ePaper_2nd Edition_October 19, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 | Kartik 4, 1423, Muharram 17, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 171 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10 

Three Gulshan attack 

financiers identified 

• Mohammad Jamil Khan 

Three of the top leaders of the New 

Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh 

(JMB) have donated almost Tk2 

crore to the fund of the organisaton 

to carry out militant attacks. 

At a press conference at the media 

and community centre of Dhaka 

Metropolitan Police yesterday 

Monirul Islam, chief of the Counter 

Terrorism and Transnational Crime 

(CTTC) unit, said they identified at 

least three persons who had given 

the money to carry out the attack 

on Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan. 

Rokon Uddin Zahidul Islam Murad Tanvir Kaderi 

He said the three are Dr Rokon 

Uddin, Tanveer Quaderi, and former 

army officer Zahidul Islam alias 

Murad. 

The CTTC unit chief said: “Dr 

Rokon had left Bangladesh for Syria 

with his full family and we suspect 

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2 

WB pledges biggest 

ever $2bn climate 

fund to Bangladesh 

• Tribune Desk 

The World Bank yesterday pledged 

its biggest ever $2 billion loan to 

Bangladesh over the next three 

years in new funding to help the 

country become less vulnerable to 

climate change. 

The pledge made by the World 

Bank President Jim Yong Kim came 

at a press conference arranged on 

the eve of conclusion of his twoday 

trip to Bangladesh. 

The total loan commitment of 

the World Bank stood at $3 billion, 

including $1 billion over the next 

three years, to combat malnutrition 

of children following discussions 

between Indian Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina and the World 

Bank Chief Jim Yong Kim. 

Both amounts are contingent 

on a successful replenishment of 

the International Development Association, 

the World Bank’s fund 

for the poorest countries, which is 

likely to be agreed in December. 

Kim made the pledge of climate 

change fund after visiting some 


Petrobangla mulls buy-up of 

Chevron assets, if divested 

Chevron operates Bibiyana, Jalalabad 

and Moulavi Bazar gas fields 

Daily production of the three stands at 

1,510 mmcf of gas and 1,552 barrels 

of condensate 

Additional proven and probable reserve 

of 2.5 tcf gas over next 10 years 

A possible valuation of $3 billion 

Source: Petrobangla 

WHAT’S ON 

PETROBANGLA’S 

PLATE ? 

Asmaul Hoque Mamun/DT Infographic 

• Aminur Rahman Rasel 

Petrobangla’s top officials yesterday 

met to discuss whether 

or not to acquire the assets of 

three onshore gas fields currently 

held by Chevron Bangladesh. 

Chevron’s gas fields 

account for half of Bangladesh’s 

natural gas production. 

Bibiyana, Jalalabad and 

Moulvi Bazar fields, which 

may be put up for sale, are 

currently operated under a 

production sharing contract 

by the local subsidiary of USbased 

oil giant Chevron. 

Chevron Bangladesh officials, 

asking not to be named, 

told the Dhaka Tribune they 

feared they would lose their 

jobs if Chevron’s assets were 

to be sold. 

The Petrobangla meeting 

was attended by its chairman, 

directors, two former directors, 

general managers and the 

managing director of the state 

oil and gas exploration company 

Bapex, a Petrobangla top 

official said, wishing not to be 

named. 

“Although Chevron has not 

officially informed Petrobangla 


INSIDE 

‘Old JMB engaged in 

mugging, robbery’ 

Overshadowed by its rebel 

faction, members who are still 

loyal to the original Jama’atul 

Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) 

are now engaging in criminal activities 

to gather fund. PAGE 5 

No one to take care of 

Sylhet bus terminal 

Passengers at Sylhet Central 

Bus Terminal near South Surma 

under Kadamtali have been suffering 

immense as the station 

has remained in dire straits for 

nine years. PAGE 7

2 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 

DT 

News 

Three Gulshan attack financiers identified 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

Joy honoured 

as architect 

of Digital 

Bangladesh 

• Abu Hayat Mahmud 

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the information 

and communication technology adviser 

to the prime minister, has been 

honored as the “architect of digital 

Bangladesh” by the ICT Division 

along with other ICT organisations. 

State Minister for Information 

and Communication Technology 

Junaid Ahmed Palak honored Joy 

at an event organised by the ICT 

Division, Young Bangla, Suchinta 

Foundation, Centre for Research 

and Information, Bangladesh Computer 

Council, a2i and the Bangladesh 

Association of Software and 

Information Services. 

Joy had won the ICT for Development 

Award 2016 in New York on 

September 20 in recognition for his 

outstanding contribution to Bangladesh 

through implementation of 

the “Digital Bangladesh” initiative. 

He was given the award for his 

leadership and commitment towards 

ICT as a tool for sustainable 

development. 

Yesterday, Joy said: “I have 

tried my best to make the country 

digital in line with the government’s 

objectives. Now villagers 

know how to operate a computer. 

Information has become available 

to all because the internet is within 

reach of everyone.“ • 

WB pledges biggest ever $2bn climate fund to Bangladesh 

that he had joined the middle-east 

based jihadist group Islamic State 

while the other two died in shootout 

during police drives in their 

dens.” 

Rokon contributed Tk80 lakh to 

the New JMB fund before leaving 

Bangladesh while Tanveer donated 

money from the sale of his Uttara 

flat. Monirul said: “Major Zahid 

gave away his full pension money 

for the outfit’s operations. 

“Financial support also came 

from some of their sources abroad 

and we are trying to look into the 

sources.” 

According to CTTC officials, of 

the three financiers, Zahid was 

killed in a gunfight with police during 

an anti-militancy drive in Roopnagar 

of Dhaka. Zahid was reportedly 

one of the close accomplices 

of New JMB operational wing chief 

Tamim Chowdhury who was killed 

in Narayangaj. 

Another financier, Tanvir Kaderi 

was the acting coordinator of 

New JMB after the death of Tamim. 

Tanvir was killed during a drive in 

Azimpur on September 10. He is 

the one who had helped the Gulshan 

attackers by renting a house 

in Bashundhara residential area. 

Kaderi was also known as Abdul 

Karim and Shamshed to New JMB 

members. 

Dr Rokon, a former registrar of 

Bangladesh Children’s Hospital, 

used to live at Chowdhurypara of 

Khilgaon, Dhaka. His wife Naima 

Akther was a teacher of botany at 

the MM College of Jessore. 

schools that doubled as cyclone 

shelters during major storms. “I 

am announcing a $2 billion dollar 

commitment for climate-related 

projects in the next three years. Today 

I met with people who talked 

about the threat of cyclones and 

flooding, and I also visited a family 

benefitting from a solar panel on 

their home.” 

“Bangladesh is one of the most 

vulnerable countries in the world 

to climate change, and we must do 

all we can to support the government 

in its efforts to adapt to this 

growing threat.” 

The World Bank president identified 

three areas—policy reforms 

for improving business environment, 

strengthening institutional 

capacity and governance—which 

the government needs to address 

in order to be successful. 

“The first is to enact policy reforms 

that improve the business 

climate. Now foreign direct investment 

in Bangladesh lags behind its 

neighbours; if the country attracts 

more investment from the private 

sector, it will mobilise funds necessary 

for infrastructure projects.” 

Secondly, he said as the government 

correctly points out in its 7th 

Five-Year Plan, the country needs 

to strengthen its institutional capacity. 

“And third, the Five-Year 

Plan also importantly emphasizes 

the need to strengthen governance, 

which includes building a 

strong civil service, judiciary, public 

banks, tax collection and the 

Anti-Corruption Commission.” 

In reply to a question, Kim said 

not a single country in the world is 

free from terror attack as we have 

seen it happen in the United States, 

France and Belgium. “I can just tell 

you the security I receive here is 

extremely impressive.” 

About corruption in the project, 

he said WB policy on corruption 

is same like every country 

in every single project. “We have 

zero tolerance against corruption 

if we find evidence we act on. We 

share Bangladesh’s zero tolerance 

for corruption, believing strongly 

that any funds diverted from beneficiaries 

amounts to stealing from 

the poor.” 

Hinting that Bangladesh lacks 

foreign direct investment, he said 

now foreign direct investment is 

less than 1.7% of GDP in Bangladesh, 

far below that of most countries; 

foreign direct investment in 

Vietnam, for instance, was 6.1% 

of GDP. Strengthening governance 

will help lead to more jobs in infrastructure, 

diversify exports, and 

ensure the health and safety of 

workers.” 

Dr Rokon, his wife and two of 

his daughters – Rezwana Rokon 

and Ramita Rokon – and Rezwana’s 

husband Sad Kayes, 30, have been 

missing for a year. 

Monirul Islam said they were 

suspecting the whole family joined 

the IS after leaving Bangladesh for 

Syria. 

About the other two financiers, 

a CTTC high official said Tanvir got 

at least over Tk1 crore from the sale 

of his flat in Uttara while Zahid also 

received almost the same amount 

as pension. 

Earlier, CTTC chief Monirul said 

the money and arms used in Gulshan 

attack had come from outside 

of Bangladesh. “We have come to 

know that some Bangladeshis living 

abroad sent Tk14 lakh for Gulshan 

attack through Hundi,” he 

said. 

Monirul, however, also said this 

does not mean that no money was 

collected inside the country. 

On October 8, during a drive by 

law enforcers, Abdur Rahman Aynal, 

30, a JMB leader, died after he 

jumped off a five-storey building 

in Ashulia of Savar. At that time, 

law enforcers recovered Tk30 lakh 

from the house, said Monirul Islam. 

Apart from spending money on 

militant attacks, the New JMB pays 

the salaries of its members, the educational 

expenses of children of 

its members and other family expenses. 

They decide on the salaries 

as per the position of the members 

in the outfit, Monirul said. • 

He put emphasis on mobilising 

more funds from private sector 

resources and said the World 

Bank Group is looking forward 

to working with Bangladesh to 

promote private sector investment 

by strengthening governance and 

improving the investment climate. 

Regional Vice-President South 

Asia, World Bank Annette Dixon 

said our strategy for the next 

five year is very much based on 

Bangladesh seventh fiver plan 

priorities. “In addition to continuing 

the support macroeconomic 

stability, human development and 

improving business environment 

development, we will be extending 

our engagement in energy, 

particularly renewable energy 

and inland connectivity, including 

inland water ways, regional and 

global integration, and improving 

standard of urban life.” • 

Petrobangla mulls buy-up of Chevron assets, if divested 

about its decision to sell the three gas 

fields under its operation, a meeting 

was organised as per instructions 

from the Power, Energy and Mineral 

Resources Ministry,” the high official 

told the Dhaka Tribune. 

Describing the meeting as 

“over-excitement,” the official 

went on to say: “It is surprising that 

the ministry’s top bosses are showing 

such interest in buying the gas 

fields even though Chevron has not 

yet formally informed the government 

or Petrobangla about the sale 

of the three fields. 

“They [Chevron] just issued a 

statement to the media.” 

State-owned Petrobangla is 

Chevron Bangladesh’s sole customer 

of the gas produced at the 

three fields. The net daily production 

of the three fields averaged 

1,510 mmcf of natural gas and 1,552 

barrels of condensate, according to 

the Petrobangla website. 

Under the production sharing 

contract, Chevron is required to 

inform the government if it decides 

to sell its assets. 

During yesterday’s meeting, 

Petrobangla officials determined 

that the three fields have an additional 

proven and probable reserve 

of 2.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) gas 

over the next 10 years. 

The Petrobangla meeting considered 

a possible valuation of $3 

billion for the assets. 

But this was too high a price for 

the reserve, one Petrobangla official 


He said the valuation was based 

on an estimate and was just an initial 

valuation, adding that the government 

should appoint a consulting 

firm to make a valuation of the 

gas fields’ assets. 

Petrobangla Chairman Istiaque 

Ahmad confirmed the meeting had 

taken place and is reported to have 

instructed his officials to discuss 

and examine the issue further. 

Responding to a question, Istiaque 

said the meeting had been 

held following a ministry order 

that came after news of Chevron’s 

decision to offload its South Asian 

assets was reported in the media. 

The two former Petrobangla directors 

who attended the meeting 

as expert witnesses offered opposing 

opinions about the best course 

of action. 

One recently retired director 

told the Dhaka Tribune he was in 

favour of buying the assets, but 

added that a proper examination 

of the amount of gas likely to be 

recovered over the next decade 

would still have to be carried out. 

He said the price of operational 

tools and equipment would have to 

be fixed “rationally.” 

The other former director at 

the meeting said buying the assets 

would be unwise. 

“Companies under Petrobangla 

do not have the technical and 

operational know-how to operate 

the gas fields under Chevron. 

Petrobangla cannot maintain the 

international quality that Chevron 

maintained,” he said. 

Attendees told the Dhaka Tribune 

that yesterday’s meeting was 

inconclusive. 

“A decision cannot be taken in 

a single meeting. We need to appoint 

an international consulting 

firm to study the issue and determine 

an appropriate response,” the 

Petrobangla chairman said. 

“The value of the assets and the 

three fields’ extraction prospects 

have not yet been determined because 

if I appoint two firms, I will 

get two separate views and estimates,” 

he added. 

Several media outlets recently 

reported that Chevron is divesting 

its assets to counter an energy-price 

slump and would be seeking some 

$2 billion from the sale of its natural 

gas assets in Bangladesh. 

“We can confirm that Chevron 

has been in commercial discussions 

about our interests in Bangladesh. 

At this stage, no decision has 

been made to sell our interests. We 

will only proceed if we can realise 

attractive value for Chevron,” Shaikh 

Jahidur Rahman, communications 

manager (External Affairs) of 

Chevron Bangladesh, told the Dhaka 

Tribune yesterday. 

He declined to comment on reports 

that local Chevron officials 

were anxious about job security in 

the event that the assets were sold 

off. •

News 3 


Police charge on Rampal protest march 

towards Indian High Commission 

DT 

• Manik Miazee 

At least 30 protesters have been reported 

injured as police confronted 

a march against Rampal power 

plant heading towards the Indian 

High Commission in Gulshan to 

submit a memorandum to Indian 

prime minister. 

The march was dispersed in 

Malibagh area yesterday afternoon, 

said Deputy Commissioner of 

Ramna Zone police Mehedi Hasan 

Sarkar. 

The government is 

implementing the 

1320MW Rampal 

power plant in 

association with 

India’s NTPC, 

while private firm 

Orion Group is 

constructing the 

566MW plant near 

the Sundarbans 

He said: “The protesters were 

not permitted go past Mouchak 

area. Only their delegation 

was supposed to go to the high 

commission to submit the 

memorandum. 

“We had to disperse them for 

the security of the public as all of 

the protesters were trying to cross 

Mouchak,” he added. 

On the other hand, Ganosamhati 

Andolon leader Jonayed Saki 

said: “At least 30 protesters have 

been injured as police fired tear 

shells and used water cannon to 

disperse them.” 

He also condemned such police 

action in the peaceful march of 

more than 300 protesters. 

Police to visit US to investigate Joy’s alleged abduction case 


Three top Detective Branch (DB) 

officials from police are going 

to visit the US to investigate the 

alleged plot to abduct and kill 

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of prime 

minister Sheikh Hasina. 

They will try to collect necessary 

information in order to go forward 

with the investigation, according 

to sources in the Ministry of Home 

Affairs. 

The ministry give the permission 

for their visit after Dhaka Metropolitan 

Police (DMP) sent the names of 

The National Committee to Protect Oil Gas Mineral Resources Power and Ports march towards Indian High Commission in Dhaka yesterday with an open letter to Indian 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding cancellation of Rampal Power Plant project 

MEHEDI HASAN 

three officials in a letter regarding 

this issue on September 27. 

A high official of the Ministry 

of Home Affairs has confirmed the 

permission for their visit, yesterday 

night. 

The three police officials set to 

travel to the US are Deputy Commissioner 

of DB (south) of DMP, 

also investigation coordinating officer 

Mashruqure Rahman Khaled, 

Additional Deputy Commissioner 

of DB, also investigation supervising 

officer Md Rajib Al Masud and 

Senior Assistant Commissioner, 

also the investigation officer of the 

case Hasan Arafat. 

Masruqure Rahman Khaled, DB 

DC, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The 

investigation is divided into two 

parts, it starts from Dhaka and ends 

in the US which is why we need 

to collect some documents and 

information from there.” 

“The investigation officers 

need to visit the spot and we have 

learned that the application for the 

visit has been granted permission 

by the ministry,” he confirmed. 

DC Khaled said that once they 

get the permission copy they will 

apply for all other formalities to be 

Meanwhile, National Committee 

to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, 

Power and Ports Member 

Secretary Professor Anu Muhammad 

condemned the police actions 

on the peaceful march. 

He also declared to hold mass 

rally in Dhaka and across Bangladesh 

on October 20 in protest 

to the matter and demanding the 

scrapping off the power plant. 

Led by Professor Anu Mohammad, 

the protesters under the banner 

of the committee started the 

march around 11am. 

Earlier in the day, they had organised 

a rally in front of National 

Press club. 

Later, a five-member delegation 

led by BD Rahmatullah sumitted a 

memorandum to the Indian High 

Commission. 

The government is implementing 

the 1320MW Rampal power 

completed including obtaining a 

US visa and fly to out by the end of 

November. 

Earlier DMP had sent a letter to the 

Ministry of Home Affairs regarding a 

visit to the US for the investigation 

which includes visiting Danbury 

City, Connecticut and White Plains, 

New York federal courts. 

Earlier in August, police filed 

a FIR with Paltan police station 

over the alleged plot to abducting 

and kill Joy, son of Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina and her 

ICT adviser. On April 16, DB police 

arrested senior journalist 

plant in association with India’s 

NTPC, while private firm Orion 

Group is constructing the 566MW 

plant near the Sundarbans. 

This is happening despite massive 

protests by experts and environmental 

groups at home and 

abroad. • 

Shafik Rehman from Eskatan and 

showed him arrested with the FIR 

of Paltan. 

Shafik Rahman was taken on a 

10-day remand in two phases and 

sent to jail after that. 

On April 18, acting editor of 

Dainik Amar Desh Mahmudur 

Rahman was also shown arrested 

in same case and he was also taken 

into remand. Later on August 31, 

Shafik Rehman got conditional 

bail from the court and was 

release from jail on September 6. 

Mahmudur Rahman also got bail 

on September 7. •

4 


DT 

News 

Ex-Eden college teacher 

killed for money 

• Kamrul Hasan 

Former zoology teacher of Eden Mahila College 

was killed for money, according to Rapid 

Action Battalion (RAB). 

RAB 4 disclosed it at a press conference 

yesterday after they arrested three people in 

connection with the murder. 

Victim Ali Hossain Malik, manager of 

an under-construction seven-storey building 

owned by a developer Syed Group, was 

found dead on the second floor of his site office 

in the capital’s Old DOHS on October 11. 

The arrestees are Masud Malik, driver of 

Ali, Sayed Fakir alias Saiful, an employee of 

the land’s owner, and Sujon, Saiful’s cousin. 

Saiful and Sujon were arrested on Monday 

from Gouronadi of Barisal, while Masud from 

ECB intersection under Dhaka cantonment 

police station area on Monday night based 

on their information, said RAB 4 CO Khandker 

Lutful Kabir. The law enforcers recovered 

Tk1.1 lakh from Saiful and Sujon. 

Masud had been planning to loot money 

from Ali, who lived with his family in the 

capital’s Mirpur-10, for several days. 

His first attempt was not successful, as 

Ali went home at night after withdrawing 

money from a bank on October 9. 

Later, on October 11, Masud in collaboration 

with other arrestees tied Ali, who was 

staying at the office that night, and stabbed 

him to death. Then they took the keys of the 

room, where the money was kept, and took 

away Tk 1.40 lakh. 

RAB was verifying the information they 

provided and would hand over them to 

Bhashantek police station, said Kabir. • 

A worker of a bus is seen trying to get the vehicle out of a pothole on Dhaka’s Malibagh road yesterday. 

This has become a common scenario as the roads in the area are mostly dilapidated, causing sufferings for 

everyday commuters 

MEHEDI HASAN 

Court records deposition 

of Jihad’s father 

• Md Sanaul Islam Tipu 

A Dhaka court yesterday recorded 

deposition of witness 

Nasir Uddin Fakir, father of 

four-year-old boy Jihad, who 

died after falling into a deep 

well in the capital’s Shahjahanpur 

area in 2014. 

Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman 

of the Dhaka Special Judges 

Court-5 recorded deposition 

of the first prosecution witness 

against six accused and 

fixed Wednesday as next 

deposition date. 

All the six accused are 

now on bail. They appeared 

before the court during the 

trial proceedings on Tuesday. 

A total of 27 people would be 

testified as prosecution witnesses 

in the case, said court 

sources. 

