ePaper_2nd Edition_October 12, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016 | Ashwin 27, 1423, Muharram 10, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 165 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10 

BCL leader runs torture 

cell at Victoria College 

• Our Correspondent, Comilla 

A Chhatra League leader from 

Comilla Government Victoria College 

has allegedly set up an infamous 

torture cell in his room. 

These accusations have been 

raised against the convenor of Kobi 

Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall unit Chhatra 

League, Bashir Ullah. 

His torture is not limited to just 

students of the college but also 

journalist, Chhatra Dal and even 

BCL activists have all been allegedly 

tortured in his cell. 

It has also been alleged that 

Bashir is staying in the dorm room 

illegally as he is no longer a student 

there. 

His victims have corroborated 

this information. 

His physical assault includes 

Accused BCL leader Bashir Ullah 

caning his captives in his room and 

beating them with broken legs of 

chairs and benches. 

On Sunday, the students finally 

Victim Mahfuzul Islam Ziko 

complained to the principal about 

the matter. 

Mahfuzul Islam Ziko, a fourthyear 

student from the Department 

of Management, said: “On October 

3, a student, named Saiful Islam, 

was forcefully picked and taken 

to Room No 260 over a trivial matter. 

When I asked them to release 

him, Bashir and his accomplices 

including BCL Joint Convenor Sabbir 

Ahmed Mojumder as well as activists 

Shahidul Islam Shahin, Beni 

Amin Suman, Towhid, Tanvir and 

Anwar beat me up mercilessly.” 

A few days ago, Hiron, a thirdyear 

student of the same department 

was picked up by Bashir 

when he was eating and caned in 

the torture cell until he obliged to 

pay an extortion sum of Tk2,100 in 

exhange for his freedom. 

Several sources confirmed that 

BCL Organising Secretary Jahirul 

Islam was tortured with broken 

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3 

‘What happened 

is done. I want 

to forget it and 

play cricket’ 

• Tribune Report 

The excitement continues after the 

heated conversation between England 

captain Jos Buttler and the 

Bangladeshi fielders following his 

dismissal in the second ODI. 

Tigers skipper Mashrafe bin 

Mortaza informed that there is no 

reason to apologise to Buttler when 

queried by an English journalist 

whether he would say sorry to the 

wicketkeeper-batsman. 

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3 

HOLIDAY 

All offices of the Dhaka Tribune will 

remain closed for today on the occasion 

of Ashura. Therefore, there will be no 

issue tomorrow. However, our online 

www.dhakatribune.com will keep you 

updated.

2 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016 

DT 

News 

Chinese president’s 

visit to take BD-China 

relation to new height 

• Sheikh Shahariar Zaman 

The official visit of Chinese President 

Xi Jinping to Bangladesh is going 

to take the relationship between 

the two countries to a new height, 

as issues such as infrastructure, 

productivity, anti-terrorism, energy 

and connectivity is going to be on 

the agenda, according to experts. 

New areas of bilateral cooperation 

including field production 

capacity and maritime issues will 

also be explored during the Chinese 

president’s visit, sources said. 

Xi Jinping is coming to Bangladesh 

from Cambodia on a two-day 

milestone visit on October 14. 

A senior government official said 

as many as 25 documents are expected 

to be signed during the visit. 

The Cabinet approved the productivity 

cooperation agreement 

between the countries on Monday, 

sources said. 

Another official said Bangladesh 

and China will engage more 

in counterterrorism as a memorandum 

of understanding (MoU) is expected 

to be signed during the visit. 

“Capacity building, intelligence 

sharing and training are three major 

components of the MoU,” he 

added. 

Terrorism is a global problem 

and both countries want to work together 

to combat it, he further said. 

Another official said the Economic 

Relations Division under the 

Ministry of Finance were negotiating 

for about 30 projects involving 

billions of dollars. 

Several other projects are expected 

to be identified for future 

negotiation, he added. 

During Xi’s visit, China will sign 

a number of cooperative deals with 

Bangladesh regarding the Belt and 

Road Initiative, proposed by Xi in 

2013, which focuses on improving 

infrastructure and boosting interconnection. 

Former Bangladesh ambassador 

to China Munshi Faiz Ahmed said 

the initiative was still a concept 

and any country could join it for 

economic benefit. 

China is a very big exporter and 

importer and it wants to have as 

many routes as possible to ensure 

supply to and from other countries, 

he added. 

Former Bangladesh Ambassador 

to India Liaquat Ali CHowdhury 

said Bangladesh considers the Belt 

and Road Initiative from the economic 

point of view as it can boost 

its trade volume and earn revenue 

by using its location advantage if it 

can take the benefit of the initiative. 

President Xi Jinping’s visit to 

Cambodia, Bangladesh and India 

will be “an important diplomatic 

activity” aimed at boosting ties 

with South Asia, Chinese Assistant 

Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou 

said at a press briefing on Monday. 

It will be the first state visit of a 

Chinese president to Bangladesh in 

30 years. The last visit was in 1986 

when then Chinese president Li 

Xiannian visited Dhaka. 

This is also the second bilateral 

visit of Xi Jinping to Dhaka. He 

came to Dhaka in 2010 as Chinese 

vice-president and planted a tree at 

Savar Mausoleum. 

“Bangladesh is China’s important 

partner in the South Asian and the 

Indian Ocean region, and the visit 

will be a milestone for China-Bangladesh 

relationship,” he said. 

Xi previously visited some 

South Asian countries, including 

India and Sri Lanka, in 2014 and 

Pakistan last year. • 

'Women empowerment can 

lead to sustainable dev' 

• UNB 

Education is essential for empowering 

women to achieve gender 

equality, which is vital for sustainable 

development, says a new 

Gender Review by Unesco’s Global 

Education Monitoring Report. 

The review was released on the 

occasion of International Day of 

the Girl Child, which was observed 

globally yesterday. 

According to UN Women, there 

are currently 1.1 billion girls in the 

world, a powerful constituency for 

shaping a sustainable world that 

is better for everyone as they are 

brimming with talent and creativity. 

But their dreams and potential 

are often thwarted by discrimination, 

violence and lack of equal opportunities. 

There are glaring gaps in data 

and knowledge about the specific 

needs and challenges that girls 

face. 

The theme for this year’s International 

Day of the Girl Child, 

“Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: 

A Global Girl Data Movement,” is 

a call for action for increased investment 

in collecting and analysing 

girl-focused, girl-relevant and 

sex-disaggregated data. • 

Waste materials from illegal structures on the bank of the Karnaphuli river in Chittagong have contaminated water of the river. 

The photo has recently been taken 

RABIN CHOWDHURY 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

BCL leader runs torture cell at Victoria College 

legs of a bench in the room on June 

7. Some other students, named Arif, 

Sowrav, Jahid, were also physically 

assaulted in that room aswell. 

On August 24, Bashir assaulted 

the President of the college’s Journalists’ 

Union Toibur Rahman Sohel 

in that room. 

Bashir was a joint convenor of 

Chhatra Dal, a student body of BNP, 

but later joined the ruling party’s 

Awami League’s (AL) student wing. 

‘What happened is done. I want to forget it...’ 

Mashrafe said this during the prematch 

press conference at Zahur 

Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in 

Chittagong yesterday. 

Mashrafe and batsman Sabbir 

Rahman have both been 

fined 20 percent of their match 

fee while Buttler has received an 

official reprimand for breaching 

Level 1 of the International Cricket 

Council’s Code of Conduct during 

the second ODI at Sher-e-Bangla 

National Stadium in Mirpur on 

Sunday. 

“Actually we didn’t do anything 

wrong so we shouldn’t do that. 

Whatever we felt, we just celebrated, 

we don’t have to say sorry but 

whatever has happened, match 

referee was there. Still, I feel that 

the boys just celebrated,” Mashrafe 

told the media. 

“Look, I guess the 20 percent 

fine that we got, that’s after getting 

that wicket. We just had a celebration 

and I think you can look at it as 

a normal thing. 

“Every team does that if you get 

a wicket. You always celebrate but 

there is a law. The match referee 

Several BCL leaders opined that 

and he has become increasingly aggressive 

and brutal after joining the 

ruling party’s student body. 

In in own defense, Bashir Ullah 

said: “The accusations against me 

are not true. I have punished Ziko 

for a misconduct which I have a 

right to do as a senior member of 

the organisation.” 

Victoria Government College 

unit BCL President Kazi Sayem 

might have thought that it went 

beyond the Code of Conduct. Actually 

we didn’t mean it but whatever 

happened is done and we are trying 

to play a good match [today],” 

he said. 

Mashrafe also stated that he 

doesn’t see fault of Tamim Iqbal or 

any of his team mates during the 

handshake formalities after the 

game. 

“I saw the video and I didn’t find 

any fault of Tamim or my players. 

I am not saying it’s anyone’s fault 

but at the same time, I didn’t find 

any fault in Tamim. We went normally 

to shake hands with the players. 

When we lost the first match, 

we were normal back then as well, 

and even after winning the second 

match we went to shake hands normally,” 

he said. 

“I don’t want to blame anyone, 

but if you speak of Tamim’s fault 

then I will tell you that I have seen 

the video and I was there ahead of 

him (Tamim) at that point of time, I 

will tell you that there is no fault of 

him. I didn’t hear Tamim say anything 

or see him do anything. 

said: “This is an insignificant matter. 

It is also an internal matter. 

The hall committee has already 

been dissolved and Bashir has been 

kicked out.” 

When contacted, the college’s 

Principal Md Abdur Rashid said: 

“We have received many complaints 

against Bashir by students 

and others in this regard. I have directed 

the hall super to investigate 

those complaints.” • 

“See, even if anyone has a fault 

here, I want to forget that and 

just play cricket. I don’t want to 

say England were at fault. We got 

fined, Sabbir and I, because of our 

excessive celebration which at this 

point of time is not allowed in the 

ICC’s Code of Conduct. 

“See in such exciting moments, 

you have seen in the past as well, 

people celebrate this way. Take for 

instance, in the [2015] World Cup 

against England, when we had won 

we celebrated this way, but maybe 

at that point of time this law wasn’t 

there. So we have to be careful,” he 

added. 

However, the 33-year old said he 

has no other option but to accept 

the ICC’s decision while he also 

added that there will be no such incidents 

in future. 

“Look, we have come to play, we 

will obviously want to win. Now if 

you want to do something outside 

and then win the game, then that 

will create unnecessary pressure 

on themselves. We are just thinking 

of playing our game normally 

and nothing else,” he concluded. •

News 3 


Durga Puja held amid communal harmony 

DT 

• Tribune Desk 

For years, Bangladeshi people 

from different religions have been 

attending the festivities of Durga 

Puja, the biggest festival of Hindus, 

with their families and this year 

was no different. 

It was Bijoya Dashami yesterday, 

the 10th and the final day of 

Durga Puja festivities, which was 

celebrated amid colourful jubilations 

in different parts of Dhaka. 

The day marks the victory of 

Goddess Durga over the demon 

Mahishasura, after fighting with 

the evil for ten days and nine 

nights. 

In this aura of joy amid the Hindu 

community, Dhaka Tribune 

correspondents took the opportunity 

to visit several puja mandaps 

across the capital and found a 

harmonious presence of different 

faiths and respect among people. 

Though not a scenario that can 

be imagined by all, the correspondents 

found many Muslims working 

with the puja organising communities 

at the mandaps to make the 

occasion a success. 

In Old Dhaka’s Shakhari Bazar, 

huge gatherings were seen in front 

of each puja mandap; a total of nine 

were set up with a gap of not more 

than 15 feet from one another. 

And in one of them, Fazlul 

Haque, a residence of Lakshmibazar, 

was found taking part in the 

festivities. 

When asked, Fazlul, who had 

two daughters and wife with him, 

said: “We went inside each of the 

mandap and saw the Durga idols. 

We also had sweets there. 

“It is a holiday and a festive 

time,” he said adding that he and 

two of his Hindu friends enjoy each 

others religious festivals equally. 

Moving around, one of our correspondents 

came across a group 

of youths, all students of Jagannath 

University and mixed religions. 

The group of 11 youths was dancing 

on the street and roaming around 

from one mandap to another. 

One of them, Md Abdul Aziz 

said: “In the old town, this is a 

tradition and a common culture. 

Hindu, Muslim, Christian – it really 

doesn’t matter.” 

Celebrations at Dhakeswari and 

Jagannath Hall mandaps were no 

different. 

When the procession with the 

idols was on its way to the Buriganga 

for immersion, a good number 

of people from different faiths were 

found riding with the motorcade. 

People were seen on the footpath 

watching the motorcade pass 

and they were taking pictures and 

videos on their phones. 

Many students of Dhaka University 

were also seen to join the 

procession when the motorcade 

passed Jagannath Hall. 

According to leaders of Bangladesh 

Puja Udjapan Parishad, the 

Puja was celebrated at 29,395 permanent 

and temporary mandaps 

across the country this year, including 

229 in Dhaka. 

Asked about how he sees the 

communal harmony that prevailed 

during the festival, Shaymal 

Pal, president of Banglabazar 

Durga Puja celebration committee, 

said: “We are celebrating Puja for 

the last 83 years and it is a festivity 

that goes beyond the Hindu community. 

“We have never faced any kind 

of problem. We respect all religions 

and to show respect we ask the organising 

members at mandaps to 

turn off music during the time of 

Azan. Our festivities even continue 

until late night.” 

Centring the Puja festivities, a 

colourful fair is traditionally organised 

just beside Victoria Park in 

Old Dhaka where many temporary 

shops are set up on both sides of 

the road. 

Talking to one of the correspondents, 

Sunil Chowdhury, a 

salesman at a sweetmeat shop 

there, said most of his customers 

during the five-day Puja festivities 

were not Hindus. 

Saiful Islam, an attendant of 

Lakshmibazar mosque, said: “Why 

would I not show them respect? It 

is their right to perform their religious 

activities. I may not directly 

visit the mandaps but I join in some 

of the festivities like attending the 

fair.” 

Old Dhaka’s Ekrampur Puja 

Committee has been celebrating 

Durga Puja for the last 44 years 

and out of their 21 members, 10 are 

Muslims. 

Hedayet Hossain, a member of 

the committee, said that it was a 

celebration beyond religion. “So 

why would we not join it? I feel 

honoured to be a member of the 

Puja organising committee,” he 

said. 

Shakharibazar’s Notun Kuri 

Puja Udjapon Committee President 

Sampad Pandit however said that 

they were a bit worried but all had 

ended well. 

“We were in doubt that whether 

the recent militant issues would 

harm our festivity. But we got support 

from law enforcers and the 

general people,” he said. 

Mridul Moharaj, assistant secretary 

of Ramkrishna Mission, Dhaka, 

said: “This year Durga Puja has 

After four days of 

celebrating the mighty 

Goddess Durga, Hindu 

devotees bid goodbye 

to the goddess by 

immersing her idol in 

the Buriganga River in 

Dhaka yesterday with 

due rituals 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

been celebrated across the country 

with delightful participation from 

all castes and religions similar to 

previous years. It is our thousandyear-old 

tradition in which Bangali 

people love to take part in the celebrations 

regardless of their religions.” 

Sociologist Professor Monirul 

Islam Khan said that in the concept 

of Bangali spirit, Durga Puja was a 

universal festival for the country. 

He said the Puja festivities were 

observed in the same manner even 

during the Pakistan period. 

However, Maulana Farid Uddin 

Masud told the Dhaka Tribune that 

every person had different views. 

“In terms of celebration it can 

be said that Puja is an universal festivity 

but in religious terms it is not 

the same,” he added. •

4 


DT 

News 

Bangladesh National Human Rights Council form a human chain in the capital demanding punishment to Khadiza’s attacker Badrul yesterday 

Students in China demand justice 

for Sylhet college student 

• Syed Samiul Basher Anik 

Students from the North China University 

of Science and Technology 

have demanded justice for Khadiza 

Akhter Nargis who was brutally 

hacked with a machte in Sylhet. 

The protest took place on Monday 

organised by some Bangladeshi 

students asking people not 

to spread rumors about the victim 

and demanded justice for her. 

Khadiza, 23, a second year honours 

student of Sylhet Government 

Women’s College, was attacked 

with a machete by Badrul Alam, a 

fourth-year economics student at 

Shahjalal University of Science and 

Technology (SUST) and a top leader 

of Chhatra League’s SUST wing on 

October 3. 

She was admitted to the Square 

Hospital in Dhaka in a critical condition. 

Around 50 students, mostly 

Bangladeshis from different departments 

of the university attended 

the protest programme carrying 

placards that said ‘We want 

justice’, ‘No more rumor’, Pray for 

Khadiza’, ‘It is the time to prevent 

people like Badrul’. 

“We came to know about the incident 

from a student at the School 

of Medical Science, Sharnan Haque 

Shahin. We, the Bangladeshi 

community, here on campus was 

shocked and saddened to hear of 

such brutal attacks. What is worse 

is how rumors about Khadiza having 

a relationship with her attacker 

Badrul was being spread to trivialise 

the matter,” said Saimon Zaman 

Srabon, one of the organisers to the 

Dhaka Tribune. 

“That rumors is heartbreaking 

because Badrul used to harass 

Khadiza for many years which is 

why we decided to take a stand,” 

he added. 

We decided to take a stand for 

Khadiza. We had a small meeting 

on October 8 and made banners 

and placards. As per the plan, we 

stood in front of the campus on 

Monday,” added the organiser of 

the event cum student of the university. 

“We are far away from our country. 

We can only pray to Allah for 

her faster recovery and can seek 

justice for the welfare of our sister 

with this small initiatives,” he said. 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

The organiser urged people to 

not silently watch crimes being 

committing or record them on 

their cellphones without coming 

to the victim’s aid first. He also requested 

people not to spread rumors 

about Khadiza and demanded 

the government make sure she gets 

justice. 

Earlier on October 8, Bangladeshi 

people under banner of 

AMRA Sylhetbasi gathered in Altab 

Ali park in London and demanded 

justice for brutal attempted murder 

of Khadiza. 

There are daily protests in Sylhet 

demanding capital punishment 

for the culprit Badrul. Khadiza 

is now on life support in ICU in 

Square Hospital while the Badrul is 

in police custody. • 

Gazipur raid: Three of the 

killed militants identified 

• Md Raihanul Islam Akand 

Police have made primary identification of three militants 

amongst the seven killed during a police raid on 

Saturday at a militant den in Pathartek area, Gazipur. 

They have been identified as Saiful Islam Babul of 

Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj, Ibrahim of Bangshal, 

Dhaka and son of Azimuddin and Faridul Islam Akash 

from Sirajganj said the Superintendent (SP) of Gazipur 

police, Mohammad Harun-ur-Rashid yesterday. 

He said the primary identification was made when 

their relatives identified the bodies. 

Among the three, Akash, who had worked as the regional 

commander of a new offshoot of banned militant 

outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was 

identified earlier. 

On Saturday, seven suspected militants were killed during 

the Counter-terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) 

raid in Patartek, while the other two were killed during a 

raid conducted by RAB in Harinal Paschimpara area. 

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police has released 

the photos of Patartek militants on their Facebook page 

and urged people to help identify them. • 

Four Rohingyas 

killed in retaliation 

for border attack 

in Myanmar 

• Tribune Online Report 

An attack on three border police 

camps that left nine soldiers dead 

have had the Myanmar army combing 

the area for the responsible 

group, reports Reuters. 

The area where the search has 

been taking place is along the 

northwestern border with Bangladesh. 

Troops “providing security for 

residents” recovered four bodies 

after clashing on Monday with 

residents of Myothugyi, a village 

of about 1,000 Muslim homes in 

Maungdaw township. 

This attack has been the most 

deadly in northern Rakhine State 

since the communal clashes in 

2012. This will make it difficult for 

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has urged 

authorities to use caution to avoid 

inflaming tension. 

Sources claim that the troops 

were ambushed by 20 armed attackers. 

When the troops drove 

them off, they recovered a homemade 

gun, three bullets, and a 

knife. 

Husein Juha, a Muslim administrator 

in Myothugyi, claimed the 

death toll was much higher, at seven. 

“They shot them because they 

were running outside the village. 

They didn’t stop running when 

soldiers asked,” said Juha, 32, adding 

that fear of the soldiers had 

prompted some villagers to arm 

themselves with makeshift weapons. 

Schools and markets remain 

shut amid the military and police 

hunt for those behind Sunday’s 

attacks. Authorities have called a 

curfew in Maungdaw from 7pm to 

6am, and barred gatherings of five 

or more. 

The officials claimed that in one 

of the attacks, 90 people believed 

to be Rohingyas targeted a border 

police headquarters. Official statements 

claim that the attackers looted 

and got away with more than 

60 weapons and 10,000 rounds of 

ammunition. 

