists, rickshaw pullers, in fact nearly every Bengali seemed to be taking the road to Dhanmondi on that day. Earlier, as soon as he had entered his home, his elder daughter Hasina ran into his arms, an image that was captured on the front pages of the following day’s newspapers. Mujib was clearly exhausted after his ordeal, but that did not appear to dampen his spirits. He was enjoying his freedom. But more important than that was the knowledge that he was now the de facto leader of the Bengali people. His elevation from the position of president of the Awami League to that of undisputed spokesman for his nation had been in the making over the past many months. Now that elevation was clearly being confirmed. He shook hands with many, gathered his political associates and student leaders in repeated embrace, and expressed his gratitude to the people for speaking up in his defence. As he stepped on to the second floor balcony overlooking the street, he reminded the crowd that the struggle was not yet over. The Six Points, he told his audience as also the rest of Pakistan, had now turned into what he called the property of the people. The mass uprising that had forced the regime to free him had convinced him that his sweeping program of provincial autonomy had found acceptance among the Bengalis. He would not, said he, let his people, the Bengalis, down.

The next day, February 23, Mujib addressed a huge rally in Dhaka. An unprecedented million people turned out to hear their leader. No other Bengali politician, not Suhrawardy, not Huq, not Bhashani, had achieved the kind of popularity that Mujib now enjoyed GOVERNMENT PHOTO ARCHIVE

There was little in Mujib’s remarks on that day and later, to say that he spoke for the whole of Pakistan. He was not willing, at that stage, to turn his back on the politics he had assiduously built around the economic and political future of Pakistan’s Bengalis. If anything, the Agartala case had reinforced his conviction that no political settlement in the country could prove durable unless his program for autonomy was accepted across Pakistan. The next day, February 23, Mujib addressed a huge rally in Dhaka. An unprecedented million people turned out to hear their leader. No other Bengali politician, not Suhrawardy, not Huq, not Bhashani, had achieved the kind of popularity that Mujib now enjoyed. He had been the long-suffering leader who had never compromised in his opposition to various levels of West Pakistani exploitation of Bengalis for more than two decades.

What added to his charisma was the courage he had demonstrated since his entry into politics at a young age. Now, a month short of his 49th birthday, a six-foot figure sporting a moustache that accentuated his presence, Mujib was ready to play the role he had always sought in life. He would lead his people to a better future, which for him meant political liberty. For the moment, the Six Points would be a test of whether the state of Pakistan was ready to listen to him or, as hithertofore, ignore Bengali aspirations. One satisfaction for Mujib and the Awami League was that the overwhelming adulation in which East Pakistan held him would make the authorities think twice before they tried any new repressive measures against the Bengalis. At the rally, Mujib told his charmed audience that he would be taking part at the RTC in Rawalpindi where he intended to present the Six Points as the tem-

plate on which the constitutional future of Pakistan would have to be decided. The rally in Dhaka was effectively a recognition of Mujib as the authentic and sole voice of the Bengalis. In a rousing speech before the crowds, student leader Tofail Ahmed left no doubt as to the degree of loyalty Mujib commanded in the country and called him Bangabandhu, friend of Bengal, for his relentless pursuit of Bengali aspirations and for his uncomplaining suffering at the hands of his tormentors. Mujib was thus placed on the same pedestal as Chittaranjan Das, the Bengali political figure who died in 1925, and Subhas Chandra Bose, Mujib’s hero Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and Mahatma Gandhi. The honorific Bangabandhu would henceforth be the way Mujib would be addressed by his people. For those of his generation, he was now being referred to respectfully as Sheikh Shaheb.

On February 24, two days after his release from prison, Mujib arrived in Rawalpindi with his team comprising senior party leaders Khondokar Moshtaq Ahmed, Syed Nazrul Islam, and Tajuddin Ahmed. Arriving in Pakistan’s provisional capital, Mujib found himself besieged by newsmen. He was asked a number of questions, all of which were respectful and most of which he chose not to answer. He, however, did quip that he who had been treated as a traitor only the other day was now being honoured as a patriot. In the countdown to the RTC the next day, a moment of supreme irony could not missed by the national media when President Ayub Khan welcomed Mujib into the conference hall. There had been little love lost between the two men. For more than a decade, Ayub had distrusted the Bengali leader who always taxed his patience with his radicalism. On his part, Mujib

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had all along considered the president as the epitome of everything that was wrong for the Bengalis of Pakistan. Mujib certainly could not erase the feeling that had it not been for the virtual uprising that had shaken the regime, Ayub Khan would now be preparing to send him to the gallows. More than anything else, the pictures the media carried on the front pages of the two men shaking hands told a simple story: Ayub Khan’s career was on the wane and Mujib’s star was in the ascendant. The RTC, conceived along the model of the RTCs convened by the British Government in London in the early 1930s to discuss the question of self-rule for India (with Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah being the more important politicians to be present), did not get off to an auspicious start. For one thing, it was boycotted by Bhutto and Bhashani, who were then meeting in Dhaka to strike a deal between their parties on how best to push the regime from power. For quite another, differences of opinion within the DAC brought out in the open the deep fissures that could wreck Opposition unity. While a large number of Opposition representatives favoured a simple deal with the president envisaging a return to parliamentary government on the basis of the 1956 constitution, the Awami League made its position clear that nothing short of an agreement based on its Six Points would satisfy East Pakistan. In his opening address at the RTC, Mujib lost no time in reminding his Opposition allies as well as the government team, which was led by Ayub Khan, that any deliberations on Pakistan’s constitutional future rested on decentralisation of power, based on a draft of autonomy measures with the adoption of the Six Points scheme. The president pointed out to him the risks that the Six Points posed to the federation. In his response, Mujib went into a recapitulation of the history of political and economic exploitation East Pakistan had been subjected to for 22 years. The RTC was adjourned until early March, by which time it was hoped that the politicians, including those on the government team, would be able to examine the various options towards a settlement of the crisis. Aware that without the Awami League it would lose meaning, the DAC tried to convince Mujib that the immediate task before the country was the removal of Ayub Khan by returning to a Westminster-style government. The Awami League leader gave no ground, insisting to his colleagues that the people of East Pakistan had voiced their support for the Six Points overwhelmingly through the mass movement of the previous few months.

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It was no surprise that when the RTC reconvened on March 10, Mujib found himself alone. Both the government and the other components of the DAC rejected any constitutional formula based on the Six Points, with the consequence that when the conference ended, little had been achieved. President Ayub Khan agreed to return the country to parliamentary government elected on the basis of universal suffrage. It was the final nail in the coffin, that he more than anyone else, had built for his government. The DAC’s Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan was in an ebullient form in the assumption that under his stewardship the Opposition had pulled off a coup. It had not yet occurred to him that with the Awami League seething in anger at what it considered betrayal on the part of its partners, the uncertainty which had crept into national politics was far from resolved. Soon enough, the government and the DAC were both upstaged by Mujib’s announcement in Rawalpindi that he was taking the Awami League out of the Opposition alliance over its failure to address the Six-Point formula in the negotiations with the government. Mujib did not waste any more time in Rawalpindi, preferring to take the earliest available flight back home. For him and for a vast majority of Bengalis, men like Nurul Amin and Hamidul Haq Chowd-

For Mujib, however, politics now began to take a new, ominous turn. He and his party began to worry about the real possibility of an unconstitutional change of government that could set the country back once more hury had disappointed their fellow Bengalis. Mujib would henceforth make sure that they were marginalised in politics. If there had been any feeling that the end of the RTC, in however divisive a manner, would lead to a restoration of calm in Pakistan, it was misplaced. For the Bengalis, the conference had resolved nothing. There are reasons to assume that President Ayub Khan and Mujib had at least one, if not more, exclusive meeting at the initiative of the former. The president had offered Mujib the prime minister’s post in what might have been a calculated strategy of either doing his last bit to douse the flames or

putting the Awami League chief in a position where he could only self-destruct. Mujib showed little interest in the proposal. He had never trusted Ayub Khan and he was not about to change his opinion now. That is why he agreed with his party and broad Bengali opinion that no political settlement could prove viable without the Six Points. The country remained in turmoil. Bhashani, who had earlier tried to coax Mujib into staying away from the RTC because of his conviction that it would turn up nothing, now felt vindicated. In West Pakistan, Bhutto too relished the inconsequential results of the RTC, exhorting the crowds that came to hear him that nothing less than the program set forth by PPP could put the country back on the rails. For Mujib, however, politics now began to take a new, ominous turn. He and his party began to worry about the real possibility of an unconstitutional change of government that could set the country back once more. In the weeks before the RTC, there had been a fair degree of speculation about Ayub Khan’s stepping down in favour of an interim administration led by Justice SM Murshed. But the president and the opportunism of Mujib’s colleagues in the DAC had put paid to that chance. With continuing political violence, and Bhashani still calling for “jalao-gherao” in

East Pakistan, Mujib sensed that conditions were on a slide. In the event of the president’s resignation, under the terms of the 1962 constitution, power would normally pass into the hands of Speaker Abdul Jabbar Khan. But there was little sign of the president moving in that direction. More tellingly, reports that he had been consulting the army and ignoring the speaker and his ministers altogether reinforced Mujib’s fears that drastic action was in the offing. Just how menacing the threat was or when it would come to pass, he and his party colleagues were unable to say. Rumours of a more frightening nature began to circulate in Rawalpindi around that time. The president was clearly not in a mood to give up authority and explored the possibility of placing the country under martial law once again, as the supreme commander of the armed forces, a position he thought still allowed him a huge say over the military. But he had quite overestimated his political clout. As for the army itself, it was well prepared to strike again, but without the president. The commander-in-chief, General Yahya Khan, was absolutely willing to impose martial law but only as long as he called the shots.

Syed Badrul Ahsan is Associate Editor, The Daily Observer.

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

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Bangladeshi Imam, associate killed in NY shooting n Tribune International Desk A Bangladesh-origin imam of a Queens mosque in New York and his associate have been killed as a lone gunman attacked them from close range in what members of the mosque quickly denounced as a hate crime. The duo were dressed in Muslim garb when the killer “approached from behind and shot in the head” from point-blank range just one block from the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid Mosque in Ozone Park after Saturday afternoon prayers, New York Daily News reported. The mosque is frequented primarily by people of Bangladeshi origin. Alaluddin Akonjee, 55, and his assistant and brother-in-law, 65-yearold Thara Uddin, succumbed to their injuries at a hospital. Akonjee arrived in Queens from Bangladesh less than two years ago. He was leaving for Bangladesh in 10

days to attend his son’s wedding. On January 16, a Bangladeshi man Mujibur Rahman, 43, on a Bronx street was assaulted by two teenagers when he walked his nine-yearold niece from school. The teens – a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old – were later arrested and charged with misdemeanour assault and harassment as a hate crime. The gunshots rang out around 1:55pm local time on 79th St., said police sources. It was unclear if the killer said anything before he started shooting. The two victims were apparently headed to Akonjee’s house when they were attacked. The shooter fled the scene on foot. Police say there was no argument or exchange of words before the shooting – just gunfire. Witnesses say a man with a medium complexion and Polo-style shorts was seen fleeing the scene with a gun in his hand.