Earlier, on October 4, the 

court framed charges against 

the six people including five 

official of Bangladesh Railway 

in the case. 

The six accused are - 

Shafiqul Islam alias Abdus 

Salam, contractor of M/S SR 

House, Md Jahangir Alam, 

senior sub assistant engineer 

(inspector of tube-well 

division) of Bangladesh Railway 

and four assistant engineers 

Md Nasir Uddin, Zafar 

Ahmed Shakir, Dipak Kumar 

Bhowmik and Md Saiful Islam. 

According to the prosecution, 

on December 26, 2014, 

Jihad died after falling into a 

17-inch diameter abandoned 

shaft, near his house at 

Bangladesh Railway Colony 

in city’s Shahjahanpur area 

while he was playing with 

friends. 

Later, his body was pulled 

out by a band of indomitable 

volunteers the following day, 

around 15 minutes after the 

fire service called off a near 

23-hour search. 

On April 17, 2015, Abu 

Zafar, sub-inspector Shahjahanpur 

police station also 

investigation officer of the 

case, submitted a charge 

sheet against Jahangir and 

Salam over the death. 

But on June 4, last year, 

victim’s father filed a no-confidence 

petition against the 

investigation report. 

Later, the court ordered 

for further probe into the 

death. Following the court’s 

order, Sub-inspector Mizanur 

Rahman of Detective 

Branch of police, submitted 

a re-probe report against six 

accused on March 31. • 

Mirza Fakhrul welcomes 

Awami League council 

• Manik Miazee 

BNP secretary general Mirza 

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have 

welcomed the upcoming 

20th council of Awami 

League and expected that the 

AL council would take initiatives 

to bring back democracy 

in the country. 

“For the last few years, 

ruling party did not gave any 

space for any opposition party 

to observe democratic programme 

in country,” he said 

while talking to reporters at 

BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan 

office on Tuesday. 

Awami League has a long 

tradition of fighting for democracy, 

but there is no democracy 

in the country under 

their government whereas 

the present government is 

ruling an undeclared one-party 

rule, he further said. 

“Awami League is oldest 

political party in the country. 

We hope they will observe 

their upcoming council 

peacefully” Fakhrul added. 

They (AL) had fought for 

democrary, but they have 

repeatedly killed country’s 

democracy for several times, 

he opined. 

Replying to a query from 

reporters, he said the BNP 

did not get any invitation 

from Awami League for their 

upcoming council. 

After getting the invitation, 

we will decide on 

whether to join the council 

or not, said Fakhrul. •

News 5 


‘Old JMB engaged in mugging, robbery’ 


Overshadowed by its rebel faction, 

members who are still loyal to the 

original Jama’atul Mujahideen 

Bangladesh (JMB) are now engaging 

in criminal activities to gather 

fund and bring out their jailed leaders, 

according to police. 

“The Old JMB [the original outfit] 

wants the limelight back on themselves. 

They are committing crimes 

like mugging and robbery to collect 

fund for the legal battle to bring out 

their top leaders, who are currently 

in prison,” said Monirul Islam, chief 

of Counter Terrorism and Transnational 

Crimes (CTTC) unit of police. 

The CTTC learnt this during the 

interrogation of the seven JMB 

members who were arrested in 

Dhaka’s Tejgaon area on Monday, 

Monirul told reporters at the Dhaka 

Metropolitan Police (DMP) Media 

Centre yesterday. 

The detainees are Md Kashem 

alias Kawsar alias Kashu, 20, Nazmul 

Hasan Nayan alias Noresh, 23, 

Md Rashed, 27, Md Sentu Howlader 

alias Jahid, 26, Md Abu Bakkar Siddique 

alias Shuvro alias Akash, 20, 

Md Abdul Bashed, 22, and Md Jewel 

Sarker alias Sohrab alias Sarker, 32. 

The seven were arrested by 

CTTC officials on Monday night 

Schoolboy acquitted of threatening 

Tangail MP on Facebook 


The High Court yesterday, scrapped 

a mobile court’s sentencing of a 

ninth-grader, Sabbir Shikder from 

Tangail with two years’ imprisonment 

for allegedly threatening a 

local lawmaker on Facebook. 

The bench of Justice M Enayetur 

Rahim and Justice Ashish 

Ranjan Das also acquitted Sabbir 

of all charges declaring the mobile 

court’s sentencing illegal. 

The verdict came following closing 

arguments by lawyers on both 

sides concluded yesterday on a suo 

moto rule issued by the court on 

September 20. A lawyer Khurshid 

Alam Khan brought the incident to 

the High Court’s notice, first published 

on an English newspaper. 

The news report said that the 

boy was sentenced to prison for 

threatening Tangail 8 lawmaker 

Anupam Shajahan Joy on Facebook, 

under the controversial section 

57 of the ICT Act. 

CTTC officials bring seven JMB members, who were arrested on Monday, out of the Detective Branch office to take them to a 

Dhaka court yesterday 

RAJIB DHAR 

when they were preparing to conduct 

a robbery, Monirul said. 

Officials also found 67 tola or 

781.49 grams of gold, Tk6 lakh, 

four pistols, five magazines, 10 

rounds of bullets, nine machetes, 

a television set, a laptop, a motorcycle 

and a large quantity of stolen 

materials in their possession, said 

DMP Deputy Commissioner Masudur 

Rahman earlier yesterday. 

CTTC Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam 

The court also asked to consider 

Sabbir’s statement given on September 

27 describing the torture 

inflicted on him. Tangail’s chief judicial 

magistrate will conduct a inquiry 

into the incident on the basis 

of that statement. It also ordered to 

withdraw Sakhipur Upazila Nirbahi 

Officer Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, 

who conducted the mobile court, 

and officer-in-charge of Sakhipur 

police Mohammad Maksudul Alam 

for the sake of investigation. 

The court asked the home secretary, 

public administration secretary 

and inspector general of police 

to comply with the orders. 

On September 20, the same High 

Court bench had asked all the parties 

involved to appear before it 

with explanations. The boy was also 

asked to appear to describe the incident 

before the court. The court also 

granted permanent bail to the boy. 

Sabbir testified that plainclothes 

police picked him up from home on 

the night of September 16 and took 

produced the detainees before a 

Dhaka court yesterday, where Metropolitan 

Magistrate Faruk Hossain 

placed them on a six-day remand 

for interrogation. 

Monirul said JMB’s main target 

now was to get its top leaders, including 

chief Mawlana Saidur Rahman 

and acting chief Abdullah Al 

Tasnim, out of prison. 

They appointed Salauddin alias 

Salehin, former member of JMB’s 

him to the police station. There the 

OC showed him a mobile phone 

and asked what had he written on 

it. When he denied having written 

that, he was blindfolded, beaten up 

and threatened to with “accidentally” 

getting caught in a crossfire. 

He then confessed under duress. 

He was then taken to the lawmaker’s 

residence where he was 

beaten up again with sticks. The 

UNO also kicked the boy before 

sentencing him. The schoolboy was 

sent to jail after he was convicted. 

Earlier, the lawmaker filed a general 

diary (GD) alleging that someone 

threatened him on Facebook. 

However, UNO’s lawyer had told 

the court that the schoolboy was 

sentenced for narcotics related offenses. 

The OC’s lawyer said media 

falsely reported the news to tarnish 

the lawmaker’s image. 

Khurshid argued in front of the 

court that a mobile court cannot 

sentence anyone for any offense 

under the ICT Act. • 

Majlish-e-Sura, as their new chief 

three months ago. Salauddin is one 

of the top three militants who were 

snatched by the JMB from police in 

2014. 

Police have yet to arrest Salauddin 

and believe that he may be hiding 

in India. 

Following its ban by the government 

on February 21, 2005, the 

militant outfit shot to prominence 

when it carried out a series of bomb 

Eden College JMB 

member remanded 

• Kamrul Hasan 

A Dhaka Court placed Sultana Begum 

Kochi, member of Jama’atul Mujahideen 

Bangladesh (JMB) female 

wing, who was arrested from Narsingdi 

on Saturday, on five-day remand. 

Sultana Begum Kochi, a graduate 

student of Sociology department 

of Eden College who left her 

study to join militancy, was arrested 

from her father’s home. 

Later, on Monday, RAB produced 

her before a Dhaka court and 

sought seven day remand where 

the court granted five day remand, 

said RAB 4 sources. 

Khandker Lutful Kabir, commanding 

officer of RAB-4, said: “On 

August 16, members of RAB arrested 

JMB members Mou, Meghla and 

Oishee along with JMB female wing 

advisor Aklima from different parts 

of Dhaka. Later based on Oishee’s 

information, a team of RAB conducted 

drive in Narsingdi Sadar 

upazila and arrested Sultana.” 

DT 

explosions in 63 of the 64 districts 

in the country on August 17 in the 

same year. 

The organisation started to 

weaken when, two years later, 

top six leaders of JMB, including 

founder Shayakh Abdur Rahman 

and second-in-command Siddiqul 

Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were executed 

for killing Jhalakathi judges 

Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pare. 

Over the years, JMB’s strength 

continued to diminish as law enforcers 

continued their drive to arrest 

its top leaders. 

But the recent rise of New JMB 

– which has carried out 26 attacks 

in Bangladesh, including the terror 

attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia, 

since September last year after distancing 

itself from the main organisation 

– has driven the members of 

the main outfit to regroup and resume 

their activities, Monirul said. 

“JMB has never managed to get 

big support since it was founded in 

1998. In the beginning, they used 

to collect money by robbing NGO 

offices, Grameen Bank offices and 

agents of banks. They are still doing 

it,” he continued. 

“They believe that if anyone 

commits a crime to collect money 

but spends it for jihad, their sin will 

be forgiven,” Monirul added. • 

Kabir also said: “Sultana’s father 

Farid Uddin was a government official 

and Sultana have married recently 

a government official.” 

Seeking anonymity, a higher official 

of RAB 4 said during her studentship 

Sultana attended at a discussion 

in city’s Dhanmondi area organised 

by JMB and being influenced by 

them she joined with them. 

ASP Shamsul Haque, investigator 

of RAB 4, said: “Sultana’s husband 

works in Barisal and we are 

yet to confirm if he is involved with 

militancy too.” 

The investigator officer said: 

“From Oishee’s Facebook inbox we 

found long discussion of them and 

through this they arrested Sultana. 

In their discussion they mostly 

talked about establishing an Islamic 

country through Jihad. Assessing 

their activities it was seemed that 

they were at primary stage till now.” 

The officer also claimed that 

they got several names from their 

inbox conversation. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

DRY WEATHER 

LIKELY 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 

Dhaka 34 22 Chittagong 33 25 Rajshahi 33 21 Rangpur 33 19 Khulna 34 22 Barisal 33 22 Sylhet 34 20 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:29PM 

SUN RISES 5:58AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

35.7ºC 19ºC 

Chandpur 

Tetulia 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 31 25 

Fajr: 5:25am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:15pm | Magrib: 5:41pm 

Esha: 7:45pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 


DT 

News 

Illegal level crossings 

become death traps 

• Bishwajit Dev, Jamalpur 

Nearly fifty illegal level-crossings 

in Jamalpur on the Jamalpur-Mymensingh-Tarakandi 

railways have 

turned as death traps for lack of 

gatekeepers and lax monitoring of 

the authorities concerned. 

These unapproved level-crossings 

have also increased the risk of 

accidents, as a number of intercity 

and local trains ply the track every 

day. 

According to the Bangladesh 

Railway officials, there are a total 

of 61 level crossings in the district. 

Of them, 56 level crossings are illegal 

on the 111-kilometre long Jamalpur-Mymensingh-Tarakandi 

railtrack. 

The sources said though there 

are 61 legal level crossings in the 

district, Bangladesh Railways has 

only 12 gatekeepers for them. 

According to local sources, 

these illegal level crossings have 

been constructed by locals without 

permission from the railway 

authorities. Thousands of vehicles 

cross the rail track causing fatal accidents 

sometimes. 

Locals alleged as there were no 

designated gatekeepers, these illegal 

level crossings are turning into 

death traps day by day. 

According to local police, several 

accidents have occurred in the 

district due to lack of gate man in 

the level crossings. 

On October 26, 2015, six people 

were killed, as a speeding train hit 

a human-haulier at Noyanagar level 

crossing in Melando area in Jamalpur 

town. 

Apart from this, at least 20 people 

were injured, as a train hit a town 

service bus at Kanil level crossing. 

Locals also alleged that most accidents 

have been occurred at the 

level crossings due to negligence 

of on-duty gatekeepers. Jobed Mia, 

a resident of Sadar upazila, said: 

“Amid great risk of accident we are 

crossing rail line every day.” 

He also urged Bangladesh Railway 

authorities to appoint gatekeepers 

in every level crossings. 

Shukur Mia, hailing from Sadar 

upazila, said: “Level crossings of 

the district have become death trap 

as there are no gatekeepers.” 

Zahirul Islam, station master of 

Jamalpur Rail Station, said: “Due 

to lack of fund we cannot deploy 

gatekeepers at every level crossing.” 

• 

Birth anniversary of 

Ila Mitra observed 

• Nayan Khondoker, Jhenaidah 

The 91st birth anniversary of Ila 

Mitra, the leader of peasants and 

indigenous Santhals in greater Rajshahi 

region, was observed yesterday 

in Jhenaidah. 

Ila Mitra Memory Preservation 

Council organised a human chain 

in front in Post office intersection 

under the town in the morning demanding 

to save the historical residence 

of Ila Mitra. 

Gotam Bose, president of the 

council, said the historical residence 

of Ila Mitra should be reconstructed 

as an important memorial 

to her. 

She sacrificed her whole life 

fighting for the peasants. The government 

should take proper care 

of this dilapidated building, he also 

said. 

Local Awami League leader 

Ekramul Haque Liku, Sushenra Kumar 

Bhowmik, Abdus Salam and 

Suman Shikder spoke the function. 

Later, they submitted a memorandum 

to Deputy Commissioner 

Mahbub Alam Talukdar. 

Ila Mitra was born to an upper 

middleclass family who had come 

from Jhenaidah District, in Kolkata 

on 18 October 1925. She became a 

communist during her youth. In 

1945, she married Ramendra Mitra, 

who was an active member of the 

Communist Party despite his lineage 

from a zamindar (landowner) 

family of Chapai Nawabganj. 

She organized a peasant-santhal 

uprising in Nachole upazila, Chapai 

Nawabganj on 5 January 1950, but 

the uprising was thwarted by the 

police. Mitra was arrested by the 

police while trying to escape. •

News 7 


No one to take care of Sylhet bus terminal 

• Md Serajul Islam, Sylhet 

Ilish netting goes on 

flouting ban 

• Motiur Rahman, Manikganj 

Central Bus Terminal in Kadamtali, Sylhet lies in dire straits. The picture was taken recently 

Government has imposed a 22-day 

ban on the netting, selling, marketing 

and importing of Ilish fish 

which came into an effect on October 

12, aiming to boost Ilish production 

by ensuring safe spawning 

and protecting mother Ilish. 

But government’s plan to protect 

mother Ilish is going in vein, as 

fishermen of Manikganj still continue 

to net the fish, violating the 

ongoing ban. 

According to District Fisheries 

Department, law enforcers have 

detained 53 fishermen in the last 

six days as they were catching Ilish 

from different upazilas of the 

district violating the ban. Mobile 

courts also sentenced 40 fishermen 

to one year jail and fined Tk71,000 

to 13 fishermen during the duration. 

Md Nurjatul Haque, an official of 

Manikganj Fisheries Department, 

said: “In the last six days, law enforcers 

arrested 53 fishermen for 

violating the ban. 

“Though ban on netting Ilish 

came into effect on October 12, 

fishermen of the district are yet 

get their allowance which the government 

alocated to the fishermen 

during ban. As they have to 

maintain their livelihood, they are 

catching the fish for their survival.” 

Haque said this year Fisheries 

Department had identified nearly 

45 kilometers of Padma River from 

Char Katari to Maluchi area as safe 

zone to ensure safe spawning and 

protect mother Ilish. 

Several officials of district fisheries 

department said it was quite 

impossible to stop fishermen from 

netting Ilish without providing 

them proper assistance to maintain 

their families. 

Rubina Ferdous, executive magistrate 

and upazila nirbahi officer of 

Horirampur upazila, said: “Though 

we detained and sentenced a number 

of fishermen for violating the 

ban, it is quite impossible to protect 

mother Ilish without creating 

awareness among mass people.” 

Several fishermen alleged that, 

they were compelled to net Ilish to 

survive, as they did not get allowance 

from the government. They 

also said if government provided 

them allowance during the ban period 

they would stop Ilish netting. 

Fishermen have pocketed a 

good profits this year as they netted 

abundant number of Ilish. • 

Passengers at Sylhet Central Bus 

Terminal near South Surma under 

Kadamtali have been suffering immense 

as the station has remained 

in dire straits for nine years. 

According to local sources, the 

terminal was build up in 2007 in 

the tenure of non-party Caretaker 

Government. But, later the repair 

of the terminal had not been done. 

Selim Ahmed Folik, president 

of Sylhet Transport Union, said 

they had organised different programmes 

demanding the repair of 

the terminal. But the concern authorities 

did not take any steps. 

When this correspondent visited 

the area, he found that a lot of 

potholes developed at many points 

and the water accumulated in the 

holes. 

Water cannot be released 

through the tunnels as dirt and 

wastes blocked it. 

The terminal goes under water 

during rainy season and the vehicles 

remain standstill. 

Power disruption is common incident 

and the passengers have to 

face critical situation at night as the 

luggage and valuables are snatched 

by miscreants. 

The passengers who come from 

a long distance suffer more as there 

are no good restaurants and the toilets 

at the station cannot be used 

for its broken-down situation. 

Some passengers alleged that 

they cannot sit under sheds at the 

bus stand as its are occupied by miscreants 

like gamblers and addicts. 

Ripon Das, in-charge of the terminal 

police out post, said they 

conducted drive when they got 

information about the miscreants. 

Two garment 

workers found 

in Savar 

• Nadim Hossain, Savar 

Two garment workers were found 

dead in Jamgora and Begum areas 

in Ashulia, Savar on Monday night. 

Quoting locals, police said 

neighbours found Afroza Begum, 

21, a worker of Sat Fashion, in her 

room of Jamgora area around 8pm 

and informed police about the matter. 

Local people assumed that she 

might have been committed suicide 

over depression, as her husband 

left her long ago. 

Meanwhile, police recovered 

the body of Bulbuli Begum, 24, 

from Begum area. 

Neighbours said Bulbuli and 

her husband used to lock in quarrel 

over family matters. But police 

could not find Balbuli’s husband 

after the recovery of the body. 

Officer-in-Charge of Ashulia 

police station told the Dhaka Tribune 

that they had sent the bodies 

of two women to Dhaka Medical 

College for post-mortem examinations. 

The OC said they were trying to 

detain Bulbuli’s husband to reveal 

the mystery behind the death. Two 

separate cases have been filed with 

Ashulia police station. • 

Khandokar Mohosin Kamran, 

lease holder of the terminal, said 

they could not take steps about 

the terminal as the city corporation 

owned the responsibility. 

BLOGGER ANANTA MURDER 

Court asks for 

supplementary 

charge sheet 

• Mohammed Serajul Islam, 

Sylhet 

A Sylhet court yesterday asked the 

authorities concerned to conduct a 

fresh investigation into the murder 

of blogger Ananta Bijoy Das and 

submit a supplementary charge 

sheet before it. 

Judge of Sylhet Metropolitan 

Magistrate Court 3 Haridash Kumar 

passed rejecting the charge sheet 

submitted by Criminal Investigation 

Department (CID) due to errors 

in the charge sheet. 

Earlier, Inspector of the CID Arman 

Ali submitted a charge sheet 

against five people on August 28. 

The accused in the murder case 

are Abul Hossain alias Abul Hossain, 

25, Faisal Ahmed, 27, Mannan 

Rahi alias Ibne Moyeen, 24, Abul 

Khayer Rashid Ahmed of Faljur 

village in Kanaighat upazila and 

Harunur Rashid, 25 of Tahirpur 

upazila in Sunamganj. Of them, 

Mannan and Abul Khayer are now 

DT 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

When conducted, Enamul Habib, 

executive officer of Sylhet City 

Corporation, said a project of Tk30 

lakh had been taken to repair the 

terminal. • 

in jail while the others remain absconding. 

The CID also recommended exempting 

11 more people, including 

an alleged extremist blogger Shafiur 

Rahman Farabi, from the charge 

sheet, as no evidence of their involvement 

in the killing was found. 

On May 12, 2015, blogger Ananta, 

also an activist of Sylhet Ganajagaran 

Manch, was hacked to death by 

a group of assailants at Subidbazar 

Bankalapara in Sylhet city. 