Rakhine State police Major Sein 

Lwin said that two Muslim men 

captured during Sunday’s attacks 

have reportedly confessed to a 

number of crimes. 

The men, charged with murder, 

conspiracy to murder and the assault 

of civil servants, said the attacks 

had been planned by a single 

“leader,” Sein Lwin added. 

He declined to name the leader, 

but said he had ties to an unnamed 

armed group operating across the 

Bangladesh border, which Myanmar 

has closed, and where Bangladesh 

has stepped up patrols. •

News 5 


DT 

Law enforcement agencies has taken special security measure at the Hussaini Dalan Imambara in old Dhaka this year following a bomb attack on it by militants last year. 

Law enforcers stand guard at the entrance of the building. The picture was taken yesterday 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

Ashura to be observed on 

smaller scale this year 

• Adil Sakhawat 

Police have taken strict security 

measures for Ashura this year to 

prevent a repeat of last year’s bomb 

attack on a Taziahh procession in 

front Hussaini Dalan Imambara in 

Dhaka, which has restricted the 

usual fervour of how the day is 

usually observed. 

Visiting several areas in the 

capital, this correspondent learnt 

that police had instructed people 

not to bring out any Taziah 

procession or arrange other events 

after sunset. 

In fact, all programmes must 

start from 6am and end by 6pm, 

according to police instruction. 

The Taziah procession from 

Hussaini Dalan Imambara will start 

at 10am today, instead of in the 

early hours of Ashura, as has been 

the tradition. 

“The procession will start at 

10am and will end at 1pm in Jigatola 

area,” said MM Firoz Hossain, 

superintendent of Hussaini Dalan 

Imambara. 

The entire route will be 

surrounded by law enforcers and 

monitored with 32 CCTV cameras 

inside Hussaini Dalan and 45 

outside the building. 

The strict security arrangement 

has put a damper on the usual 

Ashura observance, said several 

members of both Shia and Sunni 

Muslim communities in Mirpur 

and Mohammadpur. 

“We tried to bring out a 

procession for rehearsal, but police 

did not let us do it,” said Syed 

Mohammad Shahid Hossain, imam 

of Darbare Panjatani Imambara in 

Pallabi, Dhaka. 

Pallabi residents were shocked 

with this restriction, said Shohel, 

one of the locals. “We requested 

the administration to let us just 

stand on the road in different areas 

for some practice, but they did not 

allow that either.” 

They were also unhappy about 

the fact that they would have to 

shorten their programmes due to 

the time restriction. 

People in some areas even 

cancelled their Taziah procession 

that were scheduled today. 

“Our programmes usually run 

for three days, day and night. This 

year, we were instructed to end 

all programmes by 6pm. So we 

decided to cancel our procession,” 

said Mohammad Rezwan, resident 

of Mirpur. 

However, many others have 

welcomed the government’s 

decision to restrict the observance. 

“As an untoward incident 

happened last year, we have to 

remain alert this year so something 

like that does not happen again, 

because terrorists do not care 

about anything. Naturally, it 

means that we cannot observe this 

occasion the way we have over the 

years,” said Salim Hossain Laddan, 

another imam in Pallabi. 

Mirza Asif Ali, a Shia devotee 

who came to Hussaini Dalan for 

Taziah procession, told the Dhaka 

Tribune: “The security measures 

taken by the government is good, 

and we hope nothing will happen 

here. But as a follower of Imam 

Hasan and Hussain, we are not 

afraid of any bombing. If anything, 

last year’s attack has made us more 

brave.” • 

Ex-Eden College 

teacher found 

dead in city 


A former teacher of Eden Mohila 

College was found dead in his office 

of a real estate company in the 

Old DOHS area at Banani in the capital 

in the capital yesterday. 

The deceased is Mohammad Ali 

Hossain Malek, 65, a retired Professor 

of Zoology department of Government 

Eden College. 

Officer-in-Charge of Bhasantek 

police station Nazrul Islam said 

that police got information about 

the death from family members of 

Mohammad Ali and sent a team to 

in the spot. 

The body of Mohammad Ali was 

recovered around 9am morning, 

with his hands and legs tied up, from 

the second floor of an under-construction 

building in Banani. 

His brother-in-law Mohammad 

Mahbubur Rahman told the Dhaka 

Tribune that Ali Hossain retired 

from the Eden College around seven 

to eight years ago and was working 

with a real company as a manager. 

He said: “The real estate company 

has been constructing a multi-storey 

building in Banani. Ali Hosaain often 

used to stay overnight at his office in 

the under-construction building.” 

He did not return home on Monday 

night, he added. 

Later, in the morning of Tuesday, 

caretakers of that building found 

him dead and informed his family. 

Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman 

said Mohammad Ali’s family will 

file a case in this connection. 

The Bhasantek police station 

OC Nazrul Islam said Mohammed 

Ali was probably tied up and then 

stabbed on his chest. 

He also said that one Selim Mia, 

a caretaker of the under construction 

building in 53/a, road number 

2, has been detained and few others 

are being quizzed. 

The official said Ali Hossain’s 

body has been sent to Dhaka Medical 

College Hospital for autopsy. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

THUNDERSHOWER 

WITH RAIN 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 

Dhaka 31 24 Chittagong 30 26 Rajshahi 30 24 Rangpur 25 22 Khulna 31 23 Barisal 30 24 Sylhet 24 23 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:35PM 

SUN RISES 5:55AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

31.6ºC 23ºC 

Jessore 

Maizdi Court 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 29 26 

Fajr: 5:20am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:30pm | Magrib: 5:50pm 

Esha: 7:45pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 


DT 

News 

Tengragiri Eco-park needs renovation 

• Tarikul Riaz, Barguna 

Tengragiri Eco-park, the natural 

habitat of wild animals, is a place 

where one will be mesmerized by 

the natural beauty of a forest and 

at the same time, by the mysterious 

call of the sea. 

Here one can lose oneself in the 

vegetation and tweets of birds as 

well as in the sunrise and sunset in 

sea. 

That is why hundreds of tourists 

visited the park, especially in 

winter, contributing to the government’s 

revenue fund. 

But, recently, the number of 

visitors has decreased, as the infrastructures 

of the park have almost 

been damaged due to lack of its 

maintenance. 

The eco-park was built on Sakhina 

beat of Tengragiri reserve forest 

at Taltoli of Barguna, encompassing 

an area of 13,634 acres, in 2011, 

aiming to promote eco-tourism. 

It took Tk2,63,96,600 to set up 

the park, which includes four deep 

Visitors to Tengratila Eco-park at Taltoli in Barguna seen crossing a canal in the 

park through a collapsed bridge. The photo was taken recently DHAKA TRIBUNE 

tube-wells, four toilets, four rest 

houses, a picnic spot, two ticket 

counters, 16 wooden bridges over 

small canals from the entrance to 

the end of the park and, most importantly, 

a three-kilometre road 

leading to the sea. 

Most of the aforementioned facilities 

for tourists are no longer 

offering any comfort to them due 

to the poor condition of the infrastructures. 

Three tube-well out of four have 

not been working, while doors, 

windows and basins of three toilets 

have been stolen, reports our correspondent 

after visiting the park 

recently. 

The condition of the rest houses 

is also very poor. Plasters fall from 

the walls and ceilings. 

Twelve out of 16 bridges have 

almost been damaged. 

The bridge over Sakhina canal 

at the entrance of the park, which 

connects the park to the main forest, 

is on the verge of collapse. 

Besides, the road leading to the 

sea is also in poor condition, causing 

sufferings to the sea-lovers. 

College student Sabrina Yesmin 

told the Dhaka Tribune that the 

condition of the bridges made it 

difficult for her to see the whole 

park. 

Another visitor Sumun Shikdar 

said lack of maintenance and renovation 

had turned the park into a 

ruin. 

Md Abu Jafar, another tourist, 

said the number of the tourists 

would increase if the authorities 

concerned could ensure security 

of the visitors as well as other facilities. 

“The tourists feel unsafe while 

returning to the main land of the 

park, after enjoying the sunset in 

sea,” said Jafar. 

Shajib Kumar Majumdar, forest 

officer of Sakina beat and also the 

in-charge of the park, said: “Earlier, 

hundreds of visitors thronged 

the park every day. Now, it has 

been decreased, as no renovation 

has been done in recent years.” 

Muha Bashirul, deputy commissioner 

of Barguna, said the higher 

authorities had been informed of 

the matter. 

“We have talked to the forest 

department as well as Local Government 

and Rural Development 

(LGRD) executive engineer for renovation 

of the park as soon as possible,” 

added Muha. • 

Three youths 

stabbed dead in 

three districts 


Two youths were stabbed to 

death in Comilla and Munshiganj 

districts yesterday. 

Our Comilla correspondent 

said a young man was 

stabbed to death and three 

others were injured in an attack 

by some miscreants at 

Chotna village in Debidwar 

upazila in the morning. 

The deceased was Foyez, 

son of Joynal Abedin of 

Mohonpur village in the 

upazila. 

Local people said an altercation 

ensued among some 

young men including Foyez 

over a trifling matter near a 

Puja mandap in the village 

during Durga Puj. 

At one stage of altercation, 

some young men stabbed 

Foyez indiscriminately, leaving 

him critically injured. 

Three others people-Mehedi, 

Goni Mia and Russel 

were injured in the attack as 

they tried to save Foyez. 

Foyez was rushed to 

Comilla Medical College Hospital 

where on duty doctors 

referred him to Dhaka Medical 

College Hospital. Later he 

died on way to Dhaka, said 

Mizanur Rahman, officer-incharge 

of Debidwar police 

station. 

An unidentified young 

man was arrested in this connection, 

said police. 

On the other hand, a youth 

was stabbed to death and 

three others injured in an attack 

by a young man at Pura 

village in Tongibari upazila 

of Munshiganj, reported our 

correspondent. 

The deceased was Faisal 

Dhali, son of Nazrul Dhali, 

a resident of Dhalikandir 

Noadda village in Sadar 

upazila 

Alamgir Hossain, officerin-charge 

of Tongibari police 

station, said Faisal along with 

three other friends were returning 

to their village after 

visiting a puja mandap. 

When they reached the 

village, one Miraj Miah, 23, 

attacked and stabbed them 

indiscriminately, leaving 

them critically injured. 

The injured were rushed 

to Munshiganj General Hospital 

where doctor declared 

Faisal dead. 

Later, the three injured 

were taken to Dhaka for better 

treatment. 

There had been a dispute 

between Faisal and Miraj 

over love relation with a college 

girl, added the OC. •

Four-lane highway turns unfit for vehicles 

• Motiur Rahman, Manikganj 

People in Manikganj have been suffering 

a lot for long as the Four-lane 

Highway in the district turned into 

dilapidated condition surprisingly 

within three months after the completion 

of its construction. 

Locals said around one kilometre 

of the road became completely 

unfit for vehicular movement, 

as gigantic potholes 

developed at major points. 

According to roads and highway 

sources, the one kilometre 

road four-lane, the upgradation 

of Hemayetpur-Singair-Manikganj 

regional highway (Manikganj Bus 

Stand-DC Residence road part) was 

constructed at cost of Tk6 crore. 

Messrs Akter Construction Firm 

was given the responsibility to construct 

the road. 

Through videoconferencing, 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated 

the road on October 13, 

2015. 

The road was supposed to be 

constructed in June this year but 

the authorities completed the work 

before time-line. 

Locals alleged that the road was 

constructed within a short time 

hurriedly by using low quality materials. 

Liton, a resident in the town, 

said bitumen washed away at several 

points and two culverts already 

5 of a family 

burnt to death 

• Zakir Mostafiz Milu, 

Thakurgaon 

Five members of a family were 

burnt to death yesterday in a fire 

that broke out at Jongaon village 

under Pirganj upazila of Thakurgaon 

district. 

According to locals, the fire 

broke out around 5am at policeman 

Khoresh Chondro’s house. 

The fire service officials are yet 

not confirmed about how the blaze 

had originated. 

The deceased were policeman 

Khoresh Chondro, 45, his wife 

Keya Rani, 35, their son Niloy, 10, 

and daughter Nyce, 15, and Keya 

Rani’s sister Showrna Rani, 20. 

Pirganj OC Amiruzzaman 

said: “A motorcycle parked in the 

house caught fire from an electric 

short-circuit and soon engulfed all 

the five rooms. 

“On information, a fire engine 

went to the spot and doused the 

blaze. The injured were first taken 

to Thakurgaon Sadar Hospital.” 

He said: “Keya Rani and Showrna 

Rani died on the spot while 

Niloy and Nyce on their way to 

Rangpur Medical College Hospital 

and their father died after being 

taken to the hospital.” • 

damaged in the town area. The 

road in Islam Khan Law College and 

Wireless-gate areas subsided. 

Meanwhile, the authority 

stopped a lane of the four, putting 

Bijoya Dashami celebrated across the country 


Durga Puja, the biggest religious 

festival of the Hindus, ended yesterday 

with the immersion of goddess Durga 

in Bangladesh. 

Devotees in their tearful eyes bade 

farewell to the mother deity and her 

children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik 

and Ganesh through the immersion of 

their idols in the water wishing Durga’s 

return next year. 

Our Rajshahi correspondent said 

the five-day puja festival ended here 

with immersion of the goddess Durga 

in the Padma River. 

The last day rituals of the festival 

were celebrated amid much enthusiasm 

and festivity. ‘Prasad’ and sweets were 

distributed among the devotees and 

the people belonging to other communities, 

who visited the Puja Mandops. 

Marking the Bijoya Dashami women 

devotees applied ‘Sindur’ on the face of 

goddess Durga and exchanged among 

themselves amid joyous and festive 

mood. 

Before removing the idols of Durga 

and other gods and goddesses from 

the altar of all mandops or makeshift 

pavilions for immersion, the Hindu 

devotees danced and sang `kirton’. 

Thousands of devotees joined the 

colorful marches as the idols were 

News 7 


Manikganj Four-lane Highway remains closed with heavy traffic after the road collapsed within a short time after the 

completion of its construction. The picture was taken recently 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

sandbags in the western side of the 

town as accident is common phenomenon. 

Rafique Mian, an auto rickshaw 

driver, said road accident was the 

being carried to the nearby rivers particularly 

the river Padma, ponds, canals 

and other water bodies for immersion. 

In Rangpur, the district unit of Bangladesh 

Puja Udjapon Parishad (BPUP) 

and mandop authorities brought out the 

‘Shuvo Bijoya Dashami’ procession this 

afternoon carrying idols of Devi Durga, 

other gods and goddesses on trucks for 

immersions into water bodies. 

Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan 

Ahmed, Deputy Inspector General 

of Police Khondker Golam Faruk and 

Marking the Bijoya Dashami, women devotees seen applying Sindur on their 

faces and goddess Durga amid joyous and festive mood. The picture was taken 

yesterday from Comilla Town Temple 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

Hindu community leaders addressed 

a ceremony held at ‘Shurovi Uddyan’ 

premises in the city before launching 

the procession from there, reports BSS. 

High government officials, leaders 

of Awami League, its associate bodies 

and district unit of BPUP along with 

thousands of the Hindu devotees of all 

ages took part in the procession. 

The female devotees today 

thronged the Puja mandops to have 

last look at goddess Durga this year 

and seek her blessings for the nation, 

common incident on the road as 

potholes had developed here and 

there. 

“When it rains, it can be difficult 

to locate the potholes as it goes under 

water. So guru-some accidents 

occur during rainy season,” he said. 

A trucker named Jamiruddin 

said: “The road is very important 

to go to other parts of the country 

from the district town. We have 

been compelled to use the road 

amid great danger.” 

Locals alleged that asphalt and 

gravel started getting loose just 

some days after the end of the carpeting 

and since then its condition 

on the track of worsening in course 

of time. 

As a result, major and minor accidents 

became prevalent on the 

road, even many of them were fatal. 

During plying, drivers struggle 

to keep the control over their vehicles. 

According to the local residents, 

the road also breaks the cars, which 

may cause accidents. Many people 

think that this road section needs 

capital repairs. 

When contacted, Muhibul 

Haque, executive engineer of roads 

and highways, said the road damaged 

due to heavy downpour this 

year. 

He also denied the allegation of 

using low standard materials. 

Md Akter Hossain, owner of 

the firm, said they would repair 

the damaged lane soon. He also 

claimed the road turned into dilapidated 

condition due to heavy 

flood. • 

people and the humankind by putting 

‘sindur’ on face of the Mother and exchanging 

the same among themselves. 

The law enforcers, who were on 

duty day and night over the last five 

days, were seen guarding today’s 

‘Shuvo Bijoya Dashami’ procession for 

immersion of Devi Durga and other 

idols since the afternoon. 

President of district unit of BPUP 

Advocate Rothish Chandra Bhowmick 

thanked the present government led by 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the local 

administrations for ensuring security 

during celebration of Durga Puja festivity. 

In Chittagong, idols of Goddess 

Durga are immersed peacefully in the 

city and district today after five-day 

colorful and joyous Durga Puja, the 

biggest religious festival of Hindu 

community. 

In city’s Patenga and Khalurghat sea 

beach areas immersion were held in the 

afternoon with presence of a large number 

of people of the community of all ages. 

They uttered ‘Shuva Bijoya’ and 

exchanged greetings with one another. 

This year as many as 251 puja mandaps 

were erected in the city and 1,692 

in 14 upazilas of the district, police said. 

The day ended with the immersion 

of goddess in Thakurgaon, Bhola, 

Shariatpur, Comilla, Madaripur and all 

other districts in the country. • 

DT

DT 

8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Pakistan bans top 

journalist from leaving 

country 

Pakistan has imposed a travel ban 

on a leading journalist after he 

sparked an uproar by reporting that 

civilian officials had clashed with 

the military over its covert support 

for militants. Cyril Almeida, an assistant 

editor at Dawn, announced 

early Tuesday he had been placed 

on the “Exit Control List”. AFP 

INDIA 

7 killed in India after truck 

rams into crowd 

Seven people have been killed 

and 8 more injured after a truck 

rammed into a crowd near a busy 

Hindu temple in central India. 

Hundreds of worshippers had 

gathered at the Banjari temple to 

celebrate the ongoing Durga Puja 

festival, when the truck driver apparently 

lost control of his vehicle 

and ploughed into the crowd. AFP 

CHINA 

China, Russia to hold 

second military drills 

China and Russia will hold their 

second joint anti-missile drills 

next year, after South Korea and 

US angered the two countries 

with plans to deploy a anti-missile 

system in South Korea. Tension 

on the Korean peninsula has been 

high this year, beginning with 

North Korea’s fourth nuclear test 

in January, which was followed 

by tests of various missiles, and 

largest nuclear test. REUTERS 

ASIA PACIFIC 

Thai junta appeals for 

calm after car bomb plot 

alert 

Thailand’s junta chief appealed for 

calm Tuesday after police warned 

of a plot to target Bangkok with car 

bombs, sparking a security alert 

across the capital including at airports. 

An unusually detailed police 

memo was handed to reporters on 

Monday warning that an unidentified 

group was planning to target Bangkok 

between October 25-30. REUTERS 

MIDDLE EAST 

IS confirms minister of 

information killed 

The Islamic State group said 

Monday that a senior operative 

considered the group’s information 

minister had been killed, confirming 

an earlier Pentagon report. An IS 

statement on social media affirmed 

the “martyrdom” of Abu Mohammad 

al-Furqan, the nom de guerre 

of Wa’il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, 

saying he was an emir of the group’s 

central media body. It did not release 

any further details. AFP 

ANALYSIS 

Runaway Trump train divides GOP 

• Tribune International Desk 

Donald Trump 

had a much 

stronger night 

against Hillary 

Clinton Sunday 

than he did when 

he self-destructed in their first debate 

two weeks ago. But it doesn’t 

change anything. 

The man is a veritable geyser of 

offences and embarrassments that 

erupts as regularly as Old Faithful, 

and there isn’t anyone who can 

shut him off — least of all the candidate 

himself. 

Consider how long it seems 

since he was fat-shaming former 

beauty contest winner Alicia 

Machado. And yet that was just 

two weeks ago. 

By last weekend, the conversation 

had shifted to the new discovery 

of his old brag about how to get 

away with sexual assault — in his 

world, a perk of stardom. 

Some Republicans are at last 

coming to realize there probably is 

no end to this and the time to get 

off the Trump train was before it 

ever left the station. 

If only someone had warned 

them of what lay ahead, they could 

have tried harder to stop it! 

n that sense, it’s a good day to 

be Republican Senator Lindsey 

Graham. 

Graham has watched and resisted 

the Trump phenomenon as it 

overwhelmed his party this year. 

Instead, he turned his knack for 

blending blunt talk and casual outrage 

to enumerating the ways he 

believed Trump offended America’s 

core values. 

