ePaper_2nd Edition_November 9, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016 | Kartik 25, 1423, Safar 8, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 192 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10 

US goes to polls 

› 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10

2 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016 

DT 

News 

Voting in full swing in US 

• Tribune Desk 

After a long and exceptionally negative 

campaign, Americans by the 

millions began voting yesterday 

for their next president as opinion 

polls showed Democrat Hillary 

Clinton with a narrow lead over Republican 

Donald Trump. 

By noon, Trump had sued Clark 

County election officials in Nevada 

over allegedly favouring Democratic 

voters. 

In a battle that focused on the 

character of the candidates, Clinton, 

69, a former US first lady, senator 

and secretary of state, and Trump, 

70, a New York businessman, made 

final, fervent appeals to voters late 

on Monday to turn out at the polls. 

Clinton led Trump by 44% to 39% 

in the last Reuters/Ipsos national 

tracking poll before Election Day. 

A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation 

poll gave Clinton a 90 percent 

chance of defeating Trump and 

said she was on track to win 303 

Electoral College votes. 

Polls begin to close at 7pm Eastern 

Time (6am today), with the first 

meaningful results due about an 

hour later. US television networks 

called the winner of the 2008 and 

2012 presidential elections at 10am 

or shortly after. Victory in US presidential 

elections is earned not by 

the popular vote, but by an Electoral 

College system that awards the 

White House on the basis of stateby-state 

wins, meaning a handful 

of states where the race is close assume 

an outsized importance. 

The marathon US election campaign, 

which kicked off in early 2015, 

has been unusually negative, with 

each candidate accusing the other of 

lacking the character and judgment 

to be president. Majorities of voters 

in opinion polls have viewed both 

candidates unfavorably. 

America's Hispanics hit back 

• Abu Sayeed Asiful Islam, back from the 

United States 

Careful what you say. You never know when it 

will come back to bite you. 

This is sage advice that Republican presidential 

candidate Donald Trump should have heeded 

before making disparaging remarks about 

Mexican Americans and Hispanics. 

In a quiet restaurant in Denver's 16th Street 

Mall, an efficient young lady – part white, part 

Hispanic – is busy taking orders. 

During a lull in the day, she tells the Dhaka 

Tribune: “What is at stake [in the 2016 US presidential 

elections] is the very soul of the United 

States.” 

The Metropolitan State University student 

continues: “People say they don't like Hillary 

Clinton because she's a politician, but so, by 

definition, is Trump. And at least she doesn't go 

around making racist speeches.” 

The 20-year-old, asking not to be named because 

“the restaurant management might not 

like it,” says she is going to vote to defend “an 

America that is open and inclusive, not closed 

and exclusive.” 

This sentiment has taken Latino voters by 

storm. 

First female president? 

Trump and Clinton were seeking to 

become the 45th president of the 

An unexpected surge in Hispanic voting in 

Florida, Arizona and Texas has got Republicans 

feeling the heat. 

Florida Democratic strategist Steve Schale estimates 

that “Hispanic turnout in 2016 has already 

exceeded — by 170,000 ballots — Hispanic early 

voting in the entire 2012 cycle,” Politico reports. 

This is significant. 

In 2012, exit polls suggested that Latinos 

helped Barack Obama trounce Mitt Romney, 

giving Obama 71% of their vote to 21% for his 

opponent. 

This year, the sleeping giant of Latino votes 

has risen from its long slumber. 

In 2012, Latinos logged a mere 48% voter 

turnout compared to a 60% national average. 

White turnout was 62%, black 66%. 

Obama's first victory in 2008 saw the highest 

voter turnout since John F Kennedy was voted 

into office, with 61% showing up on election 

day. 

This year, turnout could be as high as 64%, 

historian Peter Kuznick believes. 

“If everybody just shows up to vote, I believe 

we'll get the America we believe in,” the waitress 

tells me. 

Donald Trump has given Latinos very good 

reason for doing so. • 

United States and the successor 

to Democrat Barack Obama, who 

served two four-year terms in the 

White House and is barred by the 

US Constitution from seeking another 

term. 

Clinton, who is aiming to become 

the first female US president, 

cast her ballot at an elementary 

school near her home in Chappaqua, 

New York early on Tuesday 

morning. Trump, a former reality 

TV star, received a mixture of 

cheers and jeers as he arrived to 

vote at a school in Manhattan. 

More than 40 million voters cast 

ballots before Election Day in early 

voting in many states. 

Trump, launching his first bid for 

elected office after decades as a public 

figure, has positioned himself as 

an agent of change, vowing to crack 

down on illegal immigration and 

end trade deals he says are harming 

US workers. He was expected 

to draw support heavily from white 

voters without college degrees. 

Clinton was likely to draw support 

from college-educated voters 

and Hispanic and black voters. 

She has vowed to largely continue 

the policies of Obama. 

An early indicator of who might 

prevail could come in North Carolina 

and Florida, two must-win 

states for Trump that were the subject 

of frantic last-minute efforts by 

both candidates. 

A strong turnout of voters for 

Clinton could jeopardise Republican 

control of the Senate, as 

voters choose 34 senators of the 

100-member chamber on Tuesday. 

Democrats needed a net gain of 

five seats to win control. 

Trump’s vice presidential candidate 

is Mike Pence, the governor of 

Indiana. Clinton’s running mate is 

US Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. • 

People attend an event on November 6 in Cutler Bay, Florida. Experts say black and Hispanic 

turnout is surging as many hope to keep Donald Trump out of the White House 

AFP

News 3 


Bangladeshis who are voting for Trump 

Bangladeshi-Americans apparently favour Clinton but Shy Tories – conservative voters whose 

answers mislead pollsters – in any community could lead to unexpected election results 

DT 

Former US President Bill Clinton, centre, and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, at right, vote at Douglas G 

Griffin School on November 8 in Chappaqua, New York 

AFP 

• Abu Sayeed Asiful Islam, 

back from the United States 

Sitting on a bench in Battery Park, 

a leafy enclave on the southern 

tip of Manhattan, a newly arrived 

Bangladeshi immigrant to the United 

States agrees to tell me who he's 

going to vote for. 

“I am voting for Trump,” he 

says, with the Statue of Liberty in 

the background, just across New 

York Harbour. 

He's not alone. Trump's Bangladeshi 

supporters who have spoken 

to the Dhaka Tribune include a 

well-to-do, Buet-trained computer 

scientist based in California and a 

New York City banker. 

This stunning admission requires 

explanation. He asks to remain 

anonymous, but agrees to 

explain his reasons. 

“I am not offended by his concern 

about Muslims; there is a 

problem. Even in our country. 

What's wrong with careful screening?” 

he asks. 

Does he have family in Bangladesh? 

“Yes,” he says, but: “I have my 

wife and children here with me.” 

So a travel ban of the 

kind Trump has said he 

favours would not affect his family 

directly. 

“Trump is fresh, he's rich and 

life in New York City has been 

tough. The country needs somebody 

to get the economy going,” he 

says. 

“America is a big country. It has 

strong laws. He cannot… nobody 

can… do anything that is not allowed. 

His tough talk is just talk. 

But he knows what to do,” he reassures 

me. 

So Trump's bluster is all a bluff? 

In the Jackson Heights area of 

Queens, another borough of New 

York City, I mention this conversation 

to a Bangladeshi-American 

working at a little general store. A 

second-generation American, he is 

aghast at the prospect of a member 

of his community voting Republican, 

let alone for Donald Trump. 

Like others in the tight-knit 

community, he believes Trump's 

xenophobic rhetoric is partially to 

blame for a number of murders of 

Bangladeshi Americans over the 

summer. 

The shooting of a Bangladeshi-American 

Imam and his assistant 

in Queens in August and 

the fatal stabbing of a 60-year-old 

Bangladeshi woman a block and a 

half away just two weeks later are 

being investigated as possible hate 

crimes. 

To be sure, the vast majority of 

Bangladeshi-Americans that spoke 

to the Dhaka Tribune said they favour 

the Democratic Party, if not 

Hillary Clinton herself. 

But the community could have 

its share of Shy Tories – conservative-minded 

voters whose answers 

mislead pollsters and lead to unexpected 

election results. 

If a significant number of such 

voters exist in any vote bloc, it could 

mean a stunningly different outcome 

today than is being forecast. 

The Shy Tory phenomenon 

could well be at play in 2016 because 

of Donald Trump's peculiar 

brand of electioneering. Many who 

support him may shy away from 

open affiliation with his campaign 

for fear of being stigmatised. 

Trump's controversial campaign, 

described by opponents as 

frequently racist and often Islamophobic, 

has not deterred some 

Muslims from saying will vote for 

him anyway. 

Despite Trump's call last year for 

"a total and complete shutdown" 

of Muslims entering the United 

States, 12% of Arab-American Muslims 

said they would vote for the 

Republican candidate, according 

to a recent Zogby Analytics survey. 

Sixty-seven percent said they'd 

vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. 

The reason behind Muslims who 

would vote for Trump? 

" … there are people who are 

culturally Republican and simply 

cannot bring themselves to vote 

for a Democrat,” said Jim Zogby, 

co-founder and president of the 

Arab American Institute, which 

commissioned the poll. His nephew 

Jonathan is CEO of Zogby Analytics. •

4 


DT 

News 

Sayedul slams media over Nasirnagar 

• Kamrul Hasan and 

Adil Sakhawat 

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad 

Sayedul Haq slammed the 

media saying they blew the Brahmanbaria 

communal violence out of 

proportion at a programme held at 

Ashutosh Pilot High School field in 

Nasirnagar upazila yesterday. 