Ananta Bijoy was also a writer of 

the ‘Mukto-Mona Blog’, founded 

by blogger Avijit Roy who was murdered 

on February 26, 2015, two 

and a half months ago after he had 

come home from the USA. 

Ratneswari, elder brother of 

Ananta, filed a murder case with 

Airport police station accusing four 

unidentified people on May 13. 

First, police had started the investigation 

of the case, but the case 

was later handed over to the Criminal 

Investigation Department. •

DT 

8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Afghanistan, Taliban hold 

secret talks in Qatar 

The Taliban and the Afghan 

government restarted secret peace 

talks in September and have held 

two rounds of discussions in Qatar, 

Britain’s Guardian newspaper 

reported on Tuesday. Citing a 

Taliban official, the Guardian said 

a senior American diplomat was 

present at the meetings in Qatar, 

where the Islamist group has a diplomatic 

office. REUTERS 

INDIA 

Odisha hospital fire kills 22 

At least 22 people were killed 

when a fire broke out at a private 

hospital in India’s eastern state of 

Odisha on Monday. The fire erupted 

in the dialysis ward of the SUM 

hospital’s critical-care unit in the 

state capital, Bhubaneswar, public 

health officials said. Many of the 

22 dead were elderly people who 

had suffocated to death. REUTERS 

CHINA 

China’s Hainan shuts 

down as typhoon Sarika 

hits 

Typhoon Sarika lashed China’s 

Hainan province on Tuesday, with 

torrential rain and winds of up to 

162km per hour forcing authorities 

on the southern island to shut 

schools and halt transport services. 

Rail services were suspended on 

Monday and 250 flights were cancelled 

at the provincial capital Haikou’s 

international airport. REUTERS 

ASIA PACIFIC 

Vietnam, US launch 

Danang dioxin clean-up 

Vietnam and the US on Tuesday 

launched the 2nd phase of a dioxin 

clean-up in Danang, where millions 

of liters of Agent Orange were stored 

during the war between the former 

enemies. The US sprayed the defoliant 

over large swathes of southern 

jungle during the Vietnam War to 

flush out Viet Cong guerrillas, and 

Vietnamese victims’ groups have 

long blamed the toxic residue for 

deformities and disease. AFP 

MIDDLE EAST 

Russia halts Aleppo 

strikes 

Moscow announced Tuesday that 

Russian and Syrian air forces have 

stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of 

a brief truce, a move the Kremlin 

said showed goodwill as it faces 

mounting criticism for backing a 

brutal regime offensive. The UN 

said Tuesday it was waiting for 

safety assurances from all sides 

before going in with critical humanitarian 

assistance for Aleppo’s 

desperate population. AFP 

Unesco adopts Jerusalem resolution 

• Tribune International Desk 

Unesco’s executive board on Tuesday 

approved a resolution that Israel 

says denies the deep historic 

Jewish connection to holy sites in 

Jerusalem - and that has angered 

Israel’s government and many 

Jews around the world, reports 

The Associated Press. 

The board adopted the measure 

by consensus in its morning session 

at Paris-based Unesco. A draft 

form of the resolution had already 

been approved by a commission 

last week. 

The resolution is not expected 

to have direct impact on Jerusalem 

itself, but it deepened tensions 

within Unesco, which is also facing 

a diplomatic dispute between Japan 

and China that threatens funding. 

The resolution, titled “Occupied 

Palestine,” is the latest of several 

measures at the United Nations 

Educational, Scientific and Cultural 

Organisation over decades 

that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained 

anti-Israel bias within the 

United Nations, where Israel and 

its allies are far outnumbered by 

Arab countries and their supporters. 

Israel’s concern has mounted 

since Unesco states admitted Palestine 

as a member in 2011. 

Israel last week suspended its 

ties with Unesco over the draft 

resolution, which uses only the Islamic 

name for a hilltop compound 

sacred to both Jews and Muslims. 

The site includes the Western Wall, 

a remnant of the biblical temple 

and the holiest site where Jews 

can pray. 

Jews refer to the hilltop compound 

in Jerusalem’s Old City as 

the Temple Mount. Muslims refer 

to it as al-Haram al-Sharif, Arabic 

for the Noble Sanctuary, and it 

includes the al-Aqsa mosque and 

the golden Dome of the Rock. It is 

the holiest site in Judaism and the 

third holiest in Islam, after Mecca 

and Medina in Saudi Arabia. 

Israel had already suspended 

its funding to Unesco when Palestinian 

membership was approved, 

along with the United States, 

which used to provide 22% of the 

agency’s budget. 

The longstanding dispute is 

also linked to Israel’s refusal to 

grant visas to Unesco experts to go 

in the country and assess the level 

of preservation of the holy sites in 

Jerusalem. 

And now Japan, Unesco’s second-biggest 

funder, is threatening 

to halt funding. Japan announced 

last week it has withheld its annual 

Unesco dues, saying it wants to 

make sure the UN body properly 

functions to foster trust among 

member nations. The decision is 

believed linked to Unesco’s listing 

last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking 

documents as a memory of 

the world. • 

UN announces truce in new attempt to end Yemen war 

• AFP, Aden, Yemen 

The United Nations has announced a 

new ceasefire in war-ravaged Yemen 

from early Thursday, after a week of 

escalated fighting sparked new international 

calls to end the conflict. 

While President Abedrabbo 

Mansour Hadi’s government and 

its Saudi backers said they would 

support the truce, there has been 

no word from the Iran-backed rebels 

who control the capital Sanaa 

AREAS OF CONTROL 

RED 

SEA 

Ras Isa 

Houthi rebels and forces aligned with former 

Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh 

Government forces under President 

Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi 

Al Qaeda presence 

Al Hudaydah 

ERITREA 

Khoka 

Mukha 

DJIBOUTI 

Source: Risk Intelligence 

Hajjah 

Saada 

Sanaa 

Dhamar 

Picture: Associated Press 

and other areas of the Arabian Peninsula 

country. 

Yemen has been rocked by war 

since the Shia Huthi rebels and 

allied forces loyal to ousted president 

Ali Abdullah Saleh overran 

Sanaa in September 2014. 

The conflict escalated after a 

Saudi-led Arab coalition began 

a campaign against the rebels in 

March 2015. 

The UN says the fighting has 

since killed almost 6,900 people, 

SAUDI 

ARABIA 

Marib 

Manwakh 

YEMEN 

Ahwar 

Ataq 

YEMEN 

Detail 

map 

Al Mukallah 

Lawder 

Taiz 

GULF OF ADEN 

Zinjibar 

Aden: Government base 

160km 

Bab al-Mandab Strait 

100 miles 

© GRAPHIC NEWS 

In this June 17 file photo, Palestinians pray in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound 

during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem’s Old City 

AP 

wounded more than 35,000 and 

displaced at least three million, 

with civilians paying the heaviest 

price amid a worsening humanitarian 

crisis. 

Unicef’s representative in Sanaa, 

Mohammed al-Assadi, told reporters 

Sunday that 10m children 

in Yemen need water, food, medicine, 

social protection, and general 

services. 

The United States, Britain and 

the UN peace envoy on Sunday 

urged the warring parties in Yemen’s 

civil war to declare a ceasefire. 

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek 

al-Mekhlafi welcomed the 

truce which he said will be extended 

if the rebels adhere to it, activate 

a truce observing committee, 

end a months-long siege of Taez 

and allow “unrestricted” humanitarian 

aid into the loyalist-controlled 

third city. 

Sixth truce attempt 

This is the sixth attempt to establish 

a Yemen ceasefire. 

The April truce declared in conjunction 

with the start of peace 

talks in Kuwait was hardly observed 

on the ground, with each side blaming 

the other for violations. 

It collapsed as the talks ended 

in August with no breakthrough, 

prompting an intensified round of 

fighting. 

The Arab coalition stepped up 

its air raids and cross-border attacks 

from Yemen on Saudi Arabia 

intensified. 

One of the deadliest coalition 

attacks was an October 8 air raid 

on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa 

that killed 140 people and wounded 

525, drawing severe criticism 

of the coalition, which is backed 

logistically by Washington. 

In a rapid escalation, Washington 

accused the rebels of targeting 

American warships in the Red Sea 

on October 9 and 12 with missiles 

that fell short. 

The US then hit radar sites in 

rebel-controlled territory in Washington’s 

first direct action against 

the insurgents. 

However, de-escalation swiftly 

followed as the coalition on Saturday 

acknowledged that one of its 

warplanes had “wrongly targeted” 

the funeral in Sanaa based on “incorrect 

information”. 

It announced disciplinary measures, 

compensation for the families 

of victims and an easing of the 

air blockade it enforces to allow 

the most seriously wounded to be 

evacuated for treatment abroad. 

On Sunday, US Secretary of 

State John Kerry met in London 

with his counterparts from Britain, 

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab 

Emirates along with the UN envoy 

to discuss Yemen. 

Earlier this month, the UN envoy 

had said that a 72-hour ceasefire 

was expected soon, adding 

that he hoped to draft a new Yemen 

peace plan. •

World 

FBI records: Effort to reduce 

Clinton email classification 

20 DAYS REMAIN 

• Reuters, New York 

100-plus Chibuk girls unwilling to leave Boko Haram 


Nigeria’s government is negotiating 

the release of another 83 of the 

Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass 

abduction two-and-a-half years 

ago, but more than 100 others appear 

unwilling to leave their Boko 

Haram Islamic extremist captors, 

a community leader said Tuesday, 

reports The Associated Press. 

The unwilling girls may have 

been radicalised by Boko Haram 

or are ashamed to return home 

because they were forced to marry 

extremists and have babies, chairman 

Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development 

Association said. 

Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls 

freed last week in the first negotiated 

release between Nigeria’s 

government and Boko Haram 

should be educated abroad, because 

they will probably face stigma 

in Nigeria. 

The girls and their parents were 

reunited Sunday and are expected 

to meet with Nigeria’s President 

A senior State Department official 

sought to shield Hillary Clinton last 

year by pressuring the FBI to drop 

its insistence that an email on the 

private server she used while secretary 

of state contained classified 

information, according to records 

of interviews with FBI officials released 

on Monday. 

The accusation against Patrick 

Kennedy, the State Department’s 

most senior manager, appears in 

the latest release of interview summaries 

from the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation’s year-long investigation 

into Clinton’s sending and 

receiving classified government secrets 

via her unauthorised server. 

Although the FBI decided 

against declassifying the email’s 

contents, the claim of interference 

added fuel to Republicans’ 

belief that officials in President 

Barack Obama’s administration 

have sought to protect Clinton, a 

Democrat, from criminal liability 

as she seeks to succeed Obama in 

the November 8 election. The FBI 

recommended against bringing any 

charges in July and has defended 

the integrity of its investigation. 

Clinton has said her decision to 

use a private server in her home 

for her work as the US secretary of 

state from 2009 to 2013 was a mistake 

and has apologised. 

The dispute began in the summer 

of 2015 as officials were busy 

reviewing the roughly 30,000 

emails Clinton returned to the 

State Department ahead of their 

court-ordered public release in 

batches in 2015 and 2016. 

The official said the State Department’s 

office of legal counsel 

called him to question the FBI’s 

ruling that the information was 

classified, but the FBI stood by its 

decision. 

Soon after that call, one of the 

official’s FBI colleagues received a 

call from Kennedy in which Kennedy 

“asked his assistance in altering 

the email’s classification in 

exchange for a ‘quid pro quo.’” 

The FBI official said he also 

joined at least two discussions 

in which Kennedy “continued to 

pressure” the FBI about the email. 

The official said Kennedy appeared 

to be trying to protect Clinton by 

minimising the appearance of classified 

information in emails from 

the server that Clinton used while 

she was the country’s most senior 

diplomat. 

Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday 

or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari 

flew to Germany on an official visit 

the day of the girls’ release. 

Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped 

from a school in northeastern 

Chibok in April 2014. Dozens 

escaped early on and at least 

half a dozen have died in captivity, 

according to the newly freed 

girls, Bitrus said. 

All those who escaped on 

their own have left Chibok because, 

even though they were 

held only a few hours, they were 

labelled “Boko Haram wives” 

and taunted, he said. At least 20 

of the girls are being educated in 

the United States. 

Human rights advocates and 

the Bring Back Our Girls Movement 

have been asking if the girl 

is a detainee of the government 

and have been demanding she be 

allowed to return home, as she has 

requested. 

Previous negotiators in talks 

that failed also had corroborated 

Trump calls it collusion 

Other officials have made similar 

complaints to investigators of unusual 

pressure not to mark information 

as classified in Clinton’s emails 

last year. According to earlier documents 

the FBI released last month, 

at least one official at the State Department 

told investigators that 

there was pressure by senior department 

officials to mislead the 

public about the presence of classified 

information in Clinton’s emails 

ahead of their public release. 

A summary released on Monday 

showed at least two other State Department 

officials making similar 

allegations. 

Clinton’s Republican rival for 

the White House, Donald Trump, 

posted a video online on Monday 

in which he said the FBI documents 

showed “corruption at the 

highest levels.” 

“This is collusion between the 

FBI, Department of Justice and the 

State Department to try and make 

Hillary Clinton look like an innocent 

person when she’s guilty of 

very high crimes,” Trump said. 

Later on Monday, Trump proposed 

a series of ethics rules he 

said would crack down on government 

corruption, including a fiveyear 

ban on former administration 

officials lobbying after leaving 

government and a lifetime ban on 

senior officials lobbying for foreign 

governments. 

Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican 

in the US Congress, referred 

to the FBI summaries on 

Twitter. “This bears all the signs of 

a cover-up,” he wrote. 

In 2015, Clinton repeatedly said 

she never sent or received classified 

information via her server, but 

since the release of the FBI report 

in July she has said she relied on 

the judgement of her subordinates 

at the department. • 

Find more stories on US presidential 

election at www.dhakatribune.com 

NIGERIA 2014 KIDNAPPING 

NIGER 

BORNO 

Maiduguri 

Sambisa Forest reserve 

ABUJA 

CAMEROON 

200 km 

Chibok 

Journalists shower 

Clinton with 

campaign cash 


New Yorker television critic Emily 

Nussbaum, a newly minted 

Pulitzer Prize winner, spent the 

Republican National Convention 

pen-pricking presidential nominee 

Donald Trump as a misogynist 

shyster running an “ugly 

and xenophobic campaign.” 

What Nussbaum didn’t disclose 

in her dispatches: she 

contributed $250 to Democrat 

Hillary Clinton in April. 

In all, people identified in 

federal campaign finance filings 

as journalists, reporters, 

news editors or television news 

anchors — as well as other donors 

known to be working in 

journalism — have combined 

to give more than $396,000 to 

the presidential campaigns of 

Clinton and Trump, according 

to a Center for Public Integrity 

analysis. 

Nearly all of that money — 

more than 96% — has benefited 

Clinton: About 430 people 

who work in journalism have, 

through August, combined 

to give about $382,000 to the 

Democratic nominee, the 

Center for Public Integrity’s 

analysis indicates. • 

Banki 

April 14, 2014 

Boko Haram jihadists 

seize 276 schoolgirls 

57 of them escaped, 

leaving 219 captured 

May 18, 2016 

Nigerian army confirms 

one of the kidnapped 

girls has been found in 

Sambisa Forest area 

October 13, 2016 

Nigerian officials 

announce release of 

21 girls after talks 

between government 

and Boko Haram 

that more than 100 of the girls did 

not want to return to their parents, 

Bitrus said. 

Chibok is a small and conservative 

Christian enclave in mainly 

Muslim northern Nigeria, where 

many parents are involved in 

translating the Bible into local languages 

and belong to the Nigerian 

branch of the Elgin, Illinois-based 

Church of the Brethren. 

Nigeria’s government has denied 

reports that the girls were 

swapped for four Boko Haram 

commanders, or that a large ransom 

was paid. • 

9 


DT 

USA 

Trump’s charity stops 

fundraising in New York 

state 

Donald Trump’s charitable foundation 

has stopped fundraising in 

New York state, the state attorney 

general’s office said on Monday, 

weeks after the office warned that a 

failure to do so would constitute a 

continuing fraud. The organisation 

has been under increased scrutiny 

following reports in the Washington 

Post suggesting possible improprieties 

within the small-scale 

nonprofit organisation. REUTERS 

THE AMERICAS 

Venezuela court raises 

new obstacle to recall 

vote 

Venezuela’s Supreme Court has 

raised another obstacle to an opposition 

drive for a referendum on 

recalling leftist President Nicolas 

Maduro, who is blamed for a deepening 

economic and political crisis. 

In a ruling Monday the Supreme 

Court raised the bar even higher by 

making it 20% of the electorate in 

each of the country’s 24 states in 

order to force a recall vote. AFP 

UK 

Police probe rape allegation 

inside UK parliament 

British police are investigating an 

allegation of rape at the Houses 

of Parliament against an aide to a 

Conservative Party MP, the politician’s 

spokesman said on Tuesday. 

London’s Metropolitan Police on 

Monday announced an investigation 

into the alleged rape which is 

said to have occurred in the early 

hours of October 14. AFP 

EUROPE 

Spain to decide on 

enabling new government 

The leadership of Spain’s Socialists 

meet on Sunday to decide whether 

to enable their conservative rivals 

to form a minority government, 

thereby ending ten months of political 

deadlock. With just under two 

weeks to go until a deadline to form 

a government, the Socialist gathering 

is widely seen as a make-or-break 

summit that will determine whether 

Spain will manage to avoid its third 

general election in a year. REUTERS 

AFRICA 

Inter-ethnic violence kills 

dozen in Congo 

More than a dozen people have died 

since the weekend in fighting in 

southeastern Congo between Bantus 

and Pygmies. The Luba, a Bantu 

ethnic group, and the Twa, a Pygmy 

people who inhabit the Great Lakes 

region, have been in conflict since 

May 2013 in Democratic Republic of 

Congo’s Katanga region, known for 

its rich deposits of copper and other 

metals. REUTERS

10 


DT 

World 

INSIGHT 

Iraq’s traumatised minorities: Test of unity 

after Mosul offensive 

• Reuters, Alqosh, Iraq 

Behnam Abboush won’t feel any safer 

if Iraqi forces drive Islamic State 

out of their stronghold of Mosul. 

That’s why he and 300 other Assyrian 

Christians in the paramilitary 

force under his command are taking 

matters into their own hands. 

Abboush says some members of 

his community, one of Iraq’s many 

religious and ethnic minorities, 

were abandoned to their fate when 

the jihadists swept through northern 

Iraq two years ago. 

Now his fighters are determined 

to protect Christian towns and villages 

in the Mosul region without 

relying on anyone else, while Iraqi 

government troops and other forces 

launch their offensive to regain the 

city nearby. 

Ancient minorities have always 

been an integral part of Iraq’s complex 

social fabric. Their attitudes 

towards the government in Baghdad 

and their re-assimilation into 

society after the upheaval caused 

by Islamic State will test Iraqi leaders’ 

pledges to deliver stability after 

the Mosul campaign. 

The Shia-led government has 

promised that the assault, which 

started in the early hours of Monday, 

will improve security and unite 

a nation that has been in turmoil 

since the US-led invasion in 2003. 

But Abboush’s experiences illustrate 

why so many of the minorities - 

which range from the Christians and 

Yazidis to Turkmens and the Shabak 

people - have so little faith in the regional 

and central governments. 

He recalls the night of August 6, 

2014, about two months after the 

fall of Mosul, when he said Kurdish 

forces stationed in the Christian 

town of Karakosh suddenly announced 

they were fleeing. 

Many of the Karakosh’s 55,000 

people managed to escape before 

the militants arrived a few hours 

later, but Abboush said the abrupt 

departure of the peshmerga troops 

controlled by the Kurdish regional 

government showed how communities 

have to defend themselves. 

“They said to us ‘we will protect 

you’. At half past ten in the evening 

they said ‘we will go’. It was very 

difficult, especially for the women 

and children,” Abboush, an engineer 

and former air defence officer 

under Saddam Hussein, said at his 

training base in the town of Alqosh, 

50km from Mosul. 

He is now the general of an Assyrian 

force that he says received 

only half the amount of weapons 

it needs from authorities and relies 

heavily on donations from Iraqi 

Christians living abroad. 

“If there was a strong central 

government we would need nothing. 

If you want to solve the problem, 

we must have a protection 

force,” Abboush, an intense, whitehaired 

man, said shortly before 

joining his officers for a lunch of 

eggplant, stew and rice. 

Abboush prepares his men at an 

obstacle course on a tiny mountain 

training ground, only about 13 km 

from Islamic State fighters. Their 

mission is to reassure local people 

it is safe to return to their homes in 

areas cleared of the militants. 

Support for all Iraqis 

Others say the drive for Mosul will 

benefit Iraqis of all communities. 