“He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, 

religious bigot,” he said last 

December. “He doesn’t represent 

my party.” 

At the time, Graham thought he 

might be a lonely voice, but he was 

nevertheless happy, he said, “to be 

in a category of one per cent who 

said ‘BS! This is not who we are as 

a party, this is not who we are as a 

nation.’” 

It’s likely he foresaw a day when 

colleagues and friends would be 

pressed to explain why it took 

them so long to say the same. 

That day has arrived. 

Asking tough questions 

A broadening swath of Republicans 

is awakening to the sobering 

question: “Is Trump who we are 

now?” 

What has shoved the question 

into their faces is not simply the 

discovery of Trump’s mindless 

trivializing of sexual assault. Nor 

is it even the accumulation of 

US REPUBLICANS IN DISARRAY OVER TRUMP 

Former US administration Member of Congress Former Republican nominee 

Support Donald Trump 

Donald Rumsfeld 

Former Secretary 

of Defence 

Dick Cheney 

Former Vice 

President 

Ted Cruz 

Trump’s top 

rival for the 

Sarah Palin 

2016 presidential 

Vicepresidential 

nomination 

candidate, 2008 

Source: US media 

abuses tossed at women, Muslims, 

Mexicans, veteran POWs, African-Americans, 

etc. 

What’s really put the groan in 

that question is that it’s begun 

to look as though the sacrifice 

of principle to expediency won’t 

have a payoff. 

Four weeks from Election Day, 

all signs point to a resounding 

Trump defeat — and with possibly 

spectacular collateral damage in 

the Senate and, most astonishingly, 

in the House. 

Republicans who regularly 

twisted themselves up like pretzels 

to excuse Trump’s many outrages 

see they’ll get nothing for it. 

Some are refusing to play the game 

anymore. One by one or in small 

groups, they are abandoning their 

leader. 

Even House Speaker Paul Ryan, 

the most senior elected Republican 

in U.S. federal politics, is heading 

that way now. He said he won’t defend 

Trump any longer, although 

he hasn’t yet “unendorsed” him as 

others, such as Senator John Mc- 

Cain, did last week. 

This will get uglier. There are 

bitterer days ahead. 

True, it’s never really looked 

like Trump could win the White 

House — he was behind by about 

six points in Tuesday’s RealClear- 

Politics polling average, and that’s 

been the case, give or take, for 

months. But it’s also true it’s never 

looked like Trump could lose 

his base in the Republican Party 

either. 

Sunday’s amped-up energy 

Who else could thrill them like he 

Defected from Trump campaign 

John McCain 

Presidential 

candidate 2008, 

Vietnam POW 

Paul Ryan 

House Speaker, 

the top elected 

Republican 

surely did in Sunday night’s debate? 

Wounded and with his back to 

the wall, Trump put on the kind 

of performance that electrifies his 

rallies. 

He reached down into the 

depths of “Hillary hatred,” threatened 

her with a special prosecutor 

and even jail if he becomes president, 

and seemed ready to lead 

the studio audience in a call-andresponse 

chorus of “Lock her up! 

Lock her up!” 

His message to the base in TV 

land: “I am still your champion!” 

There was even the flourish 

of reality show surprise: In the 

audience, strategically placed 

by Trump, sat three women who 

have alleged they were victims 

of sexual abuse decades ago after 

straying into the orbit of Bill 

Clinton. 

It was an evening you can bet 

they’re still talking about in all the 

Trumpsvilles big and small across 

America. 

Refuse to support Trump 

George 

W Bush 

Former 

president 

Bush 

family 

George Bush* 

Former president 

Jeb Bush 

Presidential 

hopeful, 

2016 

And: 

Mitt Romney 

Presidential 

8 senators 

candidate, 2012 

15 congressmen/women 

3 governors 

And: 

5 former party officials 

8 senators 

22 congressmen/women 

6 governors 

>80 former party officials 

*reported to be voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton 

A 2005 video 

“I moved on her like a b...., but 

I couldn't get there. And she was 

married... When you're a star, they 

let you do it. You can do anything... 

Grab them by the p....” 

About former Miss Universe 

Alicia Machado 

"She gained a massive amount 

of weight, and it was a real problem" 

About Fox News journalist 

Megan Kelly 

"You could see there was blood 

coming out of her eyes, blood 

coming out of her wherever" 

Referring to a Republican 

primary opponent 

Carly Fiorina 

"Look at that face. 

Would anyone vote for that?" 

Donald Trump 

on women 

"Nobody respects women 

more than I do" 

In conversation with radio host 

Howard Stern 

"What is it at 35? It's called 

check-out time" 

"It's okay to call my daughter 

a 'piece of a..'" 

About the Clintons 

"Bill Clinton 'was the worst abuser 

of women in the history of politics... 

And Hillary was his 'enabler’" 

On Twitter, about Huffington Post's 

co-founder Arianna Huffington 

"@ariannahuff is unattractive 

both inside and out. I fully 

understand why her former 

husband left her for a man - 

he made a good decision" 

But it bodes ill. 

Such a strong and welcome performance 

for the grassroots of the 

party is nevertheless trouble for 

the party leadership. 

Without an unprecedented reversal 

in public opinion, Clinton 

will be elected president. 

That will be a hard punch to the 

gut for Trump and his supporters, 

and many will turn against the Republican 

leaders who they believe 

abandoned them at the critical 

hour. 

And on the other side, they will 

blame Trump as the only candidate 

who could have lost to someone 

as disliked as Clinton is. 

And so with all that already 

simmering, whatever happens to 

the Republican Party next seems 

destined to begin in a boiling stew 

of bitterness, betrayal, spite and 

anger. • 

[This is an excerpt of a CBC article, 

which can be found at http://bit. 

ly/2dGsn4N]

World 

Soldiers protest army cuts outside 

Chinese defence ministry 


More than 1,000 protesters 

walked and chanted in front of 

China’s defence ministry Tuesday, 

the latest apparent demonstration 

by soldiers as the world’s largest 

standing military modernises and 

downsizes, reports The Associated 

Press. 

The protesters stood for several 

hours in front of the Bayi building 

in central Beijing, home of the 

Chinese Ministry of National Defence. 

Many wore green fatigues 

bearing the hammer-and-sickle 

logo of China’s ruling Communist 

Party. 

The purpose of their demonstration 

was unclear. Protesters 

declined to be interviewed, and 

censors blocked searches on social 

media about retired soldiers or the 

Chinese defence ministry. 

Hundreds of police and plainclothes 

security officers surrounded 

the protesters, hemming them 

in with buses and police vehicles. 

While Chinese authorities routinely 

suppress discussions about 

the military and soldiers’ issues, 

one human-rights activist, Huang 

Qi, said that veterans have staged 

more than 50 protests this year 

alone. However, demonstrations 

on such a large scale are extremely 

rare in the centre of the heavily 

policed capital. 

Liu Feiyue, editor of the website 

Minsheng Guancha, which 

monitors civil rights issues, said 

he was told by retired soldiers that 

other ex-soldiers were present. 

China’s armed forces are undergoing 

a large-scale modernisation 

to become a nimble organisation 

that can better handle conflicts at 

sea and in the air. 

Those measures have gained 

pace as China builds up its presence 

in the South China and East 

China Seas amid territorial disputes 

and as relations have soured 

with self-governing Taiwan — 

which China claims as its own territory 

to be unified with by force if 

necessary. 

President Xi Jinping announced 

last year that the 2.3-million-member 

People’s Liberation Army would 

cut 300,000 personnel but little has 

been said about the cost or where 

the surplus troops would go. 

Veterans have staged sit-ins 

and protests for several years over 

low or absent pensions and an 

inability to find work outside the 

military. 

It wasn’t clear if anyone had 

been arrested Tuesday. Local 

police did not respond to faxed 

questions, and no one answered 

the phone at the press office of the 

defence ministry. • 

Russia and Turkey sign TurkStream gas deal 

• Reuters, Istanbul 

Turkey and Russia signed an 

agreement on Monday for the construction 

of a major undersea gas 

pipeline and vowed to seek common 

ground on the war in Syria, 

accelerating a normalisation in 

ties nearly a year after Turkey shot 

down a Russian warplane. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan 

hosted Russia’s Vladimir 

Putin at an Ottoman-era villa in Istanbul 

for talks which touched on 

energy deals, trade and tourism 

ties, defence and the conflict in 

Syria, where the two leaders back 

opposing sides. 

“Today has been a full day with 

President Putin of discussing Russia-Turkish 

relations ... I have full 

confidence that the normalisation 

of Turkish-Russian ties will continue 

at a fast pace,” Erdogan told 

a joint news conference. 

Putin said Moscow had decided 

to lift a ban on some food products 

from Turkey, imposed after the 

Turks shot down a Russian fighter 

jet near the Syrian border last November, 

and that both leaders had 

agreed to work towards the fullscale 

normalisation of bilateral ties. 

They signed a deal on the 

TurkStream undersea gas pipeline, 

which will allow Moscow to 

strengthen its position in the European 

gas market and cut energy 

supplies via Ukraine, the main route 

for Russian energy into Europe. 

The plan for TurkStream 

emerged after Russia dropped 

plans to build the South Stream 

pipeline to Bulgaria due to opposition 

from the European Union, 

which is trying to reduce its dependence 

on Russian gas. 

Erdogan also said plans for a 

Russian-built nuclear power plant 

in Turkey would be accelerated. 

Time lost on the Akkuyu project 

because of strained relations 

would be made up, he said. 

In 2013, Russia’s state nuclear 

corporation Rosatom won a $20bn 

contract to build four reactors in 

what was to become Turkey’s first 

nuclear plant, but construction 

was halted after the downing of 

the Russian jet. 

Hundreds of protesters in green fatigues gather outside the Chinese Ministry of 

National Defense to protest in Beijing, China on October 11 

AP 

RUSSIA SIGNS TURKSTREAM PIPELINE DEAL 

Russia and Turkey have signed an intergovernmental agreement to 

implement the TurkStream pipeline project, which will bring Russian 

natural gas to Europe via the Black Sea, bypassing Ukraine 

Deep divisions on Syria 

Putin received Erdogan in a Tsarist-era 

palace outside his home 

city of St Petersburg in August, 

when the two leaders, both powerful 

figures ill-disposed to dissent, 

announced plans for an acceleration 

in trade and energy ties. 

But progress on Syria, over 

which they remain deeply divided, 

has been more problematic. Erdogan 

described the topic as “very 

sensitive”, but said he had discussed 

Turkey’s military operations 

in Syria with Putin on Monday. 

Both men said they had agreed 

on the importance of delivering 

aid to the city of Aleppo, whose 

opposition-held eastern sector has 

been encircled by Russian-backed 

Syrian forces for all but a short period 

since July. 

Russia has backed Syrian President 

Bashar al-Assad with a yearlong 

air campaign against the 

rebels fighting him. Turkey backs 

the rebels and wants to see Assad 

out of power. 

On Saturday, Russia vetoed a 

French-drafted UN Security Council 

resolution that would have demanded 

an end to air strikes and 

military flights over Aleppo. A rival 

Russian draft text failed to get a 

minimum nine votes in favour. • 

9 


USA 

Trump lashes out at 

disloyal Republicans 

DT 

Embattled White House hopeful 

Donald Trump lashed out at disloyal 

Republicans in a ranting tweetstorm 

Tuesday, saying they are 

to blame if his faltering campaign 

comes up short. He publicly berated 

party big-wig Paul Ryan - the speaker 

of the House of Representatives 

- as a weak and ineffective leader. 

“It is so nice that the shackles have 

been taken off me and I can now 

fight for America the way I want to” 

Trump tweeted. AFP 

THE AMERICAS 

3 killed in gun battle near 

Rio tourist zone 

Three people were killed and 5 

wounded during pitched gun 

battles Monday between Brazilian 

police and drug traffickers in two 

Rio slums, triggering panic in the 

nearby Copacabana and Ipanema 

tourist areas. The man who fell to 

his death was wearing a backpack 

containing about 8kg of cocaine, 

the statement said. AFP 

UK 

Driverless cars hit British 

streets in landmark trial 

Driverless vehicles carrying passengers 

took to Britain’s streets 

for the first time on Tuesday in a 

landmark trial which could pave 

the way for their introduction 

across the country. The compact 

two-seater cars trundled along 

a pedestrianised zone in Milton 

Keynes, north of London, in a trial 

by Transport Systems Catapult 

which plans to roll out 40 vehicles 

in the city. AFP 

EUROPE 

Putin cancels visit to Paris 

in Syria row 

Russian President Vladimir Putin 

on Tuesday cancelled a visit to 

France in a furious row over Moscow’s 

role in the Syrian conflict. 

The announcement from the 

Kremlin came a day after French 

President Francois Hollande said 

Syrian forces had committed a war 

crime in the battered city of Aleppo 

with the support of Russian air 

strikes. AFP 

AFRICA 

Kenya, South Africa vow 

to ease trade, visa barriers 

South Africa and Kenya vowed 

Tuesday to soften borders between 

the two regional powerhouses by 

easing trade and visa barriers, part 

of ongoing efforts to boost low 

levels of commerce within Africa. 

While both nations are economic 

giants in their respective regions, 

South Africa’s Jacob Zuma on 

Tuesday made the first-ever state 

visit by a president from his country 

to Kenya. AFP

10 


DT 

World 

INSIGHT 

In fight against IS, Kurds expand their territory 

• Reuters, Iraq 

Like many houses in this northern 

Iraqi town, the drab concrete 

building used to be owned by an 

Arab family. Abu Suhail, a Kurd 

who owns a small shop, lived down 

the block. He and his family shared 

glasses of tea with their Arab neighbours; 

his two sons played with 

Arab kids in the streets. 

But after Islamic State seized 

Zumar during its lightning sweep 

through northern and western Iraq 

in 2014, most Kurds fled, leaving 

the town to the Sunni militant 

group. Two months later, the Kurds 

hit back, pushing Islamic State out. 

Now, Zumar is populated almost 

entirely by Kurds, many of whom, 

like Abu Suhail, have had no qualms 

about seizing homes. He said the 

Arab who owned the house he has 

taken supported Islamic State. 

The same shift can be seen in 

towns and villages across the ethnically 

mixed ribbon of land that 

divides the autonomous Kurdish 

area in the north of Iraq from the 

Arab-majority part in the south. As 

the peshmerga – Iraqi Kurdistan’s 

fighting force – have battled Islamic 

State, many Arabs have been forced 

from their homes. 

Ordinary Kurds have come in behind, 

seizing properties, destroying 

buildings, and grabbing farmland. 

In total, Kurds have increased the 

size of the region they control in 

Iraq by around 40% since 2014. 

This is how the map is being redrawn 

across Iraq and Syria: Groups 

fighting Islamic State are using the 

battle to settle older disputes and 

expand their territory. 

Tensions have been rising in 

the past few months as Iraqi government 

forces, Kurds and Iranian-backed 

Shi’ite militias gear up 

for an offensive to drive Islamic 

State from its stronghold in the city 

of Mosul. The members of the uneasy 

alliance share a common enemy, 

but they agree on little else. 

Falah Mustafa, the head of the 

Kurdish department of foreign relations, 

agrees. Many peshmerga 

have died fighting Islamic State, 

he said. The Kurdish government 

“cannot allow the sacrifices to be 

in vain by reinstituting Arabisation, 

which is the policy of the former 

regime. Definitely the Arabisation 

process has to be reversed.” 

A troubled past 

Kurds see consolidating their territory 

as an important step to statehood, 

which they have wanted ever since 

European powers carved up the Ottoman 

Empire a century ago. The 

new borders defined modern Iraq 

but spread the Kurdish people between 

it and three of its neighbours. 

In Iraq, Kurds were regularly repressed, 

especially under Saddam. 

Zumar is a case in point. The old 

village was submerged in the 1980s 

during the construction of Mosul 

dam, Iraq’s largest. When water levels 

in the dam are low, the tops of the 

tallest buildings can still be seen. 

Saddam built a replacement village 

on land that the Kurds say was 

taken from them. There, and in 

Kurdish areas across northern Iraq, 

he spent the next two decades resettling 

Arabs. 

Things changed after the US-led 

invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam. 

After the first Gulf War in 1990, the 

Kurds had carved out an enclave 

that was protected by a no-fly zone 

backed by a US-led coalition. With 

Saddam finally gone, the Kurds became 

more powerful. Many returned 

to their villages, or what remained of 

them. Arabs left, sometimes under 

duress, often of their own accord. 

A new constitutional provision 

called for a referendum on the future 

of the border areas. But the 

process festered because Iraq’s 

fractious political class could not 

agree how to implement it. 

The arrival of Islamic State in 

August 2014 revived old fears. In an 

interview last year, Kurdish President 

Masoud Barzani told pan-Arab 

daily al-Hayat that many Iraqi 

Sunnis were using Islamic State to 

strengthen their own claims. 

Kurds forced Islamic State out of 

Zumar in October 2014. The town 

is now tightly controlled by camouflage-wearing 

Kurdish security 

forces known as Asayish. Remaining 

Arab residents say they fear 

retaliation if they speak out. But 

quietly some say that Kurdish security 

forces have expelled hundreds 

of people accused of links with the 

militants. Kurds have taken over 

entire streets and areas that once 

belonged to Arabs. 

Amnesty International puts the 

number of Arab residents barred 

from returning to their homes in 

all disputed areas – from the Syrian 

border in the west to the Iranian 

frontier in the east – in the tens of 

thousands. 

The Kurds say only those with 

links to Islamic State are not allowed 

back, and point to the Arab 

communities who remain as proof 

there is no policy of demographic 

change. 

Kurdish officials deny targeting 

Arab property. They say the damage 

was done by coalition airstrikes 

and fighting against Islamic State 

militants. 

History repeats itself 

The man in charge of security in 

Zumar is Colonel Noruz Balati, 

who spent 17 years in prison during 

Saddam’s rule for his role in the 

Kurdish independence struggle. 

Balati said as much as 80% of Zumar’s 

Arab population had joined or 

supported Islamic State when they 

occupied the town. Most of them, 

he said, had been settled in the area 

by Saddam and were not “original” 

Arabs whose families had been 

there for generations. 

Only 50 Arab families, a minority 

of the town’s former population, 

have been allowed to return to Zumar, 

he said. He admits that others 

are displaced within Kurdish territory 

and have not been allowed 

home. “We are suspicious of them,” 

he said. 

At the same time, Kurds whose 

own homes in villages outside Zumar 

were damaged or are still close 

to the front line have moved into 

the town. 

“History repeats itself: The 

Kurds were displaced and now 

they have returned,” said Adnan 

Ibrahim, 39, a tailor’s tape measure 

draped over his neck. “Things have 

returned to their natural order.” 

Zumar’s commercial district used 

to be predominantly Arab. Now 

shops have been renamed to reflect 

their new Kurdish proprietors. 

A middle-aged Kurd arranging 

goods on a shelf in a small supermarket 

said the shop was not his but 

he felt entitled to it because his own 

business had been destroyed by Islamic 

State. Earlier that day, the real 

owner of the shop had come to ask 

for rent, but the Kurd had refused 

to pay, reasoning that the money 

could end up in the wrong hands 

because the Arab’s brother is living 

in Islamic State territory. 

The Arab, whose house has also 

been occupied by Kurds, confirmed 

his brother is living under the jihadists’ 

rule, but said he was trapped 

there and did not back them. He 

later obtained permission from the 

Asayish to collect the rent, but the 

Kurd still refused to pay, he said. 

‘Duhok supports me, Peshmerga 

protect me’ 

Zumar officially remains under the jurisdiction 

of Baghdad, which pays the 

salaries of most state workers, makes 

official appointments and is meant to 

fund local government budgets. 

But there is little doubt who 

controls the town. The Iraqi flag is 

nowhere to be seen and Zumar’s 

administration is increasingly integrated 

into the neighbouring Kurdish 

province of Duhok. 

Ahmed Jaafar, the Kurd who 

heads the Zumar sub-district, said 

Baghdad had done nothing for the 

area. But Duhok had given him a 50 

kilowatt electricity generator, ambulances 

and medicine. 

“Administratively, officially, I 

belong to Nineveh province, but in 

practice Duhok supports me and 

the peshmerga protect me. This is 

the reality.” 

Some Arabs living under Kurdish 

rule support the Kurds. “They 

A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces gestures in Zumar, Iraq 

THE KURDS 

HDP 

The Kurdistan Democratic Party 

(KDP) was established in 1946. Its 

leader. Massoud Barzani. is the 

president of Iraqi Kurdistan. 

Gorran, the second-largest 

Kurdish party in Iraqi Kurdistan, 

split off from the PUK in 2009, 

undermining the PUK and KDP's 

dominance in Kurdish politics. 