Local MP, Sayedul accused the 

media, saying: “They (media) have 

turned the issue into an international 

issue.” 

According to the minister, anti-liberation 

forces are inciting communal 

violence because they want to hinder 

the developmental progress made by 

the prime minister. 

He said the answers lie with the 

drivers of the 14 trucks that brought 

in young people wearing shorts and 

carrying local arms from Madhabpur 

to find out who were behind the attacks. 

The local lawmaker claimed the 

incident was created to distance him 

from the goodwill of the local people 

by BNP as they never managed to get 

a seat in the area. 

In addition, he also blamed some 

Awami League leaders from Dhaka 

inciting the communal violence in 

the area because they want to be part 

of local politics. 

Addressing the programme, Home 

Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal 

assured locals that justice will be 

served: “We have taken necessary 

steps and have identified the perpetrators. 

It may take some time, but we 

will take legal actions against them.” 

The Inspector General of Police 

(IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque spoke at 

the programme urging people to call 

the police directly when incidents 

take place. 

He assured that the identity of the 

informer will be kept secret. 

People from Brahmanbaria stage a demonstration in the capital’s Shahbagh area yesterday protesting attacks on Hindus in 

Nasirnagar 

MAHMUDHOSSAINOPU 

He also asked people to file cases 

by themselves if anyone hurts their 

religious sentiment, instead of forming 

a mob. 

“If you are afraid to file a case, 

then inform the police so that police 

can file a case. Let us carry out our 

responsibilities with due process,” he 

said. 

The IGP also urged everyone to be 

careful about believing every rumour 

they hear and asked people not to 

gather into groups and organise mob 

justice rallies. 

The IGP assured that he would 

personally supervise the case so that 

the charge sheet can be filed as soon 

as possible. 

“The perpetrators would be 

brought to justice after a speedy completion 

of its trial,” he promised the 

locals. 

Charu Chandra Brammachari, advisor 

of Nasirnagar Eskon committee 

asked the authorities to find the perpetrators 

and bring them to trial as 

soon as possible to avoid such attacks 

in the future. 

“The Muslim community and 

Muslim clergymen will have to step 

forward,” he said. 

Brahmanbaria Superintendent of 

Police (SP) Mizanur Rahman reiterated 

that no perpetrators of the attack 

will be spared and there is concrete 

evidence against them. 

“We have arrested some 74 people 

by identifying them from footage 

and photos of the incident,” he also 

assured: “No innocent people will be 

harassed.” 

State Minister for Sports, Biren 

Shikder said the communal violence 

is an another form of terrorism. 

The programme was chaired by 

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan 

Kamal following his visit to Brahmanbaria 

accompanied by State Minister 

for Sports Biren Shikder, IGP AKM 

Shahidul Hoque, local MP Sayedul 

Haque to the vandalised Gouro temple, 

where they met with the Hindu 

community leaders. 

On October 30, a mob vandalised 

some 17 temples and ransacked 58 

Hindu homes in Nasirnagar over an 

alleged defamatory Facebook post by 

a Hindu youth, Rasraj. 

More than 100 people were injured 

during the communal violence 

which locals alleged were instigated 

by the influential members of their 

community. 

The ruling Awami League suspended 

three of its Nasirnagar unit leaders 

for their alleged involvement. • 

Charge 

pressed 

against BCL 

leader Badrul 

• Md Sirajul Islam, Sylhet 

Police have submitted the charge 

sheet accusing BCL SUST unit 

leader Badrul Alam for the attempt 

to murder move on Khadiza Akter 

Nargis. 

Shahporan police station SI and 

also the case’s Investigation Officer 

Harun-or Rashid placed the charge 

sheet before Chief Metropolitan 

Magistrate Kazi Abdul Hannan’s 

court on Tuesday morning. 

In a press briefing on the court 

premise after the submission 

that took place after 35 days of 

the incident, Sylhet Metropolitan 

Police Additional Deputy 

Commissioner (Sadar Dakkhin) 

Zedan Al-Musa said all elements of 

the sensational murder move have 

closely been examined and a total 

of 36 people were made witness in 

the 151-page charge sheet. 

Badrul was made only accused 

in the case, he also said. 

When contacted, the lawsuit’s 

litigant and also Khadiza’s paternal 

uncle Abdul Kuddus expressed 

satisfaction at the development. 

On October 3, BCL SUST unit 

leader Badrul Alam, attempted 

Khadiza hacked to death but she 

survived. Later, she was taken 

to Square Hospitals on October 

6 where her first operation was 

conducted. 

Later she underwent second 

operation on October 15. She was 

taken to cabin leaving life support 

on October 13. On Monday, doctors 

conducted third surgery on her left 

hand, left leg and skull. • 

President 

Md Abdul 

Hamid confers 

the Award 

of National 

Standard to 

BNS Isha Khan, 

country’s largest 

naval base, on 

its premises 

yesterday, 

recognising its 

outstanding 

services in the 

naval force. 

ISPR

News 5 


CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE 

COP22 

Bangladesh’s climate vulnerability unimproved 

DT 

• Abu Siddique 

Bangladesh is among the ten most 

affected countries in the world that 

has been facing extreme climate 

related events in the last two decades, 

according to the Global Climate 

Risk Index 2017. 

Honduras, Myanmar and Haiti 

have been identified as the most 

affected countries in the 20-year 

period between 1996 and 2015. 

They are followed by Nicaragua, 

the Philippines, and Bangladesh, 

said the report launched yesterday 

at UN Climate talks in Marrakech. 

Poor countries in general are 

more exposed to the ravages of super-storms, 

drought, heatwaves, 

and flooding, all of which have become 

more intense and frequent due 

to human-induced global warming. 

“The distribution of climatic 

events is not fair,” the report’s lead 

author Sönke Kreft said, noting 

that the world’s least developed 

countries have emitted only a small 

fraction of the greenhouse gases. 

Mozambique tops the list of nations 

most affected on the 2015 climate 

risk index, followed by Dominica, 

Malawi and India. Myanmar, 

Ghana and Madagascar are also 

among the top 10. 

The Long-Term Climate Risk Index (CRI) 

The 10 countries most affected from 1996 to 2015 

CRI 

1996–2015 

(1995–2014 

Country 

The index measures level of 

exposure and vulnerability to extreme 

events. 

The index 2017 analyses to 

what extent the countries have 

been affected by the impacts of 

weather-related events like storms, 

floods, heatwaves, etc - considering 

the most recent data available 

from 1996 to 2015. 

CRI 

score 

Death toll 

Deaths per 

100 000 

inhabitants 

Regarding future climate 

change, the index may serve as a 

red flag for already existing vulnerability 

that might further increase 

in regions where extreme events 

will become more frequent or more 

severe due to climate change, the 

report added. 

It again shows that Bangladesh 

needs to adopt immediate steps to 

Total losses 

in million 

US$ PPP 

Losses per 

unit GDP 

in % 

Number of 

events (total 

1996–2015) 

1 (1) Honduras 11.33 301.90 4.36 568.04 2.100 61 

2 (2) Myanmar 14.17 7145.85 14.71 1300.74 0.737 41 

3 (3) Haiti 18.17 253.25 2.71 221.92 1.486 63 

3 (4) Nicaragua 19.17 162.90 2.94 234.79 1.197 44 

5 (4) Philippines 21.33 861.55 1.00 2761.53 0.628 283 

6 (6) Bangladesh 25.00 679.05 0.48 2283.38 0.732 185 

7 (8) Pakistan 30.50 504.75 0.32 3823.17 0.647 133 

8 (7) Vietnam 31.33 339.75 0.41 2119.37 0.621 206 

9 (10) Guatemala 33.83 97.25 0.75 401.54 0.467 75 

10 (9) Thailand 34.83 140.00 0.22 7574.62 1.004 136 

SOURCE: CLIMATE RISK INDEX 2017 

assess the in-depth geographical 

area and sector specific climate risk 

assessment especially for effective 

evidence based adaptation that 

was emphasised in the Paris Agreement, 

said M Zakir Hossain Khan, 

climate finance analyst for TIB. 

Moreover, it is required for 

proper and efficient adaptation 

finance as well as claim resources 

under the Warsaw International 

Mechanism of Loss and Damages, 

he added while talking to the 

Dhaka Tribune. 

He also emphasised on ensuring 

transparency and community participation 

in adaptation efforts to 

get the best output. 

Climate models predicting that 

global warming enhances both the 

intensity and frequency of such 

events have been borne out by a 

crescendo of deadly weather, especially 

over the last decade. 

More than half-a-million people 

worldwide died as a direct result 

of almost 11,000 extreme weather 

events from 1996 to 2015, according 

to the report, which has been 

tracking risk, country-by-country, 

for more than a decade. 

Storms, heatwaves, floods and 

other climate-related natural disasters 

caused upwards of three 

trillion dollars (2.7 trillion euros) 

damage over the same period. 

During those two decades, the 

worst hit countries were Honduras, 

Myanmar and Haiti. 