“The whole idea of this offensive 

is to get people back to their 

homes safely, not to abandon them 

– Christians, Shias and Sunnis, 

everyone,” said Hoshiyar Zebari, a 

top Kurdish official. 

Khisro Goran, a Kurdish member 

of Iraq’s parliament, said 

lightly-armed peshmerga forces 

withdrew from Karakosh in 2014 

because they were unprepared for 

the Islamic State onslaught. However, 

he sympathised with Abboush’s 

views. 

“I agree that minorities from 

Yazidis, Christians or Shabak 

should have their own local police 

to protect their societies and this 

is the ideal way to resolve a trust 

Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire a multiple rocket launcher from the top of 

Mount Zardak, about 25km east of Mosul on October 17 

AFP 

THE BATTLE FOR MOSUL 

Advancing forces will likely 

first try to surround the city 

Qayyarah 

Main points 

of the offensive: 

1 

Government-held 

territory 

Makhmur 

Iraqi ground troops left Monday 

from key base of Qayyarah 

with air support from warplanes 

of the US-led coalition 

issue,” he said. 

In Baghdad, a military spokesman 

rebuffed Abboush’s complaints 

over a lack of support from the central 

government, saying the budget 

cannot be changed continuously to 

accommodate the rising or dwindling 

numbers of each force lined up 

to fight Islamic State - known by its 

opponents in Arabic as Dae’sh. 

“The government is keen on providing 

support to all those who are 

fighting Dae’sh”, he said. 

Iraq’s Sunni Muslims, the biggest 

minority, dominated the country 

until the fall of Saddam Hussein in 

2003. Now Shias are in control, with 

politicians from the majority community 

running the government, 

its militias ruling many streets. 

Longing to be accepted 

Abboush’s sentiments are echoed 

at a church in central Erbil, capital 

of the Kurdish region which has 

become increasingly autonomous 

since Saddam’s demise. 

At evening mass, Father Salim 

Saka told his packed congregation 

to work with all communities in 

Iraq. In private, he conceded those 

wishes may be unrealistic. 

“For two years the government 

has been saying they will liberate 

Mosul. It’s just talk. There can be no 

harmony. We are not accepted,” he 

said. “We feel left out.” 

Outside the church, beside the 

candle box, Evaan Khalas, 24, was 

also sceptical. As a Christian, he 

fought alongside the peshmerga for 

1 

2 

To 

Arbil 

30km 

20km 

Mt Zardak 

10km 

Mosul 

Mt Bashiqa 

Held by IS 

group fighters 

2 Armoured columns seen advancing towards 

Al Shura, 45km from Mosul 

3 4,000 Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighers seize several villages as they 

advance on Qaraqosh. Artillery support from Mt Zardak, coalition air support 

4 Islamic State group supply route from territory they control in Syria 

5 Turkish bases and troops (at least 500 soldiers) used to train Sunni volunteers 

Forces 

deployed 

Al Shura 

In and around Mosul 

3,000 to 4,500 jihadists 

Khazir 

3 

1.5 million 

inhabitants 

Qaraqosh 

Advancing on Mosul 

30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 

police officers, Kurdish 

fighters and tribal volunteers 

five years against al-Qaeda, but is 

no longer among the Kurdish ranks. 

“Now they don’t accept me. I 

wanted to fight with them against 

Dae’sh,” he said. “As long as there is 

Islam we can’t live here.” 

Some of the worshipers are 

Christians who fled to Erbil from 

villages, towns and cities under Islamic 

State. One such, Sobhi Abu 

Fadel, recalled his family’s close escape 

from Mosul when only about 

800 militants seized the city as the 

army collapsed. 

Standing beside a statue of 

the Virgin Mary as church guards 

checked bags for explosives, he 

pulled up a photograph of his mother 

on his smart phone. She died 

aged 90 because of the heat in the 

car as they fled Islamic State, which 

tells Christians to convert or die. 

“We had neighbourhood watches 

but not enough ammunition,” he 

said. 

Hundreds of thousands of Christians 

have fled Mosul and other 

cities in recent years in the face of 

intimidation, death threats and violence. 

The Yazidis have suffered particular 

cruelty at the hands of Islamic 

State, which regards them 

as devil worshipers. Hundreds of 

Yazidis were killed by the jihadists 

in 2014 while thousands fled to 

camps in the Kurdish region. Many 

women who could not escape were 

raped or turned into sex slaves. 

These ordeals have led some 

Yazidis to the conclusion that they 

5 

4 

To Syria 

Tall Kayf 

Held by Kurdish 

forces 

Mosul 

Dam 

Across Iraq 

+ 7,500 coalition troops (including 

(+ 5,000 US and 500 French) 

2,000 Turkish soldiers 

SYRIA 

Military base 

Kurdish forces 

Iraqi government 

US and allies 

Turkish troops 

BAGHDAD 

IRAQ 

SAUDI 

ARABIA 

Mosul 

too can depend only on themselves. 

For example, one Yazidi militia 

- the YBS or Sinjar Resistance 

Units - is also only partially backed 

by the state even though it is part 

of the government-funded Popular 

Mobilisation Forces, according to its 

commander Saeed Hassan. 

The fighters are 2,700 strong, yet 

only 1,000 are getting salaries from 

Baghdad, he said. 

“An overwhelming majority of 

the Yazidis want a self-rule administration 

under international protection. 

We have no trust in the provincial 

administration,” said Haji 

Hassan, a civilian member of the 

YBS administration. “They have 

been treating us badly even since 

before Dae’sh took over.” 

At a ramshackle camp near a 

five-star hotel in central Erbil frequented 

by Western executives, 

other Yazidis said they rely on the 

generosity of local tribes for supplies 

such as rice and sugar. 

Tables under a tent serve as 

a classroom for children twice a 

week. Young boys use dirty rags 

from a plastic water bucket to wipe 

the floor. Posters of sports like archery 

and horse racing remind 

them of the limitations of life in 

their barren camp. 

Ali Khalaf, a camp resident who 

has occasional work as a labourer, 

contemplated the future. “Yazidis 

are alone. Even if Islamic State is 

driven out of Mosul, we want an international 

force to protect us from 

genocide,” he said. • 

N 

200 km 

IRAN 

Sources: AFP bureaux, 

@Lcarabinier, UNHCR, 

US State Department, 

US, Turkish media

Advertisement 

11 


DT

DT 

12 

Business 


Plan to borrow from forex reserves 

As reserves are huge, we should use the money to ensure implementation 

of different development projects, says AMA Muthith 

• Tribune Business Desk 

The government plans to borrow 

from the country’s foreign exchange 

reserves to finance multiple 

development projects. 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith 

disclosed the plan during his 

speech at a remittance award ceremony 

in Dhaka Tuesday. 

“As the size of the foreign exchange 

reserves is still huge, we should utilise 

it properly by taking loans to ensure 

implementation of different development 

projects,” he said. 

The central bank organised the 

“Bangladesh Bank Remittance 

Award 2015” in recognition of expatriates’ 

contribution to the country’s 

economy. 

Bangladesh Bank awarded 26 

highest remittance senders, five 

bond investors and four exchange 

houses owned by non-resident 

Bangladeshis. 

As the chief guest, finance minister 

handed over the awards to 

the recipients at the function with 

Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor 

SK Sur Chowdhury in the chair. 

Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle 

Kabir was present as special 

guest. 

Addressing the ceremony, Muhith 

announced that he would 

mention his plan of using forex reserves 

for financing projects in the 

next budget. 

He, however, assured the expatriates 

that their money won’t be at risk 

Capital market snapshot: 

Tuesday 

DSE 

Broad Index 4,711.9 0.4% ▲ 

Index 1,117.8 0.2% ▲ 

30 Index 1,755.2 0.0% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Tk 5,715.9 25.2% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Vol 207.1 27.8% ▲ 

CSE 

All Share Index 14,467.9 0.5% ▲ 

30 Index 12,985.2 0.2% ▲ 

Selected Index 8,805.6 0.5% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Tk 316.6 10.3% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Vol 14.0 24.3% ▲ 

visit our website @ 

www.dhakatribune.com 

Recipients of Bangladesh Bank Remittance Award 2015 pose for photograph at the award giving ceremony in Dhaka on 

Tuesday. Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir were present 

MEHEDI HASAN 

as the government would be totally 

liable in case of any project failure. 

Earlier, Bangladesh Bank former 

governor Atiur Rahman had 

proposed the government on various 

occasions to invest from the 

swelling foreign exchange reserves 

of the country for construction of 

Padma bridge. 

The amount of foreign exchange 

reserves is $31.16bn as of August, 

2016 which was around $4bn as the 

Awami League-led Grand Alliance 

government took office in 2009. 

The remittance inflow made the 

major contribution to the rise of 

the foreign reserves. 

In his speech, Muhith put emphasis 

on giving skill development 

supports to promote the expatriates 

sending home money. 

“We put more efforts on skill 

development programmes for the 

expatriates as most workers going 

abroad are unskilled,” said the finance 

minister. 

He claimed that the country’s 

economy is now in a strong 

foothold due to absence of business-halting 

political programmes 

like hartal. 

Muhith is confident that the 

country’s economy will see a 7.3% 

in the next fiscal year. 

Urging the Bangladeshi expatriates 

for investing in Bangladesh, 

Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle 

Kabir said it is high time for investors 

to make investment in Bangladesh. 

Most of the highest remittance 

sender and bond investors were 

from the United Arab Emirates. Of 

the award recipients, eight from 

Janata Bank, four from Standard 

Chartered Bank, three from Sonali 

Bank, three from HSBC, three from 

Pubali Bank, two from Bank Asia, 

two from NRBC and one was selected 

from each bank: Agrani Bank, AB 

Bank, Trust Bank, BASIC Bank, Mutual 

Trust Bank and NRB Bank. • 

BEZA wants low-cost funds for 

economic zone developers 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority 

has requested finance 

ministry to allow economic zone 

developers get loans at lower-than-market 

interest rates from 

a World Bank funding facility. 

BEZA Executive Chairman 

Paban Chowdhury wrote a letter to 

senior secretary of the Economic 

Relations Division (ERD) on October 

13 making the request. 

The letter urged the ERD to 

make provisions for economic zone 

developers to borrow money from 

the World Bank’s Investment Promotion 

Financing Facility (IPFF) 

project, which is being implemented 

by Bangladesh Bank. 

“It is recommended to set a lower 

rate of interest for the zone developers 

under the project which 

can be settled by consulting the 

World Bank and the Bangladesh 

Bank,” the letter reads. Providing 

investors with initial support would 

enable them to take on the risk of 

long-term investment, it observed. 

The recommendations have 

been made in the letter as per a discussion 

that took place at a BEZA 

meeting held on September 19, at 

which a WB representative told the 

BEZA that private zone developers 

would be able to borrow money 

from the IPFF project. 

“At this stage of economic zone 

development in Bangladesh, it is 

advisable that the project take responsibility 

of the mode of financing 

for the economic zone developers,” 

the letter reads. 

It said supporting developers 

would spur investment in the economic 

zones and help the government 

achieve its goal of reducing poverty 

and generating employment by 

attracting foreign direct investment. 

Over the last two years, BEZA 

has issued 12 licences to corporate 

houses and another six more are 

expected to be issued within the 

next six months. • 

Export earnings 

from service 

sector fall 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

Export earnings from service sector 

dropped more than 6% to $488m in 

the first two months of the current 

fiscal year, according to the Export 

Promotion Bureau data released 

yesterday. 

The earnings amounted to 

$531.48m in the same period last 

year. 

However, the total export earnings 

of the country stood at $6.32bn 

with a 6.88% rise during the period, 

which was $5.91bn in the same 

period a year earlier. 

As per the EPB data, the country 

earned $189m from goods and 

services export, which was the 

highest, $107.14m from while telecommunication, 

computer and 

information services, $66.18m 

transportation and $73.33m from 

business services. 

In the last fiscal year, service 

sector earnings were not included 

in the export earning figure. 

Earlier, EPB has taken initiative 

to include it in the country’s total 

exports value. 

The aim of the move is to include 

service sector in total export 

figure and give a real picture of the 

country’s overall earnings from export. 

According to Bangladesh Bank 

data, in the last fiscal year, the 

country earned $3.19bn from service 

sector exports with 12.85% rise 

from the previous year’s $2.83bn. 

The total export volume in the 

year was $34.25bn, growing 9.77% 

from a year earlier. In FY2014-15, 

the total earning amounted to 

$31.20bn. 

After the inclusion, the total export 

volume in the last fiscal year 

stood at $37.3bn. 

Bangladesh’s service sector 

earnings come from transportation 

of passengers and goods, freight, 

travel, business, communication, 

construction, insurance, financial 

services, computer and information 

services, royalties and licence 

fees, entertainment, cultural and 

recreation services and government 

services. •

Business 13 

DT 


Purchase limits for state-run firms likely 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

The government has planned to 

limit the purchase of goods and 

services by the state-owned companies, 

official sources said. 

The Implementation Monitoring 

and Evaluation Division under 

the Ministry of Planning recently 

proposed to include a provision 

for fixing the purchase limit of the 

companies under the Company Act 

1994. 

“The government has decided 

to limit the purchase by the stateowned 

firms after the proposal,” an 

official told the Dhaka Tribune. He 

said the IMED proposal will be placed 

at the cabinet committee on economic 

affairs meeting Wednesday. 

According to the proposal, it is 

compulsory to follow the Section 

3 (c) of the Public Procurement Act 

2006 and the Public Procurement 

Rules 2008. 

“There is no clear statement 

about issuing public procurement 

for companies under the Company 

Act. As a result, the power of the 

board of directors of the companies 

Digital World 2016 begins today 

• Ishtiaq Husain 

Around 400 

exhibitors from 

different countries 

will participate 

The country’s largest digital expo-Digital 

World 2016-begins today 

at the International Convention City 

Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital 

to showcase the technology-based 

innovations and achievements and 

facilitate in a single platform for 

sharing ICT knowledge and idea. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

will inaugurate the 3-day flagship 

annual event of the country’s ICT 

sector with the theme ‘Non-stop 

Bangladesh’. 

The ICT Division is organising 

the flagship annual event with assistance 

of the Bangladesh Computer 

Council (BCC), Bangladesh Association 

of Software and Information 

Services (BASIS) and A2I programme 

of the Prime Minister’s office.’ 

Around 400 exhibitors from different 

countries including Bangladesh 

will participate in the event. 

Among them, many are policy-makers, 

senior government officials & 

ministers, industry leaders, civil society 

spokespersons, investors and 

multinational software vendors. 

Representatives of ICT companies, 

international ICT associations, 

international development 

agencies, local software 

development firms will be present 

alongside multinational and local 

companies, Govt. departments & 

agencies implementing successful 

ICT & e-Governance projects. 

Representatives from renowned IT 

training institutes as well as University 

faculty members and students 

will also be present. 

Different ministry will showcase 

e-Services in order to feature the development 

of e-governance in achieving 

the vision 2021 “Digital Bangladesh”. 

Its purpose is to exhibit government 

online service, as well as exchange information 

between the government 

and a variety of recipients, citizens, 

business and also other government. 

The expo mainly focuses on the 

prompt and accelerated transformation 

of Bangladesh, from being a traditional 

government to a digital one 

in a convenient, efficient and transparent 

manner. This year about 40+ 

stalls will exhibit various e-Services 

provided by the government. • 

for permission is transferred to the 

cabinet committee on economic 

affairs.” 

IMED made three recommendations 

on imposing limits on the 

purchase of services and goods by 

the state-run firms. The amount 

of the state-owned enterprises for 

the purchase of services is Tk500 

crore. In the case of purchasing 

goods the limit will be Tk200 crore. 

Regarding the purchase of intellectual 

and professional services, 

the state-run companies’ board of 

directors can approve the purchase 

up to Tk50 crore while the category-based 

financial measures must 

be approved by the cabinet committee 

on economic affairs fixing 

specific limits, the proposal said. • 

Court asks CID to 

submit probe report 

on reserve heist case 

• Md Sanaul Islam Tipu 

A Dhaka court again asked the 

Criminal Investigation Department 

to submit the probe report of the 

Bangladesh Bank reserve heist case 

on November 16. 

Metropolitan Magistrate Md 

Maruf Hossain Tuesday passed the 

order after CID’s Additional Police 

Super Muhammad Raihanul Islam, 

investigation officer of the case, 

failed to submit the report before the 

court. The scheduled day for submission 

of the report was October 18. 

On March 22, Metropolitan Magistrate 

Md Mahbubur Rahman allowed 

CID to conduct forensic test 

on three computer’s hard disks of 

Bangladesh Bank in the case. 

The three hard disks were seized 

from the central bank after the reserve 

heist incident recently. 

On March 15, the central bank’s 

Joint Director M Jubayer Bin Huda 

lodged the case with Motijheel Police 

Station against some unidentified 

people. 

The case was filed under the 

Money Laundering Act, Information 

and Communication Technology 

Act and Bangladesh Penal Code. • 

Walton makes strong 

foothold in e-commerce 


Walton, a local manufacturer of 

electronics and home appliance, 

makes strong foothold in its e-commerce 

business with monthly sales 

of about Tk50 lakh per month. 

The e-commerce site of Walton 

gained popularity within a short 

span of time as a good number of 

buyers are now preferred to buy 

electronics products sitting at 

home, said a Walton press release. 

Conditional free delivery also 

attracted the consumers to shop 

using e-commerce facilities provided 

by the Walton. 

In October last year, Walton has 

launched the experimental operation 

of e-commerce site, which was inaugurated 

by Sate Minister for ICT Junaid 

Ahmed Palak at Walton Hi-Tech 

Industries at Chandra in Gazipur. 

E-commerce service was 

opened for customers from November 

last year. Since then, the 

sales of Walton products have been 

in an upward trend. 

“The e-commerce business is 

booming in Bangladesh. Although 

there is no perfect statistics, the 

number of e-commerce sites in 

Bangladesh may be about one 

thousand, said E-commerce Association 

of Bangladesh (E-cab) president 

Razib Ahmed 

As a single brand, Walton is 

marking a good sing in e-commerce 

business in a short time, he said 

adding that there are also some other 

brands like Arong, Food Panda, 

Pran and Nitol are also experiencing 

sound business in e-commerce. 

“We are strongly committed to 

bring the advanced technology 

based electronics products at customers’ 

doorsteps,” said Md Liakat 

Ali, additional director (IT) of Walton 

Group. 

Now, customers can purchase 

Walton products from any corner 

of the country using our e-commerce 

site, said Liakat. 

Due to the launch of e-commerce 

operation, the expatriate 

Bangladeshis are also now able 

to purchase Walton products, he 

said adding that “Already, a good 

number of expatriate Bangladeshis 

has purchased Walton products 

through on-line.” 

For buying products through 

e-commerce, the customers have to 

browse www.waltonbd.com. • 

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim speaks at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday. Story on page 1 

Dhaka Bank, Gemcon sign MoU 

for payroll banking 


Dhaka Bank Limited and Gemcon 

Group recently signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding for Payroll 

Banking Services. 

Dr Kazi Anis Ahmed, director of 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

Gemcon Group, and Md Shafquat 

Hossain, head of Consumer Banking 

at Dhaka Bank Ltd were present 

at the signing ceremony, said a 

press release. 

Among other high officials, 

Capt ZA Zakir (Retd), CFO of Gemcon 

Group, HM Mostafizur Rahaman, 

vice president and head of 

Cards Business of Dhaka Bank Ltd, 

Fayyaz A Mustafa, SAVP of Payroll 

Banking of Dhaka Bank Ltd, and 

Firoz Alam, GM (Finance) of Gemcon 

Group, were also present. •

14 


DT 

Business 

EU sees Canada deal next 

week despite Belgium split 

• AFP, Luxembourg 

A troubled EU-Canada free trade deal can be 

signed “next week” despite the last minute 

opposition of the Belgian region of Wallonia, 

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem 

said yesterday. In a shock vote, the small Belgian 

region of Wallonia on Friday blocked the 

deal, known as CETA - meaning that Belgium 

itself cannot sign up to the pact and leaving the 

deal in limbo after seven years of negotiations. 

The vote threatened to torpedo the deal’s 

long-delayed signing by Canadian Prime 

Minister Justin Trudeau in Brussels on October 

27 which would have opened the way for 

CETA’s partial implementation. 

“I am not sure we will be able to make a decision 

today, but hopefully we’ll move forward and 

can make a decision very soon,” Malmstroem 

said as she arrived for emergency talks with EU 

trade ministers in Luxembourg. The ministers’ 

meeting was held as four activists from Greenpeace 

hung by rope from the conference centre 

hosting the talks as police watched nearby. •

Business 15 

World markets climb on Fed uncertainty 

• AFP, London 

World stocks forged higher yesterday 

on uncertainty over the future 

path for US interest rate hikes, 

while London shrugged off news of 

surging inflation. 