The Peoples' Democratic 

Party (HDP) is a pro-minority 

opposition party, wrth 59 

seats in Turkey's 550-seat 

parliament. HOP has criticised 

the government's handling of 

milrtancy in Turkey's primarily 

Kurdish southeast. 

KDPI 

KDP 

GORRAN 

POLITICAL 

PARTY 

PYD 

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 

was founded in 1975 by Jalal Talabani. The 

civil war between the KDP and PUK 

tasted from 1994 to 1998. 

The peshmerga are Iraqi Kurdish 

military forces. Many brigades are 

under the Ministry of Peshmerga 

Affairs' control, though some serve as 

milrtary wings of the PUK and KDP. 

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), founded in 

1978 by Abdullah Ocalan. waged an insurgency 

against the Turkish state from 1984to 2013. Turkey 

broke the cease-fire. in 2015 when it bombed PKK 

camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. 

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claims 

to be separate from the PKl< but is in fact the 

PKI

World 

EU sanctions against Russia over Ukraine 

11 


DT 


The European Union’s indignation 

over Russian air strikes against rebels 

in Syria has shifted its debate on sanctions 

against Moscow over a different 

conflict - in Ukraine. 

Any extension of sanctions requires 

unanimity of all 28 EU countries. 

The United States has introduced 

similar sanctions, reports 

The Associated Press. 

Below are details of the EU sanctions 

on Russia. 

Economic sanctions 

The main EU sanctions against 

Moscow restricting the access of the 

country’s banking sector to international 

money markets. 

They also include an embargo 

on most arms trading with Russia 

and prohibition of exports for the 

so-called dual-use goods that can be 

used for military means. The sales of 

some energy-related equipment and 

technology are also not allowed. 

The economic sanctions are in 

place until January 31, 2017. 

Blacklist of people end entities 

A list of 151 people and 37 entities subject 

to visa bans and an assets freeze 

in the EU for their role in the annexation 

of Crimea or the Russia-backed 

rebellion in eastern Ukraine. 

The blacklist covers advisers and 

close aides of Russian President 

Vladimir Putin, Russian parliamentarians, 

defence and intelligence 

officials, army and navy commanders, 

as well as Crimean separatists 

and rebels in east Ukraine. Putin 

himself is not on the list. 

This list is most often looked at 

by advocates of an easing of sanctions 

who say that de-listing some 

Russian officials would send a positive 

signal to the Kremlin while 

making little real difference. 

That, however, has not happened 

so far and these sanctions 

are in place until March 15, 2017. 

Crimea sanctions 

Restrictions on business dealings with 

the Russian-annexed Crimea are seen 

as the least likely to be eased or lifted 

as Russia says it will never return the 

Black Sea peninsula to Ukraine. 

The annexation has not been 

internationally recognised and the 

sanctions include bans on importing 

goods produced in Crimea, investing 

or providing tourism services there. 

Most transport, telecoms and 

energy exports to Crimea are also 

prohibited, though a Reuters investigation 

revealed how EU companies 

are skirting them. 

This set of EU sanctions is now in 

place until June 23, 2017. • 

EXPLAINER 

Why Ethiopia is under 

state of emergency 


One of Africa’s best-performing 

economies, Ethiopia, has 

declared a state of emergency, 

its first in a quarter-century, 

after months of widespread, 

often deadly, protests demanding 

greater freedoms. 

On Tuesday, German Chancellor 

Angela Merkel met with 

Prime Minister Hailemariam 

Desalegn during a three-nation 

tour of Africa and said 

her country has offered to 

help mediate in the troubled 

region. Here’s a look at why 

this East African country, a security 

ally of the West, is now 

a target of its criticism, reports 

The Associated Press. 

Anger over land turns to 

anger over rights 

Ethiopia’s largest ethnic 

group, the Oromo, rose up in 

protest almost a year ago when 

the government proposed 

annexing some of their land 

into the capital, Addis Ababa, 

as part of a drive to transform 

this largely agricultural nation 

into a regional manufacturing 

power. While the government 

later gave up the idea, the protests 

broadened into a demand 

for more rights and for the release 

of detained activists, 

opposition figures and journalists. 

The anti-government 

anger caught fire in other parts 

of the country. 

Hundreds of deaths, and a 

stampede 

Rights groups and activists 

have said more than 400 people 

have been killed in the protests, 

and some in the international 

community, including 

the United States, have called 

on the government to use restraint. 

Last week, the protests 

landed in the global 

spotlight when more than 

50 people were crushed to 

death in a stampede after security 

forces tried to disperse 

protesters during a massive 

religious festival. The government 

blamed the stampede on 

what it called “the action of 

some hooligans.” 

The new state of emergency 

Pressure has grown on Ethiopia 

since the stampede, and 

further protests last week targeted 

both local and foreign 

businesses suspected of having 

ties to the government. An 

American woman was killed 

in a rock attack by protesters 

on the outskirts of the capital. 

On Sunday, after the week 

of unrest, the government 

declared a six-month state 

of emergency, citing “enormous” 

damage to property. 

“The recent developments in 

Ethiopia have put the integrity 

of the nation at risk,” the 

prime minister said. 

No internet ... again 

The six-month state of 

emergency is the maximum 

allowed, though it can be 

renewed. A government 

spokesman said Ethiopia’s 

security forces will be reorganized 

during this time to 

better respond to the protests. 

The government says 

the state of emergency may 

include a curfew in some locations, 

arrests and searchand-seizures 

without a court 

order, restrictions on the 

right to assembly and a ban 

on some communications. 

Opposition figures say an informal 

state of emergency 

has been in place for some 

time, and the country’s most 

recent internet blackout has 

been in place almost continuously 

since last week. •

DT 

12 

Business 


ERL new unit work stalled for fund crisis 

Second unit work 

of the oil refinery 

was scheduled to 

be completed by 

June 2016 

• Aminur Rahman Rasel 

The work of setting up second unit 

of the Eastern Refinery Limited 

(ERL), the only state-owned oil refinery 

in Bangladesh, has been disrupted 

due to lack of funds. 

The installation of the ERL unit- 

2 was scheduled to be completed 

by June 2016. But the work of the 

project worth Tk16,731 crore is not 

progressing as financial assistance 

from foreign sources is still at negotiating 

stage. 

Once installed, the unit is expected 

to refine 4.5m tonnes of petroleum 

annually. 

About the situation, ERL General 

Manager and Project Director Aktarul 

Haque told the Dhaka Tribune 

yesterday that the development 

project proposal (DPP) has been 

sent to the Planning Commission 

for approval while negotiation for 

funds is on-going with several foreign 

banks and financiers. 

“The design of the project will 

be finalised after the DPP is passed 

Once installed, the second unit of the Eastern Refinery is expected to refine 4.5m tonnes of petroleum annually 

from the Planning Commission, 

and French company Technip will 

do the designing,” he said. 

Haque added the government 

has already signed a memorandum 

of understanding with Technip for 

the unit.” 

He said: “The construction cost 

will be negotiated with Technip on the 

basis of the MoU. If both parties reach 

a consensus, Technip will be awarded 

the job. Otherwise, the government 

will look for another company.” 

ERL Managing Director Engr. 

Md Emdadul Haque said: “The unit 

may take around three years to 

Bida seeks govt help in equity 

fund for new entrepreneurs 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

Bangladesh Investment Development 

Authority (Bida) has urged 

Finance Division to provide assistance 

in its initiative of forming an 

equity fund for the country’s new 

entrepreneurs. 

Bida Chairman Md Aminul Islam recently 

sent a letter to Finance Minister 

AMA Muhith requesting for the 

help. 

In the letter, the chairman said: 

“This fiscal year Bida has allocated 

Tk10 crore for the emerging entrepreneurs’ 

fund.” 

He said Bida plans to create an 

equity fund with an initial amount 

of Tk110 crore. 

“We want to help young entrepreneurs 

from the fund in the current 

fiscal year,” Aminul Islam said. 

He said the government is unable 

to create new entrepreneurs in the 

This fiscal year Bida has allocated Tk10 crore 

for the emerging entrepreneurs’ fund 

absence such funding initiative. 

This is helpful as the new entrepreneurs 

in Bangladesh usually do 

not have enough resources to start 

a business, according to the letter. 

Bida said it has prepared concept 

papers on creation of new entrepreneurs 

with the help of Brac University 

and Daffodil International University 

in Dhaka. 

The concept papers have elaborated 

on management of the training 

and financing for new entrepreneurs. 

On the basis of the guidelines as 

developed in the papers, the standards 

will be set for the emerging entrepreneurs. 

Bida has urged Finance Division 

to fund Tk100 crore under the Bida 

venture capital fund. 

In Bangladesh, around 2m new 

faces are entering the job market 

every year, with only half of them 

being employed, either at home or 

abroad. 

Bangladesh Bank has taken efforts 

as part of its policy to create 

additional employment opportunities 

in the country. 

In 2013 the Dhaka Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry published 

a handbook on entrepreneurship 

with a view to creating 2,000 innovative 

entrepreneurs across the 

country. • 

complete, after the DPP is passed.” 

The estimated project cost is 

Tk16,731 crore, out of which, Tk5,000 

crore will be provided by the Bangladesh 

Petroleum Corporation (BPC) 

and the remaining Tk11,731 crore is expected 

to come as project assistance. 

Presently, ERL refines 1.3m 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

tonnes of crude oil annually though 

its capacity of 1.5m tonnes. The BPC 

annually imports nearly 5m tonnes 

of crude and refined oil at an average 

cost of Tk50,000 crore. 

Technip, which installed the 

ERL’s first unit, was also given the 

task of designing the second unit. • 

‘China economy improving, 

debt risks under control’ 

• Reuters 

China’s economy performed better 

than expected in the third quarter 

and the country’s debt risks are 

under control, Premier Li Keqiang 

said yesterday. 

“China’s economy in the third 

quarter not only extended growth 

momentum in the first half but 

showed many positive changes,” Li 

said in the speech in Macau that was 

broadcast live on state television. 

Key indicators such as factory 

output, company profits and 

investment have rebounded, he 

said, ahead of China’s release of 

third-quarter gross domestic product 

(GDP) data on Oct. 19. 

More than 10 million new urban 

jobs were created in the first nine 

months, with the survey-based 

jobless rate falling below 5% in 

September, he said, while acknowledging 

that the economy still faces 

downward pressure. •

Business 13 

DT 


Foreigners cut down on emerging Asia bonds 

• Reuters 

Foreign investors have cut holdings 

in most emerging Asian government 

bonds so far this month 

on expectations that US interest 

rates will rise in December and that 

other major central banks will not 

ease further. South Korea, India 

and Thailand have suffered outflows 

so far in October. 

“The global environment for 

bonds has become less favourable 

with major central banks contemplating 

reducing stimuli,” said Eugene 

Leow, interest rate strategist 

for DBS Bank in Singapore. 

The US Federal Reserve is expected 

to raise interest rates in December, 

as three months of slower 

employment growth is not considered 

enough to stop it from moving. 

Also weighing on emerging 

Asian debt are perceptions that 

other major central banks are unlikely 

to ease further as well as 

higher oil prices, which have reduced 

concerns about inflation being 

too low. 

Outflows 

Foreign investors sold a combined 

net 1.7tn won ($1.5bn) worth of 

South Korean bonds in the first 10 

Runner to bring 

Bajaj 3-wheelers 

in Bangladesh 

market 

• Tribune Business Desk 

Runner, a local motorcycle manufacturer, 

has tied up with Bajaj 

Auto Limited, India-based 

three-wheeler manufacturer, to 

introduce Qute and LPG and Diesel 

range three wheelers. 

On this tie-up, Manish Singh 

Rathore, general manager (International 

Business) said: “Bajaj would be 

introducing LPG three-wheeler along 

with four-wheeled Qute to Bangladesh 

market through Runner in December,” 

said press release yesterday. 

Both Qute and three-wheeler 

would provide added mobility options 

to Bangladesh Customers. 

Qute – a safe, smart, fuel-efficient, 

environmentally friendly and compact 

mobility solution on 4 wheels 

– is already operating in 20 countries. 

“With its unique design, it 

would cater to consumer travel 

needs on highways as well as in 

dense traffic conditions, especially 

in metro cities like Dhaka, Khulna 

and Chittagong etc,” said Mukesh 

Sharma, managing director and 

CEO, Runner Automobiles Ltd. 

Runner would create a complete 

ecosystem for Distribution and 

Servicing of three-wheelers and 

Qute in Bangladesh, he added. • 

days of October, preliminary data 

from the country’s Financial Supervisory 

Service showed. 

This follows 663bn won of outflows 

from bonds in September, 

with foreigners reducing holdings 

of maturities of less than one year 

by 3.4tn won, according to separate 

data from the regulator. 

“Short-dated notes are not attractive, 

given low chances of a rate 

cut in a near term, although investors 

extended duration, indicating 

US-Bangla Airlines adds first Boeing to its fleet 

• Tribune Business Desk 

their sentiment stays bullish,” said 

Shin Dong-su, a fixed-income analyst 

at Eugene Investment & Securities 

in Seoul. 

South Korea’s central bank holds 

a policy meeting on Thursday and 

is not expected to lower rates, with 

rising household debt seen as one 

hurdle to a cut. 

In India, foreign investors 

booked profits by selling more 

$600m worth of domestic bonds 

this month after buying $1.5bn of 

US-Bangla Airlines has brought 

Boeing 737-800 aircraft into its 

fleet to expand its wing to home 

and abroad. 

Cockpit crew and officials of the 

US-Bangla Airlines received the 

new aircraft at Hazrat Shahjalal 

International Airport yesterday 

evening, creating a new milestone 

in the aviation industry of Bangladesh. 

US-Bangla will now be able to 

connect more international destinations 

in the upcoming days with 

the 158-seater Boeing 737-800 aircraft. 

The carrier began its journey on 

July 17, 2014 with its maiden flight 

from Dhaka to Jessore. The airliner 

has so far successfully operated 

over 16,000 flights in the domestic 

and Dhaka-Kathmandu route. 

With the new Boeing 737-800 

aircraft, the total number of aircraft 

of the company is now four. 

Boeing 737-800 aircraft has 158 

revenue seats each including 8 

business class and Dash8 Q400 aircraft 

76 seats each. 

It took to the skies with a slogan 

“Fly Fast-Fly Safe” and has 

been providing committed services 

ever since. Since its inception, 

US-Bangla Airlines received a positive 

market response and presently 

holds a major connectivity of the 

domestic routes and one regional 

Dhaka-Kathmandu route. In a 

span of just two years of its operation, 

US-Bangla has established its 

brand reputation. 

In the domestic sectors, currently 

it provides connectivity to all the 

domestic airports with the capital 

by giving regular flights. US-Bangla 

Airlines operates three aircrafts 

in its inventory; these are DASH 

8-Q400 aircrafts. 

To further expand its operation 

into the international arena, the 

management of US-Bangla will 

procure two more brand new Boeing 

737-500 aircraft, out of which, 

them in September, before a policy 

meeting on Oct 4 at which interest 

rates were cut. 

Foreign investors cut Thai bond 

holdings by 9.2bn baht ($263.8m) in 

the first 10 days of October, following 

inflows of 15.3bn baht in September 

and of 41.1bn baht in August, according 

to Reuters calculations based on 

Thai Bond Market Association data. 

Thai markets have fallen this 

week after a palace statement on 

Sunday said the health of King 

US-Bangla Airlines officials and crew members pose for photo as the company brings a Boeing to its fleet 

one will be arriving in Bangladesh 

in the third week of this month 

and the other one in December 

2016. Each aircraft will posses 4 

lavatory to facilitate the passengers’ 

comfort. 

The management of US-Bangla 

Airlines has decided to operate 

regular scheduled flight to Kolkata, 

Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, 

Muscat, Doha, Guangzhou 

and many more international destinations 

with these Boeing 737- 

800 aircraft. US-Bangla will be the 

first airline in Bangladesh to connect 

Paro (Bhutan) with Dhaka in 

Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, was in an 

“unstable” condition. 

Malaysia saw bond outflows of 

1.4bn ringgit ($336.9m) in September 

after three months of inflows, 

central bank data showed. 

Indonesia 

Foreign holdings of Indonesian 

bonds, by contrast, have hardly 

changed this month. Among Asia’s 

highest yielding bonds, they attracted 

16.9bn rupiah ($1.3bn) of 

inflows in September, nearly double 

the August level. 

These inflows came as Bank Indonesia 

last month delivered its 

fifth interest rate this year, boosting 

bond prices. The country also 

collected 97.2tn rupiah in revenue 

from the first phase of the country’s 

tax amnesty, helping cover 

the government’s fiscal deficit. 

Some investors think the falling 

yuan might prompt some foreign 

investors to sell Chinese bonds and 

move into other emerging Asian 

debt. The renminbi has hit six-year 

lows this week. 

“After CNY depreciation, money 

has been flowing out of onshore 

China to the offshore market,” said 

Gordon Ip, investment director at 

Value Partners in Hong Kong. • 

COURTESY 

the near future. 

US-Bangla Airlines maintains 

an impeccable standard of service 

equipped with incomparable reliability 

and flying comfort with 

in-flight service of international 

standard, and reached the milestone 

for best on-time performance, 

which is about 98.7%. 

To facilitate its passengers further 

beyond flying, US-Bangla also 

maintains a frequent flyer program 

named ‘Sky Star’. For in-flight entertainment 

of the passengers, 

US-Bangla also published its own 

in-flight magazine ‘Blue Sky’. •

14 


DT 

Business 

German investor cheer could hit growth buffers 

• AFP, Frankfurt 

Sentiment among investors in Germany 

sharply improved this month 

from its post-Brexit doldrums, data 

showed yesterday, but analysts 

warned against overconfidence. 

The ZEW economic institute’s 

headline investor confidence index 

hit 6.2 points in October, an 

increase of 5.7 points over September 

and beating the 4 points 

analysts surveyed by Factset had 

predicted. 

Sentiment had hovered at low 

levels in August and September 

after a sharp dip in July following 

Britain’s June 23 vote to quit the 

European Union. 

Even with the October increase, 

the barometer remains well below 

its long-term average of 24.1 points. 

The result was “very positive, 

and points to a thoroughly robust 

development of the business cycle,” 

ZEW president Achim Wambach 

said in a statement. 

But Wambach warned of “a few 

political and economic risks” that 

could still weigh on the index, including 

“dangers for the German 

banking sector”. 

German and global investors 

have eyed Deutsche Bank, the 

country’s biggest lender, with concern 

in recent weeks as it negotiates 

with the US Department of 

Justice over a $14bn fine demand. 

But other banks in Europe’s 

largest economy are struggling too, 

complaining of the crowded sector’s 

intense competition and low 

interest rates set by the European 

Central Bank cutting into profits. 

Easing fears 

The latest ZEW reading follows 

a battery of positive indicators, 

including strong readings of exports, 

industrial orders, and industrial 

production in August and 

a resurgent business confidence 

index from the Munich-based Ifo 

institute in September. That was 

reflected in an increase in the ZEW 

“current situation” sub-index to its 

highest level since January. 

Analysts warned that expectations 

of the “golden autumn” 

pointed to by Ifo should be treated 

with care. 

“The improvement in current economic 

activity may have raised expectations 

for future growth” among 

investors, Berenberg bank’s Florian 

Hense said, but “expectations remain 

below the pre-Brexit vote averages.” 

“Easing fears about the effects 

of Brexit have more than offset 

concerns about the wider implications 

of Deutsche Bank’s troubles,” 

analyst Jennifer McKeown of Capital 

Economics said. 

While “broadly encouraging ... 

the index still points to a slowdown 

in German GDP growth” based on 

the ZEW’s past relationship to economic 

activity, she added. 

Beyond Germany, investors’ 

expectations for the economies of 

eurozone neighbours also saw a 

positive turn, gaining 6.9 points to 

stand at 12.3. 

ZEW questions analysts and 

institutional investors about their 

assessment of the current economic 

situation and the outlook for the 

coming months to compile its regular 

survey. • 

CORPORATE NEWS 

Worst 4 days since 

June push sterling 

below $1.23 

• Reuters 

Sterling slid back below $1.23 yesterday 

as senior officials and investors 

pointed to the potential for 

more falls for a market still in shock 

after Friday’s 10% flash crash. 

The past four days for the pound 

are now its worst since the aftermath 

of the vote to leave the European Union 

in June and Bank of England policymaker 

Michael Saunders warned 

a “bumpy” Brexit could sharply reduce 

British economic growth. 

“Given the scale and persistence 

of the UK’s current account deficit, 

I would not be surprised if sterling 

falls further, but I am fairly agnostic 

as to whether any further depreciation 

is likely,” Saunders said. • 

Facebook launches intra-office 

‘Workplace’ network 

• AFP, London 

Social network giant Facebook 

recently launched new 

global product Workplace, 

a platform that it hopes will 

replace intranet, mailbox and 

other internal communication 

tools used by businesses 

worldwide. 