The Philippines, Bangladesh, 

Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand 

were also among the worst affected, 

taking into account both fatalities 

and the cost of other damage. • 

Fund release key issue for vulnerable nations 

• Rezaul Karim Chowdhury 

and Saqib Huq 

Several contentious issues coming 

from the most vulnerable countries 

(MVC) to climate change will 

be prioritised in the talks at the 22st 

Conference of Parties which kicked 

off on Monday at Marrakech in 

Morocco with the participation of 

thousands of participants, from developed 

and developing countries. 

Firstly, the demand for a specific 

institutional mechanism and a 

five-year work plan for the Loss and 

Damage track which has already 

been agreed upon under the Warsaw 

Institutional Mechanism (WIM). 

MVCs, which consist of Bangladesh, 

the Philippines and island 

states from Asia and Pacific, demand 

an additional adaptation 

finance around $50 billion, on priority 

basis. 

A road map on 

getting $100 billion 

climate finance 

from 2020, with 

the provision of 

getting this money 

as additional 

beyond the Official 

Development 

Assistance 

Another priority demand is a 

road map on getting $100 billion 

climate finance from 2020, with 

the provision of getting this money 

as additional beyond the Official 

Development Assistance (ODA). 

Besides these, another popular 

demand is that the developed 

countries and advanced developing 

countries (India and China in 

particular) have to increase their 

ambition with respect to INDC 

(Intended Nationally Determined 

Contribution) to reduce their carbon 

emission targets. 

According to the calculation of 

the submitted INDC, accumulated 

global emissions will drive global 

temperatures up to around 3.5 degrees 

Celsius by 2100. 

However, the Paris Agreement, 

adopted last year at the COP21, 

stipulates that global temperature 

rise will have to be limited to 1.5 

degrees, or failing that, under 2 degrees. 

Congolese Environment Minister 

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, chair of 

the LDC group, said in a statement 

LDCs needed fair and ambitious 

action to construct robust rules 

for implementing the Paris Agreement. 

He emphasised the importance 

for communities around the world 

to pursue efforts to keep temperatures 

below 1.5 degree, and for 

that, there needed to be an “upward 

spiraling of commitments to 

cut emissions.” 

As such, the LDC group aims 

to launch a “Renewable Energy 

and Energy Efficiency Initiative” 

(REEEI), which looks to address 

the challenges that most developing 

countries face in responding to 

climate change and ensuring a sustainable 

future. 

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu said his 

hope was that this initiative would 

help LDCs leapfrog fossil fuel based 

energy systems and generate prosperity 

by bringing in modern, clean 

and resilient systems. 

To make global emission reduction 

successful, vulnerable countries 

demand a transparent process 

such as ones that follow the Measurable-Reportable 

and Verifiable 

(MRV) standard, in INDC implementation. 

In addition, the MVCs want to 

fix a “Picking Year,” the designated 

starting point for mitigation 

efforts, as the time-frame is very 

urgent for them. 

Apart from these, it is expected 

that there will be a task force on 

who will be working for climate 

induced displacement. But the displacement 

issue is not in agenda 

list this year. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

DRY WEATHER 

LIKELY 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 

Dhaka 30 18 Chittagong 29 24 Rajshahi 30 19 Rangpur 30 19 Khulna 30 18 Barisal 30 18 Sylhet 30 17 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:15PM 

SUN RISES 6:10AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

31.6ºC 18ºC 

Chandpur 

Tetulia 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 30 23 

Fajr: 5:35am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:00pm | Magrib: 5:30pm 

Esha: 7:30pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 


DT 

UP chairman 

among two shot 

dead in Comilla 

• Mahiuddin Mollah, Comilla 

A Union Parishad 

chairman 

and his relative 

were shot 

dead in Daudkandi 

upazila, 

Comilla yesterday 

morning. 

Monir Hossain 

The victims 

are Jiarkandi UP chairman and also 

Titas upazila Jubo League joint 

convenor Monir Hossain, 45, and 

his brother-in-law Mohiuddin, 30. 

Three others injured in the attack 

are Md Oli, Ismail and Sumon. 

They were now undergoing treatment 

at Dhaka Medical College 

Hospital. 

According to witnesses, a gang 

of armed men attacked the car 

carrying Monir at Gouripur in the 

morning when they were going to 

Comilla to appear before a court. 

Monir’s cousin Mosharraf Hossain 

said the assailants dragged 

Monir out of the car and shot him. 

They also shot and hacked other 

car passengers. 

Later, Monir and Mohiuddin 

died on the way to Dhaka Medical 

College Hospital. 

Rabiul Hasan who was in the 

car with Monir said: ‘We were six 

people in the car. When Monir got 

off the car, Julhas, a mussleman of 

Sohel Sikdar, started shooting at 

Monir. Later, Shakil, Rasel and Ahsan 

joined him. I somehow managed 

to flee the scence.’ 

This correspondent tried to contact 

with Sohel Sikdar, vice-chairman 

of the upzila and also organising 

secretary of upzila unit Awami 

League, but failed. 

The motive behind the murder 

remains unclear. Additional police 

have been deployed, as a tense situation 

is prevailing in the area. 

Local sources said the killing incidents 

had taken place over establishing 

supremacy in the party and realising 

toll of an auto-rickshaw stand. 

A case was filed in connection 

with the killing. • 

News 

Locals form a human chain in Chapainawabganj town yesterday, demanding repair of Chapainawabganj-Rajshahi Highway 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

YOUTH TORTURED TO DEATH 

Jubo League leader placed on remand 

• Bipul Sarker Sunny, Dinajpur 

Court accepts RU 

teacher Rezaul 

murder case 

• Abdullah Al Dulal, 

Rajshahi 

A court in Rajshahi has 

agreed to hear the case of 

Rajshahi University English 

department teacher 

Rezaul murder. 

The court led by Judge 

Zahidul Islam accepted the 

case yesterday, said Police 

Inspector Abul Hashem. 

Earlier, police on November 

6, submitted the 

charge sheet accusing 

eight people, six months 

after the murder. 

Investigative officer of 

the case Rezaus Sadik submitted 

the charge sheet, 

said Rajshahi Metropolitan 

Police spokesperson and 

Senior Assistant Commissioner 

Iftekhar Alam. 

He said a total of eight 

people have been accused 

in the case; three of them 

are dead. 

They are Khairul Islam 

Badal, Nazrul Islam and 

Usman. Number one accused 

Shariful Islam is still 

a fugitive. The rest of the 

accused– Ripon, Abdus 

Sattar, Rahmatullah and 

Maskawath alias Abdullah 

– are in jail now. All of 

them have been given deposition 

under Section 164. 

“The charge sheet has 

been submitted to Rajshahi 

Metropolitan Magistrate’s 

Court. They will 

select which court the case 

would be referred to,” he 

also said. 

Contacted, Rajshahi 

DB Police Inspector and 

IO of the case Reazaus 

Sadik said, “This is a very 

complex case. That’s why 

the investigation took so 

much time to sort out the 

accused.” 

Mentionable, Professor 

Rezaul Karim was brutally 

hacked to death on April 

23, near his own residence 

at Shalbagan area in Rajshahi 

city. His son Riasat 

filed a murder case with 

Boalia police station. • 

Jubo League leader Golam Mirza 

Mamun were placed on a three-day 

remand in connection with the killing 

of Monjurul Islam. 

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate 

FM Ahsanul Haque passed 

the order after investigation officer 

of the case Shyamal Kumar Barmon 

filed a petition seeking seven day remand. 

The court also fixed November 

10 for the next hearing. Rapid 

Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two 

people in connection with the murder 

of Monjurul Islam on Thursday. 

The arrestees are – Golam Mirza 

Mamun, 35, son of Abdul Matin of 

Khodmadhab area and Mithun, 30, 

son of Yusuf Ali, a resident of Uposhohor 

area in the district town. 

On November 1, Monjurul Islam, 

a young truck helper allegedly 

tortured in the rest house at Tayeba 

Mazumdar Red Crescent Blood 

Bank succumbed to his injuries at 

Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. 

Monjurul Islam’s family said he 

was inhumanely tortured. 

Monjurul was allegedly abducted 

on the night of October 25 and 

tortured about drug shipments in 

the truck he was on. • 

Outlawed party 

man killed in 

gunfight 

• Hedait Hossain, Khulna 

A member of the Purba Bangla 

Communist Party (PBCP) was 

killed in a gunfight with police at 

Damodar village, Fultala upazila in 

the early hours of yesterday. 

The deceased was identified as 

Belel Hossain, who was a resident 

of Jugnipasha village of the upzila. 

Police also recovered one shooter 

gun, four bombs, and two 

rounds of bullets from the spot. 

Police sources said Belal was accused 

in nine cases filed with different 

police station of the district. 

Asaduzzaman, officer-in-charge 

of Fultala police station, told the 

Dhaka Tribune that police during 

a patrol noticed presence of 

some members of the PBCP and 

gave them signal to stop. But the 

extremists opened fire at them, 

prompting a retaliation that triggered 

a gunfight. 

At one stage, Belal was caught in 

the line of fire and received bullet 

injuries while others managed to 

flee the scene. 