Asian indices advanced as investors 

weighed the prospect of a 

US rate increase, and on the eve of 

key economic growth data in powerhouse 

economy China. 

In Europe, Frankfurt, London 

and Paris equities also pushed 

higher, as the faltering dollar lifted 

the energy and mining sectors, 

dealers said. 

“Equities are pointing north 

again today, buoyed by Fed rate 

hike uncertainty taking the dollar 

from its highs,” said Mike van Dulken, 

head of research at trading firm 

Accendo Markets. 

“This, along with ... UK inflation 

data, is helping materials prices 

Traders work on the floor of the NYSE 

- notably Brent crude oil holding 

above $51 - and thus energy/miners,” 

he said. 

British annual inflation surged 

to a near two-year high of 1% in 

REUTERS 

September, official data showed 

Tuesday, as a tumbling pound 

raised prices of imported goods 

and attracted tourists. 

Meanwhile a weaker greenback 

makes dollar-priced commodities 

cheaper for buyers using stronger 

currencies, which boosts demand 

and prices. In turn, that translates 

into rising revenues, profits and 

share prices for the broader resources 

sector. 

The gains came amid unease 

over this week’s key events that 

also include the last US presidential 

debate and a European Central 

Bank monetary policy meeting. 

Wall Street pulled back on Monday, 

despite better-than-expected 

earnings result from Bank of America. 

A below-par reading Monday on 

manufacturing in New York offset 

news that overall factory production 

grew for the third time in four 

months. 

While investors globally expect 

US interest rates will rise by the end 

of the year, the figures tempered 

expectations about the pace of rises 

after December. • 

DT 


Honda to build 

new China 

factory 

• AFP, Tokyo 

Honda said yesterday it will build a 

new factory in China, as the Japanese 

automaker expands its reach into the 

world’s biggest vehicle market. 

The firm, which already has several 

factories in China, would build 

its new plant in the city of Wuhan, 

a Tokyo-based company spokeswoman 

said, without supplying 

further details. The factory will 

start operating in 2019, the leading 

Nikkei business daily said. 

The plant will be able to produce 

120,000 vehicles a year in the beginning, 

eventually doubling to 240,000 

units, according to the report. 

That would be roughly a 20% 

boost from Honda’s current China 

factory capacity of 1.08 million 

units, excluding facilities solely for 

exports, the Nikkei story said. •

16 


DT 

Feature 

No, Bob Dylan isn’t the fi r s t lyricist 

to win the Nobel 

• Alex Lubet 

The Nobel organisation’s 

downplaying of Tagore’s 

significance as a musician is part 

of the same thinking that has long 

delayed Dylan’s receiving the 

prize. 

There’s been a great deal 

of excitement over Bob Dylan 

winning the 2016 Nobel Prize 

for Literature. It’s rare for artists 

who have achieved widespread, 

mainstream popularity to win. 

And although Nobels often go to 

Americans, the last literature prize 

to go to one was Toni Morrison 

in 1993. Furthermore, according 

to the New York Times, “It is the 

first time the honor has gone to a 

musician.” 

But as Bob Dylan might croon, 

“the times they are mistaken.” 

A Bengali literary giant who 

probably wrote even more songs 

preceded Dylan’s win by over a 

century. Rabindranath Tagore, 

a wildly talented Indian poet, 

painter and musician, took the 

prize in 1913. 

The first musician (and first 

non-European) to win the Nobel 

Prize for Literature, Tagore 

possessed an artistry – and lasting 

influence – that mirrored Dylan’s. 

Bengal’s own 

renaissance man 

Tagore was born in 1861 into a 

wealthy family and was a lifelong 

resident of Bengal, the East Indian 

state whose capital is Kolkata 

(formerly Calcutta). Born before 

the invention of film, Tagore 

was a keen observer of India’s 

emergence into the modern age; 

much of his work was influenced 

by new media and other cultures. 

Like Dylan, Tagore was largely 

self-taught. And both were 

associated with nonviolent social 

change. Tagore was a supporter 

of Indian independence and 

a friend of Mahatma Gandhi, 

while Dylan penned much of 

the soundtrack of the American 

civil rights movement. Each was 

a multitalented artist: writer, 

musician, visual artist and 

film composer (Dylan is also a 

filmmaker). 

The Nobel website states that 

Tagore, though he wrote in many 

genres, was principally a poet 

who published more than 50 

volumes of verse, as well as plays, 

short stories and novels. Tagore’s 

music isn’t mentioned until the 

last sentence, which says that the 

artist “also left … songs for which 

he wrote the music himself,” as if 

this much-loved body of work was 

no more than an afterthought. 

But with over 2,000 songs 

to his name, Tagore’s output 

of music alone is extremely 

impressive. Many continue to be 

used in films, while three of his 

songs were chosen as national 

anthems by India, Bangladesh 

and Sri Lanka, an unparalleled 

achievement. 

Today, Tagore’s significance 

as a songwriter is undisputed. 

A YouTube search for Tagore’s 

songs, using the search term 

“Rabindra Sangeet” (Bengali for 

“Tagore songs”), yields about 

234,000 hits. 

Although Tagore was – and 

remains – a musical icon in India, 

this aspect of his work hasn’t been 

recognised in the West. Perhaps 

for this reason, music seems not 

to have had much or any influence 

on the 1913 Nobel committee, as 

judged by the presentation speech 

by committee chair Harald Hjärne. 

In fact, the word “music” is never 

used in the prize announcement. 

It is notable, however, that Hjärne 

says the work of Tagore’s that 

“especially arrested the attention 

of the selecting critics is the 1912 

poetry collection Gitanjali: Song 

Offerings.” 

Like Dylan, Tagore was largely self-taught. 

And both were associated with nonviolent 

social change 

Dylan: All about the 

songs 

It may be that the Nobel 

organisation’s downplaying of 

Tagore’s significance as a musician 

is part and parcel of the same 

thinking that has long delayed 

Dylan’s receiving the prize: 

uneasiness over subsuming song 

into the category of literature. 

It’s rumored that Dylan was 

first nominated in 1996. If true, 

it means that Nobel committees 

have been wrestling with the idea 

of honoring this extraordinary 

lyricist for two decades. Rolling 

Stone called Dylan’s win “easily 

the most controversial award 

since they gave it to the guy who 

wrote Lord of the Flies, which was 

controversial only because it came 

next after the immensely popular 

1982 prize for Gabriel García 

Márquez.” 

Unlike Tagore’s Nobel 

announcement, in which his 

songs were an afterthought, the 

presentation announcing Dylan’s 

award made it clear that aside 

from a handful of other literary 

contributions this prize is all about 

his music. And therein lies the 

controversy, with some saying he 

shouldn’t have won – that being a 

pop culture icon who wrote songs 

disqualifies him. 

But like many great literary 

figures, Dylan is a man of letters; 

his songs abound with the names 

of those who came before him, 

whether it’s Ezra Pound and T.S. 

Eliot in “Desolation Row” or James 

Joyce in “I Feel a Change Comin’ 

On.” 

Why not celebrate Bob by being 

like Bob and reading something 

unfamiliar, great and historically 

important? Tagore’s Gitanjali, 

his most famous collection of 

poems, is available in the poet’s 

own English translation, with an 

introduction by William Butler 

Yeats (who won his own Nobel in 

literature in 1923). And YouTube 

is a great repository for some of 

Tagore’s most celebrated songs 

(search for “Rabindra Sangeet”). 

Many music lovers have long 

hoped that the parameters of 

literature might be writ a bit larger 

to include song. While Dylan’s 

win is certainly an affirmation, 

remembering that he’s not the 

first can only pave the way for 

more musicians to win in years to 

come. • 

Alex Lubet is the Morse 

Alumni Distinguished 

Teaching Professor of 

Music at the University of 

Minnesota. This article was 

originally published on The 

Conversation

Feature 

17 


DT 

How is a woman known? 

Lalon and his views on gender 

• Shuprova Tasneem 

Starting from this Sunday, 

October 16, thousands of 

people have travelled to the 

shrine of Fakir Lalon Shah 

at Chheuriya of Kushtia to pay 

homage to the great philosopher, 

spiritual leader and poet-musician. 

While not much is known about 

his life, it is mostly believed that 

Lalon died on October 17, 1890, 

at the age of 116, leaving behind 

somewhere between 2,000 to 

8,000 songs of mystical, social 

and political content. Although he 

did not leave behind any written 

compositions, his songs have been 

passed down through generations 

of his followers, and is now 

receiving renewed recognition 

for his poetic expression and 

progressive thought. 

From Rabindranath Tagore to 

Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan, 

Lalon’s works have influenced 

many literary greats of our times. 

However, Lalon’s greatness is not 

just in his work, but is portrayed 

in his philosophy and way of life – 

he truly lived and inspired others 

to live a life of mysticism, set 

against social binaries of religion, 

caste, class and gender, and 

looking beyond the trappings of 

the materialistic world. But what 

exactly did Lalon think of women 

and gender? 

Women in traditional 

societies 

Through Lalon’s philosophies, 

Bauls preach of how the world is 

created by the same Creator – and 

if all the world is His creation, then 

why is there so much division and 

dissent? Why focus so much on 

material wealth and getting ahead 

at the expense of others, when 

we finally take nothing to the 

grave? From the very onset, there 

is a notion of releasing yourself 

from the bonds of self and truly 

believing that we are all equal – 

not just with regard to class and 

caste, but gender as well. 

However, Lalon has specifically 

spoken about the plight of women 

in traditional societies too. At a 

time when the norms of society 

were regulated by gender roles 

defined by the rules of the Hindu 

caste system and the rules of 

purdah in Islam in the late 18th 

and 19th centuries, Lalon did 

something very few men did 

during his time – he acknowledged 

the inequality in status that 

women were given. It is evident 

when he wrote in one of his most 

famous compositions, titled 

‘Everyone asks, to 

which caste does Lalon belong’: 

“A Muslim is marked by the sign 

Of circumcision; but how should 

You mark a woman? If a Brahmin 

male 

Is known by the thread he wears, 

How is a woman known?” 

Thus clearly identifying the lack 

of identity for a woman in our 

society at the time, when she 

tended to be defined by her male 

counterpart or family member. 

Rutger University’s Milly Sil has 

also written - “their (Bauls) songs 

embrace and preach oneness of all 

religion into humanism, universal 

brotherhood and also gender 

Lalon did something very few men did during 

his time – he acknowledged the inequality in 

status that women were given 

equality. It’s just like an estuary 

where different rivers meet and 

merge into the sea of oneness 

that is deeper, richer and more 

liberated.” 

Spiritual freedom for all 

According to Saymon Zakaria, 

folk expert and assistant director 

at Bangla Academy, Lalon has 

also written of specific women 

in his songs, especially Fatimah, 

thus reminding us of the women 

who have played important roles 

from within the religion itself, but 

who are seldom mentioned when 

discussing Islam. 

“Lalon also placed great 

emphasis on the respect that is 

accorded to mother - when he 

wrote of she who is ‘nobir boro, 

khodar choto (above the Prophet 

and lesser than God)’, he was 

clearly speaking of the Prophet’s 

mother,” he added. 

While some might argue that 

the emphasis on motherhood 

might just trap one in the same 

traditional rhetoric that binds 

women to one role, that was 

definitely not Lalon’s intention. 

The fact that he truly envisioned 

a liberal society devoid of gender 

discrimination and traditional 

gender roles is also evident when 

he wrote - “kuler bou hoye mon 

ar kotodin thakbi ghore” (How 

long will you sit at home and be 

a wife). 

And this traps the essence 

of why Lalon’s philosophy was 

so radically progressive and 

continues to be relevant to 

this day – because of his total 

breakdown of roles imposed on 

one by society, and his believe 

in every person’s right to pursue 

their spiritual freedom as a 

priority, regardless of who they 

were and where they came from. 

It is astonishing when you think 

about – this wild, unlettered 

man, roaming the dirt tracks 

of rural Bengal who sang of 

a classless and gender equal 

society, long before the birth 

of the modern philosophy of 

feminism. •

18 


DT 

Feature 

A Bangladeshi poet in Serbia 

Attending the Smederevo’s Poet Autumn 

is to commit suicide, but I have 

found ways to adjust to my life by 

being involved in bringing more 

poets together, while I culture 

the urge to write. The journey 

of fighting the devil, as Ibsen 

put it, has allowed me to put my 

thoughts into words as I live my 

life of an immigrant, writing in 

my mother tongue. My first two 

novels are thus about immigrants 

in Sweden: Oi Ondhakar Ase (The 

Dark Sounds 2016) and Varatiya 

Meye (The Girl from India 2014).” 

This year, a 

Bangladeshi poet 

was featured for 

the first time at the 

Smederevo’s Poet 

Autumn 

• Reema Islam 

A Serbian city with a history that 

dates it to antiquity, the River 

Danube and a poetry festival, 

Smederevo sets the perfect tone 

for a cultural experience. The 

Smederevo’s Poet Autumn is an 

annual festival in its 47th year 

that brings in poets from across 

the globe to meet at this cross 

road between the Eastern and 

Western outposts of Europe. The 

Danube flows through Smederevo 

connecting it to the larger 

network of European nations as 

this multicultural city welcomes 

all for a festival of poetry, music 

and literature. 

This year, a Bangladeshi 

poet was featured for the first 

time at the Smederevo’s Poet 

Autumn. Poet, playwright, 

translator, essayist and social 

commentator Anisur Rahman 

is based in Sweden, and is a 

member of the Swedish Writers’ 

Union, the Playwrights Union in 

Sweden and Honourary Member 

of the Swedish PEN. Reading 

out his work in Bangla, Rahman 

was then translated on stage 

into Serbian. Poets from other 

countries included UK, Spain, 

Bulgaria, Iran, Italy, Bosnia & 

Herzegovina, Turkey, Macedonia, 

Poland, Argentina, Greece and 

Bangladesh. Every year, the 

poetry festival awards the Golden 

Key, the Little Golden Key and 

the Golden String. The Golden 

Key was awarded to British poet 

Sean O Brien, and the festival also 

published five translated books, 

including one with Rahman’s 

work. 

The festival took off with a 

visit to the royal Palace of Milan 

Obrenovic, the Serbian king 

from the 19th century. The city 

also houses a fortress where the 

despot ruler Đurađ Branković 

(reigned from 1427-1456, CE) had 

installed special Venetian glass 

for his windows and an acoustic 

palace, to enjoy music all the 

better. A wine tasting tour of the 

famed vineyards of the region 

was followed by a performance 

of traditional Serbian dances in 

traditional gear from the early 

20th century. School children 

have always been a major part of 

the festival’s outreach programs 

and poets were taken to schools 

to read out their books. As part 

of their vision to encourage 

readers, the festival organisers, 

Goran Djordjevic and his team 

including Aleksandra Djokovic, 

had distributed around 10,000 

books all over local schools in the 

area. The students proved very 

animated with their questions as 

they got a chance to interact with 

the visiting poets. 

The festival invites poets to 

speak in their own language while 

a Serbian translates it on stage 

and this year, Bangla and Persian 

were the two languages featured 

for the first time. Rahman 

presented two of his poems, 

which he felt could speak to an 

international audience. 

Speaking on his experience of 

writing in exile, Rahman quotes 

Baudelaire, who said “in order 

to become a writer, you need to 

capture your boyhood memories”. 

Rahman feels being a writer is a 

never ending journey, carrying 

Story of Water 

and Stone 

I split the heart within my 

heart, 

Build a house from stone. 

I see my life inside– 

A devastating storm within. 

I see the sea in your eyes 

Rising above water level. 

Water embraces water 

Where you see our house. 

High tide strikes high tide, 

The sun absorbs water, 

Clouds suck clouds, 

And life strains to breathe. 

mirrors on both sides - “but to be 

honest I have also received a lot 

of help from people back home 

like the president of the National 

Poetry Council of Bangladesh, 

poet Muhammad Samad, who 

was a resident professor at the 

University of Dhaka when I 

was studying there,” confesses 

Rahman. 

He added: - “Life is a journey 

and I consider my time in 

Scandinavia as a part of this. Poet 

Shahid Quadri said to emigrate 

The poetry festival ran from 

October 11 to 13, 2016 and this 

year, the Warsaw poetry festival 

director from Poland visited, 

as part of a liaison between the 

Serbians and their counterparts in 

the region. Against the backdrop 

of a town with one of the largest 

lowland fortresses of Europe and 

an old tradition of celebrating 

cultural festivals, the Smederevo 

Poetry Festival enthralled local 

and international audiences 

likewise. •

Biz Info 

19 


DT 

| campaign | 

Nusrat Faria to endorse Huawei P9 

Huawei, the world’s second 

largest android smartphone 

brand, has signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding 

(MoU) with the beautiful model 

and actress Nusrat Faria Mazhar. 

As a part of the MoU, under 

the banner of Jaaz Multimedia, 

Nusrat Faria will lead the digital 

campaign of Huawei’s flagship 

device Huawei P9. The reenforcement 

campaign follows 

the success of Huawei P9 in 

Bangladesh. 

| celebration | 

The Westin Dhaka presents Wedding Festival 2016 

Wedding Festival 2016, the 

glamorous two day event will 

take place on October 21 at the 

Grand Ballroom of The Westin 

Dhaka. The press conference 

for the event was held on the 

October 17, 2016 at the Bronze 

Room of the hotel where top 

officials of The Westin Dhaka, 

Festivity, Camerich Bangladesh, 

Standard Chartered Bank 

Bangladesh, Volvo Bangladesh, 

other partners and media 

representatives were present. 

The press conference 

highlighted the event, the 

The signing ceremony took 

place at Huawei’s Corporate 

Office in the capital on October 

18. 

Commenting on the 

development, Ingmar Wang, 

director of Device Business, 

Huawei Technologies 

(Bangladesh) Limited said, 

“Nusrat Faria is a Bangladeshi 

youth icon and is tremendously 

popular for her style and attitude, 

which is aligned to our brand 

philosophy. We at Huawei always 

strive to achieve perfection 

through blending technology 

with style.” 

Nusrat Faria said, “I am very 

happy to get the chance to work 

with the famous ICT brand 

Huawei. Smartphones have 

become an integral part of life 

for the youth, and I am excited 

to be a part of the success of the 

Huawei P9 which caters to the 

elegant consumers.” 

Huawei and Nusrat Faria 

signed the MoU only for Huawei 

P9 handset’s digital branding for 

six months. Through this MoU, 

Huawei has started working 

for the first time with Jaaz 

Multimedia. Both companies 

are willing to work on different 

projects in future. 

The Huawei P9 with its 

sponsors and the partners of the 

festival. Camerich Bangladesh 

is the platinum sponsor of 

the event. The event is also 

powered by Standard Chartered 

Bank Bangladesh and Volvo 

Bangladesh. The Daily Star, 

RTV, The Pages, Dhaka FM 90.4 

and Telepress are among other 

valued partners of the event. 

Just before the wedding 

season, the wedding festival 

will showcase most of the 

premium wedding related 

brands under one roof during 

the exhibition. Guests will be 

immaculate photography 

features has become a lifestyle 

product worldwide. In 

Bangladesh, the product has 

also gained immense popularity. 

Nusrat Faria’s initial association 

with the Huawei P9 will attract 

many youngsters towards the 

elegant smartphone.• 

able to come and learn about 

various products starting from 

designer wedding wear to 5 Star 

catering options. Guests will also 

be able to get expert opinions 

from renowned consultants 

on wedding planning, menu 

selection, venue options, 

photography, videography, 

wedding makeovers and on 

other topics exclusively at the 

event. From wedding ensemble 

to jewelry, the exhibition will 

offer something for everyone 

as designers and brands from 

all over the country will flock 

in to showcase their artistry. 

Throughout the event, the 

guests will also be able to enjoy 

fashion shows, live music, DJ 

sessions, raffle draw and many 

other surprise attractions. 

During the festival, The Westin 

Dhaka will offer exclusive 

discounts for spot reservations 

on venue, menu and on many 

other wedding related services. 

For the convenience of the 

guests, the event is free for 

all and no prior reservation is 

required.• 

| education | 

Young Professional Fellows 

Exchange program 2017 in USA 

The University of Oklahoma’s 

Gaylord College of Journalism 

and Mass Communication/Center 

for the Creation of Economic 

Wealth (CCEW) has partnered 

with the U.S. Department of State, 

the Center for Entrepreneurship 

Development (CED) of BRAC 

University, BRAC Myanmar and 

Entrepreneurship Development 

Institute of India (EDII) 

and announced a five-week 

professional exchange programme 

in the United States, which 

includes a professional fellowship 

placement at an American small 

business organisation. 