The platform allows employees 

to collaborate in real-time 

and is intended to 

compete with similar office 

communication products including 

Microsoft’s Yammer, 

Salesforce’s Chatter and Slack. 

The Silicon Valley company 

developed the concept, 

hitherto called “Facebook at 

Work”, two years ago in its 

London office and has since 

tested the product on 1,000 

companies worldwide. 

It is the first Facebook 

product launched outside 

the United States. 

“We combined the things 

that already exist into a single 

tool that will allow employees 

to display a wall of information, 

like on their private profiles,” 

Julien Codorniou, director 

of Workplace, told AFP. 

Workplace was developed 

outside of the Facebook ecosystem 

and remains completely 

separate from the social 

network - even using grey 

as the dominant colour, rather 

than Facebook’s distinct blue. 

It is accessible on a computer 

or phone without a Facebook 

account and employees 

can access the platform using 

their work email address. 

The service will only enable 

the transfer of intra-office 

data, which will remain fully 

owned by the business. 

“We’ve brought the best of 

Facebook to the workplace - 

whether it’s basic infrastructure 

such as News Feed, or 

the ability to create and share 

in Groups or via chat, or useful 

features such as Live, Reactions, 

Search and Trending 

posts,” said the company. 

“This means you can chat 

with a colleague across the 

world in real time, host a virtual 

brainstorm in a Group, or follow 

along with your CEO’s presentation 

on Facebook Live.” 

Subscribers will pay between 

one to three euros ($1.1- 

$3.3) per connected employee, 

depending on the size of the 

business, while NGOs and educational 

establishments will 

receive the service for free. • 

Southeast Bank Limited has recently opened a booth for collecting municipal tax at Feni Pourashava. 

Nizam Uddin Hajari, MP inaugurated the booth, said a press release. The bank’s managing director, Shahid 

Hossain was present on the occasion

Business 15 

DT 


Employees walk in Hungarian oil and gas group MOL’s main Danube 

refinery in Szazhalombatta 

REUTERS 

Oil glut to last until 

mid-2017 unless 

Opec cuts output 

• AFP, Paris 

A massive oil glut may weigh 

on world markets deep into 

next year unless the Opec producer 

cartel makes good on 

its promise to cut output, the 

International Energy Agency 

(IEA) said yesterday. 

The oil price has recovered 

steadily since Opec said last 

month that it would reduce 

production, with details to be 

hammered out at the cartel’s November 

meeting, and such a deal 

would “speed up the process” of 

working off global oil inventories, 

the IEA said in its monthly report. 

“Even with tentative signs 

that bulging inventories are 

starting to decline, our supply-demand 

outlook suggests 

that the market - if left to its 

own devices - may remain in 

oversupply through the first 

half of next year,” the IEA said. 

“If Opec sticks to its new 

target, the market’s rebalancing 

could come faster,” it said. 

Initially greeted with scepticism 

among analysts, Opec’s 

agreement to cut output has 

gained traction in the oil market, 

with the IEA noting that 

the oil price has risen by 15% 

since the cartel’s announcement 

on September 28. 

Oil prices rose to their highest 

level in several months after 

Russian President Vladimir 

Putin said Monday that his 

country, not a member of the 

cartel, was ready to align with 

Opec’s push to limit oil output. 

In morning European trade 

yesterday, both WTI and Brent 

held well above the key $50 (45 

euro) level per barrel, at $50.90 

and $52.89, respectively. 

“The waiting game is over,” 

the IEA said. “OPEC has effectively 

abandoned its free market 

policy set in train nearly 

two years ago.” • 

German investor cheer 

could hit growth buffers 

• AFP, Frankfurt 

Sentiment among investors 

in Germany sharply improved 

this month from its post-Brexit 

doldrums, data showed yesterday, 

but analysts warned 

against overconfidence. 

The ZEW economic institute’s 

headline investor confidence 

index hit 6.2 points 

in October, an increase of 5.7 

points over September and 

beating the 4 points analysts 

surveyed by Factset had predicted. 

Sentiment had hovered at 

low levels in August and September 

after a sharp dip in 

July following Britain’s June 

23 vote to quit the European 

Union. 

Even with the October increase, 

the barometer remains 

well below its long-term average 

of 24.1 points. 

The result was “very positive, 

and points to a thoroughly 

robust development of the 

business cycle,” ZEW president 

Achim Wambach said in a 

statement. 

But Wambach warned of 

“a few political and economic 

risks” that could still weigh 

on the index, including “dangers 

for the German banking 

sector”. •

16 


DT 

Feature 

Every woman’s partner 

Tailored services for women through Nibedita 

• Features Desk 

It is not very often that we 

see a big corporate venture 

place a great deal of emphasis 

on addressing social issues. 

However, Green Delta Insurance 

Company Limited (GDIC) – the 

largest and leading “AAA” rated 

non-life insurance company in 

Bangladesh – have spent years 

catering to the needs of different 

segments of society through 

numerous innovative and 

customised products. 

This includes ‘Shudin’ for 

garment workers, micro-health 

insurance ‘Niramoy’ for rural 

populations, ‘Probashi’ insurance 

for migrant workers and so on. 

But the flagship product of Green 

Delta is Nibedita – the first ever 

comprehensive insurance scheme 

for women in South Asia. 

Customised insurance 

for women 

Nibedita was designed to ensure 

women’s economic security and 

provide them with a platform 

to be socially and economically 

empowered. It can be availed by 

any Bangladeshi woman aged 

between 14 and 65 years old. They 

can get a coverage of BDT 100,000 

to BDT 1,000,000 for a minimum 

annual premium of BDT 580 only. 

What makes Nibedita unique 

is that beside other insurance 

benefits, it provides trauma 

allowances for the victims of 

rape, street harassment and 

assault, acid attacks and other 

discriminatory acts. 

Farzana Chowdhury ACII 

(UK), managing director and 

CEO of Green Delta Insurance 

Company, was honoured at the 

UN Global Compact Leaders’ 

Summit 2016, held in New York 

in June 2016, as one of ten Local 

Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDG) Pioneers for her efforts in 

promoting gender equality in 

Bangladesh, in alignment with the 

Sustainable Development Goals, 

through Nibedita. 

A tailored app for policy 

holders 

In order to create a one-stop 

service solution platform for 

women in Bangladesh, Green 

Delta have recently launched 

a mobile application called 

‘Nibedita Mobile App’ for Nibedita 

policy holders. An event titled 

‘Nibedita App Launch and Local 

SDG Celebration’ was held on 

October 8, 2016 at the Le Méridien 

Dhaka. 

Speaker of the Parliament, Dr 

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP, 

graced the occasion as chief guest 

and officially launched the app. 

She congratulated Green Delta 

Besides security, this app will also give 

women access to better health, capacity 

building, financial services and other value 

added services 

on such a noble initiative for 

women and also praised Farzana 

Chowdhury for being honoured 

as a Local SDG Pioneer by the 

UN Global Compact, calling her 

a source of inspiration to the 

millions of women in Bangladesh 

who want to break through socioeconomic 

barriers and succeed in 

their respective endeavours. She 

expressed her optimism on the 

role Nibedita can play in ensuring 

women‘s well-being. 

Special guest Zunaid Ahmed 

Palak MP, state minister, ICT 

Division, expressed his delight 

at the app launch and hoped 

that Green Delta can be a role 

model for the private sector to 

come forward and play a pivotal 

role, along with the government, 

to realise the dream of Digital 

Bangladesh. He also provided 

assurance of his full support 

for Green Delta’s aspirations to 

help establish gender equality 

and women’s empowerment 

in Bangladesh. Ambassador of 

the US Embassy Dhaka, Mercia 

Bernicat, and former Bangladesh 

ambassador and permanent 

representative to the UN, Dr. A K 

Abdul Momen, were also present 

as guests of honour. 

Safety and services 

The unique feature of the 

Nibedita app is the panic button. 

Any women, when in danger, can 

press the panic button, which 

will create a loud siren-like sound 

and also simultaneously send a 

distress SMS, with her geographic 

location, to her relatives or 

nearest ones (according to the 

information provided during 

app registration), to Green Delta 

Head office and to the security 

service provider, who will 

mobilise its rescue team to the 

spot within 15-30 minutes for 

help. Besides security, this app 

will also give women access to 

better health, capacity building, 

financial services and other value 

added services. F or this, Green 

Delta has partnered with various 

service providers, to give Nibedita 

policy holders special offers and 

fast-track services. Some of the 

partners include EBL, IDLC, Elite 

Force, Ghurbo.com, Persona, 

Bagdoom.com, Dhaka Ahsania 

Mission, Agora, Green Delta 

Securities Limited, Green Delta 

Capital Limited, Professional 

Advancement Limited and GD 

Assist Ltd. 

Farzana Chowdhury hopes 

that by empowering women, 

who constitute more than 52% 

of the population, Nibedita can 

play a pivotal role in the overall 

socio-economic development 

of Bangladesh. Nibedita is 

aspiring to play a pivotal role 

in the national development 

of Bangladesh by enriching the 

lives of millions of women across 

the country with the slogan 

– “Nibedita is every woman’s 

partner”.•

Feature 

17 


DT 

Gender be gone 

Breaking down stereotypes of masculinity 

• Tasaffy Hossain 

Gender equality – as soon as we 

usually hear those words, two 

major concepts come to our mind 

– women and feminism. And then 

the questions usually go into how 

something can be about equality, 

when we haven’t talked about the 

other side of the coin – men! 

Men – that epitome of 

MANkind, the torch bearer and the 

leader. Everywhere we look, we 

are bombarded with the different 

roles and forms that men take in 

our societies. Historical figures, 

newspapers, sports channels, 

movies and comics – there is an 

endless number of male characters 

that help to define what it means 

to be a man. Or is that what we 

would like to think? 

If we actually try to break down 

these people, whether fictional 

or real, I think what truly stands 

out is that fact that most of these 

men are usually revered for some 

of the same basic things – looks, 

strength, brilliance, and mostly 

for being winners. Whether in 

sports, business or politics, men 

are respected and celebrated solely 

based on their prowess at being a 

leader. 

Starting from the kindergarten 

playground, through advanced 

levels of education systems into the 

workplace – the one clear message 

about what it means to be a man, 

is simply that they are successful. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am not 

saying this makes life easier for 

women, but maybe we have missed 

out on noticing what this constant 

pressure on men in needing to be 

the best has done. 

Coming back to gender roles, 

the black and white designation 

of manliness or masculinity has 

remained unchallenged for a 

long time. Men are still seen as 

the household head, the bread 

earner, the stable problem solver. 

Feminism and gender rights 

projects have been pushing 

to break down the barriers of 

femininity and womanhood, 

encouraging girls and women to be 

just as independent, competitive, 

and worldly as their male 

counterparts, while also being able 

to love their feminine sides. The 

same encouragement has not been 

provided to men, who are still only 

being acknowledged and noticed 

for those same masculine traits and 

“manly” roles as before. 

We celebrate the woman 

who can do it all, we celebrate 

mothers for their 

ability to give 

everything up and 

we even celebrate 

women who have 

the courage to 

maneuver societal 

pressures by being 

happily single. Do 

note that by “we”, 

I mean the liberal, 

feminist circles 

and mindsets that 

have been evolving 

even within the 

social constraints of 

Dhaka. 

But we have not 

The black and white designation of manliness 

or masculinity has remained unchallenged for 

a long time 

yet embraced the 

notion of stay-athome 

fathers, or 

husbands being 

less successful than 

their wives, or even male nurses 

or caregivers. And that is where 

we have failed to push for gender 

equality from the other side. 

Equality is when we are not 

holding anyone back or judging 

them for making a choice that suits 

them on an individual basis, but 

does not fit into our preconceived 

notions of gender roles. That 

can only be possible once we 

acknowledge that our socially 

constructed gender norms are not 

benefiting either males or females, 

and agree to create the space for 

anyone to become who they want 

to be. 

Keeping this is mind, the 

upcoming production “Men 

don’t TALK” will delve into the 

issues that boys and men face 

while growing up in a society 

like Dhaka’s, where there is a 

strong pressure to uphold gender 

norms and fit into the roles set 

up by society. The shows will be 

held on 4th and 5th November 

in Khamarbari and Gulshan-1 

respectively. Further information 

can be found on the facebook page: 

Men don’t TALK 2016. • 

Tasaffy Hossain is the 

founder of Bonhishikhaunlearn 

gender. Bonhishikha 

believes that who you look 

like, how you are treated and 

what role you play should 

not be determined by the sex 

organ that you are born with

18 


DT 

Feature 

5 ways 

to maximise your mornings 

Photo: Bigstock 

Get those early bird benefits 

• Sabrina Fatma Ahmad 

Do your days begin with 

mad mornings where 

there’s never enough 

time to get everything 

done? If you’re not a morning 

person, worry not. These five 

changes can make the start to 

every day a lot more manageable. 

Screen out 

From work emails to 

group conversations to the 

#wokeuplikethis selfies, there 

are many temptations that 

make you reach for the phone 

as soon as your eyes open in the 

morning, but not only is this a 

health risk (who wants eye strain 

and computer face first thing in 

the morning?) it eats up a chunk 

of time and sets the tone for an 

unnecessarily hurried day. Even 

though the ping of an email 

might sound urgent, there’s 

usually nothing that can’t wait 

for you to get out of bed, stretch 

and wash your face at the very 

least. 

If you can train yourself to 

stay away from screen time at 

least for an hour after you wake 

up, you’ll find your general stress 

levels much lower throughout 

the day. 

A little homework 

While an hour of languor 

every morning is ideal, not 

everyone has the luxury of 

taking one’s sweet time. You 

can still minimise the rush by 

getting some stuff ready the 

night before. If you’ve picked 

out and ironed your outfit for 

the day, packed your bag, and 

made breakfast or packed your 

lunch before you went to bed the 

night before, there will be fewer 

things to check off your list in 

the morning, and you can pace 

yourself more comfortably. 

You snooze, you lose 

If you’re the kind of person 

that punches the snooze button 

on the alarm at least fifteen 

times before finally getting out 

of bed, you’re going to hate 

us for this next one. Skip the 

snooze and get up when the 

alarm rings, and, after a groggy 

minute or two, you’ll start to 

feel more relaxed throughout 

the morning. Snoozing only 

gives you the illusion of more 

rest, so if you want to wake up 

feeling refreshed, it’s better to try 

turning in earlier at night. 

Breakfast of champions 

This has been said so many times 

in so many articles, it’s almost 

a cliché. Start your day with a 

big breakfast, and you’re set. 

It stabilises your blood sugar, 

keeps you full and less likely 

to indulge during the day, and 

thus keeps your weight gain at 

bay. Also, starting out the day 

on a full stomach can boost your 

productivity by a significant 

amount. And sweet lovers 

rejoice – if there’s ever a time 

when it’s okay to treat yourself to 

something sweet, it’s breakfast 

time. 

Priorities 

To-do lists are awesome. They 

help us plan and organise our 

Not everyone has the 

luxury of taking one’s 

sweet time 

days. But a to-do list that’s too 

ambitious can leave you feeling 

frazzled. Go ahead, make that 

list in order to put things into 

perspective, but focus on the 

priorities and focus on getting 

the three most important ones 

out of the way before you look 

at the rest. Strategising about a 

smaller number of tasks makes it 

easier to manage, and helps you 

feel accomplished.•

Biz Info 

19 


DT 

| event | 

MIB Spirit’s unique Fall Meet-up 

Bangladesh has invited 15 local 

boutique and craft brands who 

practice ethical business. These 

brands will display and sell their 

products throughout the event. 

Ajo will be available at the event 

and more. Closet De Tatiana, 

Sweet Potato, Rene’ Bangladesh 

and Print Me Yellow by Sabah 

Khan will be attending the event 

with boutique, handmade purses, 

clutches, handbags and many 

MIB Spirit - Made in Bangladesh 

is a lifestyle brand that has 

specialised in crafting bags and 

currently focuses on a range of 

products, including accessories 

that ignite feelings of national 

pride and patriotism. Dedicated to 

the local wisdom and environment 

of Bangladesh, all products 

introduced by this brand are 

green, locally sourced, stylish and 

of top-notch quality. 

Meet-Up is its flagship event 

platform where the public, loyal 

customers and stakeholders are 

invited to share a conversation, 

meet with each other and 

connect. These meetup events 

are organised every two months 

at MIB Spirit’s design studio. 

This is a public event where the 

brand representatives directly 

meet and interact with the guests, 

have a conversation and share 

experiences - thus getting the 

chance to engage others with the 

brand. 

Through this meetup, MIB 

Spirit’s main motive is to allow 

selected F-commerce brands 

to also display their flair and 

inventiveness. These meet-ups are 

usually thematic, curated for each 

season of the year. 

To celebrate fall this year, Made 

in Bangladesh, aka MIB Spirit, is 

organising the Monsoon Meet-up 

& Craft Fair, co-hosted by Ajo - fast 

casual and relaxed dining, Head 

Office Communication and SM 

products. The event will be held 

on October 13, 14 and 15, from 

12PM-8PMm at MIB Spirit - Made 

in Bangladesh Studio Premises, 

house 50, road 10 /A, Dhanmondi. 

This time, MIB Spirit - Made in 

for dine-ins and takeaways, and 

will serve a few popular items 

from the prior menu, as well as 

some new ones. SM Products will 

also showcase their premium 

notebook series. 

Stellar will be there to exhibit 

home decor, pastel dream 

catchers, organic jarred candles, 

notebooks, totes, pencil bags, 

art-prints and many other quirky 

items at the Fall Meet-Up. Made 

with love, Boka Baksho and Ruth 

will showcase and sell artworks, 

goodies, illustrations, bookmarks 

more amazing new kits. 

Sundarbans Busy Bee will 

also bring their 100% pure wild 

honey, harvested directly from 

the Sundarbans, to add that 

extra sweetness to the event. 

There will be more exciting and 

creative attendees like Leela, 

Amar Bangladesh and Cartoon 

People, who will display their art 

installations. 

Dhaka Tribune, Radio Shadin, 

Ice Today, UNB, Bengal Beats and 

71tv will be acting as MIB’s media 

partners.• 

| talk | 

GD Assist organises 

health talk at MH Shomorita 

Medical College & Hospital 

GD Assist Limited – a subsidiary 

of Green Delta Insurance 

Company Limited, recently 

organised a health talk for the 

doctors and students of MH 

Samorita Medical College & 

Hospital. The session titled 

“Health Talk on Weight Loss 

Surgery” was conducted by Dr 

Andrea Ooi Se En, consultant 

bariatric & medical surgeon, 

clinical assistant professor, 

University Abdul Rahman 

Malaysia. 

The event is part of GD Assist 

Ltd’s continuous effort in creating 

health awareness and promote 

healthy lifestyles. GD Assist 

Limited regularly organises 

such health talks and medical 

consultations in Bangladesh, as 

a part of its knowledge sharing 

initiatives between medical 

professionals of Bangladesh and 

Malaysia. 

Farzana Chowdhury ACII (UK), 

chartered insurer, managing 

director and CEO, Green Delta 

Insurance Company Ltd, and 

Syed Moinuddin Ahmed, CEO, GD 

Assist Limited, were also present 

at the event. •

DT 

20 

Editorial 


TODAY 

Will Brexit take the 

great out of Britain? 

Even if Germany, Holland, France, 

and many other countries would want 

to give the UK a good deal, this is not 

enough 

PAGE 21 

Our dead young 

politicians 

These young politicians who are getting 

killed wanted to serve their country and 

compatriots as well in their own ways. 

Noble enough causes, but what was the 

point, given that their lives were cut so 

short? 

PAGE 22 

Standing with the Shia 

community this Ashura 

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN 

Act against militants 

or face international 

isolation 

Whenever action has been taken against 

certain groups by civilian authorities, 

the security establishment has worked 

behind the scenes to set the arrested 

free 

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. 

Today is Ashura, one of the holiest days of the year for 

Shia Muslims. 

This year brings us a fresh chance to leave behind 

sectarian tensions and stand with Bangladesh’s Shia 

community, who comprise of a small but vibrant, valued, and 

valuable minority among Muslims in Bangladesh. 

Many will remember how last year’s Ashura was marred by 

violence, when bomb attacks at a Shia community procession 

to mark the holy day killed a teenage boy and injured more 

than 100 people. 

About a week later, gunmen opened fire on a Shia mosque 

in Bogra, killing the muezzin and three others. 

These attacks were an affront to our spirit of sectarian 

harmony, and have no place in Bangladesh. 

This is not who we are. 