36 civilians hacked to death in DR Congo n Reuters, Kinshasa Suspected rebels killed at least 36 civilians in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the provincial governor said on Sunday, marking the deadliest massacre in the conflict-ravaged region this year. The assailants hacked to death 22 men and 14 women late on Saturday in their homes and fields on the outskirts of the local commercial hub of Beni, Julien Paluku said in a statement. Local army spokesman Mak Hazukay told Reuters that the attack was staged in the early evening by rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist militia that has operated in eastern Congo since the 1990s. The ADF, a secretive organisation of only a few hundred fighters, did not comment. The population of Beni “has once again been hit by terrorist acts of diverse origins whose objective is to sabotage the efforts at peace undertaken over the last two years,” he said. Local activists say more than 500 civilians have been killed near Beni since October 2014, most in overnight raids by rebels carried out with machetes and hatchets. Hazukay said the raid was in reprisal for army operations

against the ADF, which the government says is responsible for nearly all the attacks near Beni over the last year. However, a United Nations panel of experts and independent analysts says that other armed groups, including some Congolese soldiers, have been involved in attacks on civilians. It appeared to be the deadliest attack in the area since an assault blamed on the ADF in November 2014 killed some 80 people. “The goal of the attack is to incite the population to rise up against us,” Hazukay said. Omar Kavota, the executive director at the Centre of Study for the Promotion of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights that documents violence in North Kivu, said he had received reports of as many as 50 dead. Eastern Congo is plagued by dozens of armed groups that prey on locals and exploit mineral reserves. Millions died there between 1996 and 2003 as a regional conflict caused hunger and disease. Analysts say insufficient intelligence, coordination and resources have rendered the Congolese army and the country’s UN peacekeeping force ineffective against the small ADF force, raising tensions in the region. l

Scores of worshippers from the mosque gathered within hours at the murder scene to denounce the cold-blooded ambush as a hate crime – with the two religious leaders specifically targeted. “That’s not what America is about,” said local resident Khairul Islam, 33. “We blame Donald Trump for this … Trump and his drama has created Islamophobia.” The motive for the shooting was not immediately known and no evidence has been uncovered that the two men were targeted because of their faith, said Tiffany Phillips, a spokeswoman for the New York City Police Department. Even so, police were not ruling out any possibility, she added. Local residents described the imam as a pious, well-respected member of the community. Akonjee was head of the local mosque for four years, said Ahmed Zakria, a member of the mosque. l

People gather for a demonstration in New York, near a crime scene after the leader of a New York City mosque and an associate were fatally shot on August 13 REUTERS

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MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

50,000 march in Peru against gender violence n Tribune International Desk More than 50,000 people marched in Peru’s capital and eight other cities on Saturday to protest violence against woman and what they say is the indifference of the judicial system. Officials said the size of the protest against gender violence was unprecedented in Peru and followed several recent high-profile cases in which male perpetrators were given what women’s groups said were too-lenient sentences. The march in Lima ended at the palace of justice. “Today, the 13th of August, is a historic day for this country because it represents a breaking point and the start of a new culture to eradicate the marginalization that women have been suffering, especially

with violence,” said Victor Ticona, president of Peru’s judicial system. Ticona said that a commission of judges would receive representatives of the protesters. Newly inaugurated President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski took part in the march along with first lady Nancy Lange. “What we don’t want in Peru is violence against anyone, but especially against women and children,” he said. According to Romero, 68, who twice served as the minister for women under the government of Alejandro Toledo, whose term as Peruvian president ran from 2001 to 2006. On average, 10 women are murdered every month in Peru, said Romero, while ministry figures

indicate a further 20 are victims of attempted femicide. Earlier in the day, Kuczynski said his government is “going to ask for facilities for women to denounce violence because abuse flourishes in an environment where complaints cannot be made and the blows are absorbed in silence — and this is not how it should be.” Peru’s march follows similar protests against gender violence in other Latin American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, held under the slogan #NiUnaMenos — #NotOneLess. According to a 2015 study by Peru’s ombudsman’s office, La Defensoría del Pueblo, in 81% of the studied cases no measures were taken to protect survivors of attempted femicide. l

Trump rails against press in response to reports of chaos Fairfield County, n Reuters, Connecticut US Republican Donald Trump on Saturday repeated his attack on President Barack Obama that he helped “found” Islamic State and railed against media reports that his campaign is failing, at a campaign rally in Connecticut, a state where he has a long-shot of being victorious. Speaking for more than an hour in a sweltering room, Trump spent a significant portion of his speech complaining about the media. He again threatened to revoke the press credentials of The New York Times. The credentials allow reporters access to press-only areas of his campaign events. He has already banned other outlets, including The Washington Post. On Saturday, the New York newspaper published an article detailing failed efforts to make Trump focus his campaign on the general election. These are the most dishonest people,” Trump said. “Maybe we’ll start thinking about taking their press credentials away from them.” Trump visiting Connecticut, a heavily Democratic state, raised eyebrows among many Republicans. “It’s asinine that he would be in Connecticut holding a public rally less than 90 days before the election,” said Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak. “You don’t see Hillary

Donald Trump publicly campaigning in Idaho and Mississippi. I have to think this proves the candidate is running the campaign, which explains why it’s such a disaster of biblical proportions.” At several points the crowd chanted “lock her up,” a frequent campaign rally chant in reference to Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump told the crowd that normally he responds by saying he intends instead to defeat her in the Nov. 8 election, but this time added, “You know what? You have a point!” Trump also dropped his recent efforts to say he was not being serious when he said Obama was the “founder” of the Islamic State militant group . “It’s the opinion of myself and a lot of people that he was the founder,” Trump told the crowd. Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Trump’s assertion as patently false. Trump took a detour from attacking Clinton’s econom-

REUTERS

ic record to discuss the 1998 scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky and former President Bill Clinton, whom Republicans attempted to impeach. “Remember when he said, he did not have sex with that woman, and a couple of weeks later, oh you got me,” Trump said, to cheers. He then made reference to a blue dress that became a symbol in the investigation. “I’m so glad they kept that dress, so glad they kept that dress, because it shows what the hell they are.” l

Peru’s First Lady Nancy Lange takes part in a protest violence against women in Lima on August 13 REUTERS

14 Business

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

TOP STORIES

BD placed 19th in global financial inclusion progress n Jebun Nesa Alo

Brexit could be delayed to late-2019 as government not ready Britain’s exit from the European Union could be delayed until at least late 2019 because the government was too “chaotic” to start the two-year process early next year, the Sunday Times reported, citing sources it said were briefed by ministers. PAGE 15

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Bangladesh has been ranked 19th, scoring 66% in financial inclusion progress among many countries in the world while Kenya topped the list with 84% score, according to a global study report. The 2016 Brookings Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) report revealed recently evaluates access to and usage of affordable financial services by underprivileged people across 26 geographically, politically and economically diverse countries. The report also mentioned the largest cyber heist that took away $81 million from Bangladesh Bank’s reserve account, causing major institutional shifts in Bangladesh.

A major institutional shift in Bangladesh since the publication of 2015 FDIP report was the resignation of then governor of Bangladesh Bank, Atiur Rahman, in March 2016, after hackers allegedly stole more than $81 million from Bangladesh Bank by providing transfer orders to the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York. Fazle Kabir was appointed as the new governor of Bangladesh Bank in the same month. Thus far, financial inclusion initiatives in Bangladesh do not appear to have been significantly disrupted by these events. For example, as of spring 2016, the drafting of a national financial inclusion strategy under a committee chaired by the governor of Bangladesh Bank was underway,

the report observed. The neighbouring country, India, was ranked 12th, scoring 71% in the development of financial inclusion. Pakistan scored 69% and was placed 14th among the countries under Financial and Digital Inclusion Project (FDIP) in the study. The other top-scoring countries include Colombia, earning 79%, and Kenya, South Africa, Brazil and Uganda, each scoring 78%. They held the top five positions among countries between 2015 and 2016. The 2016 report assesses these countries’ financial inclusion ecosystems based on four dimensions of financial inclusion – country commitment, mobile capacity, regulatory environment and adoption of selected traditional

and digital financial services. Bangladesh scored 89% on the country commitment, 83% on mobile capacity, 78% on regulatory environment and 39% on adoption while India scored 100%, 72%, 94% and 44% respectively. The study report said Bangladesh’s robust mobile capacity levels have contributed to the increasing take-up of Mobile Financial Services (MFS) in the country, which as of 2014, boasted among the FDIP countries in Asia. In fact, Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing mobile money markets in the world when measured by the total number of accounts. There were about 131 million mobile phone subscribers of the total about 160 million population as of March 2016. l

Government mulls manpower increase for Tourist Police n Ishtiaq Husain

The government has undertaken a plan to increase the manpower of the newly introduced Tourist Police for ensuring tourists’ security, especially foreigners. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Tourist Police Md Sohrab Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that manpower of tourist police would be doubled from the existing number of 699 soon for bringing more touristic spots under security blankets. Finance ministry has already approved the proposal and it will take

one more month to get the final approval from the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the government has introduced tourist police, a new unit of police to ensure security of tourists and protect the country’s tourism sites in August, 2009. The unit is tasked with the responsibilities of providing security to the tourist and protecting all the tourist spot of the country. Tourist police, a distinctly a new unit has been instituted in Bangladesh Police with the \ objective of helping development of the tourism industry by fasci-

nation the foreign and the local tourist, improving ecological environment and preserving the culture and heritage of Bangladesh a reverie country adorned with in comparable bounties and immense exquisite natural beauties and thereby expediting the pace of its overall development. One of the foremost objectives of the force is to improve the image of Bangladesh as a country of peace loving people to the outside World, and help develop the tourism industry to the fullness of each potentiality.