The first Professional Fellows 

Exchange program for 2017 will be 

held in April/June 2017. Emerging 

leaders between the ages of 25 

and 40 and in government, civil 

society or the private sector in 

Bangladesh/Burma/India, who 

have demonstrated expertise in 

economic empowerment and 

entrepreneurial/small business 

development in their respective 

countries, are eligible to apply. 

The dead line for the application is 

December 1, 2016. 

The program, funded by the 

Bureau of Educational and Cultural 

Affairs of US State Department, 

will bring Bangladeshi, Burmese 

and Indian mid-level imminent 

leaders in youth entrepreneurship, 

start-up business ventures, 

business administration, 

government, NGOs, business 

education, incubation hubs, 

community training programs or 

social enterprises into working 

small businesses in Oklahoma 

and associate them with one of 

America’s leading universities. 

The program aims to provide 

professional experience and 

training that will nurture 

participants’ talent and prepare 

them for more responsible 

leadership positions in their 

businesses, communities and 

society in general as they return 

to their countries. In addition, the 

program will provide US-based 

small business stakeholders an 

opportunity to collaborate with 

their Bangladeshi, Burmese 

and Indian counterparts as 

they participate in a two-week 

outbound exchange to the 

respective countries in summer 

2017. 

Professor Elanie Steyn, 

Journalism area Head, Gaylord 

College of Journalism and Mass 

Communication, informed that 

priority will be given those who 

have an interest in shaping the 

small business, entrepreneurship 

and economic empowerment 

landscapes of the aforementioned 

countries and beyond. 

Further details and the online 

application form is available at 

https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/ 

jfe/form/SV_3R9x4Gi42CjQWOx. •

DT 

20 

Editorial 


TODAY 

Thailand as we knew 

it is finished 

The Thais’ passionate regard for their 

late monarch can come across as the 

deity worship characteristic of bornagain 

evangelicals in America or the 

enforced adoration common in North 

Korea 

PAGE 21 

The truth behind the 

puja pictures 

Before we go on celebrating ‘religious 

harmony,’ we need to change the lens 

with which we view the issue in our 

country 

PAGE 22 

A partnership to take us forward 

PID 

The politburo 

of literature? 

Why do we -- whether supporting the 

Nobel choice or opposing it -- behave as 

if the Nobel Committee is the anointed 

arbiter of world literature? 

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 

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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. 

The World Bank is a major partner in Bangladesh’s development 

journey. 

Under the prime minister’s leadership, Bangladesh has 

already made great strides towards alleviating poverty, reducing 

the child mortality rate, and improving the gender parity in education, 

all objectives outlined in the UN’s sustainable development goals. 

It is a testament to the resilience of our economy that the country 

boasts a healthy growth rate of 6%, in spite of being plagued by natural 

disasters such as severe cyclones. 

But there is still a lot that needs to be done. Our foreign direct 

investment numbers still lag behind potential, and we need to invest 

more in people, so we can have a more educated and healthy workforce. 

This is where the World Bank comes in. 

While the World Bank should not be dictating terms for Bangladesh, 

it can still be a valuable development ally. 

WB President Jim Yong Kim’s visit is a sign that we are about to 

embark on a fruitful and enduring partnership. 

With the new commitment of $72 billion, out of which an additional 

$1bn is slated for child care, Bangladesh’s aspirations of becoming a 

middle-income country seem within reach. 

This can be achieved through proper utilisation of the World Bank 

funds, investments in the improvement of our energy and transport 

infrastructure, and, most crucially, the private sector. 

The private sector has been Bangladesh’s economic backbone, with 

the RMG sector playing a prominent role, providing thousands of jobs, 

especially to women, reducing the gender gap. 

With a bigger role for the World Bank in Bangladesh’s development 

journey, we can hope for a new era of prosperity, and to truly leave 

poverty behind. 

With a bigger role for 

WB in Bangladesh’s 

development journey, we 

can hope for a new era of 

prosperity

Opinion 21 

Thailand as we knew it is finished 

With King Bhumibol’s passing, Thailand will never be the same again 

DT 


Bhumibol wasn’t just a leader, he was truly loved 

• Thitinan Pongsudhirak 

When it comes to 

public readership, 

I was taught, more 

than 30 years ago, 

to write invariably in the third 

person. The time has come for 

change, and exception because 

there is no better way for me to 

describe what has just happened 

in Thailand. What was once 

unimaginable when I was a 

schoolboy eventually became 

inevitable, and now is undeniable 

in my midlife. 

After an extraordinary reign, 

Thailand is without King Bhumibol 

Adulyadej for the first time that 

almost anyone can remember. His 

passing means the Thailand that 

many Thais and I have known has 

come to an end. That Thailand is 

now at risk of being assessed on its 

most recent decade or two rather 

than in its entirety of 70 years. 

Although we are incentivised 

to think that the here and now 

and our immediate era are more 

important than what came before, 

putting Thailand in perspective 

requires a long look back and view 

the conditions and circumstances 

that prevailed at the time. 

A retrospect, in turn, can 

lay the basis for the viable and 

optimal prospects ahead. Indeed, 

some knives are already out just 

hours after the end of the reign. 

Sceptics, critics, detractors, and 

those with dissenting voices 

who previously suffered under 

Thailand’s entrenched monarchycentred 

socio-political hierarchy, 

are up and about, ready to go on 

the march. 

Some of their qualms and 

critiques will be fair, but many 

will sound like they’re grinding 

axes, biased and bent on 

vindictiveness and retribution 

for the shortcomings of what 

transpired, and decidedly ignorant 

of alternatives that could have 

been worse. 

Global media competition to get 

the long-awaited Thai story out 

and to nab the juiciest scoops in 

the fastest fashion will intensify 

international scrutiny on Thailand 

under a tentative new reign. 

Because the Thai authorities, 

led by men in uniform, are illequipped 

to handle foreigners’ 

prying and probing eyes, it is likely 

that we will see tension between 

Thai stake-holders at home and 

the world outside. 

Nevertheless, the outside world 

REUTERS 

should know that King Bhumibol’s 

passing is a once-in-a-lifetime and 

intensely personal experience for 

most Thais. It is somewhat akin to 

John F Kennedy’s untimely death 

in 1963 that brought an end to a 

Camelot-like era for Americans 

when they felt good about 

themselves, their country, and its 

place in the world. 

It also may be similar to the 

demise of other father-like 

figures such as the Soviet Union’s 

Vladimir Lenin in 1924 and China’s 

Mao Zedong in 1976, or even South 

Africa’s Nelson Mandela and 

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew more 

recently. 

Yet, the Thais’ passionate 

regard for their late monarch can 

come across as the deity worship 

characteristic of born-again 

evangelicals in America, or the 

enforced adoration common in 

North Korea. 

To be sure, in the Thai 

kingdom, the late monarch 

enjoyed reverence and respect that 

was organic and bottom-up. 

It was during the Cold War 

that King Bhumibol made his 

mark, when Thailand had to 

make its way in a treacherous 

neighbourhood, at once 

challenged by the threat of 

communist expansionism. 

Understanding the Cold 

War context and conditions 

and Thailand’s place in them 

is necessary to appreciate how 

and why Thais have a deep 

affection for and bonding with 

their late King. At the time, the 

pillars of the Thai state -- nation, 

religion, and monarchy -- struck 

a collective chord. The resulting 

unity and stability enabled 

economic development and kept 

communism at bay. 

Challenges to the established 

order, with the military-monarchybureaucracy 

triangulation as its 

anchor, were put down, including 

the left-leaning student-led 

movement in the mid-1970s. In 

that long period, Thai schoolchildren 

sang martial songs each 

morning in addition to the national 

anthem, an orderly time when we 

The Thais’ passionate regard for their late monarch can come across as 

the deity worship characteristic of born-again evangelicals in America 

or the enforced adoration common in North Korea. To be sure, the late 

monarch enjoyed reverence and respect that was organic 

knew what to expect and where 

our place in the Thai socio-political 

hierarchy was reinforced by 

socialisation and indoctrination in 

classrooms and living rooms where 

only state-run media could enter. 

Back then, running water was 

limited to certain hours, electricity 

blackouts were common, and 

television was available only 

during weekday primetimes and 

weekends. 

It was a lonely and foreboding, 

yet clear-cut, time when we saw 

Indochina being engulfed by 

communism and Myanmar turning 

inward. Apart from the defence 

treaty alliance with the Americans, 

we had nobody to turn to but 

ourselves. 

At that time, when Thailand 

needed strong and steady state 

institutions, and Thais were in 

need of national guidance, King 

Bhumibol became the individual 

uniquely fit for the task. 

He went all over the country to 

promote education, health care, 

water management, infrastructure 

development, and many projects 

for public welfare. 

Such a role would not have 

been so important had it not been 

desperately needed. And any 

other individual put in that role 

may not have worked so hard, 

simply because he did not need 

to, and because there were more 

comfortable and convenient 

choices to choose from. 

But King Bhumibol did it 

anyway. 

People saw and have 

appreciated it since. After having 

done so much for so long, the late 

king earned and accumulated so 

much moral authority that the 

Thai people placed him at the apex 

of society. 

There will be views and 

arguments in the coming months 

and years that the political order 

set up around the late king on the 

back of the military-monarchybureaucracy 

axis has impeded 

democratic development and 

stunted democratic institutions, 

that economic development 

over the long reign was unfairly 

distributed, that Thailand is left 

with a military dictatorship and a 

much weaker monarchy to carry 

itself forward. 

These points are not invalid, 

and will be the grist for historians 

in the months and years to come. 

But how Thailand has been should 

be viewed in comparative terms. 

By the standards of its 

neighbourhood, Thailand has not 

fared so badly. 

Turbulence and tumult are 

not uncommon when a country 

transitions out of a 70-year-old 

political order. Having weathered 

imperialist times, two world 

wars, and the Cold War, Thailand 

now stands as a 70-millionstrong 

market with a $400 billion 

economy, with gifted geography as 

the centre of mainland Southeast 

Asia to boot. 

It has so much going for it now 

that derives from the Cold War 

years. 

The late monarch’s lasting 

legacy may well be the critical 

mass that has accrued over his 

reign, where there are too many 

stakeholders and vested interests 

in Thailand’s viability and survival 

for it to fail. • 

Reprinted by special arrangement. 

Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Associate 

Professor and Director of the 

Institute of Security and International 

Studies, Faculty of Political Science, 

Chulalongkorn University. This article 

previously appeared in the Bangkok Post.

22 


DT 

Opinion 

The truth behind the puja pictures 

Religious harmony is a two-way street 

• Samira Sadeque 

Since the Durga Puja 

celebrations began a few 

days ago, two photographs 

have been making rounds 

on my social media: One shows 

a girl in a hijab, presumably 

standing on her toes, excitedly 

trying to ring the bell at a temple. 

The other one shows a little 

boy in his Islamic attire (tupi and 

panjabi), standing in front of 

a temple, absorbed in the puja 

celebrations. 

I’ve seen a lot of friends share 

these photos, excited at the sense 

of religious harmony that these 

photos apparently represent 

-- Muslim boy in Hindu temple, 

Hijabi girl ringing the bell during 

a puja. 

How much better could it 

possibly get, especially at a time 

when the nation is fumbling to reestablish 

its secular identity in the 

face of rising religious extremism? 

But there’s a problematic truth 

that is ignored when we brand 

these photos as a representation 

of “communal harmony” 

-- and ignoring how it further 

perpetuates our loosening grip 

over the secular values the country 

was founded on. 

Every time I came across 

these photos, a question kept 

coming back to me: Would it be 

equally easy for people from other 

religions to be present inside a 

mosque during Eid celebrations? 

Doesn’t religious harmony 

mean an equal access of non- 

Muslims into mosques as Muslims 

have to other religious spaces -- in 

this case, a Hindu temple? 

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in 

religious and communal harmony 

as any other secular Bangladeshi 

does. I have nothing against 

either of these people being in the 

temples during puja. 

I myself celebrate puja with as 

much excitement as I celebrate 

Eid -- it is, after all, one of the 

most festive times of the year. 

Neither am I suggesting that the 

Hindu families don’t celebrate 

Eid with their Muslim friends and 

neighbours. 

But it wasn’t until I saw these 

photos being shared in spirit 

of “communal harmony” that 

I realised how one-sided the 

lens with which we view this 

“harmony” is. 

These photographs show, at 

best, the granted access Muslims, 

the mainstream population in the 

country, have to the holy place and 

home of the minority religions. 

But since we’re talking about 

religious harmony, how often 

Is this enough to bring religions together? 

do we welcome a woman with a 

sindoor or a purohit into a mosque? 

How often have you seen a non- 

Muslim being welcomed as openheartedly 

into a mosque during 

Eid? 

The only thing these photos 

prove, other than the undeniable 

hospitality of our Hindu brothers, 

is the entitled access Muslims 

enjoy in the holy spaces of other 

religions that are, at the same 

time, denied access into the holy 

space of Muslims in Bangladesh. 

That is the exact opposite of 

religious harmony. 

So, before we go on celebrating 

“religious harmony,” we need to 

Before we go on celebrating ‘religious harmony,’ we need to change the 

lens with which we view the issue in our country. Because these photos 

don’t represent religious harmony -- they represent a mere privilege one 

religious community enjoys by virtue of being the majority in the country 

change the lens with which we 

view the issue in our country. 

Because these photos don’t 

represent religious harmony -- 

they represent a mere privilege 

one religious community enjoys by 

virtue of being the majority in the 

country. • 

Samira Sadeque is a writer and 

journalist. You can follow her on Twitter 

@Samideque. 

COURTESY

Opinion 23 

The politburo of literature? 

The Nobel committee does not singularly rule over the world republic of letters 

DT 


Time for a new prize 

• Mahmud Rahman 

Another October, another 

Nobel for Literature, 

another round of 

controversy over the 

awardee. 

Some years, we hardly know 

the person, so we scramble to 

find out something about them, 

looking for bits of their writing 

online. Other years, like 2016, it 

goes to a more prominent person. 

Some are elated, others find the 

choice intriguing, while still others 

express disappointment that it 

didn’t go to someone else they 

consider more deserving. 

But it is only one prize given to 

a single person, and truth be told, 

every year there are dozens of 

valid contenders from around the 

world. 

I believe that the weakest 

critique of the Nobel is the one 

that criticises it for not recognising 

someone outside the European 

mainstream. From there, a 

question naturally arises: Why 

do we -- whether supporting the 

Nobel choice or opposing it -- 

behave as if the Nobel Committee 

is the anointed arbiter of world 

literature? Why do we act as if 

it’s the Politburo of the World 

Republic of Letters? 

In reality, the Swedish Nobel 

Committee is merely a handful 

of jurors from a small country of 

less than 10 million, speaking a 

language that is one of the smaller 

ones in the world. The current 

committee has five full members 

and two associates. 

They are all writers, some of 

them also professors, but I don’t 

know a thing about them or their 

writing. They are probably all 

white, and, for sure, all European 

and Swedish. It looks like three of 

the seven are women. 

Nominations come from writers 

and academics around the world, 

and the committee probably has 

staff that helps them select and 

read nominees. 

But, at the end of the day, given 

who they are, given where they are 

based, they will no doubt have a 

certain predilection for European/ 

REUTERS 

European-origin writers, and, 

over the long haul, will privilege 

European languages. Sometimes, 

they break the pattern of what’s 

expected of them, and those are 

always the interesting choices. 

I understand that the Nobel 

Committee set up the Literature 

Prize to be the first global literary 

prize. That was certainly gutsy of 

them. It helped that this was virgin 

territory, and perhaps because 

there were no other contenders, 

the Nobel Literature Prize would 

become known as the world’s 

premier award for literary work. 

Of course, it helped that the prize 

was based in a small, more or less 

neutral, European country, outside 

of the big-power divisions of world 

politics. 

But did people immediately 

accept it as the premier award 

for letters? Or was it seen as an 

interesting new fad, with people 

reserving judgment until it curated 

a list of awardees? 

I doubt people all rose to 

applaud when the first prize was 

announced in 1901 for the French 

poet René François Armand (Sully) 

Prudhomme. 

Yes, who? 

Though it broke new ground 

here and there -- awarding 

the prize to Tagore in 1913, for 

example -- and, to some truly 

deserving writers, for most of its 

first half-century, the Nobel Prize 

was known more for its misses 

rather than for its hits. It was more 

notable for who it left out. 

What did it mean when it 

awarded Pasternak, who’d 

been published outside Soviet 

censorship? Or then about Pablo 

Neruda, who’d sympathised with 

Soviet communism? 

It is probably after the Cold War 

sparks dimmed, and the Nobel 

broke ground reaching out to 

writers outside the mainstream, 

that many of us came to expect 

it as the arbiter of people of 

letters, only a small number 

were recognised. That’s vital to 

remember: Even in the Western 

tradition, more significant writers 

The weakest critique of the Nobel is the one that criticises it for not 

recognising someone outside the European mainstream. From there, a 

question naturally arises: Why do we -- whether supporting the Nobel 

choice or opposing it -- behave as if the Nobel Committee is the anointed 

arbiter of world literature? 

have been left out by the Nobel 

than recognised. And if we are 

to mention under-represented 

literatures, the Swedes must be 

among the unhappiest lot: Their 

Academy has only rewarded seven 

over the life of the prize. 

Still, despite outliers -- two 

Japanese, two Chinese, a few from 

Africa and the Caribbean -- the 

Nobel mainly privileges Western 

European writers and languages. 

When it reaches beyond, those of 

us from the world beyond Europe 

and North America applaud. But 

when it doesn’t, we are unhappy. 

How long has it been since 

the decolonisation of most of the 

colonised world? 

How long has it been that Japan 

has emerged as a major economic 

power from its WWII defeat? Or 

a number of Asian countries to 

emerge as developed economies? 

Or some African nations to rise as 

powerful countries? 

Why is it that no one outside 

the West, no one in the South or 

East, has come up with a literary 

prize that might be more open 

to recognising talent from other 

corners of the planet? 

Look at the alternatives to 

the Nobel. There are few. The 

Neustadt Prize is really the only 

other international award, and 

that’s run out of the University of 

Oklahoma. 

Both its jurors and its nominees 

are often quite interesting, but we 

don’t line up like clockwork every 

two years to await the Neustadt 

Prize like we do the Nobel. 

There are a few other prizes 

-- the Man Booker International 

Prize, the International Dublin 

-- but those tend to privilege the 

language English or translations 

into English. 

There are some prizes specific 

to other languages, such as French 

or Spanish, and there are also 

some regional prizes. In Asia, 

until 2008, there used to be a 

Magsaysay Prize in the Philippines 

for “journalism, literature, and 

creative communication arts.” 

There are plenty of billionaires 

and millionaires from the South 

and East today. No doubt, a few 

among them might even be partial 

to literature. Maybe. But why is it 

that no one has come forward to 

fund another international award 

that might be smarter than the 

Nobel? 

In the end, I think we are all 

complicit in handing over the role 

of “world arbiter of literature” 

to the Nobel Committee. Let’s 

admit it -- deep down, we all 

look towards Europe’s approval 

to decide what’s best in the 

world republic of letters. Our 

disappointment in the Nobel is a 

marker of our own insecurities, 

our lack of confidence. 

No doubt this will change 

one day. Perhaps someone in a 

country of the South and East, 

not tied up in international power 

politics, someone with passion 

and integrity, will bring forth a 

more inclusive international prize. 

Not just a copy of the Nobel, but a 

smarter prize. 

Until that day, we will perk up 

our ears every October and either 

celebrate or gnash our teeth at the 

latest decision from Stockholm. 

And after a new prize arrives, we 

will switch our glee or ire to that 

new prize. • 

Mahmud Rahman is a freelance 

contributor.

DT 

24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

Cook returns to 

break record 

Proud new father Alastair Cook 

will become England’s most 

capped Test cricketer tomorrow 

when he leads his country into 

battle against Bangladesh, only 

days after attending his daughter’s 

birth back home. PAGE 25 

Old boys accept 

Mourinho tactics 

Former Manchester United players 

have queued up to pass judgment 

on their old team under Jose 

Mourinho, whose negative plan in 

a 0-0 draw at Liverpool on Monday 

sparked a lively debate over the 

club’s direction. PAGE 26 

Waugh, Gillespie 

open to selector role 

Former Australia cricket captain 

Steven Roger Waugh and former 

fast bowler and Jason “Dizzy” 

Gillespie have both expressed an 

interest in succeeding Rodney 

Marsh as the country’s chairman 

of selectors. PAGE 27 

Barca sharpen 

knives on Euro night 

Paris Saint Germain v Basel 

As coach of Sevilla last season 

Unai Emery beat Basel on the way 

to winning the Europa League. 