We must all stand vigilant and united to make sure last 

year’s shameful and cowardly acts are not repeated this year 

or any other year for that matter. 

Unlike many other nations, Bangladesh does not have a 

history of Shia-Sunni conflict. We certainly cannot afford to 

start going down that road now. Nor will we. 

Let us stand together to ensure a safe and harmonious 

Ashura for all. Bangladesh’s longstanding history of religious 

tolerance and communal solidarity is much stronger than the 

hate of the tiny minority who wish to undermine it. 

Ashura symbolises a struggle against injustice, recalling, 

when, 1,300 years ago, Imam Hussein (RA) took a stand 

against the brutal forces of Yazid in the fields of Karbala. 

Let us not stand for any injustices on this holy day. 

Let us stand together 

to ensure a safe and 

harmonious Ashura for all

Opinion 21 

Will a hard Brexit take 

the great out of Great Britain? 

So much for taking back control 

DT 


• Azeem Ibrahim 

Theresa May has finally 

spelled out the future 

of the UK in her party 

conference speech. It will 

be hard Brexit. And it will be a 

disaster. 

The Article 50 process will 

be triggered next year and 

the government’s negotiating 

position is that immigration will 

be prioritised over continued 

membership of the European 

Single Market. 

Of course, the official story 

is that curbs on immigration 

are the non-negotiable red line 

for the government, while they 

will also try to get the best trade 

relationship with the European 

Bloc. 

But, in practice, this means that 

Britain will be unceremoniously 

kicked out of the Single Market 

before the end of 2019, and will 

have to resume trade with all of 

the rest of the world on WTO rules. 

Fantasists like Liam Fox and 

Boris Johnson will continue to 

insist that we will be able to get 

favourable trading conditions with 

Europe, but their nonsense will be 

exposed before long. 

For one, nobody in Europe has 

any reason to reward Britain for 

shunning the European project. 

How anyone can look at the 

appointment of Guy Verhofstadt, 

the federalist former prime 

minister of Belgium, as Europe’s 

lead Brexit negotiator and think 

that France and Germany are 

lining up to give the UK a good 

deal is baffling. 

And the other aspect of this is 

that, even if Germany, Holland, 

France, and many other countries 

would want to give the UK a good 

deal, this is not enough. When 

the European Union negotiates 

such deals, for a trade treaty to 

come in effect, it must be ratified 

by the parliaments of all member 

countries. 

Terms of the deed 

Back in January, when Boris 

Johnson was touting the Canada 

deal as a model of what Britain 

can achieve in Brexit negotiations, 

what he conveniently glossed over 

is that the terms of the deal had 

been agreed back in 2014. 

It was held up for two years 

until this year because the Czech 

Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria 

refused to ratify the deal until 

Canada agreed to give their 

citizens visa-free access to the 

country. 

The notion that these, and 

other Eastern European countries, 

would agree to give Britain a good 

trade deal when the UK is leaving 

the Bloc specifically so it can 

discriminate against their citizens 

is, frankly, insane. 

The short of it, then, is that, 

with her Sunday speech, Theresa 

May has effectively destroyed any 

prospect of a preferential trade 

arrangement with Europe. The 

UK will have the same level of 

access to the European market 

that Ethiopia has. Egypt will have 

an easier time trading into Europe 

than British exporters. 

Even if Germany, 

Holland, France, 

and many other 

countries would 

want to give the 

UK a good deal, 

this is not enough. 

When the European 

Union negotiates 

such deals, for a 

trade treaty to come 

in effect, it must 

be ratified by the 

parliaments of all 

member countries 

And the really fun part is that the 

UK loses not only access to the 

markets of the EU and the EEA 

themselves, but also to the market 

of 50+ other countries that we had 

access to as members of the Single 

Market. 

Any takers? 

Will there be takers for free 

trade deals with the newly 

Theresa May’s ‘hard Brexit’ is setting up to be a disaster 

“independent” UK? Sure. The 

Chinese must already be licking 

their lips at the prospects. As are 

many of the largest and most 

predatory American corporations. 

And Putin’s henchmen are 

probably already tabulating their 

spreadsheets. 

Theresa May has just made 

this country fully vulnerable to 

the caprices of the titans of global 

trade. 

Next time, neither she nor her 

successors will have the luxury 

to put a project like Hinkley on 

hold for a reassessment for a few 

months. Nor will the Chinese 

ambassador need to express loud 

objections. 

Next time, the government will 

be told exactly what to do, where 

and when. Like Hong Kong in 

REUTERS 

reverse. So much for taking back 

control. • 

Azeem Ibrahim is Senior Fellow at 

the Centre for Global Policy, Fellow 

at Mansfield College, University of 

Oxford and Research Professor at the 

Strategic Studies Institute, US Army 

War College. This article previously 

appeared in Al Arabiya News. He tweets 

@AzeemIbrahim.

22 


DT 

Opinion 

Our dead young politicians 

Young politicians in our country are often killed before their time 

Our politics cannot be separated from bureaucracy and violence 

These young politicians who are getting killed wanted to serve their 

country and compatriots as well in their own ways. Noble enough 

causes, but what was the point, given that their lives were cut so short? 

• Faruque Hasan 

I 

was sitting in the office of my 

friend’s garments processing 

and dyeing plant in Mirpur, 

speaking to him. The security 

guard appeared at the door, and 

told my friend that a young man 

would like to see him. “OK, let him 

come in,” my friend replied. 

In a minute, a rickety-looking 

young man, most likely in his early 

20s, came into the room. My friend 

asked him to have a seat. He did 

so, and then introduced himself 

as the cultural secretary of the 

student union of a nearby college, 

not forgetting to mention that 

he was also the president of the 

local unit of the student wing of a 

political party. 

My friend wanted to know the 

purpose of his visit. The young 

man asked for Tk5,000 as a 

donation for a cultural program 

that was to be organised by the 

student union of his college. 

Without any further talk, my 

BIGSTOCK 

friend told his accountant to give 

the boy the sum he asked for and 

then resumed the conversation we 

were having. A few minutes later, 

the accountant came back with the 

money and gave it to the boy. The 

boy took the money and got up to 

leave. “Please pray for me; I start 

my political career today,” the boy 

asked of us. 

We didn’t care much for his 

request. 

I started to ruminate: What 

did he mean by “I start my 

political career today”? When I 

inquired, my friend said: “You 

know, this is the first time that 

boy has collected ‘chanda’ from 

a businessman -- he thinks that’s 

politics.” 

I did not pray for the boy for 

his success in politics -- doing 

him a favour. Nowadays, the lives 

of politicians, especially young 

ones, in Bangladesh are mired 

in conflict. If we go through the 

pages of daily newspapers, we 

see how most such young men 

and women are not only getting 

killed in inter-party conflicts, but 

in intra-party conflicts as well. 

These days, inter-party conflict in 

our politics is a thing of the past, 

while factional infighting is now 

the most decisive killer of young 

politicians. 

Let’s go through some old 

issues off of our national dailies. 

On August 8, a local youth 

leader was hacked to death 

by miscreants at Jamirakanda 

village in Purbadhola upazila of 

Netrakona district. On August 13, a 

youth leader was hacked to death 

by unidentified miscreants at 

Balaishpur village of Lakshmipur 

Sadar upazila. 

On August 31, a local student 

leader was hacked to death in 

Khulna. On September 10, a 

ward-level youth leader was shot 

dead by some unknown assailants 

in Kanchana union of Satkania 

upazila. On September 21, a local 

student leader was found dead in 

Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. 

There are at least 10 more 

instances of such deaths that I 

could have listed here for dramatic 

effect, but I hope I’ve gotten the 

severity of the situation through. 

These young politicians who are 

getting killed wanted to serve their 

country and compatriots as well 

in their own ways. Noble enough 

causes, but what was the point, 

given that their lives were cut so 

short? How could I have given that 

young man my blessings knowing 

his probable fate? 

The lives of our youths matter. 

To save our budding politicians’ 

lives, we need to root out the 

causes of such killings. The 

politicisation of various highlylucrative 

businesses such as 

the admission business, room 

allotment at student dormitory 

business, tender manipulation, 

sand lifting, land grabbing, etc, 

could be a few possible avenues 

that we can explore. 

Our nation’s bigger political 

parties must reach a consensus 

to stop this politicisation, or shut 

down the branches of their parties, 

youth wings, and student wings 

at each and every village, ward, 

and mahalla of the country. Many 

of our youth and student leaders 

flock to politics, attracted by those 

lucrative businesses. The trend of 

killing of young politicians, if not 

stopped, will only get worse as 

time progresses. • 

Faruque Hasan is a freelance 

contributor.

Special 23 

Act against militants 

or face international isolation 

Prime Minister Sharif’s new attempts are a gamble 

DT 


• Cyril Almeida 

In a blunt, orchestrated, and 

unprecedented warning, 

the civilian government 

has informed the military 

leadership of a growing 

international isolation of Pakistan 

and sought consensus on several 

key actions by the state. 

As a result of the most recent 

meeting, an undisclosed one 

on the day of the All Parties’ 

Conference on Monday, at least 

two sets of actions have been 

agreed. 

All Parties’ Conference, Foreign 

Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry gave a 

separate, exclusive presentation 

in the Prime Minister’s Office to a 

small group of civil and military 

officials. 

The meeting was chaired by 

Prime Minister Sharif and included 

senior cabinet and provincial 

officials. On the military side, 

ISI DG Rizwan Akhtar led the 

representatives. 

The presentation by the foreign 

secretary summarised the results 

of the recent diplomatic outreach 

by Pakistan, the crux being that 

Will Sharif’s gamble pay off? 

REUTERS 

Whenever action has been taken against 

certain groups by civilian authorities, the 

security establishment has worked behind the 

scenes to set the arrested free 

First, ISI DG Gen Rizwan Akhtar, 

accompanied by National Security 

Adviser Nasser Janjua, is to travel 

to each of the four provinces 

with a message for provincial 

apex committees and ISI sector 

commanders. 

The message: Military-led 

intelligence agencies are not to 

interfere if law enforcement acts 

against militant groups that are 

banned, or until now considered 

off-limits for civilian action. Gen 

Akhtar’s inter-provincial tour has 

begun with a visit to Lahore. 

Second, Prime Minister Nawaz 

Sharif has directed that fresh 

attempts be made to conclude 

the Pathankot investigation and 

restart the stalled Mumbai attacksrelated 

trials in a Rawalpindi antiterrorism 

court. 

Those decisions, taken after an 

extraordinary verbal confrontation 

between Punjab Chief Minister 

Shahbaz Sharif and the ISI DG, 

appear to indicate a high-stakes 

new approach by the PML-N 

government. 

The following account is based 

on conversations with Dawn of 

individuals present in the crucial 

meetings this week. 

All declined to speak on the 

record and none of the attributed 

statements were confirmed by the 

individuals mentioned. 

Foreign secretary’s presentation 

On Monday, on the day of the 

Pakistan faces diplomatic isolation 

and that the government’s 

talking points have been met 

with indifference in major world 

capitals. 

On the US, Mr Chaudhry said 

that relations have deteriorated 

and will likely further deteriorate 

because of the American demand 

that action be taken against the 

Haqqani network. On India, 

Mr Chaudhry stated that the 

completion of the Pathankot 

investigation and some visible 

action against Jaish-i-Mohammad 

were the principal demands. 

Then, to a hushed but surprised 

room, Mr Chaudhry suggested 

that while China has reiterated 

its support for Pakistan, it too has 

indicated a preference for a change 

in course by Pakistan. Specifically, 

while Chinese authorities have 

conveyed their willingness 

to keep putting on technical hold 

a UN ban on Jaish-i-Mohammad 

leader Masood Azhar, they have 

questioned the logic of doing so 

repeatedly. 

Extraordinary exchange 

The foreign secretary’s 

unexpectedly blunt conclusions 

triggered an astonishing and 

potentially ground-shifting 

exchange between the ISI DG and 

several civilian officials. 

In response to Foreign Secretary 

Chaudhry’s conclusions, Gen 

Akhtar asked what steps could be 

taken to prevent the drift towards 

isolation. Mr Chaudhry’s reply was 

direct and emphatic: The principal 

international demands are for 

action against Masood Azhar and 

the Jaish-i-Mohmmad; Hafiz Saeed 

and the Lashkar-e-Taiba; and the 

Haqqani network. 

To that, Gen Akhtar offered 

that the government should arrest 

whomever it deems necessary, 

though it is unclear whether 

he was referring to particular 

individuals or members of 

banned groups generally. At that 

point came the stunning and 

unexpectedly bold intervention 

by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz 

Sharif. 

Addressing Gen Akhtar, the 

younger Sharif complained 

that whenever action has been 

taken against certain groups by 

civilian authorities, the security 

establishment has worked behind 

the scenes to set the arrested 

free. Astounded onlookers 

describe a stunned room that 

was immediately aware of the 

extraordinary, unprecedented 

nature of the exchange. 

To defuse tensions, Prime 

Minister Sharif himself addressed 

Gen Akhtar and said that policies 

pursued in the past were state 

policies, and as such, they were 

the collective responsibility of the 

state and that the ISI DG was not 

being accused of complicity in 

present-day events. 

PM’s strategy? 

Several eyewitnesses to the 

incredible events of Monday 

believe that the foreign secretary’s 

presentation and Chief Minister 

Shahbaz Sharif’s intervention were 

orchestrated by the prime minister 

to stir the military to action, 

leading to the decision to dispatch 

the ISI DG on an inter-provincial 

tour. 

Yet, according to the accounts 

shared with Dawn, the sparring 

between the ISI DG and civilian 

officials did not degenerate into 

acrimony. 

Earlier in the meeting, ISI 

DG Gen Akhtar stated that not 

only is it the military’s policy 

to not distinguish between 

militant groups, but that the 

military is committed to that 

policy prevailing. The ISI chief 

did mention concerns about the 

timing of action against several 

groups, citing the need to not be 

seen as buckling to Indian pressure 

or abandoning the Kashmiri 

people. 

Gen Akhtar also readily agreed 

to tour the provinces at the 

direction of the prime minister, 

issue fresh orders to ISI sector 

commanders and meet with 

provincial apex committees to 

chalk out specific actions that 

need to be taken in various 

provinces. 

According to several 

government officials, Monday’s 

confrontation was part of a highstakes 

gamble by Prime Minister 

Sharif to try and forestall further 

diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. 

In separate meetings with the 

army chief, participants describe 

an animated and energised Mr 

Sharif, who has argued that 

Pakistan faces real isolation if 

policy adjustments are not made. 

Government officials, however, 

are divided about whether Prime 

Minister Sharif’s gamble will pay 

off. According to one official, 

commenting on the ISI DG’s 

commitments, “This is what we 

prayed to hear all our lives. Let’s 

see if it happens.” 

Another government official 

offered: “Wait till November to see 

if action will be taken. By then a 

lot of things will be settled.” 

Military officials declined to 

comment. 

Clarification: 

The spokesman for Prime 

Minister’s Office on Thursday 

denied a story appearing in Dawn 

on October 6 regarding “purported 

deliberations” of a meeting held 

on security issues. The spokesman 

termed contents of the story not 

only speculative but misleading 

and factually incorrect, describing 

it as an “amalgamation of fiction 

and fabrication.” 

Dispelling the impression 

created by the report, headlined 

“Act against militants or face 

international isolation, civilians 

tell military,” he said that 

intelligence agencies, particularly 

the ISI, are working in line with 

the state policy in the best interest 

of the nation, both at the federal 

and provincial levels to act against 

terrorists of all hue and colour 

without any discrimination. 

Indeed the army’s and ISI’s 

role and contributions towards 

implementation of NAP have 

been proactive and unwavering, 

the spokesman said. Meanwhile, 

the office of the chief minister of 

Punjab also denied the comments 

attributed to Chief Minister 

Shahbaz Sharif in the news story. • 

This news report has been rejected 

by the Office of the Prime Minister 

in Islamabad as a fabrication. 

Dawn maintains the truthfulness of 

this report. 

Cyril Almeida is a Pakistani journalist. 

This article was previously published in 

Dawn.

DT 

24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

‘I think incidents will 

fire up both teams’ 

The high-voltage third and final 

ODI between Bangladesh and 

England today is all set to usher in 

the newest rivalry in world cricket 

following the much-talked about 

war of words after the second 

game in Mirpur on Sunday. PAGE 25 

BANGLADESH V ENGLAND 

3RD ODI, ZACS 

HEAD-TO-HEAD 

BANGLADESH 

ENGLAND 

18 Matches 18 

4 Wins 14 

14 Losses 4 

22.22 Win % 77.77 

Kayes (374) MR Strauss (610) 

Tamim (125) HS Strauss (154) 

Shakib (14) MW Flintoff (12) 

Mashrafe (4/29) BB Collingwood (6/31) 

Tamim is 34 runs away from becoming 

the first Bangladesh batsman to 

score 5,000 runs in ODIs 

Ben Stokes needs 13 runs to reach 

1000 in ODIs. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Is it the end of 

a tunnel? 

The crisis in Bangladesh football 

right now is nothing new. It has 

been years since their decline 

began while some would argue 

that it stretches back to a decade. 

Monday’s defeat against Bhutan was 

the lowest point though. PAGE 26 

Kohli gets mace after 

India top rankings 

Skipper and champion batsman 

Virat Kohli was yesterday 

presented with the ICC Test 

Championship mace as India were 

officially crowned the number one 

side after their 3-0 thrashing of 

New Zealand. PAGE 27 

Pogba fires France as 

Portugal run riot 

A searing first-half strike from 

Manchester United starlet Paul 

Pogba handed France a 1-0 win at 

rivals the Netherlands as Belgium 

and Portugal clocked up 6-0 

victories and Christian Benteke 

grabbed a slice of World Cup 

qualifying history. PAGE 28 

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan is a picture of concentration during a nets session at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury 

Stadium in Chittagong yesterday 

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK 

Mashrafe: Criticism 

hasn’t touched me at all 


The clash and heated conversation 

between the Bangladesh and 

England cricketers during and after 

the second ODI in Mirpur on 

Sunday gave birth to a lot of anger 

and discussions. 

Countless Tigers fans were 

unhappy as captain Mashrafe bin 

Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman were 

both fined 20 percent of their 

match fee while English skipper 

Jos Buttler only received an official 

reprimand for breaching the 

International Cricket Council’s 

Code of Conduct. 

However, one of the men in 

question, Mashrafe, said he is not 

reading too much into the situation 

and only concentrating on 

the series decider, scheduled for 

today at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury 

Stadium in Chittagong. 

“Actually the discussion and 

criticism have not touched me at 

all. I don’t even know what happened. 

Yes, Sabbir and I got fined, 

but I have not been thinking 

about these things. I have never 

thought about these things in my 

career,” Mashrafe told the media 

yesterday. 

“If you look at the past, I have 

played for 16 years, we have heard 

comments of many people and 

we have kept on playing. The 

Bangladesh team played (in the 

right spirit) and I don’t think that 

we did something unjustly. 

“Even we have heard comments 

from others. Yes, maybe many 

things might happen in the heat of 

the moment, so one doesn’t have 

to go overboard with this. Everyone 

will have to take this easily. 

Match referee was there, he saw 

our mistakes and we have been 

fined. I have accepted this and it is 

a gentleman’s game so we will try 

to play our best,” he said. 

The Tigers skipper added that 

they are not tensed or nervous on 

the eve of the third and final ODI 

and that they are approaching it 

normally. 

“As far as our team are concerned, 

I hope it will be a normal 

match. We are concentrating on 

our preparation. Obviously, we 

will start the game as we always 

do. I am expecting nothing to 

happen on the ground. I am also 

expecting a good match,” he said. 

Meanwhile, there are major 

concerns regarding the weather 

in the port city, especially in the 

last 24 hours. Persistent rainfall 

is threatening the deciding game 

and Mashrafe said, “Firstly, since 

it’s raining, obviously this is a 

matter of concern because we 

have to think of how the weather 

will behave [today]. A lot will depend 

on how the wicket will behave 

[today].” 

Bangladesh will be targeting 

their seventh consecutive ODI 

series win at home but Mashrafe 

said they will need to be on their 

guard against an established side 

like England. 

“Not really, as I said England 

are doing really well. In the first 

press conference, I said England 

are playing really well and even in 

the last two matches, they were 

on top. Luckily, we won the second 

match. Yes, we played well, 

but we have not been up to the 

mark,” he said. 

“The next match is obviously a 

big match for us, we will try our 

best. You asked if we were favourites, 

I don’t think so. 

“For a team to win, they have 

to play well in all departments. 