Belal was taken to Fatullah 

Upazila Health Complex where 

doctors declared him dead. Four 

policemen were also injured in the 

incident, said sources at police. •

News 7 


DT 

WHAT THE POLLS 

ARE SAYING 

ELECTORAL COLLEGE 

CLINTON 322 TRUMP 216 

182 50 90 43 19 

154 

CA 

55 

WA 

12 

OR 

7 ID 

4 

NL 

6 

AZ 

11 

UT 

6 

MT 

3 

WY 

3 

NM 

5 

CO 

9 

ND 

3 

SD 

3 

NE 

5 

TX 

38 

KS 

6 

OK 

7 

MN 

3 

IA 

6 

MO 

10 

AR 

6 

LA 

8 

WI 

10 

IL 

20 

MS 

6 

IN 

11 

MI 

16 

TN 

11 

AL 

9 

KY 

8 

OH 

18 

GA 

16 

WV 

5 

SC 

9 

FL 

29 

PA 

20 

VA 

13 

NC 

15 

NY 

29 

VT 

3 NH 

4 

ME 

4 

11 MA 

4 

7 

14 

3 

10 

3 

RI 

CT 

NJ 

DE 

MD 

DC 

Split Electoral Votes 

ME 3 1 i 

AK 

3 

ME 3 1 1 

CENTER FOR POLITICS, 

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA 

HI 4 

FiveThirtyEight 

polls-plus polls-only nowcast* 

The Upshot PredictWise PEC 

71.6% Clinton 71.6% Clinton 71.6% Clinton 84% Clinton 88% Clinton 99% Clinton 

Chance of a Clinton victory: 81% 

SLATE.COM

DT 

8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Pakistan arrests militants 

over murder of famed 

singer 

Pakistani police have arrested two 

militants accused of assassinating 

one of the country’s best known Sufi 

musicians, a provincial minister said 

Monday. Amjad Sabri, a renowned 

Qawwal or sufi singer was shot dead 

by two gunmen riding a motorcycle 

in Karachi in June, triggering an 

outpouring of grief over what police 

described as an act of terror. REUTERS 

Clinton or Trump? 

INDIA 

3 Indian diplomats accused 

of spying leave Pakistan 

Pakistani officials say that three out 

of eight Indian diplomats accused 

by Islamabad of spying have left 

the country to return home. The 2 

officials say the three Indians left 

Pakistan on Tuesday and that the 

other 5 “undercover agents” will 

also leave Islamabad soon. AP 

CHINA 

Hong Kong lawyers march 

against Beijing ruling 

Hundreds of lawyers and law 

students, all dressed in black, 

marched silently through Hong 

Kong Tuesday in protest at a ruling 

by China which effectively bars 

two pro-independence legislators 

from taking office. They snaked 

peacefully through the city from 

the high court to the court of final 

appeal after the unprecedented 

decision Monday, which has shaken 

semi-autonomous Hong Kong’s 

faith in the rule of law. AFP 

ASIA PACIFIC 

S Korea president takes fresh 

hit over PM nomination 

South Korea’s scandal-hit president 

Park Geun-Hye suffered a fresh 

blow Tuesday as she effectively 

agreed to withdraw her chosen 

nominee for prime minister in 

the face of parliamentary opposition. 

Park had sought to replace 

her prime minister as part of an 

extensive cabinet reshuffle aimed at 

restoring public trust in her administration, 

which has been engulfed 

by a corruption scandal. REUTERS 

MIDDLE EAST 

IS abducts more than 200 

near Mosul 

Islamic State fighters abducted 295 

former Iraqi Security Forces members 

near the militant stronghold 

of Mosul and also forced 1,500 

families to retreat with them from 

Hammam al Alil town, the United 

Nations human rights organisation 

said on Tuesday. The abductions 

took place last week as Iraqi forces 

pushed an offensive to recapture 

Mosul from Islamic State. REUTERS 

• AFP, Washington, DC 

With an anxious world watching, 

Americans began voting Tuesday 

on whether to send the first female 

president or a volatile populist tycoon 

to the White House. 

The kickoff marks the end to a 

campaign like no other – exhausting, 

often bitter – as Hillary Clinton 

and Donald Trump presented 

radically different visions of how 

to lead the world’s greatest power. 

Clinton has a slim lead in the 

polls but no one was ruling out a 

Trump win. 

Democratic frontrunner Clinton 

and Republican maverick Trump 

campaigned into the early hours 

of election day, capping a gruelling 

final day of wooing voters. 

The 69-year-old former first 

lady, senator and secretary of 

state – backed by A-list musical 

stars and incumbent President 

Barack Obama -- urged the 

country to unite and vote for “a 

hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted 

America.” 

Trump meanwhile pressed his 

message with voters who feel left 

behind by globalisation and social 

change, wrapping up with a flourish 

on his protectionist slogan: 

“America first.” 

Some 40 million Americans 

have already cast ballots in states 

that allow early voting, and opinion 

polls suggest Clinton has a 

slight edge. 

In their kick-off midnight vote, 

the residents of tiny Dixville Notch 

in New Hampshire cast their traditional 

first-in-nation ballots with a 

total of eight votes – Clinton getting 

four and Trump, two. 

The others went to a fringe candidate 

and Mitt Romney, the failed 

Republican hopeful in 2012. 

A polling average by tracker site 

RealClearPolitics gave Clinton a 

3.3-percentage point national lead, 

but Trump is closer or even has the 

advantage in several of the swing 

states that he must conquer to pull 

off an upset. 

‘Corrupt elite’ 

No results or exit polls will be 

available before polling stations 

begin to close on the US East Coast 

from 7:00pm (0000 GMT Wednesday), 

and it may be three or more 

hours after that before the direction 

of the race becomes clear. 

And even then, questions remain. 

Trump has repeatedly 

warned that a “corrupt Washington 

and media elite” is seeking to 

rig the race and he said last month 

that he may not concede defeat if 

he thinks voting is unfair. 

He has also threatened to lodge 

lawsuits against up to a dozen 

women who have come forward 

during the race to accuse him of 

sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour. 

Clinton has pushed a more optimistic 

vision, despite a wobble 

in the final weeks of her campaign 

when the FBI reopened an investigation 

into whether she had put 

US secrets at risk by using a private 

email server – only to close it again 

on Sunday. 

In a radio interview on the last 

night of the race, she said the 

matter was behind her, and she 

courted voters at her final rallies 

in Philadelphia with Obama and 

rocker Bruce Springsteen, and 

in North Carolina with pop diva 

Lady Gaga. 

At the same time, Trump, who 

hijacked his conservative party 

and turned it into a vehicle for 

populist bombast, concluded a 

last-gasp tour of swing states by 

REUTERS 

painting his rival as doomed to defeat 

and the corrupt creature of a 

discredited elite. 

‘I will fight for you’ 

“Do you want America to be ruled 

by the corrupt political class, or 

do you want America to be ruled, 

again, by the people?” he demanded 

at a rally in New Hampshire, a 

state won in 2012 by Obama that 

Trump hopes to flip into his column. 

Promising to end “years of betrayal,” 

tear up free trade deals, 

seal the border, halt the drug trade 

and exclude all Syrian refugees, 

Trump told his supporters: “I am 

with you and I will fight for you 

and we will win.” 

Trump’s campaign spooked 

world markets seeking stability after 

the recent global slowdown. 

Last week, US stocks as measured 

by the S&P 500 index fell for 

nine straight days for the first time 

since 1980, only to recover a little 

when the FBI confirmed Clinton 

would not face prosecution over 

her emails. 

Asian markets were up slightly 

on Tuesday as the world remained 

on tenterhooks for the result. •

World 

Asia sees changed US relationship, 

whoever wins 

• Reuters, Tokyo/Jakarta 

Win or lose, Donald Trump’s campaign 

has changed the way countries 

in Asia view their relationships 

with Washington. 

Final polling suggests the most 

likely outcome is a victory for 

Hillary Clinton. But even Clinton, 

an architect of the US strategic 

pivot to Asia, has some work 

ahead of her in rebuilding trust, 

analysts and former officials in 

Asia said. 

Trump’s harnessing of a populist 

backlash against immigration 

and global trade has challenged 

the ideal of benevolent American 

power that helped shape the 

global economy - and the forces of 

globalization - since the fall of the 

Soviet Union in the early 1990s. 

Now the United States faces a 

rising China, long an economic 

force and now becoming more assertive 

in geopolitics - building its 

military capability and ignoring 

an international tribunal’s ruling 

against its claims to most of the 

South China Sea. 

Trans-pacific partnership 

Asia is most worried about trade 

protectionism - exports make up a 

quarter of Asia’s GDP and a fifth of 

them go to the United States. 

The Trans-Pacific Partnership 

(TPP) trade deal, championed by 

Barack Obama in part to increase 

US influence in Asia, was to be an 

essential feature of Washington’s 

strategic pivot to Asia - an “economic 

Nato”. 

It now looks dead in the water. 

Both Clinton and Trump oppose 

the deal, which would set up a 

free trade zone among 12 countries 

that excludes China. 

With US allies such as Japan, 

South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore 

among the biggest winners of 

an open trade regime, a more isolationist 

and protectionist stance 

will cost Washington influence in 

Asia. 

Ironically, it would be China, 

the subject of many of Trump’s 

tirades, that could emerge the big 

winner as uncertainty over Washington’s 

future commitment to 

Asia pushes countries into dealing 

more closely with Beijing. 

Philippine President Rodrigo 

Duterte has been particularly hostile 

towards Washington over its 

criticism of his lethal anti-drugs 

campaign, announcing a “separation” 

from the United States during 

last month’s visit to China. 

Security worries 

China has long been in Trump’s 

sights, with promises to declare 

it a currency manipulator and impose 

punitive tariffs on imports. 