Now his current charges, French 

champions PSG, host them 

in confident mood thanks to 

Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani. PAGE 28 

Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan bats in the nets during training in Chittagong yesterday 

Bangladesh trying 

hard to prepare 

• Mazhar Uddin 

from Chittagong 

Before the start of the ODI series 

against Afghanistan last month, 

Bangladesh had not played the 

50-over format for nearly a year. 

The long gap showed in their performance 

as the Tigers, despite 

winning the series, looked rusty. 

The Tigers find themselves 

facing a similar situation yet 

again as they prepare to play their 

first Test match after nearly a 

15-month hiatus. And once again, 

lack of match preparation is proving 

to be the biggest worry for the 

Bangladesh cricketers as they are 

yet to settle on their game strategy 

or team combination. 

Bangladesh last played a 

five-day game back in July, 2015 

against South Africa. And when 

the most experienced cricketer 

of the side says he can hardly 

remember playing a longer-version 

game, the situation becomes 

clearly evident for all to see. 

“We will find out how confident 

we are under match conditions. 

Till now, we’re all trying 

hard to prepare ourselves, and 

since we didn’t play four-day 

matches at the domestic level, I 

can hardly remember when I last 

played a longer version game,” 

Shakib told the media after their 

training session at Zahur Ahmed 

Chowdhury Stadium in the port 

city yesterday. 

“It is difficult for me, but let’s 

see what happens. I am trying to 

build up the proper mindset for 

Test cricket. Honestly speaking, 

there isn’t a great deal to prepare 

for, but the mind has to be ready,” 

he said. 

The 29-year old however, admitted 

that lack of match practice 

can be overcome as they recently 

played against the likes of 

Afghanistan and England, who 

are currently fourth in the International 

Cricket Council’s Test 

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK 

rankings. 

“Earlier we used to play National 

[Cricket] League but now I 

don’t get the opportunity to play 

as you see we played one-day 

cricket after nearly a year where 

we took two-three matches to get 

adjusted. I hope we can adjust 

but we need to play a few matches 

but it’s difficult to say as it’s a 

different feeling to bowl or bat for 

a long period. Let’s see. I think it’s 

going to be a different challenge,” 

he said. 

“In my 10-year career it happened 

three times where we returned 

to Test cricket after a year 

so you can say I played seven 

years. And yes, obviously it feels 

new and different every time. As 

I said it creates a gap when you 

play after a long time but I hope 

we can complete our preparation 

pretty well and we have one more 

day [today]. As Test is the ultimate 

cricket, everyone is excited 

with that,” he added. • 

Shakib: My role 

with the ball 

has changed 

• Mazhar Uddin 

from Chittagong 

The Bangladesh think tank will 

once again rely on their most experienced 

cricketer Shakib al Hasan 

in the bowling department in the 

upcoming two-match Test series 

against England. 

The selectors faced some difficulties 

to find out the best possible 

bowling options in the longest 

format of the game and made six 

changes, including four uncapped 

players, for the first Test, starting 

tomorrow. 

Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, 

youngster Mehedi Hasan Miraz 

and all-rounder Shuvagata Hom 

are the other specialist spinners in 

the squad while Mahmudullah and 

Sabbir Rahman are also expected 

to chance their arms. 

However, Shakib, who is the 

leading Tigers wicket-taker in Tests 

with 147 scalps in 42 matches at an 

average of 33, is not only expected 

to lead the spin department but also 

the overall bowling of the home side. 

When asked whether he will 

face added pressure, the champion 

cricketer informed that his role 

has changed, compared to the past, 

and that there are other specialist 

spinners in the squad who can 

make an impact with the ball. 

“No, I don’t think there’s any 

pressure as I don’t bowl that much 

compared to the past. Back when I 

used to bowl a lot I had a different 

role but now I don’t need to bowl 

that much and it’s not like I am playing 

as the main spinner in the side,” 

Shakib told the media yesterday. 

“Earlier, there was only one 

spinner in the side. Back then I had 

to play the role of the leading spinner 

in the team but now I don’t play 

that role. I will try to play the role 

which has been given to me at the 

moment,” he said. 

According to sources, Bangladesh 

might opt for one pacer in 

the playing XI in the first Test. And 

Shakib believes if the pitch offers 

any assistance to the bowlers then 

they very well have the ability to 

take 20 wickets. 

“A lot will depend on the pitch. 

When we play at home normally 

they try to prepare a flat wicket offering 

runs for the batsmen. But if 

there is something for the bowlers, 

like pacers or spinners, I am confident 

that our bowlers have the 

ability to take 20 wickets in a Test 

match. But if there’s a flat track then 

it’s hard for the bowlers to do something 

extraordinary,” said Shakib, 

who is Bangladesh’s third highest 

run-getter in Tests with 2823 runs 

from 42 matches at 39.76.•

England cricketers, led by Test captain Alastair Cook, make their way to the team hotel yesterday 

Babu flouts BFF rules 

• Tribune Report 

It has been two matches in a row 

in the Bangladesh Premier League 

that Mohammedan Sporting Club 

played without their head coach 

Josim Uddin Ahmed Josi. 

In his absence, manager Amirul 

Islam Babu was seen in the dugout 

doing the job of the head coach without 

having any playing or professional 

coaching experience before. 

Babu, also an executive committee 

member of the Bangladesh Football 

Federation, was also found to 

have breached the federation’s bylaws 

on several occasions in matchdays, 

including bringing in his son to 

the dug-out during the game against 

Uttar Baridhara yesterday. 

According to the BFF’s by-laws 

10.1, “Only seven officials and nine 

substitute players among the registered 

nine officials and 35 players 

are allowed to sit on the substitute 

bench.” 

Match commissioner SK Badruddin 

was informed about the situation 

following which Babu’s son 

was taken out of the technical area. 

According to by-laws 10.3, “All 

officials and players on the team 

bench must wear their accreditation 

card at all times.” But Babu 

was not seen wearing the card for 

a single time during the game. He 

also didn’t follow the Asian Football 

Confederation’s Equipment 

Regulations properly as well. 

There was also another rule in 

the by-laws 10.1 that states, “Registration 

of the following two officials 

in each match-day is mandatory: 

1. Team Manager 2. Head Coach.” 

It has been two matches Mohammedan 

played without registering a 

head coach in their team list. 

The reality of the Black and 

Whites’ performance throughout 

the season is also a reflection of 

their non-professional activity in 

the technical area.• 

Sport 25 

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK 

DT 


New dad Cook returns 

to break England record 

• AFP, Chittagong 

Proud new father Alastair Cook will 

become England’s most capped 

Test cricketer tomorrow when he 

leads his country into battle against 

Bangladesh, only days after attending 

his daughter’s birth back home. 

Cook, widely tipped eventually 

to become Test cricket’s highest 

run-scorer, will win his 134th cap 

at the start in Chittagong of a twomatch 

series in which England will 

hope to maintain a perfect Test record 

against the hosts. 

Along with Australia, England 

are one of only two teams to 

have won all of their Test matches 

against Bangladesh since the former 

East Pakistan joined cricket’s 

top table 16 years ago. 

And after an impressive victory 

in the preceding one-day series, 

England will fancy their chances of 

extending that 100 percent record 

with the likes of Cook and fast bowler 

Stuart Broad back in the mix. 

Cook, who no longer plays ODI 

cricket, had been acclimatising 

with his teammates in Bangladesh 

before flying home last week for 

the birth of his second daughter. 

After arriving back in Bangladesh 

Monday, Cook took part in 

nets yesterday and then spoke of 

his pride at becoming a father again 

as well as his mixed emotions at returning 

to the fray so soon. 

The 31-year-old’s last outing in 

the sub-continent saw him lead 

England to an outstanding series 

win over India in 2012, while he 

scored 173 on his only previous 

Test in Chittagong in 2010. 

That series saw Cook captain 

England for the first time before he 

took over full-time from Andrew 

Strauss. 

Cook, who will overtake Alec 

Stewart at the top of the list of Test 

appearances, could well be joined 

at the top of the order by a debutant 

after Ben Duckett and Haseeb 

Hameed both made strong cases 

for a call-up. 

His most recent opening partner 

Alex Hales has decided to sit 

out the tour for security reasons, 

following the lead set by England’s 

limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan. 

The 22-year-old Duckett in particular 

has impressed in the buildup 

to the series and will most likely 

get the call after notching up 

his fourth half century in the last 

five innings in the final warm-up 

match. 

But he will be vying for a place 

with 19-year-old Hameed, who has 

been dubbed “Baby Boycott” for 

an obdurate style that has evoked 

memories of the legendary Geoffrey 

Boycott. 

At the other end of the age scale, 

the 39-year-old spinner Gareth Batty 

could also find himself back in 

the starting XI more than 11 years 

after the last of his seven Tests. 

The veteran Surrey offbreak 

bowler is widely expected to be 

picked along with leg-spinner Adil 

Rashid and all-rounder Moeen Ali, to 

give England three spinning options. 

Bangladesh have picked four 

spinners and just two seamers in 

their 14-man squad as they try and 

overcome the loss of their star pace 

bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who is 

recuperating from surgery on his 

shoulder. • 

Sk Russel return to winning ways 

• Tribune Report 

Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra returned 

to winning ways after handing 

defending champions Sheikh 

Jamal Dhanmondi Club their 

second consecutive defeat in the 

Bangladesh Premier League, courtesy 

a narrow 1-0 win, at Bangabandhu 

National Stadium yesterday. 

It was Sheikh Russel’s second 

victory out of 11 matches as they 

got out of the relegation zone after 

the end of the first league phase. 

The result also put Uttar Baridhara 

at the bottom. 

On the other hand, Sheikh Jamal 

ended the half-way campaign at 

fourth place earning 19 points. 

Defender Nasirul Islam Nasir 

put Sheikh Russel ahead in the 16th 

minute. After collecting a through 

pass from Jamal Bhuiyan, Nasir 

sent the ball home between the 

legs of goalkeeper Mazharul Islam 

Hemel. 

RESULTS 

Sk Russel 1-0 Sk Jamal 

Nasir 16 

Baridhara 1-0 Mohammedan 

Sabuj 84 - P 

Sheikh Jamal went close to 

equalising when Anisur Rahman 

Sweet hit the sidepost at the hourmark. 

Sheikh Russel custodian 

Ziaur Rahman made a brilliant save 

in the 41st minute, fisting away a 

powerful Sarwar Zaman strike following 

a Linkon cross. 

Meanwhile, after a run of eight 

straight defeats, Uttar Baridhara 

finally won as they edged past Mohammedan 

Sporting Club 1-0 in the 

first game of the day at the same 

venue. 

A late winner by Khalekuzzaman 

Sabuj meant that Uttar 

Baridhara registered their second 

victory of the league in their last 

match of the first phase after the 

newly-promoted club beat Sheikh 

Russel in their opening game of 

the league this season. In between, 

they lost all nine matches. 

In contrast, Mohammedan are 

third from bottom. 

The Black and Whites created 

their first real chance in the 34th 

minute when Cameroonian midfielder 

Nzekou Patrice’s shot was 

blocked by a Uttar Baridhara defender. 

Uttar Baridhara midfielder 

Sentu Chandra Sen had a glorious 

chance to take the lead in the 56th 

minute when he failed to shoot in 

front of an empty net. •

DT 

26 


Sport 

Old boys accept Mourinho tactics 

• Reuters 

Former Manchester United players 

have queued up to pass judgment 

on their old team under Jose Mourinho, 

whose negative game plan in 

a disappointing 0-0 draw at Liverpool 

on Monday sparked a lively 

debate over the club’s direction. 

While Gary Neville predicted 

that United would not win the 

league this season, Ryan Giggs 

said he would accept the manner 

of Monday’s performance in which 

they had just 35 per cent possession, 

the lowest in any of their 

games since statistics were first 

collected in 2003. 

Although, bizarrely, Mourinho 

disputed that figure - insisting 

United had in fact enjoyed 42 

per cent possession at Anfield - he 

also said it reflected his masterplan 

to control the game. 

Mourinho may find it harder 

to explain away another new low, 

however, because United’s tally of 

14 points from eight games represents 

the Portuguese coach’s worst 

start to a campaign in 15 years. 

That total is also two points 

worse than United managed under 

Louis van Gaal at the same stage 

last year and is probably not what 

the club had in mind when they 

spent £145 million on his recommendations 

in the summer. 

Another former United player, 

Ray Wilkins, said the pressure of 

expectation on Mourinho is relentless. 

“He has to keep winning while 

changing the side,” Wilkins told 

Sky Sports. “It is not always easy 

when you are trying to establish 

yourself at a huge club. But he will 

Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea saves from Liverpool’s Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho during their 

Premier League match at Anfield on Monday night 

REUTERS 

be delighted by that point.” 

Mourinho has not been helped 

by the limited impact made by record 

signing Paul Pogba, who had 

another quiet game at Anfield, and 

Henrikh Mikhitaryan, who once 

again did not make the team as 

Mourinho opted for the strength 

and solidity of Marouane Fellaini. 

Apart from one half against 

Leicester City, in which he scored 

his only goal for United, Pogba has 

struggled to justify his world-record 

fee, and Mourinho still seems 

unsure how to employ him. 

On Monday it was another United 

midfielder, Ander Herrera, who 

won man of the match for a killjoy 

performance that saw him prevent 

a far more talented player, Liverpool’s 

Philippe Coutinho, from exerting 

more of an influence. 

That says much about how 

far United have fallen since the derring-do 

days of Alex Ferguson, whose 

attacking intent often led to late United 

winners in high-profile games. 

For now, United’s old guard in 

the media are sticking with the current 

manager as he seeks to shape 

his new team. “There is no reason 

not to trust Jose Mourinho as 

a Manchester Unitedfan,” said Gary 

Neville. If he said we won’t win the 

title this season, but next, which I 

think is what he said at Chelsea, I 

think most United fans would accept 

that... as long as he does win it 

next season.” 

But judgments are increasingly 

instant in football and, for United, 

the big games keep coming. On 

Thursday they play Fenerbahce in 

the Europa League at Old Trafford, 

followed by a difficult Premier 

League trip to Mourinho’s former 

side, Chelsea, on Sunday. “He will 

get a rapturous round of applause,” 

said Wilkins, in reference to the 

Chelsea supporters. United’s fans 

might be a little more subdued.• 

Jose hails Utd for 

silencing Anfield 

• AFP, Liverpool 

Manchester United manager Jose 

Mourinho praised his team for subduing 

Anfield after they held inform 

Liverpool to a dour 0-0 draw 

in the Premier League on Monday. 

“We controlled the game, not 

just tactically, but the emotion 

of the game,” Mourinho told Sky 

Sports. 

“That was probably the quietest 

Anfield I had and I was expecting it 

to be the other way. I think was a 

positive performance. 

“The reaction from their crowd 

was permanent disappointment. 

People expected us to come here 

and be really in trouble, which we 

were not.” 

He added: “If you analyse the 

game, you see the reason why we 

did it, playing (Ashley) Young and 

(Marouane) Fellaini. 

“We had control of the game. 

There were two amazing saves by 

David de Gea, it’s true, but they 

were out of context.”• 

EPL STANDINGS 

Team 

GP W D L GD PTS 

Man City 8 6 1 1 11 19 

Arsenal 8 6 1 1 10 19 

Tottenham 8 5 3 0 9 18 

Liverpool 8 5 2 1 8 17 

Chelsea 8 5 1 2 6 16 

Everton 8 4 3 1 6 15 

Man United 8 4 2 2 5 14 

Southampton 8 3 3 2 3 12 

Crystal Palace 8 3 2 3 2 11 

Watford 8 3 2 3 0 11 

Misbah, Holder hail 

competitive D/N Test 

• AFP, Dubai 

Rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq and 

Jason Holder praised the fight till 

last attitude in the first day-night 

Test played with Pakistan upstaging 

West Indies by 56 runs in the 

final hour on Monday. 

Misbah said the match was good 

for Test cricket. 

“It was a good Test and good for 

the Test cricket with everything in 

it,” said Misbah after the victory. 

“You need Test matches like that 

and credit to West Indies to put 

such a fight.” 

Pakistan had amassed 579-3 declared 

in their first innings courtesy 

an epic 302 not out by opener 

Azhar Ali. 

West Indies conceded a 222-run 

first innings lead but hit back hard 

by dismissing Pakistan for a paltry 

123 in their second knock, thanks 

to a career best 8-49 by leg-spinner 

Devendra Bishoo. 

“West Indies batsmen showed 

good resilience and credit must be 

given to them,” said Misbah of the 

rival team who batted for 109 overs 

on a last day Dubai stadium pitch. 

This was the longest batting by 

a West Indies team in the fourth innings 

of a Test since their 105.1 over 

innings against India in Kolkata in 

1978. 

Misbah admitted he was nervous 

and worried, with just 100 

needed and Bravo at the crease. • 

BRIEF SCORE 

PAKISTAN 579/3d (Azhar 302*, Sami 

90, Babar 69) & 123 (Sami 44, Babar 21, 

Bishoo 8/49) beat WEST INDIES 357 

(Bravo 87, Samuels 87, Yasir 5/121) & 

289 (Bravo 116, Holder 40*, Amir 3/63) 

by 56 runs 

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq jumps after the successful run out of West Indies batsman Miguel Cummins as Yasir Shah 

celebrates on the final day of their first day-night Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday 

AFP

Sport 27 

‘Summer to make or break Smith’s captaincy’ 

• AFP, Sydney 

Australian great Steve Waugh says 

the summer Test series against 

South Africa and Pakistan is shaping 

up as make or break for Steve 

Smith’s captaincy of the national 

side. 

“You always have a honeymoon 

period, the first six to 12 months, 

everything is fantastic. You make 

all the changes and they work. 

Then the reality sets in and it’s a bit 

harder than that,” he told yesterday’s 

Sydney Morning Herald. 

“I think losing that series in Sri 

Lanka probably was a bit of a shock 

to the system. I thought our fielding 

was very poor, which is unlike 

Australia, and that sort of set the 

benchmark for the rest of their 

cricket.” 

Waugh said Smith was the type 

of player who responds when the 

going gets tough and expects him 

to be thinking hard about how he 

will handle the South Africa and 

DT 


Pakistan challenges. 

“(Smith) will be having a good 

look at himself, his captaincy style, 

which players he wants in the 

team,” he said. 

“These six Tests in Australia 

could well define his captaincy going 

forward. 

“I think if they have a good series 

in Australia and the team stays 

stable and they respond to his leadership 

then it’s great for him. 

“But if things don’t go well 

it will be a challenging time for 

him particularly after the last few 

losses.” 

South Africa arrived in Australia 

yesterday ahead of the first Test. • 

Waugh, Gillespie open 

to chief selector role 

• Reuters 

Former Australia cricket captain 

Steve Waugh and paceman 

Jason Gillespie have 

both expressed an interest in 

succeeding Rodney Marsh as 

the country’s chairman of selectors. 

Cricket Australia said last 

week 68-year-old former Test 

wicketkeeper Marsh would 

not be seeking to stay on in the 

role when his contract expires 

next year and that Australia 

would have a new chairman of 

selectors before the next Ashes 

series. 

Australia will host the next 

Ashes series in 2017-18. 

Former paceman Gillespie 

is currently coaching Adelaide 

Strikers in Australia’s 

Twenty20 Big Bash League 

after spending five years 

coaching English county side 

Yorkshire. 

“There is a national selector’s 

job up next year and 

I might put my name up for 

that,” he told News Ltd. “All I 

have done the last five years 

is select teams for Yorkshire. I 

wouldn’t rule anything out. If 

there are opportunities I will 

look at it.” 

Former Test captain 

Waugh, who announced his 

retirement in 2004, said he 

would be willing to discuss the 

job if an offer came his way. 

“I’d listen to it if the opportunity 

came up, but there 

are a lot of things you’ve got 

to throw into the mix and see 

whether it’s the right time,” 

Waugh told the Sydney Morning 

Herald. • 

FOOTBALL 

TEN 1 

12:45PM 

UEFA Champions League 

Bayern v PSV 

TEN 2 

7:30PM 

UEFA Youth League 

Barcelona v Man City 

12:45PM 


Barcelona v Man City 

DAY’S WATCH 

TEN 3 

12:45PM 


Paris SG v Basel 

KABADDI 

STAR SPORTS 4 

Kabaddi World Cup 

8:20PM 

Bangladesh v Argentina 

9:40PM 

Thailand v Japan

DT 

28 


Sport 

Barca sharpen knives on massive Euro night 

Paris Saint Germain v Basel 

As coach of Sevilla last season Unai 

Emery beat Basel on the way to 

winning the Europa League. Now 

his current charges, French champions 

Paris Saint-Germain, host 

them in confident mood thanks to 

Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani 

- enjoying a purple patch of 15 goals 

in his last 11 games - and Brazilian 

playmaker Lucas. Both scored in 

a weekend win. Basel’s Iceland 

midfielder Birkir Bjarnason scored 

in his last match in Paris, albeit in 

a 5-2 defeat at the Stade de France 

against hosts France in the quarter-finals 

of the Euros. The Swiss 

champions warmed up with a 3-0 

win over Luzern and can welcome 

back players whose legs were saved 

at the weekend. 