If you talk about top-order batting 

or if you see the first match, 

the dropped catches cost us, I 

feel that it is important to have 

balance in all departments. We 

have the ability to play well in all 

departments and we are thinking 

about that.” • 

MAHMUDULLAH 

A lot will depend on one of the most 

effective and in-form batsman in the 

shape of Mahmudullah when Bangladesh 

take on England in the third and final 

ODI in Chittagong today. The 30-year 

old was the highest scorer with 75 runs 

in the second ODI where the Bangladesh 

batsmen faced some controlled bowling 

from the visitors. He scored exactly 

100 runs in two matches so far and the 

home side will want another mature 

innings from the stylish right-hander in 

order to clinch a memorable win in the 

much-talked about series. 

BEN STOKES 

It has been an eventful tour so far for 

English middle-order batsman Ben 

Stokes after the left-hander smashed a 

hundred in the first ODI, guiding his side 

to a 21-run win over the Tigers. However, 

the 25-year old Durham cricketer 

was out for a duck in the second match. 

His participation in the game did not 

stop there as he got engaged in a clash 

with Tamim Iqbal during the handshake 

formalities after their 34-run defeat. The 

spotlight will surely be on Stokes in the 

high-octane series decider.

ECB declines 

request for 

reserve day in 

Chittagong 

• Cricinfo 

Sport 25 

DT 


The England and Wales Cricket Board 

has declined a request from the BCB 

to include a reserve day for the third 

ODI in Chittagong, a spokesman confirmed. 

The offer was made due to 

the inclement weather conditions 

which are threatening a washout of 

the series decider. 

On Monday, 30mm of rain was 

recorded in the port city which 

is experiencing unseasonal rain. 

Yesterday also saw plenty of rain, 

and the drizzle continued in the 

evening. Both teams were forced 

indoor for training while the 

ground was mostly under covers. 

The forecast for today isn’t encouraging 

but there is chance of rain 

abating after 4pm which could offer 

a shortened game. 

The ECB said they did consider 

the request but the nature of 

the tour didn’t allow them the 

last-minute change. 

“The ECB were asked whether 

it would be possible to schedule a 

rain day. At this late stage, and on 

a compact tour, it is sadly not possible,” 

said the ECB spokesman. • England off-spinner Moeen Ali bowls while leg-spinner Adil Rashid looks on during training in Chittagong yesterday 


‘I think incidents will fire up both teams’ 


got involved in another clash during 

the handshake formalities after um yesterday. 

behave well in this game and acday] 

we can play the way we have 

at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadi- 

“Hopefully both the teams will last two years. So hopefully [to- 

The high-voltage third and final the game. 

“I think it will just fire up both cording to the rules of the game been batting and not just throw our 

ODI between Bangladesh and England 

And according to English the teams. I think both the teams and we can look back at the series wickets away,” said the left-handed 

today is all set to usher in the all-rounder Moeen Ali, neither of will be wanting to win more than and say this was a very good crick- 

batsman. 

newest rivalry in world cricket following 

the two teams will give no quarter before. Bangladesh have not lost a eting series,” said Moeen. 

The 29-year old went on to 

the much-talked about war today. 

home series for six series now. And Moeen informed that the most praise the security arrangements 

of words after the second game of “Regarding the (previous) game, I know some of our players, especially 

disappointing aspect of the second organised by the hosts. 

the three-match series at Sher-e- some of the guys got heated up and 

our captain will desperately ODI was that they were unable to “I have never seen security like 

Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur that can happen in a competitive want to win this game. 

play their natural game of recent this. It’s been the best. In other 

on Sunday. 

game. I think we have players who “I know from Bangladesh’s point times. 

words another country will have to 

It all started when England captain 

can get heated up and also Bang- 

of view it [Buttler’s wicket] was a “I think the most disappointing do well to beat this security that’s 

Jos Buttler and the Bangladesh ladesh have players who can get big wicket. They celebrated. But thing was we batted a little bit like been provided and I think it’s a big 

fielders got engaged in a heated heated up and that’s what it was there is also a way you celebrate the old England for the first time in thing. I will definitely encourage 

conversation following his dismissal 

really. That has been put to bed sometimes. But things can happen a couple of years. That’s more dis- 

other teams to come. So far it’s 

in the second ODI. 

now and we can concentrate on the before and after a match, it will just appointing than the way we lost. been amazing and I will really en- 

The excitement reached its peak game,” Moeen told the media during 

fire up everybody and makes it for We would rather lose the game courage other teams to come,” he 

when Ben Stokes and Tamim Iqbal 

the pre-match press conference a good series now. 

playing the way we played in the 

said.• 

India thrash 

Bangladesh in 

Kabaddi WC 


Bangladesh kabaddi team conceded 

their first defeat in the 2016 

Kabaddi World Cup as they lost to 

favourites and hosts India 57-20 in 

their second match in Ahmedabad 

yesterday. Captain Aruduzzaman 

Munshi scored six points for Bangladesh 

while raider Pardeep Narwal 

scored the game’s highest eight 

total points for the home side. • 

England teenager Haseeb Hameed smiles before training in Chittagong 

yesterday 


England’s Hameed oversleeps! 


Teenager Haseeb Hameed, who joined 

the England side for the upcoming twomatch 

Test series, had an embarrassing 

start to the tour as he held up the side’s 

departure for training for at least eight 

minutes yesterday when he overslept 

after completing a long journey from the 

UK to Bangladesh. 

Hameed, who scored heavily in Division 

One of the English County Championship 

this year, was reminded of 

the time by England and Wales Cricket 

Board’s security expert Reg Dickason 

before he rushed towards the team bus 

containing the visitors’ 39-man strong 

party. 

He was given a verbal warning by the 

English assistant coach Paul Farbrace 

while head coach Trevor Bayliss also had 

a quiet word with him but he escaped a 

fine with the management not willing to 

go hard on the youngster. 

Hameed is contesting for the opening 

spot in the Test side. 

Test captain Alastair Cook had earlier 

joined the touring party while veteran 

cricketer Gareth Batty later arrived to 

complete the visitors’ squad.•

DT 

26 


Sport 

POST-MORTEM OF BANGLADESH FOOTBALL 

Is it the end of a tunnel? 

• Shishir Hoque 

The crisis existing in Bangladesh 

football right now is nothing new. 

It has been several years since their 

decline began while some would 

even argue that it stretches back 

as far as a decade. But Monday’s 

humiliating defeat against Bhutan 

was so abject that it was labelled 

in many quarters as the death of 

Bangladesh football. 

Let’s face the facts first. Bangladesh 

were never among the top 

100 teams in the world ever since 

the creation of the ranking system 

in 1993. They had never been a big 

team in Asia as well. They were one 

of the best teams in South Asia but 

that was more than a decade ago. 

In recent years, they had been being 

outplayed regularly against the 

likes of Afghanistan, India, Maldives 

and Nepal. 

Losing to Bhutan for the first 

time in history was not the biggest 

concern. It can happen to any team 

in the world but what was difficult 

to accept was their uninspiring performance. 

Therefore, the time has finally 

come for Bangladesh football to rebuild 

from scratch. 

Looking back to the year 2003, 

Bangladesh had won their first and 

only South Asian Football Federation 

title till date. They finished 

runners-up in the following edition 

two years later. Most of the players 

were at their peak. 

However, since then, almost 

all the players of the title-winning 

squad have retired. A new generation 

of players are being groomed by 

the Bangladesh Football Federation. 

With that said, it is well known 

that the BFF has failed to predict 

the future of the country’s football 

scenario. Football’s governing 

body in the country seems to be 

lacking the word “development” 

in its vocabulary. They somehow 

managed to make domestic league 

regular on the pitch but has rarely 

made any attempt to produce players. 

It took 43 years for them to finally 

build a football academy but 

since then three years have elapsed 

with absolutely no activity taking 

place there. Looking back in time, 

it is no surprise to see Bangladesh 

struggling. 

What’s more, the BFF has failed 

to add any glamour to domestic 

football. Questions regarding the 

players’ professionalism are refusing 

to go away. There has also been 

allegations of match-fixing for a 

long time now. 

The BFF’s lack of attention towards 

the players’ development and 

non-professionalism from the clubs 

have ensured that the new generation 

of footballers would be vulnerable 

technically, physically and psychologically. 

Majority of the players 

these days have rarely contributed 

to the national team’s cause. 

Bangladesh have no major Fifa/ 

Afc events at least for the next two 

years, right until the beginning of 

the qualifying round of the 2022 

World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup. 

This period should be utilised properly 

by the relevant authorities. 

Ten out of 23 players from the 

latest squad against Bhutan will be 

over 30 years old in the next two 

years, including the likes of Mamunul 

Islam, Jahid Hasan Ameli 

and Mamun Miah, among others. 

BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem 

Shohag admitted there is no return 

from where they are now. He spoke 

with authority that the BFF will 

“look after everything, make overall 

planing and assessment”. The 

words however, are nothing new. 

There maybe a new group of 

players but what about the situation 

of the footballers in the pipeline? 

Apparently, they are nowhere 

near good enough. 

Who are to blame? The federation, 

the clubs or the players? There 

is plenty of time now to ponder and 

rebuild again. 

Along with the results and performances, 

there has been instability 

of head coaches in the national 

team. The coach has been changed 

as many as 19 times in the last 10 

years, including four in the previous 

12 months. Now, Bangladesh 

must appoint a permanent coach 

for the long term, at least for three 

to four years. 

The Asian Football Confederation 

will introduce the Solidarity 

Cup next month with the participation 

of teams who have failed to 

qualify for the Asian Cup Qualifiers. 

The opportunity to play international 

friendlies has increased 

over the years so there will still be 

some platform to see how the newly-shaped 

football team would do 

in the upcoming years. 

From next year onward, the 

football federation will get more 

than double the financial support 

from Fifa than they used to get previously. 

They are preparing a plan 

of their future activities that they 

will present to the world football’s 

governing body in a month. In the 

context of the current situation, 

the national team and development 

of the players should be the 

top-most priorities in the proposal. 

Will the BFF finally learn 

and be serious? Because if they 

don’t act soon, the country’s football 

will be non-existent sooner 

rather than later. • 

18TH NCL, RD 3, DAY 4 

TIER 1 

DHAKA 523 v BARISAL 103/1d 

Match drawn 

KHULNA 293 v DHAKA 

METROPOLIS 59/0d 

Match drawn 

TIER 2 

RANGPUR 234 & 233/7 in 79 overs 

(Saymon 94, Jahid 52, Sanjamul 4/106) 

v RAJSHAHI 268 

Match drawn 

SYLHET 444 & 243/5d in 42 

overs (Zakir 86, Kapali 58, Arif 3/85) v 

CHITTAGONG 315 & 146/9 in 57.3 overs 

(Saeed 68, Rahatul 5/48, Yasir 23) 

Match drawn 

POINTS TABLE 

TIER 1 

Teams M W L D Pts 

Barisal 3 0 0 3 23 

Khulna 3 0 0 3 19 

Dhaka Metro 3 0 0 3 15 

Dhaka 3 0 0 3 13 

TIER 2 

Teams M W L D Pts 

Rajshahi 3 1 0 2 33 

Rangpur 3 1 0 2 28 

Sylhet 3 0 1 2 19 

Chittagong 3 0 1 2 18 

Action from the IHF Trophy match between the Bangladesh women’s team and their Afghanistan counterparts in Dhaka yesterday 

Bangladesh men, women reach IHF semis 


Hosts Bangladesh, Nepal and 

arch-rivals India and Pakistan 

reached the semi-finals in the 

men’s category of the International 

Handball Federation Trophy after 

winning their respective matches 

yesterday. 

In the women’s section, Bangladesh, 

India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan 

completed the semi-finals line up. 

Bangladesh women’s team defeated 

Afghanistan 34-7 in the first 

match. Bangladesh led the first half 

16-2. Rubina was the highest-scorer 

with nine goals for Bangladesh. 

The second match of the day in 

the women’s section was a nail-biting 

affair with Pakistan edging 

Nepal 21-20. Nepal were leading 

20-19 moments away from the final 

whistle before Pakistan scored two 

goals in the last minute to register 

COURTESY 

an exciting victory. Sehar Iqbal of 

Pakistan was the highest scorer 

with nine goals. Nisha Roy of Nepal 

also netted nine. 

In the third match of day, India 

beat Maldives 51-13 to cruise into 

the last four. Menika and Nidhi 

scored nine and eight goals respectively 

for India. 

In the men’s category, Nepal 

prevailed over Maldives 32-21 in 

the first match of the day. KC Chandra 

of Nepal netted nine times to 

steer his team to victory. Mohammad 

Firoz scored eight goals for the 

losing side. 

In the second match of the 

day, Pakistan outplayed Afghanistan 

44-20 to top the group. Belal 

scored highest 11 goals for Pakistan. 

Both the teams progressed to 

the last four. 

In the third match of the day, 

Bangladesh outplayed Sri Lanka.•

Sport 27 

DT 


QUICK BYTES 

Smiling Sharapova plays 

Las Vegas charity event 

Maria Sharapova set foot on 

a tennis court for the first time 

since her positive drug test at 

the Australian Openon Monday, 

smiling throughout an appearance 

in the World Team Tennis Smash 

Hits charity event in Las Vegas. The 

Russian star, who last week earned 

a reduction in her drug ban that will 

allow her to return to tennis in April, 

played in two light-hearted doubles 

matches in the event at Caesar’s 

Palace to benefit the Elton John 

AIDS Foundation. Sharapova lost 

her doubles match with American 

youngster Taylor Johnson when they 

faced Martina Navratilova and Liezel 

Huber. The 29-year-old indicated had 

felt a hint of nerves along with her 

16-year-old doubles partner Johnson. 

–AFP 

Iran fans banned from 

celebrating on holy day 

Iranian football fans faced a tricky 

balancing act Tuesday as they 

prepared for a clash with South 

Korea in the midst of a religious 

holiday in which they are banned 

from expressing joy. Many took part 

in mourning processions as they 

gathered at the 75,000-capacity Azadi 

(“freedom”) stadium in Tehran to mark 

the eve of Ashura, one of the holiest 

days in the Iranian calendar. For Shiite 

Muslims, Ashura marks the death of 

Imam Hussein in the seventh century, 

and is traditionally a day of sombre 

processions through the streets, in 

which black-clad men beat their chests 

and heads in anger and despair. 

–AFP 

DAY’S WATCH 

CRICKET 

GAZI TV, BTV, STAR SPORTS 4 

2:30PM 

England Tour of Bangladesh 

3rd ODI 

TEN 3 

5:30PM 

Australia Tour of South Africa 

5th ODI 

STAR SPORTS 1 

10:00AM 

New Zealand Tour of India 

3rd Test, Day 5 

FOOTBALL 

STAR SPORTS 1 

7:30PM 

Indian Super League 

Pune v North East United 

KABADDI 

STAR SPORTS 2 

Kabaddi World Cup 2016 

8:30PM 

Poland v Japan 

9:40PM 

Australia v Argentina 

3RD TEST, DAY 4 

INDIA 557/5d & 216/3d in 49 overs 

(Pujara 101, Gambhir 50, Patel 2/56) 

beat NEW ZEALAND 299 & 153 

(Ashwin 7/59, Jadeja 2/45, Taylor 32) by 

321 runs 

ICC TEST RANKINGS 

Rank Team Matches Pts Rating 

1 India 29 3328 115 

2 Pakistan 25 2767 111 

3 Australia 36 3905 108 

4 England 41 4427 108 

5 S Africa 25 2412 96 

6 Sri Lanka 32 3055 95 

7 New Zealand 35 3189 91 

8 West Indies 26 1749 67 

9 Bangladesh 12 687 57 

10 Zimbabwe 7 54 8 

Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar 

presenting the ICC Test Championship 

mace to Indian skipper Virat Kohli after 

the end of 3rd Test match against New 

Zealand in Indore yesterday 

AP 

Kohli receives mace after India tops Test rankings 

• AFP, Indore 

Skipper Virat Kohli was on Tuesday 

presented with the ICC Test 

Championship mace as India were 

officially crowned the number one 

side after their 3-0 thrashing of 

New Zealand. 

India, who had reclaimed the 

top spot in the world Test rankings 

after taking an unassailable 2-0 series 

lead in Kolkata, won the third 

and final Test by 321 runs Tuesday 

to consolidate their position. 

Batting legend and ICC Hall of 

Famer Sunil Gavaskar presented 

Kohli with the mace on behalf of 

the International Cricket Council at 

Indore’s Holkar Stadium. 

Kohli was only the second India 

captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni 

and the 10th overall to receive 

the mace since its introduction in 

2001. 

The others are Steve Waugh, 

Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, 

Steve Smith (Australia), Andrew 

Strauss (England), Graeme Smith, 

Hashim Amla (South Africa) and 

Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan). 

India are now four points in the 

ratings above arch-rivals Pakistan, 

who enjoyed the top spot only 

briefly after Misbah received the 

mace last month in Lahore. 

“I’ve got a few Man of the Match 

awards, so have the boys. This is 

much more special. The last time 

India got the mace, I was watching 

Zimbabwe appoint Streak as coach 

• AFP, Harare 

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath 

Streak has been appointed national 

cricket head coach to replace Dav 

Whatmore who was dismissed in 

June. 

“Zimbabwe Cricket has named 

former captain Heath Streak as the 

new national head coach,” Zimbabwe 

Cricket (ZC) said in a statement 

on Tuesday. 

The 42-year-old was unveiled at 

a press conference in Zimbabwe’s 

second largest city Bulawayo after 

accepting a two-year contract. 

“For me, having captained this 

country, to be offered the post of 

head coach is a great honour and 

I know with it comes responsibility 

not just to the players but to the 

fans and supporters of Zimbabwe 

cricket as well,” Streak said. 

“My promise is, I will leave no 

stone unturned in terms of our endeavour 

and our quest to improve 

the team’s performances. 

“I believe that we have the resources 

here in Zimbabwe to do 

just that and planning is obviously 

going to be a major factor.” 

Streak previously coached a local 

cricket team and had stints as 

bowling coach for Bangladesh and 

Zimbabwe. He takes over as Zimbabwe 

bid to qualify for the 2019 ICC 

Cricket World Cup. 

His immediate assignments are a 

two-match Test series at home to Sri 

Lanka, and a one-day international 

tri-series involving West Indies. 

“I feel that with the upcoming 

series and the latter half of next 

year we have some really good 

cricket coming up so we can really 

work towards improving,” he said. 

“I do see a strong future. Obviously 

things don’t just happen 

overnight. It’s a process but I know 

that process can happen quickly 

and for me that will be a big goal to 

facilitate that,” he said. • 

on TV,” said a delighted Kohli. 

“The key right now is maintaining 

our game. We’re working 

really hard on the areas needing 

improvement and we’ve been able 

to correct the wrongs quickly and 

we’d like to continue that and give 

the people what they want to see.” 

India had replaced Australia at 

the top of the rankings after their 

series win against the West Indies 

in August, only to be leapfrogged 

by Pakistan later. • 

Don’t rule out 

Roger and Rafa, 

warns Djokovic 

• AFP, Shanghai 

Novak Djokovic said Roger Federer 

and Rafael Nadal still rate among 

the world’s best on Tuesday after 

they both dropped out of the top 

four for the first time in 13 years. 

Djokovic said it would be unwise 

to omit Federer and Nadal 

from an assessment of the world’s 

top players despite a new wave of 

talent which is fast closing on the 

elite ranks. 

This week’s updated ATP tennis 

rankings are missing both 

Federer, 35, and Nadal, 30, who 

have 31 Grand Slam titles between 

them, for the first time since 2003. 

“It’s kind of expected to have 

some new faces in this sport, but 

I still wouldn’t rule out Roger and 

Rafa and I would not take them out 

of that context of the best players 

in the world,” Djokovic said at the 

Shanghai Masters.•

DT 

28 


Sport 

RESULTS 

Belarus 1-1 Luxembourg 

Savitskiy 80 Joachim 85 

Sweden 3-0 Bulgaria 

Toivonen 39, Hiljemark 45, 

Nilsson-Lindelöf 58 

Netherlands 0-1 France 

Pogba 30 

Latvia 0-2 Hungary 

Gyurcso 10, Szalai 77 

Andorra 1-2 Switzerland 

Martinez 90+1 

Schaer 19-P, 

Mehmedi 77 

Faroe Islands 0-6 Portugal 

Silva 12, 22, 37, 

Cristiano Ronaldo 65, 

Moutinho 90+1, 

Cancelo 90+3 

Estonia 0-2 Greece 

Torosidis 1, Stafylidis 61 

Bosnia 2-0 Cyprus 

Dzeko 70, 80 

Gibraltar 0-6 Belgium 

Benteke 1, 43, 55, 

Witsel 19, Mertens 51, 

Hazard 79 

France’s midfielder Paul Pogba (C) vies 

with Netherlands’ midfielder Kevin 

Strootman during their FIFA World 

Cup 2018 qualifying match at the 

Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam on 

MOnday 

AFP 

Pogba fires France as Belgium, Portugal run riot 

• AFP, Amsterdam 

A searing first-half strike from Paul 

Pogba handed France a 1-0 win at 

rivals the Netherlands as Belgium 

and Portugal clocked up 6-0 victories 

and Christian Benteke grabbed 

a slice of World Cup qualifying history. 