But any such moves could also 

hurt Asian exporters who ship 

components there for assembly 

and export to the United States, 

at a time when global trade is already 

weakening. 

Gareth Leather, senior Asia 

economist at Capital Economics, 

said the Philippines, Taiwan and 

South Korea were the emerging 

Asia economies most vulnerable 

to a Trump presidency. 

“Perhaps the biggest risk to 

the region’s economies, however, 

stems not from Trump’s trade policies, 

but from his foreign policy,” 

Leather said. 

Trump has created doubts 

over his commitment to security 

alliances, suggesting Japan and 

South Korea need to pay more for 

a US military presence and that 

they should even develop their 

own nuclear capability to counter 

China and North Korea. • 

FACTBOX 

Party dominance in Congress at stake, Senate in play 

• Reuters, Washington, DC 

Power in the US Congress, a key issue 

for the next president, could shift 

on Tuesday in Senate and House of 

Representatives elections, with Democrats 

trying to break Republican majorities 

in both chambers and having a 

good shot in the Senate. 

Here are the basic on what is at 

stake and 10 key races. 

People cast their votes for US president at Centerville High School, in Centreville, Virginia, Polling stations on Tuesday 

US Senate, 100 seats 

Senators serve six-year terms. A third 

of the Senate is up for re-election 

every two years. Procedural rules in 

the Senate mean 60 votes are needed 

to advance major initiatives. 

Republicans entered the election with 

54 seats, led by Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, 

versus the Democrats’ 44 seats and 

two independent seats. The Democrats’ 

leader in the next Senate is expected to 

be New York’s Chuck Schumer. 

The Democrats have a 56%t 

chance of winning a Senate majority, 

said a New York Times poll on Monday. 

The Republicans this year must 

defend 24 seats; the Democrats, 10. 

In 2018, Democrats must defend 23 

seats, plus two independents’ seats; 

Republicans, only eight. 

US House, 435 seats 

Members of the House serve twoyear 

terms and all members are up for 

re-election every two years. 

To advance most bills in the House, 

218 votes or more are needed. Republicans 

went into the elections holding 

247 seats to the Democrats’ 188. 

The Republican leader is Speaker 

of the House Paul Ryan of Wisconsin; 

the Democrats’ leader is Nancy Pelosi 

of California. 

To win a majority, Democrats need 

to gain 30 seats. Polls project Democratic 

gains of only five to 20 seats. 

Key Senate races: 

Arizona: Republican Senator John Mc- 

Cain, 80, faces an unexpectedly strong 

challenge from Democratic US Representative 

Ann Kirkpatrick, 66. McCain, 

a Vietnam War hero who was the presidential 

nominee in 2008, has had some 

very public differences with Trump. 

Florida: Republican Marco Rubio, 

the failed presidential contender, faces 

Democratic Representative Patrick 

AFP 

Murphy, 43. Rubio, 45, had been expected 

to end his political career after 

losing Florida’s Republican presidential 

nominating contest to Trump, but he 

changed his mind and ran for a second 

Senate term. 

Indiana: Democrat Evan Bayh, 60, 

is trying to recapture his Senate seat, 

facing Republican Representative 

Todd Young, 44. Bayh left the Senate 

in 2011 to be a lobbyist. Bayh or Young 

will replace Republican Senator Dan 

Coats, who is retiring. 

Illinois: Republican Senator Mark 

Kirk is trying to fend off a challenge 

from Democratic Representative Tammy 

Duckworth. Kirk, 57, suffered a 

stroke that sidelined him for much of 

2012. Duckworth, 48, is a double-amputee 

Iraq War veteran. • 

9 


USA 

New Hampshire hamlet 

casts first US votes 

DT 

The US presidential election got under 

way – on a small scale – with the 

seven voters of a tiny New Hampshire 

village who cast the nation’s 

first ballots at the stroke of midnight. 

Dixville Notch has had the honour of 

launching the voting, symbolically, 

since 1960. The tally was announced 

in a matter of minutes: the Democratic 

candidate Hillary Clinton beat 

out her Republican rival Donald 

Trump, four to two. AFP 

THE AMERICAS 

Nicaragua president easily 

wins new term 

President Daniel Ortega overwhelmingly 

won re-election to a 

third consecutive term in official 

results announced Monday. With 

nearly all votes counted, the ticket 

of the former guerilla leader and 

first lady Rosario Murillo captured 

72.5%, compared with 15% for the 

next-closest finisher among five 

lesser-known challengers. AP 

UK 

UK govt to appeal Brexit 

ruling within days 

The British government said 

Monday it would appeal this week 

against a High Court ruling that 

the prime minister cannot start the 

process of leaving the EU without 

parliament’s approval. “It’s likely 

that any hearing will be scheduled 

in the Supreme Court in early 

December,” Brexit minister David 

David told parliament just days 

after Thursday’s shock ruling. AFP 

EUROPE 

Hungary MPs block 

PM’s bid to bar refugee 

resettlement 

Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday 

blocked Prime Minister Viktor 

Orban’s bid to change the constitution 

to bar the resettlement of 

refugees, after the radical right 

Jobbik party refused to support the 

bill. While all 131 MPs of Orban’s 

ruling right-wing coalition voted in 

favour, the bill failed to pick up an 

extra two votes to reach a required 

two-thirds majority. REUTERS 

AFRICA 

Ethiopia lifts travel 

restrictions on diplomats 

Ethiopia on Tuesday lifted a ban on 

foreign diplomats leaving the capital 

Addis Ababa, imposed as part of 

a countrywide state of emergency 

following unprecedented anti-government 

protests. A statement published 

on the state-controlled Fana 

Broadcasting Corporate website 

said the government “has lifted the 

directive which restricts diplomats 

from travelling beyond a 40km 

radius out of Addis Ababa without 

notification”. REUTERS

10 

US 


DT 

Elections 2016 

FOURTEEN STATES TO WATCH IN THE US VOTE 

“Battleground states” that will be instrumental in the outcome of the US presidential race between Democrat 

Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump 

History of the national vote 

Winner Ronald REAGAN George Bill CLINTON George W. BUSH Barack OBAMA 

BUSH 

Year, party 1980 1983 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 

(Rep.) 

(Dem.) 

How the 14 voted 

Nevada NV 

6 

Electoral 

college votes 

Arizona AZ 

Colorado CO 

Missouri MO 

11 

9 

10 

Iowa IA 

Source : RealClearPolitics/270towin.com 

6 

RCP collated 

poll results 

as of November 7 

NV 

Leaning 

Clinton 

Georgia GA 

16 

AZ 

CO 

Wisconsin WI 

Leaning 

Trump 

Florida FL 

IA 

10 

MO 

WI 

Unclear 

29 

Michigan MI 

MI 

OH PA 

VA 

NC 

GA 

FL 

16 

NH 

North Carolina NC 

WINNERS OF THE US POPULAR VOTE SINCE 1960 

50* 

Kennedy 

Democrat 

61 

38 

Johnson 

43* 

Nixon 

61 

38 

Nixon 

48 

Carter 

Republican 

50 

51 

59 

41 41 

Reagan 

Reagan 

In percent of votes 

53 

46 

G. H. Bush 

43 

37 

Clinton 

49 

41 

Clinton 

15 

51 

48* 48 

G. W. Bush 

G. W. Bush 

New Hampshire NH 

Ohio OH 

4 

Virginia VA 

18 

Pennsylvania PA 

53 

46 

Obama 

20 

13 

51% 

47% 

Obama 

THE US ELECTORATE 

% of eligible voters in 2016 

69% 12 

Black 

White 

12 

Hispanic 

or latino 

4 

3 

Asian 

Other 

Sources: Pew Resarch Center projection, US Census Bureau 

WHITE EVANGELICALS 

20% 

HISPANIC VOTERS 

12% 

of the US electorate 

Lean towards the Republicans 

Romney 

2012 78% 

McCain 

2008 

74% 

Crucial in 6 battleground states 

Ohio 

Iowa 

Virginia 

Missouri 

N Carolina 

Georgia 

>20% 

of the population 

in these states 

Sources: Pew, PRRI 

80 

of the 538 

electoral 

college votes 


% of eligible voters who 

voted in the 2012 election 

47 

Asian 

64% 

White 

AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS 

13% 

48 

Hispanic 

WOMEN VOTERS 

Democrat-Republican split 

Obama 

2012 

Obama 

2008 

51% 

55% 

56% 

44% 

43% 

66 

Black 

Romney 

2012 

McCain 

2008 

Unmarried women outnumber 

married women voters 

for the 1st time in 2016 

unmarried 

women 

In 2012 

26% 

of eligible 

voters 


>60% 

of unmarried women 

voted Democrat 

Most married women 

voted Republican 

Sources: Center for American Women 

and Politics, CNN exit polls, 

RealClearPolitics 


1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 

Source: FEC, USelectionatlas.org 

*Difference of less than 1% 

THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE Oct 28 

Collated opinion polls as of November 7 

In percent 

Hillary Clinton 

Democrat 

Donald Trump 

Republican 

Source: RealClearPolitics 

55% 

50 

45 

40 

35 

30 

July 28 

Investiture 

July 20 

Investiture 

Sept 2 

FBI releases files 

on Clinton’s use 

of private 

email server 

Oct 28 

Renewed 

Election debates 

email probe 

Nov 8 

Sept 26 

Oct 9 Oct 19 Election 

1st debate 2nd 3rd 

Nov 

Sept 11 

7 

Taken ill 

in public 

46.9% 

Oct 1 

Reports 

on Trump’s 

tax records 

Oct 7 

Video of lewd 

remarks about 

women 

July Aug Sept Oct Nov 

44.3% 

Lean towards the Democrats 

Obama 

2012 

Obama 

2008 

71% 

67% 


Nevada 

Colorado 

Arizona 

14% 



Source: Census Bureau 

55 

Florida 

of the 538 

electoral 

college votes 

Overwhelmingly Democrat 

Obama 

2012 

Obama 

2008 

93% 

95% 


N Carolina 

15% 



73 

Sources: Census Bureau, exit polls 

Virginia 

Georgia 

Florida 

of the 538 

electoral 

college votes

World 

11 


DT 

India withdraws 

larger banknotes in 

fight against graft, 

black money 

• Tribune International Desk 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi on Tuesday announced that 

500 and 1000 rupee banknotes 

would be withdrawn from the financial 

system at midnight, saying 

it was part of a crackdown on rampant 

corruption, reports Reuters. 