The unit has two divisions, it headed by a DIG, as its Chief. Two divisions are one in Chittagong and other in Dhaka. The area fall under Chittagong division are Chittagong, Hill tracts and Cox’s bazar. Dhaka, Sylhet and Kuakata comes under Dhaka division. A division each again divided into three Zones. Each division is placed under the serve of an Add. DIG. Where as a zone is under an Add. SP. Beside this the unit has 4 SPs, 8 Add. SPs, 11 ASPs and 21 Inspectors. The sanction strength of manpower of the unit 699 in total. l

Brexit could be delayed to late-2019 as government not ready

Brexit Scarecrows depicting former British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are displayed during the Scarecrow Festival in Heather REUTERS

n Reuters Britain’s exit from the European Union could be delayed until at least late 2019 because the government was too “chaotic” to start the two-year process early next year, the Sunday Times reported, citing sources it said were briefed by ministers. Britain voted to leave the EU on June 23, but views differ over when it should invoke “Article 50”, which sets the clock ticking on a two-year deadline to leave the bloc, with some senior politicians calling for a quick

departure. Prime Minister Theresa May, who campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU and leads a cabinet of ministers from either side of the debate, has said she will not trigger Brexit talks this year as Britain needs time to prepare. But British government ministers have warned senior figures in the City of London, London’s financial district, that Article 50 was unlikely to be triggered early in 2017 because the situation in government was “chaotic”, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.

“Ministers are now thinking the [Article 50] trigger could be delayed until autumn 2017,” one source, who had spoken to two senior ministers, told the newspaper. “They don’t have the infrastructure for the people they need to hire. They say they don’t even know the right questions to ask when they finally begin bargaining with Europe.” Asked about the reported delay to triggering Article 50, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister has been clear that a top priority for this government is to deliver the decision of the British people to leave the EU and make a success of Brexit.” “The PM has set out the government’s position on Article 50 and has established a new department dedicated to taking forward the negotiations,” she said. European leaders have taken a firm line on the speed of Britain’s exit, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying that while it was understandable that Britain would need a few months to figure out its strategy, “nobody wants a long period of limbo”. l

Some shell companies sidestep new UK transparency rules n Reuters, London Some UK shell companies under offshore control may be skirting new rules which were designed to clamp down on corruption and tax evasion by forcing businesses to reveal their true owners, a Reuters analysis of corporate filings shows. British government officials have heralded the rules, which came into effect last month, as a world-leading transparency move to tackle crime and urged other nations to follow suit. Under the new system, statements which UK companies file when they are set up and on each anniversary of that date showing changes in shareholders or directors are supposed to include details

of “Persons with significant control (PSC)”. For most companies this is straightforward. But some owners use nominees or shell companies, which can have legitimate purposes but also can mask international crime, governments and international bodies like the World Bank say. Of 300 offshore shell companies identified by Reuters, 22 would typically have been required to have published the beneficial ownership information by now because their reporting dates fell in the weeks since July 1, when the rules came into force. All but one of them has not done so. The ways they have avoided the rules lay bare, for the first time, several loopholes in the new regulation. Twelve filed their annual

ownership statement before the new rules came into effect on July 1, although their anniversaries fell after that date. They could thus apply the old rules which did not require them to declare beneficial owners. Others filed late or stated they did not have any beneficial owners. Shell companies can have legal aims such as easing access to international markets or servicing clients in many countries and none of the actions by the companies necessarily signal improper dealings. Robert Palmer, policy advisor at advocacy group Global Witness, said the filings showed people might be able to hide behind shell companies despite the new system. l

Business

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 , 2016

CORPORATE NEWS

EXIM Bank has recently donated Tk 75 lakh to prime minister’s relief fund, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Md Nazrul Islam Mazumder handed over a cheque to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in this regard

Social Islami Bank Limited has recently donated Tk 75 lakh to prime minister’s relief fund for helping flood affected people of the country, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, Major Dr Md Rezaul Haque (retired) handed over a cheque to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in this regard

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

August 15 Special

What Bangabandhu really fought for n Saqib Sarker “Father of the nation”, “Bangabandhu”, “the greatest Bengali of all time”, and countless other titles have been given to this one man. Bangabandhu had been and continues to be adorned by these adjectives. That’s not surprising, given the immense sentiments the image of Bangabandhu’s image generates. We need these emotions. This is what makes us human. But if we look away from the accolades and the celebrations of his life, what do we find? What did he really fight for? What drove Bangabandhu to sacrifice a peaceful existence and a normal life? In 17 March, 1920, a boy was born in the house of a serestadar (clerk) in the civil court in Gopalganj. This new born son of an ordinary civil servant Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, was the third among six brothers and sisters. The boy grew up to finish his primary education in the local Gimadanga School. He passed his Matriculation from Gopalganj Missionary School, Intermediate of Arts from Calcutta Islamia College, and BA from the same college. That is Bangabandhu’s background. It doesn’t sound a whole lot different from that of thousands of others. Imagine an alternative universe, where instead of being interested in society and politics this man grew up to be a very quiet and uninterested person. Imagine he didn’t show any early signs of leadership. Imagine that the political upheaval and changes in the subcontinent occurred without the presence of this man! It is certainly possible, even easy, to imagine a person with his background quietly merging into the crowd of the educated middle class. We know, because thousands of people have. We often focus on his extraordinary qualities. But there is something glaringly obvious that we often overlook. He was one of us! He could easily have been one of our grandparents or fathers. The only reason why he became a monumental figure in history was because he cared. And that is where we will find the motivations that drove him all his life. The earliest story about his political activism is very instructive. When Bangabandhu was only 18 and a high school student, he did something incredible. AK Fazlul Huq, the Chief Minister of Bengal in 1938, came to visit Gopalganj Missionary School, where Bangabandhu was a

Artwork by sculptor Iftekhar Wahid Iftee. Photo taken from the Bangabandhu Museum at Dhanmondi Road 32. student. He organised an agitation to bring the poor conditions of the local people into the Chief Minister’s attention. If you want to, you can summarise his life from this one small incident. That is what this teenager in 1938 would continue to do for the rest of his life. The crux of his political struggle was therefore always about something deep. Yes, it was the political self determination of the people of this land. His struggle culminated into the liberation war. But at the core of it all, his fight was for human rights. From that little agitation in Gopalganj in 1938 to the stupendous gathering on March 7, 1971, this is clearly seen and heard

His struggle culminated into the liberation war. But at the core of it all, his fight was for human rights

in his political agenda and actions. His focus constantly was on the people’s rights. “The people of Bangla want to live. The people of Bangla want to have their rights,” he started his famous speech on March 7, proclaiming the inalienable rights of the people.

This remained the recurring theme and the nucleus of his famous speech, expressed throughout political issues on the ground. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahiyan of the United Arab Emirates said to Bangabandhu in 1974, when he visited the

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain UAE, that they have one thing in common. “We both are sheikhs,” Sheikh Nahiyan playfully remarked. “But there is a difference,” replied Bangabandhu; “I am a poor Sheikh.” Both leaders burst into laughter,” wrote Syed Badrul Ahsan, in his the book Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: From Rebel to Founding Father. “Bangabandhu’s Bangladesh”, “the dream of Bangabandhu realised” – these are often repeated slogans. But if we are serious about Bangabandhu’s dream then we will have to bring back human rights at the forefront of our national agenda, like Bangabandhu did. And he showed us that it was a fight worth fighting for. l

August 15 Special

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Bangabandhu: In their eyes “W

hen you think about it, it is incredible that the entire country, even

before March 25, was following Bangabandhu’s leadership. He took away Pakistan’s state power and led us to our independence, but he also brought about profound political change. Some had identified him as a so-called bourgeois leader, yet he fought against elite rule and for the rights of the proletariat. Not only that, he turned the tide from religious to secular politics, and created the secular slogan - Joy Bangla - that became the first words of our free country. In my opinion, he was an outstanding personality and one of the greatest leaders of all time.” Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister of Cultural Affairs

“Bangabandhu was a source of courage for us, and the height of leadership that he reached during our liberation struggle was unprecedented. His unchallenged leadership, and his charisma and courage, moved 75 million people to fight for a free country. I believe he is missed in the heart of every individual who loves this country.”

Illustration: Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

Sultana Kamal, lawyer and human rights activist

“I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib. In personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas. I have thus had the experience of witnessing the Himalayas.” Cuban leader Fidel Castro speaking about Mujib during the Non-Aligned Summit held in Algiers in 1973.

“In today’s fragmented and violent world, I am rediscovering Bangabandhu in a new light. He created harmony in diversity and reconciled religion with nationalism. What he achieved is part of our past, what he represented is part of our future. The more I place him in a broad historical context, the more fascinated I become.”

“What inspires me the most is Bangabandhu’s transformation from a Muslim League student activist to our leader of liberation, and his influence on the Bengali tolerance of all ways of life, be it religious, cultural or political. To me, he is like a giant banyan tree - in his shade, we learnt about Bengali secular identity and what a true Bengali is.”

“He is the father who gave me a sense of unconditional freedom.”

Mofidul Hoque, Trustee of Liberation War Museum

Tariq Ali, Trustee of Liberation War Museum

Aly Zaker, actor and cultural activist

“A man of vitality and vehemence, Mujib became the political Gandhi of the Bengalis, symbolising their hopes and voicing their grievances. Not even Pakistan’s founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, drew the million-strong throngs that Mujib has attracted in Dacca. Nor, for that matter, has any subcontinent politician since Gandhi’s day spent so much time behind bars for his political beliefs.” TIME magazine, August 1971.

“Sheikh Mujibur Rahman does not belong to Bangladesh alone. He is the harbinger of freedom for all Bengalis. His Bengali nationalism is the new emergence of Bengali civilisation and culture. Mujib is the hero of the Bengalis, in the past and in the times that are.” Egyptian journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal.

“In the thousand year history of Bengal, Sheikh Mujib is her only leader who has, in terms of blood, race, language, culture and birth, been a full blooded Bengali. His physical stature was immense. His voice was redolent of thunder. His charisma worked magic on people. The courage and charm that flowed from him made him a unique superman in these times.” Journalist Cyril Dunn.

“In a sense, Sheikh Mujib is a greater leader than George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi and De Valera.” Lord Fenner Brockway.