Criticised by coach Didier Deschamps 

for his performance in Friday’s 

4-1 win over Bulgaria in Paris, 

the world’s most expensive footballer 

emphatically replied with a 

towering display for Les Bleus in 

Amsterdam in the most eye-catching 

fixture on Monday. 

Australia draw 

against Japan 

• AFP, Melbourne 

Australia came from behind 

through a Mile Jedinak penalty to 

grab a 1-1 draw against Japan to remain 

unbeaten in Asian World Cup 

qualifiers in Melbourne on Tuesday. 

The Blue Samurai rocked the 

Socceroos with a fifth-minute goal 

from midfielder Genki Haraguchi 

but skipper Jedinak retrieved a 

point in a tense game with his spot 

kick. 

Australia have not beaten Japan 

for seven years, while the Japanese 

have still to win a World Cup qualifier 

in Australia. • 

The Manchester United midfielder’s 

powerful hit from 25 

metres out after half an hour left 

diving Dutch goalkeeper Maarten 

Stekelenburg able to get his hands 

to the fizzing ball but unable to 

stop it. 

“I didn’t speak to him (Pogba), 

I just said a few words to him before 

entering the changing rooms, 

‘I have confidence in you,’” said 

Deschamps. 

“The match confirms what he is 

able to do. Pogba was much better 

in everything he did. He showed 

what he can do. 

“We never doubted he could do 

Genki Haraguchi of Japan in action with Ryan McGowan of Australia in Melbourne, 

Australia yesterday 

REUTERS 

it. We mustn’t forget Paul is relatively 

young and he can still progress.” 

France, losing finalists on home 

soil at Euro 2016, are equal on seven 

points at the top of Group A with 

Sweden, who beat Bulgaria 3-0 at 

home in Solna. The two countries 

will play on November 11 at the Stade 

de France. 

Pogba, 23, was imperial in front 

of a central defence made up of 

Raphael Varane and Laurent Koscielny, 

who pushed back wave after 

wave of Dutch attacks. 

And Pogba nearly doubled his 

account with a header off a Dimitri 

Payet corner on 66 minutes just 

lacking power. 

“If the team has a good match, I 

have a good match,” said a defiant 

Pogba. “If it’s a bad match, I have a 

bad match. 

“We’re not going to talk about 

individual performances. It’s true 

it’s not always nice to hear criticism, 

‘bad things’ about myself. 

There wasn’t any answer. Today it 

was a good team effort.” 

The French had a slight scare in 

the final minute but Hugo Lloris 

did well to keep out a Memphis Depay 

effort on the line. 

“It’s an important win for us, 

even if we could have had a larger 

lead,” said Deschamps. 

“We could have hurt them more 

in the first half. It’s good to have 

got these two victories.” 

The Dutch failed to make it to 

the Euros and now sit third in the 

group, needing to improve fast 

if they are to make it to Russia in 

2018. 

“Our goalkeeper made a mistake 

which he never makes in training,” 

said coach Danny Blind. 

“We played better in the second 

half and we should have had 

at least a point because we had 

chances at the end of the match.”• 

Pogba willing to do the 

hard yards to help Utd 

• Reuters 

Paul Pogba feels more comfortable 

in an attacking midfield role but is 

willing to work on the defensive 

side of his game in order to adapt 

to manager Jose Mourinho’s tactics 

at Manchester United. 

Pogba, who joined the Premier 

League club for a world record fee 

from Juventus in August, has been 

utilised in a deeper role by Mourinho 

and is yet to produce his best 

form at Old Trafford. 

“I try to adapt. I am a player 

who would rather go forward. The 

coach gave me instructions, I try to 

follow them,” Pogba told reporters 

after scoring the winner in France’s 

1-0 victory over the Netherlands in 

a World Cup qualifier on Monday. 

Pogba, 23, has played as one of 

two holding central midfielders for 

United, scoring one goal in eight 

matches and failing to control games 

in the way Mourinho would have 

hoped after paying $111m to sign him. 

“I have to retrieve balls and make 

defensive efforts,” he said. “It cost 

me a bit to play differently, much like 

Pirlo. I have to play, be there to recover 

and play more for the team.”•

Downtime 

29 


DT 

CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Niggard (5) 

4 Result of addition (3) 

6 American state (4) 

8 Divine messenger (5) 

9 Venture (4) 

11 Leave out (4) 

12 Locations (5) 

15 Raw hides (5) 

18 Ugly amphibian (4) 

20 Single occasion (4) 

21 Command (5) 

22 Rainbow goddess (4) 

23 Cover (3) 

24 Happening (5) 

DOWN 

1 Sounds of suffering (5) 

2 Vision (5) 

3 Governs (5) 

4 Pretended (4) 

5 Fitting (4) 

7 Sun-dried brick (5) 

10 Fissure (4) 

13 Metal (4) 

14 Tree (5) 

15 Non-verse (5) 

16 Deposit (5) 

17 Small fish (5) 

18 Work hard (4) 

19 Sour (4) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 3 represents T so fill T 

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 

SATURDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

30 


DT 

Showtime 

BiralPakhir Mojma 

A neo movement in Bengali cinema 

WHAT TO WATCH 

Members of BiralPakhi Cine Club 

• Rafid Imran Shuddho 

Every once in a while a 

revolution clouds over 

the realm of arts and 

culture. BiralPakhi 

Cine Club is a prime example 

of this phenomenon according 

to many Bengali artists today. 

As solitary as a cat while free 

as a bird, BiralPakhi reflects on 

its name for a definitive goal of 

bringing cinema communities 

together who sincerely dedicate 

their true love to cinema and its 

experimental application. 

It all started with Ishtiaque 

Zico’s idea to instill the ethos of 

a cinema club inside the hearts 

of people around him. His short 

film 720 Degrees is the only 

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and Ishtiaque Zico 

Bangladeshi film yet to enter 

the Venice International film 

Festival followed by several 

other nominations in different 

international film fests. He has 

also won the HBO Short Film 

Award at SAIFF in New York; USA. 

As a matter of fact, the power of 

these amazing achievements is 

only second to the passion of all 

people combined at BiralPakhi 

Cine Club. Aspired to bring all 

cinema people under one roof, 

BiralPakhi has become a cinema 

hub. 

Members of BiralPakhi range 

from below-the-line crew to 

renowned directors. However, 

this is not merely an audience 

exclusive club. Rather, it is 

primarily a community of 

filmmakers only, which includes 

all the people connected to 

creation of cinema. Beside its dint 

of experimentation, the club has 

the intention to work with and 

within the Bangladeshi cinema 

industry. This has recently led to, 

one of the prominent filmmakers 

of our industry, Mostofa Sarwar 

Farooki’s presence at BiralPakhi. 

The cat and bird appear 

together at every BiralPakhir 

Mojma; an event held once every 

month at different location 

all over Dhaka city. Mojma 

stands for meeting of people 

or a gathering of minds alike. 

The upcoming Mojma, Mojma 

5.0, which is scheduled to take 

place on October 15, will feature 

renowned architect and film 

I have 

rediscovered the 

youth in cinema 

through this new 

crowd which 

reminds me of my 

early days 

– Mostofa Sarwar Farooki 

maker Enamul Karim Nirjhar, 

where he will embark on a twoway 

discussion with the audience 

to relate architecture with 

cinema. Cinemas are created, 

shown, talked-about, debated-on 

and studied in general amongst 

its peers at these events. For 

someone visiting Mojma, it 

appears to be an inspiring gettogether 

of a few hundred cinema 

folks. It’s a place where fellow 

filmmakers foster and inspire 

each other. 

Signifying on the freedom 

of exploring the cinema form, 

president Zico welcomes anyone 

with passion, to jump-start. The 

philosophy of BiralPakhi dictates 

a rule of idea-before-action. 

This means, you don’t need to 

own flashy gears to start making 

cinema; all you need is cinematic 

conviction. According to Zico: 

“If you have accidentally created 

something out of just a phone’s 

camera and your cinematic muse, 

you are welcome to become a 

member of BiralPakhi Cine Club.” 

An artistic revolution might 

just be on its way for the country. 

Most members of BiralPakhi Cine 

Club believe that it’s only a matter 

of time before this movement 

spearheads a cinematic evolution 

for a cinema-loving nation. • 

Wild Wild West 

HBO, 4:15pm 

Jim West is a former civil war 

hero and Artemus Gordon is a 

US marshal who is an expert 

at disguise. Arliss Loveless is 

a mad man threatening the 

country. President Ulysses 

Grant orders Jim and Artemus 

to team up against the villain 

and have him arrested. Jim and 

Artemus use their combined 

skills to outsmart Arliss 

during a train journey from 

Washington to Utah. 

Cast: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, 

Salma Hayek 

Tomorrowland 

Star Movies, 11:30pm 

Bound by a shared destiny, a 

teen bursting with scientific 

curiosity and a former boygenius 

inventor embark on a 

mission to unearth the secrets 

of a place somewhere in time 

and space that exists in their 

collective memory. 

Cast: George Clooney, Hugh 

Laurie, Britt Robertson 

World War Z 

Zee Studio, 11:45pm 

When former UN investigator 

Gerry Lane and his family get 

stuck in urban gridlock, he 

senses that it’s no ordinary 

traffic jam. His suspicions are 

confirmed when, suddenly, 

the city erupts into chaos. A 

lethal virus, spread through a 

single bite, is turning healthy 

people into something vicious, 

unthinking and feral. As 

the pandemic threatens to 

consume humanity, Gerry leads 

a worldwide search to find the 

source of the infection. 

Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, 

James Badge Dale •

Showtime 

31 


DT 

Farooki reveals 

new film on Holey 

Artisan attack 

• Showtime Desk 

Film maker Mostofa Sarwar 

Farooki, who is currently serving 

as a jury in the 20th Busan 

International Film Festival, 

has revealed that his film will 

chronicle the horrific events at the 

Holey Artisan Bakery this year. 

The film, initially titled Holy 

Bakery, will be made as a singleshot 

film, the director disclosed. 

In his words, the film will be an 

“intimate and intense” one. 

“In that one-shot I believe 

we will be able to explore the 

complexity of South Asian politics, 

the rise of the culture of hatred, 

the rise of intolerance, the rise of 

militancy and conflict between 

the modern Bangladesh and a 

small segment of those who are 

conservative,” Farooki exclusively 

told the American entertainment 

weekly Variety. 

The film is based on the events 

of 1 July 2016, when militants 

took hostages at the Holey Artisan 

Bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka and 

ended up massacring a total of the 

20 hostages. 

Cast of the film is yet to be 

revealed while its filming will start 

from March 2017. Chabial, Farooki’s 

own production outfit, will produce 

the film with other partners. 

Currently, Farooki is on postproduction 

phase with No Bed of 

Roses which stars international and 

local actors including Irrfan Khan, 

Nusrat Imroz Tisha, Parno Mittra 

and Rokeya Prachi. • 

Kim is 'emotionally 

damaged' 


Days after being held at 

gunpoint and robbed, Kim 

Kardashian, 35, is still 

incredibly traumatised, and 

she’s ready to see a specialist 

to talk through her feelings 

about it. “Kim is surrounded 

by her friends and family 

now,” a source informed close 

Kardashian told E! News. “She 

is really upset and is going to 

speak to a therapist in deeper 

lengths about this,” the source 

said. 

After all, it is a certainly a 

traumatic experience to be 

dragged out of bed with a 

gun to the head, then tied up 

and locked up in a bathroom 

by strange men in masks. 

The site reports that Kim is 

“emotionally damaged” over 

the ordeal, and adds that “it’s 

going to take a while to get 

over it.” 

She has already cancelled 

an upcoming appearance in 

Dubai, and has been hiding out 

in New York City since all this 

went down on Sunday night. 

For now, Kim probably 

won’t be publicly flaunting 

her expensive jewellery on 

social media as much as 

she used to, and it’s likely 

that she’ll be upping her 

security in a big way. Kim’s 

bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, 

was actually out with 

Kourtney Kardashian, 37, and 

Kendall Jenner, 20, when the 

robbery happened, so she 

was without protection in her 

giant suite. • 

Guy Ritchie to direct 

Disney’s live-action 

‘Aladdin’ 


The filmmaker who made his 

name directing snappy crime 

thrillers such as Lock, Stock 

and Two Smoking Barrels and 

Snatch is in talks with Disney to 

direct Aladdin, the latest in the 

studio’s venture to re-tell the 

classic fantasy for contemporary 

audiences. 

Disney’s earlier classic 

animated feature titled Aladdin, 

released in 1992, had won two 

Oscars, with Robin Williams 

providing the voice of Genie. 

John August, the writer of Big 

Fish, has written the script and 

Dan Lin of The Lego Movie fame 

is producing. Sources say they 

will keep many of the musical 

elements of the original. 

Ritchie, who directed the first 

two Sherlock Holmes films with 

Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, 

most recently wrapped King 

Arthur: Legend of the Sword with 

Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law. •

32 


DT 

ERL NEW UNIT WORK 

STALLED PAGE 12 

Back Page 

MASHRAFE: CRITICISM HASN’T 

TOUCHED ME AT ALL PAGE 24 

A NEO MOVEMENT IN 

BENGALI CINEMA PAGE 30 

Rain cools excitement on eve of decider 

• Ali Shahriyar Bappa from 

Chittagong 

The cricket-mad Bangladesh fans 

and the entire cricketing fraternity 

might be waiting with bated breath 

for the third and final ODI between 

the Tigers and the visiting England 

team but the threat of rain is refusing 

to go away even a day before 

the series decider. 

It rained heavily in Chittagong 

for the most parts of yesterday so 

the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium 

fans will be lucky if they get to 

witness a full 50-over affair today. 

Keeping the inclement weather 

in mind, the toss will be extremely 

vital if the match does go ahead. 

And when it does, all sparks will 

fly considering the much-talked 

about incidents following the second 

ODI in Mirpur on Sunday. 

The Tigers lost the first match before 

winning the second one. At one 

stage in the first game, Bangladesh 

were in the driving seat, needing 

only 39 runs from 52 balls with six 

wickets in hand. But the home side 

lost their nerve and surprisingly lost 

the match from a winning position. 

In the second game, the Tigers 

fought back and sealed a 34-run 

win. But the outcome of the game 

paled in comparison to the controversies 

which took place during 

and after the match. 

Bangladesh fielders celebrated 

passionately after getting the wicket 

of England captain Jos Buttler during 

their run-chase. Buttler reacted 

angrily and exchanged a few words 

with the Bangladesh players after 

being adjudged leg before wicket. 

In the aftermath of the incident, 

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe bin 

Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman were 

both fined 20 percent of their 

match fee while Buttler only received 

an official reprimand. 

At the end of the match and 

during the hand-shake formalities, 

there was a dispute between Ben 

Stokes and Tamim Iqbal that created 

a storm on social media. A video 

shows Tamim approaching Jonny 

Bairstow to shake hands but the 

latter apparently shoulder-charged 

the former, thus paving the way 

for the social media storm. Stokes 

then entered the scene, exchanging 

a few heated words with Tamim. 

All these incidents will no doubt 

heat up the competition between 

bat and ball. 

Bangladesh have established 

themselves as a strong competitor, 

especially in the ODI format, in the 

last two years or so, winning six 

consecutive series on home soil. 

They have defeated several big 

teams including Pakistan, India 

and South Africa among others. 

Ever since reaching the 2015 

World Cup quarter-finals, Bangladesh 

have played 17 ODIs at home, 

including the first two matches 

against England. Among them, 

Bangladesh won 13 losing the other 

four. If the Tigers win the final ODI 

against England today, then they 

will have secured their seventh 

successive series win on home turf 

in the last two years. 

England on the other hand have 

emerged as one of the best ODI 

sides since their stunning defeat to 

Bangladesh during the 2015 World 

Cup down under. Since then, they 

have re-invented themselves as 

one of the most entertaining sides 

in world cricket through their aggressive 

and positive brand. 

Players like Jason Roy, Buttler, 

Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan and Joe 

Root made their name playing this 

particular brand of cricket, inspiring 

England to several successes in 

the last 18 months. Although Morgan, 

Hales and Root were not present 

for the ODIs, England still have 

plenty of firepower in their squad 

to achieve the series victory. 

So far Bangladesh have played 

16 completed ODIs at ZACS in the 

last 10 years. Among them, the Tigers 

won 10 and lost six. 

No major changes are expected 

in the Bangladesh playing XI while 

England will be unchanged as well. 

As far as records are concerned, 

local lad Tamim is on verge of joining 

the 5000-run club in ODIs. He 

is just 38 runs shy of becoming the 

first Bangladesh batsman to do so. • 

Bangladeshi worker 

takes Fifa to court 

People of Hindu community celebrate sindoor (vermilion) ritual at Kalabagan in Dhaka on the occasion of Bijoya Dashami 

yesterday 

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN 

6 USA Nobel laureates are immigrants 


A report on The Hill quotes American 

Nobel laureate Sir J. Fraser 

Stoddart: “I think the resounding 

message that should go out all 

around the world is that science 

is global. United States should be 

welcoming people from all over the 

world, including the Middle East.” 

Fraser, who is Scottish by birth, 

became a US citizen in 2011. He is 

one of three laureates in chemistry. 

Fraser was also quoted to praise 

America for its “openness” which 

makes it possible for the top scientists 

to come together. He believes 

the scientific establishment will 

remain strong as long as they don’t 

“turn back on immigration.” 

He had won the prize in chemistry 

with Jean-Pierre Sauvage and 

Bernard Feringa, French and Dutch 

researchers-- for the design and 

synthesis of molecular machines. 

Another America Nobel laureate 

Duncan Haldane called the immigration 

process as a “bureaucratic 

nightmare for many people” in an 

interview with The Hill. 

Duncan is an English Princeton 

University researcher and won the 

prize for physics. He shares this 

award with two other British immigrants 

David Thouless of Yale 

University and Michael Kosterlitz of 

Brown University. The other winners 

are British immigrant Oliver Hart of 

Harvard University and Finnish immigrant 

Bengt Holmström of Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology who 

both won the prize for Economics. • 


Migrant workers have been lied to 

about their pay, forced to live in 

squalor, and had to buy their own 

food as they labored day and night 

to construct opulent stadiums for 

the World Cup in Qatar 

The Netherlands Trade Union 

Federation (FNV) is taking Fifa to a 

Swiss court on behalf of a migrant 

worker. Nadim Sharaful Alam, 31, a 

Bangladeshi migrant. 

The FNV sent a letter to Fifa on 

Sunday night and asked it to accept 

responsibility for the mistreatment 

and pay damages. If Fifa does not 

comply with the demand, the case 

will be taken to a court in Zurich. 

The lawsuit states that Nadim 

was harassed and exploited during 

his employment tenure in Qatar. 

The lawsuit claims that he was subject 

to terrible working conditions 

for 18 months. There was intensive 

manual labour involved, i.e. loading 

and unloading from ships. 

Nadim said that he was deported 

unceremoniously after he was paid 

a pittance that did not even cover 

the sum he paid to be recruited. 

Nadim asks for $11,500 in compensation 

for a deal where he paid 

$4000 to a middleman. This is the 

first instance of the football governing 

body being taken to a court. 

Amnesty International released 

a report that exposed the rampant 

exploitation in the construction of 

Khalifa International Stadium. It 

detailed how migrant workers from 

India, Bangladesh, and Nepal were 

deceived about their salaries and 

forced to house in cramped conditions. 

In addition, the workers 

went unpaid for months and had to 

pay for their own food. 

Workers were also unable to contact 

their embassies for help since 

their passports were confiscated. 

Liesbeth Zegveld, a lawyer for 

FNV said: “Fifa should take responsibility 

for the irregularities. 

They could have demanded that 

the construction process be fair 

and unscrupulous.” 

“The lawsuit does not say that 

Fifa should bring about social change 

everywhere, but that projects endorsed 

by Fifa should be transparent 

and humane,” she added. 

If the lawsuit is penultimately 

taken to court if Fifa does not 

respond, it may prove to be disastrous. 

There are thousands of 

workers who have shared and still 

share the fate of Khalid. Thousands 

of litigations might jeopardise the 

football governing body in the future, 

The Guardian reports. 

Qatar invested $200bn and employed 

hundreds of thousands of 

migrant workers in preparation for 

the 2022 Fifa World Cup. • 

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 

8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

ePaper_2nd Edition_October 12, 2016

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?