The surprise step appears to be 

designed to bring billions of dollars 

worth of cash in unaccounted wealth 

into the mainstream economy. 

"Black money and corruption 

are the biggest obstacles in eradicating 

poverty," he said in an address 

to the nation. 

New 500 and 2,000 rupee denomination 

notes will be issued 

later, he added. 

The now defunct Rs500 and 

Rs1000 notes can be deposited at 

post offices and banks without any 

charge till December 30, Modi said. 

The move may be unprecedented 

in an economy as large as that of 

India's. The country's GDP is $1.87 

trillion and there is 28 trillion rupees 

in circulation. 

The government has been fighting 

the menace of black money and 

corruption ever since it assumed 

power two years ago, said Modi. He 

also urged people to help government 

in its fight against fake currency 

and black money. 

Fighting corruption was one of 

the key election promises of the 

Modi government. 

Banks will be closed across India 

for public business on November 9, 

to allow them to tackle the rush of 

people who might want to deposit 

their notes. 

In a paper published earlier this 

year, Peter Sands, the former chief 

executive of Standard Chartered, 

argued in favour of abolishing large 

currency denominations to cripple 

criminal organisations and white 

collar crime. 

Former US treasury secretary 

and economist Larry Summers has 

also written in favour of the idea. 

Prime Minister Modi expressed 

the confidence that the staff of 

banks and post offices will rise to the 

occasion to introduce the new order 

within the available time. He said 

he is hopeful that political parties, 

workers, social organisations and 

the media will go further than the 

government in making it a success. •

DT 

12 

Business 


BASIC Bank making up losses 

• Jebun Nesa Alo 

The scam-hit BASIC Bank is gradually 

offsetting its huge loss thanks 

to the loan rescheduling and releasing 

of some high cost deposits. 

The net loss of the bank came 

down to over Tk58 crore in September 

this year from the total loss 

of Tk314 crore in December last 

year. 

The bank had earlier incurred 

the highest amount of loss worth 

around Tk2,700 crore in the year 

2014, according to Bangladesh 

Bank data. 

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, 

BASIC Bank Chairman Alauddin 

A Majid said: “As the bank has 

released some high cost large deposits 

in an attempt to reduce the 

expenses, it ultimately contributed 

to shrink the overall loss.” 

“Loan rescheduling has also 

helped the bank to increase its interest 

income,” said Majid with a 

hope that the bank will see operating 

profits at the end of the year. 

The bank plunged into a loss of 

Tk53 crore for the first time in the 

year 2013 since its inception, compared 

to the net profit of over Tk2 

crore in 2012. 

The loss increased by 153.52% 

Swedish envoy: Bangladesh needs new 

export strategy for middle-income period 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

Capital market snapshot: 

Tuesday 

DSE 

Broad Index 4,691.1 0.0% ▲ 

Index 1,126.2 0.2% ▲ 

30 Index 1,763.8 0.1% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Tk 6,437.0 1.5% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Vol 156.9 -3.9% ▲ 

CSE 

All Share Index 14,414.1 0.1% ▲ 

30 Index 12,970.6 0.4% ▲ 

Selected Index 8,765.5 0.2% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Tk 372.0 7.6% ▲ 

Turnover in Mn Vol 11.0 6.2% ▲ 

during the year 2014 as the bank 

witnessed a negative growth with 

the piling of the default loans over 

the years. 

BASIC Bank rescheduled total 

loans of Tk4,170 crore during two 

years from 2015 to September this 

year. Despite huge loan rescheduling, 

the classified loan rate remained 

high at 52.52% as of September. 

Meanwhile, the board of the 

bank has been requesting Bangladesh 

Bank for long time to allow 

the bank to maintain high Advance 

Deposit Ratio (ADR) because of 

releasing some big deposits, said 

Swedish Ambassador in Dhaka Johan 

Frisell said Bangladesh should 

outline an export strategy for middle-income 

status period to maintain 

its global competitiveness in 

apparel sector as duty-free access 

facility would be taken back after 

graduation. 

Bangladesh currently enjoys duty-free 

access to markets like the 

European Union under the Generalized 

System of Preferences (GSP) 

for the least developed countries 

(LDCs). But it will lose the facility after 

reaching middle-income point. 

“Bangladesh has to think about 

trade regime and the long-term 

market access to the export destinations 

in the EU and others as it 

would not enjoy trade benefits under 

the GSP facilities after achieving 

the middle-income country status,” 

said Johan Frisell at a seminar 

yesterday. 

He said Bangladesh would have 

to pay 12% tax after becoming a 

middle-income economy. 

The seminar was held on Bangladesh’s 

$50bn export target, organised 

by the Bangladesh Denim 

Expo. Mostafiz Uddin, Founder and 

CEO of Bangladesh Denim Expo 

inaugurated the two-day expo in 

Dhaka yesterday. 

Swedish envoy said buyers 

wanted to know about market strategy 

and production sustainability 

for next five years. “Bangladesh has 

to work to get the GSP Plus so that 

buyers can continue to invest in 

and source from the country.” 

a senior executive of the central 

bank. 

It is noted here that if the deposit 

figure of a bank decrease and 

the loan goes up, the ADR will be 

higher. 

In response to the bank’s request, 

the central bank has relaxed 

the ADR limit for the BASIC Bank 

recently, so the bank can come out 

from the loss. 

The ADR of BASIC Bank went up 

to 91.90% as of September this year 

which is beyond the authorised 

limit of 80%, according to the central 

bank data. 

The total deposit of the bank 

“Importance should be given 

on bilateral trade issues earlier as 

it takes several years before a consensus 

over giving trade benefits 

is reached. The government can 

ensure zero-custom duty and zero-quota,” 

he added. 

Other panel discussants at the 

seminar put emphasis on branding, 

innovation, product diversification, 

social and environmental 

compliance and safety issues. 

Thomas Prinz, German ambassador 

to Bangladesh, said: “Branding 

is extremely important and it’s 

time to come up with the ‘Made 

in Bangladesh.’ Bangladesh has to 

concentrate on environmental and 

social compliance issues.” 

He said lots of progress have 

been made in safety standards in 

the RMG sector of the country but 

maintaining sustainability is necessary 

for the sector. 

German envoy suggested thinking 

about the safety inspection in 

factories after the departure of Accord 

and Alliance at the end of June 

2018. 

Najeed Sayed, country manger 

and dress director of PVH Bangladesh, 

said innovation is the first to 

stood at Tk13,626 crore as of September 

which was Tk14,066 crore 

in December last year. 

The top boss of BASIC bank has, 

however, identified higher administrative 

cost as a major cause behind 

the huge loss. 

“We are trying to reduce our administrative 

costs by cutting extra 

benefits offered to the high officers. 

But the high number of employs is 

still major concern for the bank,’’ 

said Majid. 

The capital shortfall of the bank 

stood at Tk2,423 crore as of December 

even after the capital support 

of Tk790 crore by the government 

in 2014. 

A Bangladesh Bank inspection 

detected many irregularities in four 

branches of the state-owned BASIC 

Bank-Motijheel, Shantinagar, Dilkusha 

and Gulshan branches that 

involved loans of around Tk4,425 

crore in between December 2009 

and November 2012. 

As the bank fell in severe financial 

crisis after the largest loan 

scam, the government dissolved 

the board of the bank in 2014. Later 

on, a new board took over the 

charge of bank and adopted a fresh 

strategy to revive the bank from a 

possible collapse. • 

promote Bangladesh. 

“Bangladesh is the second largest 

exporter but it will have to 

think how it could be the second 

in efficiency and productivity. We 

cannot talk about efficiency and 

productivity without innovation.” 

Najeeb said development of 

infrastructure is needed to decentralise 

industries to different parts 

of the country. 

BGMEA Vice President Mohammed 

Nasir moderated the panel 

discussion. • 

Asian markets up 

on Clinton hopes 

but traders on 

edge 

• AFP, Hong Kong 

Most Asian markets extended gains 

on hopes Hillary Clinton will beat 

Donald Trump in today’s presidential 

election but traders are 

cautious, with many opinion polls 

saying the race is too close to call. 

Global equities and risk assets 

surged Monday after the FBI said it 

would not pursue criminal charges 

against Clinton over her use of a 

private email server while secretary 

of state. 