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

August 15 Special

Of fathers, museums and fighters n Sabiha Akond Rupa Inspired by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a freedom fighter in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Akku Chowdhury carries on the spirit of Bangabandhu and Muktijuddho quite close to his heart. He is also one of the trustees and the founder director of the Liberation War Museum. Dhaka Tribune reached out to the freedom fighter to revisit how he carried on the legacy of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in his own unique manner. How did the Liberation War Museum represent Bangbabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his legacy? The liberation war of Bangladesh is the cause and effect of the existence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was Bangabandhu who instilled our nation with the passion to create our own identity in the first place. He is the leader who spoke of autonomy, who spoke of six points which gave the people of Bangladesh the right to live like human beings should. Due to the Pakistani regime after 1947, the people of Bengal were treated as second class citizens. In 1947, during the partition of India, a part of Bengal (East-Bengal) was handed over from the British to the Pakistanis, to be named East Pakistan. The people of East-Bengal voted for a new nation as they didn’t wish to be ruled by colonists. But a new ruler emerged after the British stepped back and Pakistan was created. The discrimination, disparity, and exploitation of Bengalis were unimaginable. A child born in today’s Bangladesh will not believe how the Bengalis of then East-Pakistan lived. Therefore, the Liberation War Museum, which represents the birth of Bangladesh, portrays Bangabandhu as a true leader of Bengalis who has given us the taste of freedom, justice and emancipation. He was a great visionary and a leader who saw far ahead, who knew the people of then East-Pakistan needed to rise up and be noticed as people; as human beings. How has Bangabandhu inspired you to become a freedom fighter? On March 7 of 1971, after the Pakistanis had made it very clear that Bangabandhu, who won the majority votes from the Pakistani election, will not be allowed to

Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain for liberation, but a struggle of absolute emancipation.

The liberation war of Bangladesh is the cause and effect of the existence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

become the leader of Pakistan, the people of Bangladesh began a non-cooperation movement under the command of Bangabandhu. On that same day, at the racecourse of Dhaka city, there was a massive public meeting, where the leader of the people spoke for about

90 minutes, creating a sway of humanity. Listening to every word that Bangabandhu was telling them uplifted the crowds’ restlessness to take the nation forward, not just to liberation, but further beyond. He clarified the scenario as not just a struggle

How did Bangabandhu’s absence have an impact on our country? In 1975, Bangabandhu and his whole family, the forefront of leadership of “Muktijuddho,” were wiped out to create a vacuum seeking direction, all in order to erase the spirit cumulated from Muktijuddho or 1971. Bangabandhu’s absence was felt for the last 40 years with the rise of Rajakars, Al Badrs, and Al Shams - the collaborated Pakistani military in 1971, not just in politics but also in the major industries and government organisations which they manipulated and took over. But with the rise of Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina emerging as a new leader of not just Bangladesh, but even

Asia, it has given us hope that the spirit of the Liberation War will not be wiped out from the soil. What measures are being taken by the Liberation War Museum to inform and inspire the future generations of Bangladesh about the Father of the nation? The Liberation War Museum can be a very important tool for teaching the future generation of Bangladesh about the truth regarding our struggle for independance and the truth behind of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. We have outreach programs, reachout programs, and other integrated activities related to the Liberation War, all through which the future generations can be enlightened about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. l

August 15 Special

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

6 lesser known facts about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman n N Anita Amreen

Fidel Castro compared Mujib to the Himalayas In 1973, at the non-aligned summit in Algiers, Bangabandhu visited Fidel Castro. Embracing Mujib, he remarked, “I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib. In personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas. I have thus had the experience of witnessing the Himalayas.” Source: https://en.wikiquote.org/ wiki/Sheikh_Mujibur_Rahman

Bangabandhu’s marriage was fixed when he was only 13 years old When Begum Fazilatunnesa was only three and Sheikh Mujib was 13, their marriage had been fixed by elders in the family. Interestingly, they were cousins. When Begum’s father passed away when she was 5, Sheikh Abdul Hamid (grandfather to both Begum Fazilatunnesa and Sheikh Mujib) asked his son Sheikh Lutfar Rahman to get his son Sheikh Mujib married to Begum Fazilatunnesa. They got married in the year 1938 when Mujib was 18 years old. There was a 10 year difference between them. The couple later gave birth to two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, as well as three sons, Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel. Source: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, The Unfinished Memoirs/ wikipedia At 5 feet 11 inches tall, Mujib was a towering figure As a towering figure in the history of our country’s politics, the Father of the nation, at 5 feet 11 inches in height, stood uncharacteristically tall for a Bangladeshi man. On April 5, 1971, Newsweek magazine had Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on its cover page with the article stating, “Tall for a Bengali (he stands 5 feet 11 inches), with a touch of greying hair, a bushy moustache and alter black eyes, Mujib can attract a crowd of a million people to his rallies and hold them spellbound with great rolling waves of emotional rhetoric. He is a poet of politics, so his style may be just what was needed to unite all the classes and ideologies of the region.” His larger than life persona was matched by his confidence and charisma, both making him stand out among men as well as international personalities such as Fidel Castro, Marshal Tito, Henry Kissinger, Andre Marlaux, Curt Waldheim, Ne Win, Colonel Gaddafi, Motubo, and even Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Source: http://www.londoni.co/ index.php/who-s-who?id=68 Mujib’s historic March 7 speech recognised as “world’s all time best” “Ebarer shangram amader muktir

He was an energetic, sports-loving man Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib may not have distinguished himself in his studies, but was certainly liked by his teachers and peers. Growing up in a rural setting, he had a love for sports and outdoor activities. “My father grew up rural - amid rivers, trees, birdsong. He flourished in the free atmosphere inspired by his grandparents. He swam in the river, played in the fields, bathed in the rains, caught fish and watched out for birds’ nests. He was lanky, yet played football,” reads an excerpt from Sheikh Hasina’s essay on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman titled Mujibur Rahman for a special section on Asiaweek magazine’s June 12 (1998 edition). The special section contained a collection of essays on the leaders, fighters, fathers and martyrs of new Asia. The Englishlanguage news magazine focused on Asia, and was published weekly by Asiaweek Limited, a subsidiary of Time Inc. Source: http://edition.cnn.com/ ASIANOW/asiaweek/98/0612/sr9. html

COURTESY shangram, ebarer shangram shadhinatar shangram,” are words most Bengalis have eched in their hearts. This famous declaration was made during Bangabandhu’s extempore March 7 speech at the Racecourse Maidan, a monumental oration that moved millions towards the struggle for liberation. Fiery, enthralling and deeply moving, his speech addressed a gathering of two million people, rousing and inspiring millions of other Bengalis

to follow his lead. During an intense period of heightened tensions between East Pakistan and West Pakistan, this address asserted the nation’s goal for independence, reshaping the country’s history forever. The 19 minute long speech by the Father of the nation has not only been compared to the Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln, but has also been hailed as one of the world’s best speeches. The speech found international

recognition when featured in the book We Shall Fight on the Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History, by Jacob F Field, a collection of extracts from the most inspirational wartime speeches of the last 2,500 years. Listed on page 201 of the book, the other speeches listed in the book includes those by Churchill, Lincoln and Mao. Source: https://www.amazon. com/We-Shall-Fight-BeachesSpeeches/dp/1782430555

His political career started young As a student of Gopalganj Missionary School, Bangabandhu’s political career began at a very young age. When Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq, Prime Minister of Bengal and Husein Shaheed Suhrawardy came to visit their school, Sheikh Mujib led a group of students who demanded to have the cracked roof of their school repaired. From a very young age, Mujib strived to work for issues that mattered to him, hankering one cause after another. He showed the first sign of being a revolutionary leader when he distributed rice from his father’s own stockpile, giving it to famine stricken people in his area, much to his father’s dismay. Source:www.mediabangladesh. net l

20 Editorial

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

TODAY

A day of national tragedy Do we want to eliminate the militants without knowing their inner mentalities? If that is the case, we may lose the effectiveness of the drive and the country will plunge even further into becoming a breeding ground for militants PAGE 21

A life of sacrifice He was going back to his independent country ‘not with hatred in my heart for anyone, but with the satisfaction that truth has at last triumphed over falsehood, sanity over insanity, courage over cowardice, justice over injustice, and good over ill’ PAGE 22 GOVERNMENT PHOTO ARCHIVE

The Father Supreme Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was quoted asking his killers ‘what do you want?,’ when they opened fire. Even after seeing savage men with guns, he did not believe they had come to kill him PAGE 23

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.

Let Bangabandhu’s vision continue to guide us into the future

n this day 41 years ago, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated, along with most of his family. The events of August 15, 1975 can never be forgotten by Bangladesh. On this day of mourning, we reflect upon Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s vision for Bangladesh, which was a brand new nation at the time of his death. He dreamed of a prosperous Bangladesh, a “Switzerland of Asia.” Bangabandhu galvanised a people with his statesmanship, his oratory, his courage, his leadership. His idea of Bangladesh provided the bedrock on which our national identity today stands. Tragically, his life was cut short at age 55, just four years after independence. The nation has since been deprived of his guidance and counsel. Who knows what Bangabandhu would have thought if he were able to witness today’s Bangladesh. He would, no doubt, be proud of of the resilience of our economy. At the same time, one imagines the great man would have been dismayed by the rise of militancy, and the secular ideas of the nation’s founding being under threat. Bangabandhu does not belong to a single political party or ideology. He was the Father of the Nation, and will continue to be a guiding light for all Bangladeshis, including future generations. In Bangabandhu’s spirit, then, let us leave behind petty ideological squabbles and work towards building a peaceful, harmonious, tolerant, and liveable Bangladesh for each and every citizen of this nation.

He was the Father of the Nation, and will continue to be a guiding light for all Bangladeshis

Opinion

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A day of national tragedy The day the Father of the Nation was brutally murdered is a day that shames all Bangladeshis. This article was previously published on August 15, 2015

August 15, 1975 was a dark day for all of Bangladesh

n Zafar Sobhan

ust as December 16, 1971 will stand forevermore as the crowning glory and greatest moment in the history of Bangladesh, so must August 15, 1975 stand as the lowest and most shameful point in our history. Let us make no mistake about it. The brutal killing of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman together with almost all of his family on August 15, 1975 shames all Bangladeshis and can be viewed as nothing other than a day of infamy that will live on as a permanent stain on the honour of our nation. Without Bangabandhu, there would be no independent Bangladesh today. It was he who embodied the spirit of our nationalism and united the nation into a proud and liberated people. To brutally murder this great man in his own home, not even

four years after the he had led us to victory and the dignity of being a free and independent people -beggars belief. Even worse was the butchery of almost his entire family in the process, including his 10-year old son. The brutality and bloodiness of the assassins was chilling, and continues to shock the conscience even today, 40 years on. We may not agree on much as a nation, but surely we can all agree that these were killings that should never have happened and that can never be justified or excused. This should not be a partisan political thing. To mourn on August 15 is not the sole preserve of the Awami League or the family of Bangabandhu. The killings of August 15, 1975 were a national tragedy and it is right and befitting that the day be commemorated as a national day of mourning. The memory of that black day in Bangladeshi history should bring a tear to the eye of any proud

GOVERNMENT PHOTO ARCHIVE

This should not be a partisan political thing. To mourn on August 15 is not the sole preserve of the Awami League or the family of Bangabandhu Bangladeshi and every sentient human being. In a bitterly divided country, we must have some touch-stones of unity and consensus, to say nothing of decency and respect. The Liberation War is one of them, but August 15 must be another. The trials of the Bangabandhu killers were therefore very necessary, and it is to be regretted that it was only the Awami League governments of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which saw fit to launch them and to bring them to fruition. There is much left to be done, with some of the convicted killers still beyond the reach of the law, and no stone should remain

unturned in our efforts to bring them back to Bangladesh to face justice. This is about justice, not revenge, and it is the cry of the entire nation, not that of one political party or one family. A nation that does not respect its heroes can never respect itself or expect others to respect it in turn. Let us never forget that Bangabandhu was the greatest and most enduring of all of our heroes and ensure that he never is dislodged from the place of respect he deserves so long as our nation survives. l Zafar Sobhan is Editor, Dhaka Tribune.