Arsenal v Ludogorets Razgrad 

Arsenal look a solid bet to continue 

their Champions League unbeaten 

start when they host Bulgarian outfit 

Ludogorets Razgrad. The Gunners 

were unfortunate not to win 

in Paris before form striker Theo 

Walcott scored a brace to beat Basel. 

Walcott scored twice again this 

weekend as a gritty Arsenal dug in 

for a 10-man 3-2 win over Swansea 

that saw them climb level with 

Man City at the top of the Premier 

League. One note of caution for the 

hosts is that Ludogorets took the 

lead in both their games, a 1-1 draw 

with the Swiss and a 3-1 home defeat 

by PSG. The Bulgarian champions 

are also on a seven game unbeaten 

run away from home. 

Napoli v Besiktas 

Napoli will become the first team 

to qualify for the last 16 if they 

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez attend a training session yesterday in Barcelona 

notch up their third straight win 

and Dynamo Kiev draw with Benfica. 

A superb opening 4-2 win over 

Benfica followed by a 2-1 defeat of 

Dynamo in Ukraine left coach Maurizio 

Sarri’s side coasting towards 

the knockout stages. Arkaduisz 

Milik, signed as a replacement for 

striker Gonzalo Higuain, has scored 

three goals in the competition for 

Napoli but is out for months with 

a knee injury. The Serie A side 

lost to Roma on Saturday, leaving 

them seven points off the league 

leaders Juventus. Besiktas, back in 

the competition for the first time 

since 2009/2010, were buoyed by a 

1-0 win at Kayserispor to maintain 

their best domestic start in five seasons. 

Besiktas midfielder Gokhan 

Inler plans not to celebrate if he 

scores against his former club. 

Barcelona v Manchester City 

Pep Guardiola’s return to Barcelona, 

the club where he won the 

Champions League as both player 

and coach (twice) makes this game 

the tie of the season so far. Barcelona 

have won 12 straight Champions 

League games at home and with 

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar 

are all primed to play. Crucially 

for City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne 

REUTERS 

and Sergio Aguero will be at full fitness 

too after two draws and a defeat 

in the last three games. Captain 

Vincent Kompany also looks set for 

a start. Gerard Pique, in the news 

this week for his controversial role 

in Spain’s outfit and his ambitions 

to be Barcelona president, has also 

scored three goals in the last three 

games. Guardiola’s men drew with 

Everton at the weekend. 

Celtic v Moenchengladbach 

Celtic’s raucous fans carried the 

Hoops to a wild 3-3 draw with Pep 

Guardiola’s Man City last time out 

and will be a bankable asset against 

Germany’s Borussia Moenchengladbach. 

They’ll need to be as Celtic 

are traditionally beaten by German 

opponents. André Schubert’s charges 

come to Celtic Park in desperate 

need of a win after defeats against 

City and Barcelona and in poor spirits 

after missing two penalties in a 

0-0 draw with Hamburg on Saturday. 

Rostov v Atletico Madrid 

Russia’s Rostov are seeking to build 

on their plucky home Champions 

League debut 2-2 draw against PSV 

after an opening 5-0 thumping 

by Bayern Munich. Rostov will be 

hoping for no repeat of the banana 

throwing incident that marred the 

PSV stalemate. They were beaten 

by Spartak Moscow in the domestic 

league on Saturday with red cards 

dished out to two of their players. 

The Russians are up against it after 

last season’s finalists Atletico sparkled 

in a 1-0 defeat of Bayern Munich. 

It lifted Diego Simeone’s impressive 

side into the group lead. A 

7-1 humbling of Granada in La Liga 

means they travel to Russia in confident 

mood. 

Bayern Munich v PSV Eindhoven 

Bayern host PSV with Carlo Ancelotti 

slamming their “bad attitude” 

in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Eintracht 

Frankfurt and club chairman 

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge describing 

the performance as “unacceptable”. 

They need a win to steady 

the ship after a last time out loss 

to Atletico Madrid left them in second, 

three points off the Spanish 

pacesetters. Franck Ribery misses 

the match with a leg injury. A win 

will be Bayern’s first in their last 

four outings.• 

Manchester City 

manager Pep 

Guardiola with 

Kevin De Bruyne 

during training 

in Manchester 

yesterday 

REUTERS 

Guardiola’s emotional return 

• Reuters, Barcelona 

Pep Guardiola’s formidable 

managerial skills will be put 

to the test again when his 

stuttering Manchester City 

side visit his former club 

Barcelona in a top-of-the-bill 

Champions League clash today. 

Former Barca captain 

Guardiola, the Catalan club’s 

most decorated coach with 

14 trophies in a scintillating 

four-year spell, is set for his 

latest emotional return to the 

Nou Camp. 

He has been there as a 

visiting coach before when 

his Bayern Munich side lost 

3-0 in a Champions League 

semi-final last year and now 

he faces an equally daunting 

task with City. 

Guardiola’s brilliant start 

in England which saw him 

oversee 10 consecutive wins 

in all competitions has given 

way to a run of three games 

without victory, the latest 

seeing City miss two penalties 

in a 1-1 draw at home to 

Everton on Saturday. 

The Premier League leaders 

trail Group C pacesetters 

Barca by two points following 

a thrilling 3-3 draw at Celtic in 

their last Champions League 

outing. •

Downtime 

29 


DT 

CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Arab coasting vessel (4) 

6 By way of (3) 

7 Long detailed story (4) 

9 Enemies (4) 

10 Strength (5) 

11 Of the kidneys (5) 

12 Finish (3) 

14 Subject of discourse (5) 

17 Henhouse (5) 

20 Lyric poem (3) 

21 Faithful (5) 

23 Conductor's wand (5) 

25 Band's engagements 

(4) 

26 Mine entrance (4) 

27 Acceptance (3) 

28 Given shoes (4) 

DOWN 

1 Be unlike (6) 

2 Carry too far (6) 

3 Sagacious (4) 

4 Jurisprudence (3) 

5 Spoil (3) 

7 Alone (4) 

8 Icy cold (5) 

10 Light blow (3) 

13 Wanderer (5) 

15 Language (6) 

16 Stopped (6) 

18 Narrow opening (4) 

19 Weight (3) 

22 Matures (4) 

23 Sporting item (3) 

24 Gratuity (3) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 17 represents C so fill C 

every time the figure 17 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 

DiCaprio to 

produce Captain 

Planet movie 

• Showtime Desk 

Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio 

is ardent to see the 1990s 

cartoon series, Captain Planet, 

on big screen. Appian Way, the 

production company of the 

Oscar winner and environmental 

advocate, is reportedly teaming up 

with Paramount to resurrect the 

blue-skinned hero who struck fear 

into the hearts of environmental 

polluters everywhere. 

Paramount is in talks for 

the rights to the 1990s cartoon 

series, and is reportedly eyeing 

screenwriter Jono Matt and Scream 

Queens star Glenn Powell to write 

the flick, the Hollywood Reporter 

reported. If everything goes well, 

DiCaprio will produce the project. 

The Captain Planet and the 

Planeteers TV show aired from 

September 1990 to December 1992, 

and told the story of five youths 

from across the globe who were 

sent magic rings, four of them with 

the power to control an element of 

nature and one controlling heart. 

The movie could be an ideal fit for 

environmentalist DiCaprio who, 

through his foundation, which 

he set up in 1998, has pledged 

millions to environmental groups 

over the years. • 

World premiere of 

Bangladeshi short 

film in Brazil 

Ash-Ranbir’s romance censored 


Bangladeshi short film 20 

Continuous Shots Followed by 

Siddharth, written and directed 

by Abid Hossain Khan, and 

produced by Khona Talkies, has 

been selected for the International 

Competition of the 26th edition 

of Curta Cinema Festival, one of 

the top film festivals of the world 

solely dedicated to short films. The 

film will have its world premiere at 

the festival. 

Also known as Rio de Janeiro 

International Short Film Festival, 

the Curta Cinema Festival will be 

held from November 3 to 9, 2016, 

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Abid Hossain Khan’s debut 

short film, 20 Continuous Shots 

Followed by Siddharth, is an 

experimental film about a young 

man named Siddhartha, who 

starts living in a slum finding the 

meaning of his existence in life. 

He sees the grey livelihood flowing 

like a sewer, juxtaposed with 

sounds of newsreel commentary, 

political speech, religious sermon, 

etc while those sounds seem more 

visible in 20 repeated and morbid 

shots followed by Siddhartha. 

Abid Hossain Khan acted as the 

main protagonist of the film. 

Mohammad Raju is the editor and 

Dibbyo Samadder is the director 

of photography. Furthermore, 

Abid has just finished shooting 

his second short film produced by 

Khona Talkies.. • 


After getting into the Indo-Pak 

controversy, where a political 

outfit demanded a ban on one 

of the film’s actors Fawad Khan, 

it’s now the Pahlaj Nihalani-led 

CBFC’s (popularly called as the 

Censor Board) turn to trample 

over Johar’s romantic drama, Ae 

Dil Hai Mushkil. 

According to a report, the 

intimate scenes between Ranbir 

Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai 

Bachchan’s characters have been 

snipped off by the Board. 

A glimpse of the couple’s 

sensual chemistry could be seen 

in the ‘Bulleya’ song, but it seems 

that viewers won’t get to see 

any of it, once the film opens in 

theatres on October 28. 

A source was quoted that 

Karan Johar wanted to make 

sure not a single moment was 

tampered with. However, 

the Censor Board members, 

while appreciating the film’s 

mature theme and high level 

of aesthetics, objected to some 

steamy moments between 

Aishwarya and 

Ranbir Kapoor. 

The source 

further told the 

paper that Johar 

put up a tough 

fight but the CBFC 

members would 

have none of it. 

Finally, the director 

relented and agreed 

to delete 3 intimate scenes 

between Ranbir and Aishwarya, 

one of which is the same as 

shown in the trailer. 

Johar did have the option to go to 

the Revising Committee, which 

may have passed the film without 

any cuts, but from what it 

appears, he chose not to do so.•

CheckMate: 

Showtime 

No one has to fight breast cancer alone 

Colours FM joins the fight 

31 


WHAT TO WATCH 

DT 


LOOK for changes. Is there any 

change in shape or texture? 

TOUCH your breasts. Can you feel 

anything unusual? 

CHECK anything unusual with 

your doctor 

October is regarded as the Breast 

Cancer Awareness month, 

marked in countries across 

the world, it helps to increase 

attention and support for cancer 

awareness, early detection, 

and treatment, as well as 

palliative care of this disease. In 

Bangladesh, Colours FM 101.6 

in association with Bangladesh 

Cancer Society, initiated a 

social media campaign named 

CheckMate. 

Breast cancer is a group of 

cancer cells (malignant tumour) 

that starts in the cells of breasts. 

Currently, there is not sufficient 

knowledge on the causes of 

breast cancer; therefore, early 

detection of the disease remains 

the cornerstone of breast cancer 

control. When breast cancer is 

detected early, and if adequate 

diagnosis and treatment are 

available, there is a good chance 

that breast cancer can be cured. If 

detected late, however, curative 

treatment is often no longer an 

option. In such cases, palliative 

care to relief the suffering of 

patients and their families is 

needed. 

Through the CheckMate 

campaign, the concerns are 

trying to create awareness not 

only amongst women, but also 

men. Where we can see Nayla 

Nayeem call upon the curiosity of 

the male populace on Facebook, 

by declaring that she’s about to 

reveal something. Therefore, 

spreading speculations all over 

the social media like wildfire with 

the anticipation of something 

erotic is going to happen. With 

hundreds and thousands of 

pairs of eyes waiting for the day, 

she reveals and explains the 

symptoms of breast cancer and 

the ways to spot them in three 

simple steps, “Look, Touch, and 

Check” – encouraging everyone 

to be aware, especially men to 

be aware and supportive of their 

mates. 

The majority of deaths 

(269,000) occur in low and 

middle income countries, where 

most women with breast cancer 

are diagnosed in later stages, 

Shahtaj to feature in a TV drama serial 


Actress and singer, Shahtaj 

Monia Hashem has recently 

engaged herself for the first time 

in a TV drama serial. The drama 

serial titled, Hing Ting Chhot 

is currently being filmed at 

Pattaya, Thailand. 

Talking about working in 

a TV drama serial for the first 

time, Shahtaj said, “Not feeling 

extraordinary even though its 

my first drama serial. However, 

I am not sure whether I’ll be 

working in more drama serials in 

the future.” 

Shahtaj, who started her 

career with the Banglalink TVC 

Call Drop and Alpenliebe Juzt 

Jelly, will be seen portraying 

a character named Hiya in the 

drama. 

Written and directed by Razibul 

Islam Razib, the cast of the 

drama serial is a mingle of 

experienced and young actors 

including Tariq Anam Khan, 

Tania Ahmed, Sazu Khadem, 

Farhana Mili, Tausif Mahbub, 

Shabnam Faria, Siam Ahmed, 

Lutfunnahar Asha and Arfan 

Ahmed. • 

mainly due to lack of awareness 

of early detection and barriers to 

health services. In Bangladesh, 

the number is shockingly around 

20,000 every year. 

It is no secret that discussions 

on this issue in Bangladesh are 

still vastly considered as taboo 

among many people. However, 

early warning signs of breast 

cancer may involve the discovery 

of a new lump or a change in the 

breast tissue or skin. Women 

should perform a self breastexam 

each month, and any 

changes or abnormalities should 

be discussed with a doctor or 

physician.• 

Kingsman: The Secret Service 

Star Movies 9:30pm 

A spy organisation recruits 

an unrefined, but promising 

street kid into the agency’s 

ultra-competitive training 

program, just as a global threat 

emerges from a twisted tech 

genius. 

Cast: Colin Firth, Taron 

Egerton, Samuel L Jackson 

Mission: Impossible – Rogue 

Nation 

HBO 9:30pm 

Ethan and team take on their 

most impossible mission yet, 

eradicating the Syndicate – an 

International 

rogue organisation as highly 

skilled as they are, committed 

to destrpying the IMF. 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca 

Ferguson, Jeremy Renner 

Valkyrie 

WB 7:00pm 

A dramatisation of the July 

20 assassination and political 

coup plot by desperate 

renegade German army 

officers against Hitler during 

World War II 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, 

Carice van Houten 

Thor 2: The Dark World 

Zee Studio 9:30pm 

When Dr Jane Foster gets 

cursed with a powerful entity 

known as the Aether, Thor is 

heralded of the cosmic event 

known as the Convergence and 

the genocidal Dark Elves. 

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, 

Natalie Portman, Tom 

Hiddleston

32 


DT 

PLAN TO BORROW FROM 

FOREX RESERVES PAGE 12 

Back Page 

BD TRYING HARD 

TO PREPARE PAGE 24 

DICAPRIO TO PRODUCE 

CAPTAIN PLANET MOVIE PAGE 30 

Sheikh Russel’s 

52nd birth 

anniversary 

celebrated 


The 52nd birth anniversary of 

Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of 

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was observed 

yesterday. 

On October 18, 1964, Sheikh 

Russell was born at the family’s historic 

residence in Dhanmondi Road 

32, now converted into a museum. 

It was there also that Sheikh 

Russel was killed along with most 

of his family members on August 

15, 1975 when he was a fourth grader 

at University Laboratory School. 

Awami League and its associated 

bodies observed the day 

through various programmes, reports 

UNB. 

The ruling party leaders placed 

floral wreaths at his grave at Banani 

graveyard in the morning. 

Sheikh Russel Jatiya Shishu 

Kishore Parishad organised a discussion 

programme at the Krishibid 

Institution auditorium marking 

the birth anniversary, where 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was 

present as chief guest. 

At the programme, Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina asked all children 

of the country to attentively 

pursue their studies to make them 

worthy citizens required for a competitive 

future world, reports BSS. 

“You are the future leader of the 

country and you have to keep pace 

with the world. So you have to be 

attentive to your studies and to be 

prepared with modern science and 

technology-based education to 

take forward the nation,” she said. 

The PM also distributed prizes 

among winners of different sports 

and cultural competitions arranged 

on the occasion and later enjoyed a 

cultural programme performed by 

members of the parishad. • 

Robi-Airtel merger gets final 

nod from BTRC 

• Ishtiaq Husain 

Bangladesh Telecommunication 

Regulatory Commission (BTRC) 

has given the go-ahead to the 

long-awaited merger of mobile 

phone operators Robi Axiata Ltd 

and Airtel Bangladesh Ltd. 

The merger, first of its kind in 

Bangladesh, was approved at a regular 

meeting of the telecommunication 

regulator yesterday. 

Now the two companies will run 

as a single entity under the name 

Robi, with the second largest subscriber 

base in Bangladesh, sources 


Robi Axiata currently has over 

26 million subscribers while Airtel 

has nearly 10 million, according to 

BTRC data. 

Welcoming the merger approval, 

BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan 

Mahmood said the merger would 

bring a positive change for the industry. 

The management of Robi hopes 

that the merger will be complete by 

the end of this year. 

Earlier on August 31, the High 

Court approved the amalgamation 

of the two mobile phone giants. 

Following the High Court’s approval, 

Robi Axiata’s Chief Corporate 

and People Officer Matiul 

Nowshad said: “This approval 

strengthens our ability to contribute 

to the process of realising 

the government’s vision of Digital 

Bangladesh at a much greater 

WB president lauds BD’s achievements 

• Anisur Swapan, Barisal 

World Bank President Jim Yong 

Kim hailed the development of 

Bangladesh in poverty alleviation 

and women empowerment during 

his short visit to Barisal yesterday. 

Kim said as people of Bangladesh 

were hard-working, they never 

fell behind. 

He went Barisal to visit the WB 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poses for a photo with children at the end of a discussion programme organised by Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad at the 

Krishibid Institution auditorium yesterday marking the 52nd birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel 

BSS 

funded project in Rakundia village of 

Babuganj upazila and Bharshakathi 

village of Wazirpur upazila. 

The project named Notun Jibon 

(new life) began in 2012 under the 

supervision of Social Development 

Foundation (SDF), an autonomous 

and not-for-profit organization by 

the government under the Ministry 

of Finance, aiming to alleviate 

poverty of local women and lift 

their standard of living. 

Kim expressed his satisfaction 

over the success of the project after 

talking to some women of Rakundia 

Gram Samity (Rakundia village 

association), who were benefitted 

from the project. Kim said Bangladesh 

would get more investment 

assistance from the WB. 

Later, He visited Bharshakathi 

Primary School and cyclone centre 

scale. As a customer-centric company, 

we are excited by the prospect 

of serving a larger subscriber 

base with vastly enhanced network 

capacity.” 

The merger was signed by Malaysia-based 

Axiata Group Berhad 

and India-based Bharti Airtel Ltd 

in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in January. 

At the end of last year, the two 

operators applied to the BTRC to 

merge their companies in Bangladesh. 

Upon completion of the merger 

process, Robi Axiata Ltd will hold 

68.3% controlling stake in the company 

while Airtel’s parent company 

Bharti Airtel will hold 25% stake. 

The remaining 6.7% stake will be 

at Uzirpur and also planted a coconut 

sapling on its premises. 

SDF Chairman NI Chowdhury 

and the project officials accompanied 

Kim. 

Meanwhile, our correspondent 

talked to Sheuli Begum, a beneficiary 

of the project at Rakundia village, 

about the visit of Kim. 

Sheuli said: “I am very happy 

that the World Bank president has 

held by NTT Docomo of Japan, another 

shareholder of Robi Axiata. 

Robi and Airtel will have to fulfil 

some conditions mandated by 

the High Court as well as the conditions 

precedent defined in the 

merger agreement. 

After the merger, Robi will have 

to pay the government a merger fee 

of Tk100 crore and the spectrum 

fee of Tk507 crore. 

Apart from the merger fee, the 

Post and Telecommunication Division 

has also fixed the 2G spectrum 

fee at Tk33.8 crore per megahertz, 

a BTRC official said. 

The merger and spectrum fees 

were finalised at an inter-ministerial 

meeting chaired by Finance 

Minister AMA Muhith on July 13. • 

visited my home and talked to me.” 

Sheuli is doing well now with 

her three children. 

Her eldest son works at a factory, 

while the other reads in class 

eight. Her daughter is a student of 

class four. 

When Kim asked her whether 

she would arrange her daughter’s 

marriage at the age of 15, she asserted 

that she would never do it. • 

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

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