The rally followed a week of turmoil 

sparked by the bureau’s announcement 

on October 28 it was 

looking into the issue, despite having 

cleared her once already in July. 

Clinton is considered by many 

investors to be a safer bet than 

Trump, who is seen as a loose cannon 

with policies many fear could 

wreck the world’s top economy. 

Hong Kong rose 0.5%, Sydney 

ended up 0.1%, Seoul gained 0.3% 

and Singapore was 0.3% higher. 

Wellington, Taipei and Manila 

also posted healthy advances but 

Tokyo closed marginally lower. 

Shanghai added 0.5% after investors 

brushed off news that 

Chinese exports fell for a seventh 

consecutive month in October, 

as weak global demand put another 

dent in the world’s number two 

economy. 

In early European trade London 

dipped 0.1% while Paris was 0.2% 

lower and Frankfurt was flat. 

“We’ve been swung this way 

and that over who may win, but expectations 

of a Clinton victory are 

firming,” said Toshihiko Matsuno, 

a senior strategist at SMBC Friend 

Securities Co. 

“Since it’s easier to predict 

policy with her, there’s more of 

a sense of security in the market. 

Stocks may price in 70 to 

80 percent (chance) of a Clinton 

victory today,” he told Bloomberg 

News. •

Prime Finance’s 

second mutual 

fund approved 

• Tribune Business Desk 

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange 

Commission has approved 

draft prospectus of Prime Finance 

Second Mutual Fund with a size of 

Tk50 crore, said the regulator in a 

statement yesterday. 

As per the draft prospectus, the 

face value of the Fund will be Tk10 

each unit. Of the total fund size, 

sponsors will contribute Tk20 crore 

and remaining Tk30 crore will be 

collected through sales of units. 

Meanwhile, the securities regulator 

fined CMSL Securities Tk2 

lakh and Salta Capital Tk5 lakh for 

breaching securities rules. 

CMSL was fined as it provided 

margin loan and netting facilities 

to the junk companies and showed 

confusing statistics about net capital 

balance. 

Salta Capital faced penalty as 

its some customer accounts had 

shortage of fund, triggered shortsale 

and gave special facilities to 

some of its customers. 

The commission also decided 

to issue warning letters to two brokerage 

firms—Arena Securities and 

Haji Ahmed Securities—for violation 

of securities rules. 

The regulator found that Arena 

Securities showed negative balance 

in one of its relatives BO account, 

provided money to some of 

its clients despite shortage of funds 

in their respective accounts and issued 

loan to non-imaginable securities, 

according to the statement. 

Haji Ahmed Securities was 

warned as it provided additional 

margin loan beyond regulatory 

limit, issued loan to nonimaginable 

securities and withdrew 

Tk3 crore from its customer 

accounts. • 

Business 13 

DT 


China exports, imports fall more 

than expected amid weak demand 

• Reuters 

China’s exports and imports fell 

more than expected in October, 

with weak domestic and global 

demand adding to doubts that a 

pick-up in economic activity in the 

world’s largest trading nation can 

be sustained. 

October exports fell 7.3% from a 

year earlier, while imports shrank 

1.4%, official data showed yesterday 

Indeed, China’s imports of iron ore, 

crude oil, coal and copper all fell in 

October, after its robust demand 

drove global prices of many major 

commodities higher this year. 

Though some analysts argued 

the decline may be seasonal, data 

from industry consultancy Custeel.com 

suggested steel mills 

have been cutting output and even 

starting maintenance work earlier 

than usual as soaring costs for raw 

materials such as iron ore and coal 

squeeze profits. 

Analysts polled by Reuters had 

expected October exports to have 

fallen 6% from a year earlier, compared 

to a 10% contraction in September. 

Imports had been expected 

to drop 1%, after falling 1.9% in 

September. 

“Our conclusion is that external 

demand remains sluggish but 

it has not worsened significantly. 

Although both exports and imports 

have fallen short of expectations, 

they have improved on a year-onyear 

basis,” economists at ANZ said 

in a note, noting the rate of decline 

in October had moderated from 

September. 

Still, China’s exports in the first 

10 months of the year fell 7.7% 

from the same period a year earlier, 

while imports dropped 7.5%. 

Exports have dragged on economic 

growth this year as global 

demand remains stubbornly sluggish, 

forcing policymakers to rely 

on higher government spending 

and record bank lending to boost 

activity. Weak exports knocked 

7.8% off the country’s GDP growth 

in the first three quarters of this 

year. 

Imports fell for the second 

month in a row in October after rising 

for the first time in nearly two 

Shadab Ahmed Khan, managing director, Coca-Cola Bangladesh, and Ziauddin Adil, managing director of Top of Mind, signs an 

agreement as the agency of record for corporate affairs. They signed the document recently in Dhaka 

PR 

Workers sort steel elements at the construction site of the terminal for the Beijing New Airport in Beijing 

years in August. 

That left the country with a trade 

surplus of $49.06bn for the month, 

versus forecasts of $51.70bn, and 

September’s $41.99bn. 

In yuan-denominated terms, 

the trade numbers weren’t as bad, 

indicating that the currency’s slide 

to six-year lows has provided some 

support for exporters. Yuan-denominated 

shipments have only 

fallen 2% this year, with imports 

down 1.8%. 

“Yuan depreciation should be 

Stocks end flat with 

higher turnover 

• Tribune Business Desk 

Stocks closed flat yesterday amid 

volatility, as late profit booking cut 

early gains. 

The benchmark index of Dhaka 

Stock Exchange DSEX gained almost 

2 points to 4,691. 

The DS30 index, comprising blue 

chips, rose about 1 point to 1,763. The 

DSE Shariah Index DSES was fractionally 

up nearly 2 points to 1,126. 

The Chittagong Stock Exchange 

Selective Category Index CSCX rose 

marginally 15 points to 8,765. 

Market turnover increased marginally 

by more than 1% to Tk643 

crore over previous session. 

Large cap sectors showed mixed 

performance. Power sector was the 

REUTERS 

positive for exports, but it only provides 

some support for exporters 

when they convert dollar income 

into yuan, but cannot reverse the 

trend,” said Merchants Securities 

economist Liu Yaxin in Shenzhen. 

While recent data had suggested 

the world’s second-largest economy 

was steadying, analysts have 

warned that a property boom which 

has generated a significant share of 

the growth may be peaking, dampening 

demand for building materials 

from cement to steel. • 

highest gainer soaring 1.7%, followed 

by telecommunications 1% 

and pharmaceuticals 0.4%. 

Non-banking financial institutions 

and engineering sectors remained 

flat while banking sector 

was the highest loser shedding 0.6%, 

followed by food and allied 0.5%. 

The market breadth largely remained 

negative as out of total 321 

scrips traded on the DSE, 112 closed 

positive, 151 negative and 58 remained 

unchanged. 

Confidence Cement was the 

most traded share with a turnover 

of Tk50 crore. 

Other turnover leaders included 

Doreen Power, Shasha Denim, Power 

Grid, Saif Powertec and Mobil Jamuna 

Limited Bangladesh. •

14 


DT 

Advertisement

Business 15 

DT 


CORPORATE NEWS 

Shimanto Bank Limited has recently launched its debit card, said a press release. The bank’s chairperson, 

Major General Aziz Ahmed inaugurated the product 

AB Bank has recently opened an ATM booth at RFL Industry Park in Kaligonj, said a press release. The 

bank’s MD, Shamim Ahmed Chaudhury was present on the occasion along with Uzma Chowdhury, director 

(finance) of PRAN-RFL Group 

Standard Bank Limited has recently signed an agreement with Peninsula Chittagong and Sayman Beach 

Resort on providing the bank’s employees and its VISA cardholders with discounts at the resort, said a 

press release. The resort’s head of sales and marketing, Md Imran Humayun Khan and the bank’s head of 

card division, Sharif Zahirul have signed the agreement

16 


DT 

Feature 

Countering violent extremism in Bangladesh 

What do the youth think? 

vulnerable to radicalisation; 

incorporating values of tolerance, 

pluralism, respect, dignity, nonviolence 

and ethics in the civil 

education curricula; promoting 

religious education by authentic 

scholars who reject violence and 

extremism in order to prevent 

youth being misguided by 

The Bangladesh 

government has so 

far shown a strong 

political will and 

determination to 

counter terrorist 

groups 

• Saiful Haque Tusar, Iftikhar A 

Rashid and G M Shoeb 

Bangladesh has hit global 

headlines in recent months 

following a series of terrorist 

attacks on bloggers, journalists, 

foreigners, religious minorities, 

spiritual leaders and academics. 

This has unfortunately generated 

a sense of insecurity and negative 

perceptions of youth in the 

country. 

In this backdrop, MOVE 

Foundation has taken the initiative 

to reach out to youth from diverse 

backgrounds – students of public 

universities, private universities, 

national colleges, qawmi 

madrassas, religious and ethnic 

minorities, faith leaders and young 

professionals – in order to listen to 

their perspectives on preventing 

radicalisation, upholding freedom 

of speech, building tolerance and 

respecting differences of opinion 

in society. Between August and 

September 2016, a series of daylong 

workshops was conducted 

on tolerance, respect and peace 

to reinforce the spirit of pluralism 

and provide counter-narratives 

rejecting religious militancy. 

124 youth aged between 18 to 35 

years actively participated in six 

workshops held in Dhaka. 