Opinion

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

A life of sacrifice Bangabandhu was an unmatched leader who lost his life serving his country

On his journey from darkness to light, from captivity to freedom

GOVERNMENT PHOTO ARCHIVE

National Mourning Day. This was politics of hatred at its worst. The judicial process pertaining to the alleged killers of Bangabandhu was also more or less suspended through machinations between the politicised judiciary and the government in power. It was amazing to see how the virus of “embarrassment” spread within the echelons of the judicial hierarchy. Fortunately for the people, due process of law and the principles of natural justice were upheld on July 27, 2008, when the High Court declared illegal the cancellation of this significant Mourning Day. I believe that the observance of this day as National Mourning Day has reaffirmed the establishment of the rule of law. Since then, the country has witnessed the completion of the trial and the execution of the judgment pertaining to some of

n Muhammad Zamir

recall on the 41st anniversary of the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and many members of his immediate family, the historic role that he played as the master helmsman in safely guiding our ship through troubled waters amidst a devastated post-war scenario. We must not forget in this context the efforts undertaken by him in successfully providing relief and rehabilitation to more than 10,000,000 displaced persons, and in the undertaking of measures for restoring order and stability within a war-ravaged economy. This was consistent with the courage and determination that Bangabandhu had demonstrated in the political arena between 1948 and 1971. He had welcomed incarceration on several occasions, stuck to his task and his conviction, and disagreed to compromises and half-measure solutions. This transformed him into the symbol of freedom and independence. The August putsch was carried out by certain sections of the armed forces and a group of disgruntled politicians. They roamed the streets of Dhaka and swept innocence aside. The voice of liberty was snuffed out by the very men trained to save, rather than maim. Murder was bad enough, but what followed was even worse. On September 26, 1975, the usurper President Khandker Moshtaque

He was going back to his independent country ‘not with hatred in my heart for anyone, but with the satisfaction that truth has at last triumphed over falsehood, sanity over insanity, courage over cowardice, justice over injustice, and good over ill’

Ahmed and his compliant, the secretary of the Ministry of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Justice informed the nation that under “the Indemnity Ordinance, 1975 (Ordinance No XIX),” restrictions had been put in place with regard to “taking any legal or other proceedings in respect of certain acts or things done in connection with, or in preparation or execution of any plan for, or steps necessitating the historical change and the proclamation of Martial Law on the morning of the 15 August, 1975.” What an abuse of the English language! The consequence of such lack of accountability was only natural. Murderers did not hesitate to commit other crimes. That is exactly what happened on November 3, 1975. Four prominent leaders of the Awami League, former ministers including the acting president and the prime minister during our War of Liberation, were brutally killed within Dhaka Central Jail. A threemember Judicial Commission, as expected, was immediately constituted to investigate the

matter, but that was the end of that story. Nothing happened. BNP’s espousal of lack of accountability for murder of innocent people came back to haunt them through the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman in May 1981. Subsequently, it took 21 years before the crime committed on August 15 could be addressed. The Awami League government sworn into office in 1996 took two important steps: The overturning of the iniquitous indemnity provision, and the initiation of a normal judicial process (not through a Special Tribunal) for trying those guilty of the crimes committed on August 15. This measure commendably reiterated the belief of the aggrieved victims in the fairness of our judiciary. The government also declared that day as National Mourning Day and a public holiday. Unfortunately, the new BNP alliance government (elected to office in 2001) cast basic civility out of the window, and on July 28, 2002, cancelled the observance of

those who were directly involved in the murders that took place on August 15. There are still some others who were involved in the killing. One can only hope that this cycle is completed. No allusion to the loss of Bangabandhu will be complete without reference to some of his performance as a charismatic leader. Dedicated and committed to the cause of Bangladesh, he encapsulated his vision for his new country at Palam Airport, New Delhi on January 10, 1972. He described his journey as “a journey from darkness to light, from captivity to freedom, from desolation to hope.” He reiterated that he was going back to his independent country “not with hatred in my heart for anyone, but with the satisfaction that truth has at last triumphed over falsehood, sanity over insanity, courage over cowardice, justice over injustice, and good over ill.” Bangabandhu’s magnanimity and belief in the people of Bangladesh was reflected in his optimism. It was also this spirit

that would inspire him to face the many difficulties that he would have to overcome in the coming months. A statesman and gifted orator, Bangabandhu in his speech on January 10, 1972 at Suhrawardy Uddyan was masterly in his advice for the victorious people of Bangladesh. At this first opportunity, he warned that none should raise their “hands to strike against non-Bengalis.” At the same time, he displayed concern for the safety of the Bangalees stranded in Pakistan. While re-affirming that he harboured no ill-will for the Pakistanis, he also pointed out that “those who have unjustly killed our people and assisted in this crime will surely be tried.” Consequently, it is a matter of satisfaction that the present government has been able to activate the required war crimes trial for criminal acts perpetrated against humanity. We owe it to the millions who lost family members and the tens of thousands of women who were assaulted. In the same speech, he pointed out (to counter false and contentious Pakistani propaganda) that “Bangladesh is the second largest Muslim state in the world only next to Indonesia.” He also drew their attention to the fact that “the Pakistani army had killed Muslims and members of the minority community and dishonoured women in the name of Islam.” He strongly admonished Tenku Abdur Rahman, secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference Secretariat, for not doing anything “during the nine months of 1971 when three million innocent Bengalis were killed in cold blood by the West Pakistani forces.” Sheikh Mujib believed in nationalism, democracy, secularism, and socialism. He felt that they were required for the good of the common man. Bangabandhu was also a firm believer in the rich cultural and literary heritage of Bangladesh, and for him that was the springboard of the Bengali ethos -- its tradition and its nationalism. That instilled in him the pride of being a Bengali living in Shonar Bangla. It is a pity that his efforts were snuffed out at such a relatively young age. l Muhammad Zamir, a former ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.

Opinion

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

The Father Supreme The Father of the Nation continues to live within us and inspire us

n Nadeem Qadir

am among the lucky ones who have had the great opportunity of meeting the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. When I look back at that day, I still feel blessed. It was around 9am in the morning in 1974, two and half years after Bangladesh’s independence (I cannot recall the date or month) -- the guards stopped our car carrying my mother, siblings, and myself, at the entrance to road 32, Dhanmondi. My mother showed the guard the pass she had for entering Dhaka Cantonment and he allowed us. My mother -- Hasna Hena Qadir -- did it on impulse as it was the only pass she had. We laughed about it later. Then, the security in plain clothes stopped us and my mother told him: “I am here to see Bangabandhu. I am the wife of freedom fighter Lt Col Qadir.” We were then ushered into the ground floor guest room. One thing I must mention before I go on, we always thought how slackened his security was, considering he was not only the head of state, but the Father of the Nation. Many security officials have stated: Bangabandhu strongly believed he will never be harmed by a Bangladeshi and thus did not like too much security. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was quoted asking his killers “what do you want?,” when they opened fire. Even after seeing savage men with guns, he did not believe they had come to kill him; that was the true testament of his love and faith in his people. My father’s respect and love for him, my father’s decision to meet him secretly, and my father’s decision to join the war of independence on his call has made me and my brother Naweed his followers. My mother’s teachings added to that emotional effect on us. She cried when the radio announced on the morning of August 15, 1975 that Bangabandhu had been killed, and frantically asked: “What will happen to Bangladesh now?” We were suffering because my father was martyred and every minute we felt his absence. And then the Father Supreme too was martyred. Going back in time We met Bangabandhu, with his iconic pipe in his hand, coming down from upstairs of his house, which is now called Bangabandhu

Bhaban. He asked my mother to meet him at Ganabhaban. At Ganabhaban, the old building opposite to Ramna Park, some officials at his office told my mother he will not be able to see her as he was very busy. My mother argued that since Bangabandhu asked her to come only a short while ago, he will definitely see her. Her words came true. After about a 30-minute wait, a gentleman came and sought out Mrs Qadir and ushered us into the room where Bangabandhu was waiting to meet us. He greeted my mother saying: “Come in, my daughter.”

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was quoted asking his killers ‘what do you want?,’ when they opened fire. Even after seeing savage men with guns, he did not believe they had come to kill him; that was the true testament of his love and faith in his people

Bangabandhu wept for his people as his people wept for him My mother broke down while telling Bangabandhu how she had lost her husband and how unsecured she felt alone with her children. Bangabandhu wanted to see my father’s photo, which my mother showed. I was a teenager at that time and I still cannot believe a huge tall suave man like him broke down into tears seeing my father’s photo. He told us how my father secretly met him in 1969 with the help of late general MAG Osmany and pledged his support to Bangabandhu’s fight for an independent Bangladesh.

“He was a brave man. You should be proud of him. Do not cry my daughter,” Bangabandhu consoled my weeping mother and touched her head in blessing. My father, Lt Col M Abdul Qadir, was in active service prior to his death, and left for the then West Pakistan on being posted at Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Bangabandhu agreed to my mother’s request for a job under the foreign ministry. Dr Kamal Hossain and Khandaker Mushtaque Hossain joined and Bangabadhu asked the then foreign minister to take care of my mother’s case.

It did not happen because he was assassinated. But his daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has fulfilled her wishes, coincidentally, in some manner by posting me to London, more than three decades later. Bangabandhu took me and my three-year-old baby brother Naweed on his lap. Hugged and kissed us, and gave us 500tk each to buy chocolate. As we bade goodbye we touched his feet in respect, he told my mother: “Come to me if you need anything. You are not alone now.” My mother left confident,

GOVERNMENT PHOTO ARCHIVE

happy, and more courageous in facing a cruel world, but we did not know then that we would lose this great Father Supreme of ours so soon. He may not be here physically, but he continues to live within us and inspire us to transform Bangladesh into a “Golden Bengal.” May you live with us forever, Father Supreme. l Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism. He is the Press Minister of Bangladesh High Commission in London.

24 Sport

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

We’ll never see another Phelps, says coach

TOP STORIES

n AFP, Rio de Janeiro

Michael Phelps is said to have surpassed the deeds of Leonidas of Rhodes at the ancient Olympics and the American’s coach believes we will never see his likes again. “Absolutely not, I’m not even looking,” Bob Bowman said after Saturday’s final swimming races which left Phelps with 23 Olympic gold medals. “He’s too special. It’s not even once in a generation - it may be once in 10 generations that someone like Michael comes along. “He just had so many things going for him: he had the physical skills, the mental outlook, the family that supported swimming. He has an emotional ability to get up for big races and actually perform better under pressure.” Phelps bowed out with his fifth gold of the Rio Games in his fifth and final Olympics after powering the United States to victory in the men’s 4x100m medley relay. “I don’t think you’re going to see another Michael,” added Bowman. “But you’re going to be seeing a lot of other wonderful people. You’re going to be seeing Katie Ledeckys and Ryan Murphys, and hopefully I’ll find some of those.” Phelps, watched by fiancee Nicole and baby son Boomer, ended his career with no regrets after flirting with retirement four years ago. “It definitely was a lot more emotional than I was in 2012,” said the 31-year-old. l

Taskin set for bowling action test Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed is all set to appear for the bowling action test in Australia next month, informed the chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations committee Akram Khan. PAGE 25

Neymar scores as Brazil reach semis Brazil captain Neymar blasted his first goal of the Olympics to edge the hosts closer to a first football gold in a bruising 2-0 quarter-final win over Colombia. The Barca star curled home an exquisite free-kick after just 12 minutes. PAGE 26

Marsh, Smith keep Australia afloat Fifties from skipper Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh kept Australia in the hunt after Dinesh Chandimal’s ton for Sri Lanka dominated Sunday’s play in the third and final Test. Australia were 141 for one at stumps on the second day. PAGE 27

Mourinho’s United off to flying start Manchester United made a flying start to the Jose Mourinho era as goals from Spain’s Juan Mata, England’s Wayne Rooney and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed a 3-1 win in their Premier League opener at Bournemouth yesterday. PAGE 28

Phelps signs off with 23rd gold Bolt grabs spotlight in 100m round one leen Baker, Lilly King, Simone MaBut on a night the United States n AFP, Rio de Janeiro nuel and Dana Vollmer also won says it reached 1,000 gold medals A classic Michael Phelps performance ended the swimming legend’s career with 23 Olympic gold medals before handing over the Rio Games centre stage to Usain Bolt. The 29-year-old Jamaican track star lined up for the men’s 100m final yesterday night and says arch-rival Justin Gatlin, the fastest man this year, “holds no fear for me” ahead of one of the biggest showdowns of the Games. That epic race comes on the heels of a heroic performance on Saturday by Britain’s Mo Farah, who picked himself up off the track after a fall to claw his way to victory in the 10,000m.

overall, the spotlight belonged to Phelps. The 31-year-old had to come from behind on the butterfly leg of the 4x100m medley to set up the victory in 3min 27.95sec, which included a world record in the backstroke leg by America’s Ryan Murphy. It was a fittingly triumphant swansong for Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history who added five golds and a silver in Rio. He finished his career with 28 medals overall. His coach Bob Bowman said we may never see the likes of Phelps again for a long time. The women’s quartet of Kath-

their race, which the US Olympic Committee said took the country to 1,000 Olympic golds. Bolt is also looking for a perfect finish to his Olympic career, by sweeping the 100m, 200m and relay sprint golds for the third straight Olympics. The Jamaican and his US arch-rival Gatlin both came through their preliminary races with ease Saturday. Barring a catastrophe, they will clash in the final and both are confident. He told Le Parisien that Gatlin “holds no fear for me” and that athletics needs him to beat a rival snared twice for doping. l

Sport

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Franchises, selectors set to decide Ashraful’s fate n Tribune Report The participation of former national captain Mohammad Ashraful in the upcoming Bangladesh Cricket League will depend on the selectors and franchises, informed Akram Khan, the chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations committee, yesterday. Ashraful’s three-year ban ended on August 13 this year, making him eligible for the domestic competitions. But he will not be in contention for the national team and the franchise-based Twenty20 tournaments till 2018. “Ashraful can play domestic competitions but will not to able to take part in the franchise-based T20 tournaments, including BPL and the overseas first-class competitions, before 2018,” said Akram before adding, “However, usually the top performers of the National Cricket League are selected for the BCL. From that context, Ashraful’s participation in the BCL will depend on the selectors and the franchises.” He also stated that since Ashraful did not play competitive cricket for a long time, his fitness will be a big factor. The youngest Test centurion however, is hopeful of making a comeback to competitive cricket in the upcoming BCL after he returned from the UK following his participation in an unofficial Sunday League in Kent. l

Taskin, Sunny set for bowling action test next month n Tribune Report Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed is all set to appear for the bowling action test in Australia next month, informed the chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations committee Akram Khan yesterday. Another bowler with a suspect action, left arm spinner Arafat Sunny, who was also preparing to appear for the test, is likely to join Taskin.

“Sunny underwent a bowling test [yesterday] and after getting the result of the test, we will think about the next step. On the other hand, Taskin is almost confirmed and we are looking forward to sending him for the official bowling test,” Akram told the media. “Most probably he (Taskin) will go to Australia to appear for his bowling action test. We will decide on Sunny after getting the result of [yesterday’s] test and if his report is positive, then we might send him,

alongside Taskin, to Australia for the bowling action test,” he said. Earlier, both Taskin and Sunny were suspended for suspect bowling action during the 2016 World Twenty20 in April this year. Both the bowlers have been working on their actions since then. Taskin however, took part in the Dhaka Premier League for Abahani Limited this season while Sunny kept himself away from most of the domestic leagues and opted to work on his action on his own. l

With his fellow teammates looking on intently, Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed throws a ball during a training session at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Ctg Abahani hit Baridhara for six n Tribune Report Rising powerhouse Chittagong Abahani moved solely to the top of the Bangladesh Premier League points table after a massive 6-1 victory over Uttar Baridhara Club at Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh yesterday. The biggest margin of victory in the premier league this season enabled the Independence Cup champions to rise to the summit with 11 points from five matches while Uttar Baridhara remained second from bottom with only three points. Following their win against Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra in their opening match, Uttar Baridhara suffered their fourth straight defeat. Zahid Hossain scored the fastest goal of the season in only 34 seconds when the national winger headed home past Uttar Baridhara goalkeeper Razib following a Sohel Rana cross from the left flank. Uttar Baridhara midfielder Khalekuzzaman Sabuj equalised the margin five minutes later with a fierce right-footer from 20 yards out. Chittagong Abahani took the lead again in the 26th minute through Haitian striker Leonel Preux who sent the ball crashing into the far post following a Mamunul Islam cross. Youngster Mohammad Ibrahim then scored twice in the 39th minute and in the added time of the opening half. Shakil Ahmed came off the bench to extend the lead in the 86th minute with a solo effort before defender Rayhan Hasan completed the rout in injury time. l

1994 ICC TROPHY

The big disappointment

n Minhaz Uddin Khan After five successive editions in Europe, the ICC Trophy was hosted in Kenya, Africa. This time around, Bangladesh were harbouring hopes of qualifying for the ICC World Cup, which was co-hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1996. The Bangladesh Cricket Control Board was gradually turning professional but the politics still existed. Bangladesh went to the tournament under the guidance of former Indian cricketer Mohinder Amarnath but the sudden change in captaincy had rocked the dress-

ing room. Faruk Ahmed, who according to many was not in form to make it into the playing XI, took charge as the captain in place of Minhajul Abedin. This made many in the team upset but not Minhajul, who went on to score the second highest number of runs (198 in seven matches at an average of 37.80) and pick up the most wickets (16 at an economy rate of 3.67) for Bangladesh in the tournament. However, the overall performance was not good enough as Bangladesh returned home, having exited in the second round of the tournament. Bangladesh reached Kenya on the back of a good preparation, winning three out of five warm-up matches. In the first round, Bangladesh took on the United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Argentina and East and Central

Africa in Group B and finished second, winning three matches in four attempts. Their only defeat came against the UAE. In the first game against Argentina, they were inspired by opening batsman Athar Ali Khan’s 41-run knock, defeating the South American nation by seven wickets. Against East and Central Africa, left-arm paceman Golam Nousher gave Bangladesh the edge, taking four wickets and restricting the opposition to 98. Bangladesh chased down the target in 22.5 overs with seven wickets intact; Faruk scoring an unbeaten 27. In the penultimate match, Bangladesh registered a three-wicket win over USA, guided by Akram Khan’s unbeaten 64. Having marched on strongly to the second phase, Bangladesh were placed in Group E along with hosts Kenya, the Netherlands and

Hong Kong and with only one victory, the side had to return home. They started off the second round with a 47-run defeat against the Netherlands. Batting first, the Dutch posted 205 runs on the board, thanks to opener Robert Franks’ 64. Chasing the target, Bangladesh managed only 158 in 48 overs before losing all of their wickets. Bangladesh in the next game faced the home side and the visitors were confident of their chances, owing to their track record against this opponents. But interestingly, in-form pacer Nousher was benched for this match. He missed the first game against the Dutch and the same happened when the side took on Kenya and the result - Bangladesh lost to Kenya by 13 runs and confirmed their return ticket home. A win against Kenya would have

kept alive Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals, given that they faced minnows Hong Kong. And there proved to be no shocking results as Bangladesh won by 57 runs. Minhajul had put up a brilliant all-round show, scoring 66 runs to help Bangladesh put up 238 for the loss of eight wickets, and later bagged four wickets to restrict Hong Kong to 181. Bangladesh returned with their chins down yet again, having failed in their pursuit of sealing their maiden berth in the World Cup.

1994 ICC Trophy squad

Akram Khan, Aminul Islam, Athar Ali Khan, Enamul Haque, Faruk Ahmed, Golam Nousher, Jahangir Alam, Jahangir Alam Talukdar, Minhajul Abedin, Mizanur Rahman, Nasir Ahmed, Selim Shahed, Shanewaz Shahid, Sharfuddoula, Shariful Haque. l

Sport

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

MEDAL TALLY COUNTRY UNITED STATES

CHINA

60 41

GREAT BRITAIN

GERMANY

JAPAN

RUSSIA

AUSTRALIA

22 18

ITALY

SOUTH KOREA

FRANCE

HUNGARY

NETHERLANDS

SPAIN

NEW ZEALAND

CANADA

Updated yesterday (10pm)

DAY TEN EVENTS TO WATCH GOLD MEDAL EVENTS SWIMMING Women

10km Marathon

6pm

EQUESTRIAN Dressage

Freestyle

7pm

ATHLETICS Women

Hammer Throw

7:40pm

Women 3000m Steeplechase

8:15pm

Men

Pole Vault

5:35am

Men

800m

7:25am

Women

400m

7:45am

SAILING Women

Laser Radial (Dinghy) 10:05pm

Men

Laser (Dinghy)

11:05pm

GYMNASTICS Men

Rings

11pm

Men

Vault

11:54pm

Women

Beam

12:46am

laine Thompson of Jamaica (2R) wins the women’s 100m final in Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday

Gold for fall-guy Farah as Thompson crowned sprint queen n AFP, Rio de Janeiro British distance runner Mo Farah recovered from a dramatic fall to defend his 10,000m title on Saturday as Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson ended the Olympic reign of compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to claim 100m gold. The 33-year-old Briton brought the Olympic Stadium crowd roaring to its feet after conjuring a trademark surge down the home straight to win in 27min 5.17sec. Kenyan Paul Tanui won silver in 27:05.64 with Ethiopian Tamirat Tola third in 27:06.26.

Omnium

Men

Greco-Roman 85kg

2:30am

Men

Greco-Roman 130kg

3:30am

n AFP, Rio de Janeiro

2:23am

WRESTLING

WEIGHTLIFTING Men

105kg

Men

Heavy 91kg

4am

BOXING 4:15am

QUARTER-FINALS Portugal

0-4

Germany

Gnabry 45+1, Ginter 57, Selke 75, Max 87

Nigeria

2-0

Denmark

0-1

Honduras

Mikel 16, Umar 59

South Korea

Elis 60

Brazil Neymar 12, Luan 83

2-0

Colombia

But it was Farah’s heroic recovery that was the only talking point of a display that was every bit as memorable as his win in London four years ago. Farah, aiming to become only the second man since legendary Finn Lasse Viren in 1972 and 1976 to complete a 5000m-10,000m double, was left stunned after being sent crashing to the track by training partner Galen Rupp on the 10th lap. But he brilliantly recovered to get back in the race, hunting down the leaders and powering to gold. Farah later told reporters he had

thought of a promise made to his daughter as he tumbled over. The victory cements Farah’s place as the dominant distance runner of his generation. It was his eighth successive win in the 5,000 or 10,000m at a world championships or Olympics since 2011. As Farah extended his reign however, another drew to a close with Fraser-Pryce downed by training partner Thompson in the blue riband 100m final. FraserPryce had been aiming to become the first woman to win three golds in a row in the same event. l

Neymar scores as Brazil reach semis

CYCLING (TRACK) Men

REUTERS

Neymar of Brazil celebrates during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games AFP

Brazil captain Neymar blasted his first goal of the Olympics to edge the hosts closer to a first football gold medal in a bruising 2-0 quarter-final win over Colombia. The Barcelona star curled home an exquisite free-kick after just 12 minutes, but was lucky to stay on the field when he chopped down Andres Roa, sparking a brawl between both sets of players and coaches. Brazil kept their cool, and a fourth clean sheet in four Games matches, as Luan’s dipping effort eight minutes from time set up a semi-final meeting with Honduras in Rio on Wednesday. Germany remained on course for a mouthwatering rematch with Brazil in next Saturday’s final, two years on from their 7-1 thrashing of the hosts at the 2014 World Cup, by

disposing of Portugal 4-0 in Brasilia. Brazil edged the latest instalment of a bad-tempered trilogy with South American rivals Colombia in Sao Paulo with Neymar the focus of attention for good and bad reasons. Neymar missed the Germany semi-final two years ago. He left the field in tears on a stretcher with two broken vertebrae to bring his home World Cup to a cruel end when Brazil dumped a James Rodriguez-inspired Colombia out of a bruising quarter-final that included 54 fouls. Colombia got their revenge by ending Neymar’s tournament prematurely once more at last year’s Copa America, this time through suspension. The Brazilian lost his head at the end of a 1-0 defeat and aimed a head-butt at Jeison Murillo provoking a four-game ban. Neymar finally got off the Olympic mark when he curled home a free-kick from 25 yards.l

Gold medallist Mo Farah of Great Britain on the podium AFP

Murray set for historic match, Puig wins gold n Reuters, Rio De Janeiro Britain’s Andy Murray set up a meeting with Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympics men’s tennis final yesterday, as he aims to become the first player to retain the singles title. Meanwhile, Monica Puig clinched the women’s singles gold medal for Puerto Rico, defeating Germany’s Angelique Kerber. With the victory, the U.S. territory won its first ever Olympic gold medal, and its ninth medal in history. Del Potro, who defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round, earned his spot in the finals by narrowly defeating Spain’s Rafael Nadal. He deployed his barrelling serve and crushing forehand to outmatch Nadal 5-7 6-4 7-6(5). l

Sport

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

QUICK BYTES Siddikur exits meekly from Rio Games Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman concluded his maiden Olympics campaign carding four-over-par 75 in the fourth and final round of the men’s individual golf event at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil yesterday. The 31-year old golfer struck seven bogeys against three birdies in round four at Olympic Golf Course. Siddikur performed inconsistently in the back nine where he played four bogeys and two birdies in the fifth and ninth holes. The two-time Asian Tour winner scored an overall 11-over-par 295 to end his debut campaign in the biggest event of the sports world. Siddikur hit four-overpar 75 in the first, third and fourth round and his best display came in round two where he smashed oneunder-par 70. –TRIBUNE REPORT

Lineker honours Foxes underpants vow

Marsh, Smith keep Australia afloat n AFP, Colombo Half-centuries from skipper Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh kept Australia in the hunt after Dinesh Chandimal’s ton for Sri Lanka dominated yesterday’s play in the third and final Test. Australia, who lost opener David Warner early, were 141 for one at stumps on the second day in Colombo and trailing the hosts by 214 in the first innings. Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored his maiden Test century on Saturday, struck again with the ball to claim the crucial wicket of Warner for 11. But Smith, who was on 61 at stumps, soon took charge along with Marsh who finished the day on 64. The pair used their feet to good effect against the Sri Lankan spinners as they combined the right mix of caution and aggression. Smith’s 108-ball stay was laced with five boundaries and a six. Marsh, who was drafted into the XI for his Asia experience, struck 10 fours. However Chandimal, who started Sunday on 64, was the hero of the day after his dogged 132 helped Sri Lanka post a challenging 355. Chandimal’s overnight partner de Silva advanced from 116 to 129 before falling in the first hour, but not before the pair had rescued the innings with a 211-run partnership.l

Former England striker Gary Lineker fulfilled his promise to mark Leicester City’s fairytale Premier League triumph by wearing his underpants on national television on Saturday. last year, Lineker wrote on Twitter: “If Leicester win the @premierleague I’ll do the first MOTD (Match of the Day) of next season in just my undies.” The 55-year-old was true to his word, introducing the BBC’s Match of the Day flagship highlights programme wearing just a pair of white boxer shorts. –AFP

Pardew expects Bolasie to quit Palace for Everton Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew expects unsettled Democratic Republic of Congo winger Yannick Bolasie to complete his proposed move to Everton in the next few days. –AFP

DAY’S WATCH OLYMPICS STAR SPORTS 1, 2, 3 5:00PM, 12.30AM Rio Olympic Games 2016 Daily Live Coverage

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 4 1:00AM Premier League 2016/17 Chelsea v West Ham United

CRICKET TEN 3 10:30AM Australia Tour of Sri Lanka 3rd Test, Day 3

Australian captain Steven Smith plays a shot as Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kusal Perera looks on during the second day of their third and final Test at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo yesterday AFP

India rout West Indies to win series n Reuters India crushed West Indies at the third Test in St Lucia on Saturday, clinching the series and prompting captain Virat Kohli to say his team were going from “strength to strength”. The touring side won by 237 runs on the fifth and final day after bowling out West Indies for 108, the second lowest score by the hosts against India in the Caribbean. The victory gave Kohli’s men an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series and ended a streak of six consecutive series defeats outside Asia. Paceman Shami was the chief destroyer with three for 15 while spinner Jadeja and fast bowler Ishant took two wickets apiece. “The credit goes to the whole squad, the way they have responded to the challenges,” Kohli said. l

Sport

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Mourinho’s United off to flying start n AFP, Bournemouth

Manchester United’s Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic nips the ball past the challenge of Bournemouth’s English-born Irish midfielder Harry Arter during their English Premier League match at Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth yesterday AFP

Pakistan crush England to level series n Reuters, London Leg-spinner Yasir Shah took five wickets to help Pakistan crush England by 10 wickets in the final test at The Oval yesterday and level a fluctuating series 2-2. The touring side bowled England out for 253 in their second innings, Shah completing figures of 5-71, before Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam eased them to a simple target

of 40 in 13.1 overs to complete an emphatic win. England had resumed on 88 for four and Gary Ballance soon fell for 17 but Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali shared a sixth-wicket partnership of

4TH TEST, DAY 4 ENGLAND 328 & 253 (Bairstow 81, Yasir 5/71) v PAKISTAN 542 & 42/0 (Azhar 30*, Sami 12*) Pakistan won by 10 wickets

65 to give the hosts hoping of saving the match. Shortly before lunch, however, Shah deceived Moeen with a quicker delivery and the left-hander, on 32, nicked another catch to a gleeful Sarfraz. Chris Woakes was run out following a mix-up with Bairstow, who drove the next delivery from Wahab Riaz straight to extra cover, his departure ending any chance of England saving the match. l

Manchester United made a flying start to the Jose Mourinho era as goals from Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed a 3-1 win in their Premier League opener at Bournemouth yesterday. Mourinho is desperate to restore his tarnished reputation after being sacked by Chelsea last season and the United manager enjoyed an encouraging return. In the absence of Paul Pogba, United eased to victory after Mata punished a horrible mistake by Bournemouth defender Simon Francis just before half-time and Rooney added the second after the interval. That set the stage for the latest memorable moment in Ibrahimovic’s glittering career as the Swedish forward netted with a fine strike.l

RESULTS Bournemouth

1-3 Manchester United

Smith 69

Mata 40, Rooney 59, Ibrahimovic 64

ON SATURDAY Burnley

0-1

Swansea Fer 82

Crystal Palace

0-1

West Brom Rondon 74

Everton

1-1

Barkley 5

Hull

Lamela 59

2-1

Diomande 45+1, Snodgrass 57

Manchester City

2-1

Redmond 58

Sunderland Defoe 71

1-1

Negredo 11

Southampton

Leicester Mahrez 47-P

Aguero 4-P, McNair 87-og

Middlesbrough

Tottenham

Stoke Shaqiri 67

1-1

Watford Capoue 9

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Annoy (6) 5 Favourite (3) 7 Period of time (3) 8 Delight (6) 11 Greek letter (3) 12 Distributes cards (5) 14 Destiny (4) 16 Tenth part (5) 18 Worship (5) 20 Tarnish (4) 21 Tiny island (5) 23 Sick (3) 24 Navies (6) 27 Whatever (3) 28 Conclude (3) 29 Put into (6)

DOWN 1 Vigour (3) 2 Observe (3) 3 Merchants (7) 4 Comfort (4) 5 Quickly (mus) (6) 6 Journey (6) 9 Heavy substance (4) 10 Consume (3) 13 Pays attention (7) 14 Extreme food shortage (6) 15 Worked hard (6) 17 Sword handle (4) 19 Fairy creature (3) 22 Dash (4) 25 Optic (3) 26 Drunkard (3)

Downtime

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 3 represents C so fill C every time the figure 3 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. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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

Showtime

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Kenny Baker:

The man behind R2-D2 dies

Love School is looking for new professors

nShowtime Desk Kenny Baker, a key part of the Star Wars saga as the actor who brought R2-D2 to life, has passed away. He was 81. Baker created R2-D2’s muchloved innocent yet adventurous personality from inside the droid, standing just three feet eight inches tall. Baker’s role started with 1977’s A New Hope. Whether it was the slow turn of R2-D2’s dome to convey suspicion or its nervous wobbles signifying fear, Baker made a robotic being seem very human. In addition, he played Paploo, the Ewok who memorably steals a speeder bike in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The actor became a legend to Star Wars fans. George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars, said, “Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances.” “A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heart and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by all his fans and everyone who knew him,” Lucas added. Born in Birmingham, England, Baker began acting at age 16. Along with the Star Wars films, his career also includes performances in The Elephant

n Showtime Desk

Man (1980), Time Bandits (1981), Lucasfilm’s Willow (1988), and more. In 1978, he immortalised Artoo at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, making cement footprints of the droid that still remain outside the famed theatre today.

“We’re all saddened to learn of Kenny’s passing,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “There is no Star Wars without R2-D2, and Kenny defined who R2-D2 was and is. He will be greatly missed.” l

Things change with relationships, and that change applies to business or in this case, the stage, as well. Similar things are happening on MTV Love School. Reality love birds Upen Patel and Karishma Tanna have parted ways, and the producers had to approach a new couple to host the show on their behalf. So who’s the new choice? Newlywed couple Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover. MTV came up with this peculiar reality show last year, originally hosted by Upen Patel

and Karishma Tanna. The show dealt with young couples with relationships issues and how they overcame those issues with guidance from the love gurus and a few competitive bonding games. Now, Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover will be seen hosting on the small screen for the first time as the second season of MTV Love School makes its mark. The auditions for the show will soon begin, while the producers are waiting for the new hosts to return from their vacation in Bali. l

Another Khan rejected n Showtime Desk After Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan’s detention at the Los Angeles airport by US immigration on Friday, sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s visa application to the UK was rejected by the British High Commission in Delhi. Khan, who has done extensive UK tours including special performances for The Prince of Wales in the past, is slated to perform at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall, which is located at the heart of Southbank Centre in London. The 70-year-old artiste had said that he was “shocked and appalled” at the rejection of his visa application. Expressing disappointment

over the denial of the travel document, his son Amaan Ali said, “This has never happened before. He is someone who has worked all his life for the country and peace. The government should take an interest why they (UK) is doing this.” The UK Home Office has said the visa application was refused because it did not meet the requirements of Britain’s immigration rules. Khan, who has been a regular fixture in Britain’s cultural calendar since the 1970s, was scheduled to perform during the Darbar festival at the Southbank Centre on September 17 and 18. A Home Office spokesperson told Hindustan Times, “All visa applications are carefully considered on their individual

merits, and applicants must provide evidence to show they

meet the requirements of the immigration rules. On this

occasion, we were not satisfied with Khan’s requirements.” No more details were provided. The government department is responsible for immigration and counterterrorism, along with other areas. There are reports that recent changes has made securing a UK visa a more complex and onerous task. Seeking easier and cheaper visa facilities for Indians, the Royal Commonwealth Society recently called for Britain extending a visa pilot project, to be underway in China to India. l Source: Indian Express

Tribute to Bangabandhu

Showtime

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH Robocop HBO 4:30pm In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy - a loving husband, father and good cop - is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish Fantastic Four Star Movies 4:30pm

n Showtime Desk Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has arranged a monthlong art exhibition on the founding leader of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The event is under way at the National Art Gallery. The exhibition, inaugurated by the academy’s director general Liaquat Ali Lucky on August 1, was organised as part of the academy’s month-long initiatives to commemorate Rahman’s 41st death anniversary. All accredited by the academy, a total of 150 artworks by 148 artists have featured on display. Among the participating artists are Biren Shome, Ahmed Shamsuddoha, Sheikh Afzal,

Shahjahan Ahmed Bikash, Alokesh Ghosh, Abdul Mannan, Nasreen Begum, Bhaskar Rasha, Afroza Jamil Konka and Pradyut Kumar Das. Figurative portraits of Bangabandhu mostly dominate the collection of artworks, while several make indirect references to him through artistic associations. For instance, Bangabandhu’s spectacles and smoking pipe have appeared on several canvases as a suggestive tone to his cult status. Some semi-abstract artworks are also featured. An acrylic painting by Biren Shome, titled Bangabandhu, is noticeable for its attention to detail, while Alamgir Hossain’s work focuses on his easily

traceable specs. Artist Pradyut Kumar Das’s multimedia installation, encompassing fabrics, light, photographs and other materials, would surely capture the attention of spectators. The black and red fabrics used in the work hints at the tragedy that befell Rahman on August 15, 1975. In addition to the exhibition, BSA’s month-long program also includes a children’s art exhibition, cultural shows, poetry recitations and film screenings. A discussion on Bangabandhu and several cultural programs will be held at the National Theatre Hall on August 15 and 16. Films based on the life of Bangabandhu will be showcased at the National Art Gallery from

August 15 to 17. On August 19, a lecture workshop and an exhibition of books on Bangabandhu will take place at the academy’s library. A discussion titled “Bangabandhu and World Peace” will be held on August 26 at the Studio Theatre Hall of BSA. On August 28, a reading program of The Unfinished Memoirs, the autobiography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will be held at the National Art Gallery Auditorium. Lastly, a total of 15 stagings of a play titled Mujib Mane Mukti will take place throughout the country, all arranged by the academy and organised by Liaquat Ali Lucky. l

There are many artistes in Bangladesh who have sung songs dedicating their love to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. However, Tota Miah performs out his tribute a little differently. The 55-year-old sings only for Bangabandhu and him alone, all to show his love and respect for him. Till now, he has written 25 song lyrics and composed them all by himself. Today, his passion has become his profession. He only wishes to sing Bangabandhu songs and earn a living from it. He has a mother, wife, two daughters and two sons to take care of. He started earning as a daily worker in his village. After a

terrible accident which broke his hand, he took up singing as a profession. Tota Miah is from Barishal Agailbara district, and lives in the Amboula village. He attends to political programs, sings his own songs and earns on the honour placed on him by local leaders. Money is never actually asked for, and whatever the local politicians decide to provide makes him grateful. He has been singing for Bangabandhu and Bangakonna, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for twelve years. Tota Miah’s signature attire can be recognised from his locket, which contains an image of Bangabandhu and Sheikh Haisna, his special hat and his wooden boat.

The Karate Kid Zee Studio 4:45pm A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager. Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove, William Zabka Iron Man Star Movies 7:00pm After being held captive in an Afghan cave, a billionaire engineer creates a unique weaponised suit of armor to fight evil. Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb

Singing for Bangabandhu n Showtime Desk

Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy. Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Laurie Holden, Julian McMahon

The artiste confessed that he has dedicated his life to the Father of the nation and he will

be presenting his own songs for the great leader indefinitely and exclusively. l

Spider-Man WB 9:00pm When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family. Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, JK Simmons l

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Back Page

BNP chief not to celebrate birthday this year Khaleda Zia started celebrating her birthday on August 15 in 1993 In a phone conversation in 2014, an organisational event from 1996 practice, Khaleda celen Mohammad Al-Masum Molla decades-old Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she became the opposition brated her 70th birthday by cutting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will not celebrate her 71st birthday on Aug 15 this year, which coincides with the National Mourning Day marking the assassination of the Father of the Nation. BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the former prime minister has decided forgo her usual ritual of cutting a cake on the first hour because “countless BNP leaders and activists are in jail, and people are suffering and starving in floods across Bangladesh.” Over the past two decades, Khaleda has been celebrating her birthday on Aug 15 - the National Mourning Day - which has drawn bitter criticism from some quarters, particularly the ruling Awami League. There is also a controversy around whether this is her actual birth date. Last year, in a break from the

a cake on the night of August 14. The former premier usually celebrates her birthday by cutting a cake with her party colleagues at 12.01am on August 15. But last year, she cut the cake before the usual time. Senior Awami League leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have for years requested the BNP chief not to observe her birthday on August 15. A Gulshan office source said an unofficial directive was sent to the front and associate organisations not to throng to the Gulshan office with cakes at night. Reportedly after being elected as prime minister in 1991, Khaleda Zia started celebrating her birthday on August 15 in 1993. Till 1996, Khaleda celebrated her birthday at home but made it into

leader. Last year, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam charged Khaleda saying, “There can be no consensus with those who celebrate fake birthdays on the National Mourning Day. We have extended our hands to her in the past, but Khaleda did not accept it. Even if it really is her birthday, she can celebrate it on August 16 to show respect for Bangabandhu. We do not object to her celebrating her birthday.”

asked Khaleda Zia not to observe her birthday on August 15. “You visited our Dhanmondi Road 32 residence several times. You saw Sheikh Russel. When you observe your birthday on August 15, do you not remember Russel’s face?” In reply, Zia asked, “If someone is born on that day, can’t they celebrate their birthday?” Pro-BNP intellectual Zafrullah Chowdhury also suggested that the party chief should not observe her birthday on that day.

According to Khaleda’s marriage certificate, her birthday is September 5, 1945. Her first passport reportedly says her birthday is August 19, 1946. According to a curriculum vitae distributed to the media after taking oath as prime minister of Bangladesh in 1991, Khaleda was born in Feni on September 19, 1945. Khaleda’s biography published by the Parliament Secretariat mentions her birth year as 1945. Several biographical books and the Banglapedia also mention Aug 15, 1945 as her birthday. l

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