With the generous support 

of the Embassy of the Federal 

Republic of Germany in Dhaka, 

the workshop culminated in 

MOVE Foundation pioneering a 

youth network of ‘Community 

Peace MOVErs’ comprising of 

university and madrassa students 

to develop creative initiatives in 

preventing violent extremism and 

building social cohesion in urban 

communities. The objectives 

of the workshops were to guide 

youth to identify conflict drivers 

and mitigation strategies, promote 

the spirit of freedom of speech, 

democracy and pluralism amongst 

youth, disseminate religious 

perspectives against terrorism 

as counter narratives preventing 

the radicalisation of youth, 

mainstream conflict resolution 

strategies as an effective 

mechanism for CVE and build 

a network of Community Peace 

MOVErs to serve as a permanent 

platform for peacebuilding by 

youth at the local level. 

The workshops were conducted 

through standard participatory 

approaches including brain 

storming, interactive discussions, 

group exercises, scenario analysis, 

lectures, and question answer, 

were employed to ensure active 

participation and maximum 

involvement of youth. During the 

Countering Violent Extremism 

session, a video on the recently 

developed app ‘Hello CT’ of 

the Dhaka Metropolitan Police 

was promoted for community 

collaboration in fighting terrorism. 

Posters and videos of the Rapid 

Action Battalion (RAB) as well 

as relevant verses of the Holy 

Quran and narratives of Al- 

Hadith denouncing terrorism 

were disseminated to the youth 

participants. 

The workshop reinforced 

the spirit of freedom of speech, 

democracy and pluralism amongst 

youth participants in order to 

motivate their peers in practicing 

tolerance and respecting 

differences of opinion. It equipped 

the participants with a handson 

understanding of conflict 

resolution tools and counternarratives 

against religious 

extremism amongst urban youth 

communities. The participants 

gained a strong understanding and 

appreciation of the role of youth 

in peacebuilding and countering 

violent extremism, thereby 

internalising the SDG Goal 16 

(peaceful and inclusive societies) 

and UNSC Resolution 2250 (youth, 

peace and security). 

One of the most important 

aspects of the workshop was to 

ensure that the youth were having 

their voices heard. According to 

the opinions that surfaced during 

discussions, it was obvious that 

the participants felt they were 

not adequately integrated with 

CVE measures undertaken by the 

government and civil society, 

and that a section of the media 

may be inadvertently generating 

sympathy for terrorists by 

simplified reporting on “good 

boys turning into extremists”. It 

was also agreed that the spirit of 

community collaboration has to be 

mainstreamed in law enforcement 

agencies from the central to the 

local levels. 

The recommendations that 

were put forward included 

affordable and adequate mental 

health support, including 

psychological counseling, 

being made available for youth 

in conflict situations and/or 

misinterpretations of scripture; 

propagating counter narratives 

rejecting religious extremism 

through traditional and social 

media; increasing opportunities 

for intellectual and cultural 

activities by youth, including 

debating, writing and theatre 

groups to channel their energy in 

a positive direction; and raising 

awareness about the nature of 

social media to prevent rumours 

triggering violence. 

Given recent terrorist trends 

in Bangladesh, including the 

July 1 hostage siege in Dhaka, 

government-civil society-youth 

collaboration in countering violent 

extremism is more important than 

ever. The Bangladesh government 

has so far shown a strong political 

will and determination to counter 

terrorist groups, including 

dismantling their organisational 

capacity and operational space. 

The immediate priority for 

the government, educational 

institutions and civil society is 

now to counter the radicalisation 

process underpinning violent 

extremism and terrorism by 

developing counter-narratives 

to prevent the ideological and 

tech-based recruitment of youth 

by specific local and transnational 

terrorist groups. The MOVE 

Foundation workshop series with 

youths gave an opportunity to 

interact with youth from diverse 

age and backgrounds in imparting 

knowledge on conflict analysis 

tools. •

Feature 

17 


DT 

Nasty women at Dhaka Lit Fest 

How women are carving their destinies despite what ‘society’ thinks 

• Features Desk 

Today is Election 

Day! By the time this 

paper is printed, 

we will hopefully 

know whether the United 

States has elected its first 

female President or its first 

openly racist-bigoted-sexist 

President. Among the many 

scandals, controversies and 

lawsuits that have mired the 

US presidential race, one of 

the most highlighted ones 

have been Trump’s completely 

lax attitude towards consent, 

and his belief that rich men 

can do basically what they 

want to the women they want. 

But even before this 

shocking news turned 

Trump’s campaign on its head, 

his attitude towards his female 

opponent, starting from his 

constant discussion of her 

husband’s life and career to 

his patronising pat on her back 

at the end of every debate, has 

put every feminists’ teeth on 

edge. Out of the many, many 

low moments that Trump 

had during the presidential 

debates, one particular 

moment that stuck and went 

viral on media was when 

Trump called Clinton ‘a nasty 

woman’. 

This election has been 

largely defined by gender 

politics, and Trump’s 

comments have sparked 

some very serious concerns 

regarding cultural prejudices 

against strong, accomplished 

women. The ‘woman card’ 

has definitely been an issue 

throughout, and those who 

don’t support either candidate 

have also accused Clinton of 

claiming to be a champion 

of women’s rights without 

actually doing anything for 

women. As Susan Sarandon 

recently put it, she won’t be 

voting for Trump but not for 

Clinton either, “because I 

don’t vote with my vagina and 

this is so much bigger than 

that”. 

To dive into this debate, 

the Dhaka Literary Fest 2016 

will also be featuring a starstudded 

panel titled ‘Nasty 

Women’ to discuss prejudices 

against strong women who 

are carving out their destinies, 

despite what ‘society’ thinks, 

says, enables or doesn’t. 

The panel will feature the 

following women. 

Barkha Dutt 

One of India’s best-known journalists, Dutt is also the youngest to receive 

the Padma Shri Award. In a career that spans 23 years, she has done 

conflict reporting in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt and 

Libya, and interviewed some of the biggest political leaders across the 

world, including The Clintons. She is currently consulting editor with 

NDTV, and is also the author of This Unquiet Land: Stories from India’s 

Fault Lines. 

The Dhaka Literary Fest 2016 will also be 

featuring a star-studded panel titled ‘Nasty 

Women’ to discuss prejudices against 

strong women 

Evie Wyld 

An Anglo-Australian author, Evie Wyld has published three books and a 

graphic memoir, and has won several awards including Australia’s Miles 

Franklin Award in 2014. In 2013, she was listed as one of Granta’s Best of 

Young British Novelists. 

Deborah Smith 

Deborah Smith is the winner of the 2016 International Man Booker Prize 

along with Hang Kang for the translation of Kang’s The Vegetarian. In 2015 

Deborah completed a PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, 

University of London, on contemporary Korean literature, and founded 

Tilted Axis, a non-profit press focusing on contemporary and cuttingedge 

Asian fiction in translation. 

Bee Rowlatt 

Bee Rowlatt is a writer and journalist who authored In Search of Mary, 

inspired by the life of pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who 

Rowlatt has described as her hero and inspiration. In Search of Mary 

won the UK’s ‘Real Life Reads’ 2016 and made the Independent’s Best 

Biographies list. She also co-wrote Talking about Jane Austen in Baghdad 

and is one of the writers in Virago’s Fifty Shades of Feminism. She is also 

a regular guest on BBC Woman’s Hour and has reported for BBC World 

Service, Newsnight, and BBC2. 

Lady Nadira Naipaul 

A Pakistani journalist, Lady 

Naipaul was born Nadira Khannum 

Alvi and raised in Kenya. Her 

career as a journalist also involves 

working for Pakistani newspaper 

The Nation for ten years. •

18 


DT 

Feature 

In conversation with Professor Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam 

The Dean of FBS, University of Dhaka talks 

about university education in Bangladesh and 

his vision to take FBS global 

• Rad Sharar Bin Kamal 

The Faculty of Business Studies 

(FBS), University of Dhaka 

organised an International 

Conference on Business and 

Economics on October 25-26, 2016. 

The theme of the conference was 

“Reinventing Business for the 21st 

Century.” 

The objective of the conference 

was to bring together academics 

and professionals to a common 

forum for developing strategies 

to meet the challenges of global 

business in the years to come. 

The event itself facilitated the 

sharing of valuable experiences, 

exchange of fresh ideas, fostering 

of innovation and establishment 

of research relations amongst 

the participating individuals and 

institutions. 

After the conference, Professor 

Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, Dean 

and Professor of FBS, University 

of Dhaka, spoke on how the 

conference integrated with his 

vision to develop university 

academics in Bangladesh, and how 

much further we all must leap. 

Perspective: After the 

independence of Bangladesh, 

the quality of education at local 

universities is perceived to be 

consistently deteriorating. Most 

universities lack appropriate 

incentive to carry out research, 

and even if they do, they barely 

receive the recognition and value 

they deserve. That culture of 

appreciating the value of research 

has not fundamentally developed 

in Bangladesh as of yet, a grave 

problem that this conference aimed 

to tackle. 

May I ask, what is you your opinion 

on the matter? 

First of all, unlike primary and 

secondary education which 

is largely “textbook-based”, 

university education in the 

modern world concentrates more 

on research and innovation. 

However, contrary to the global 

practice, the same ‘textbook’ 

education system prevails in most 

of Bangladesh as it always did; the 

trend has not changed much over 

the years. That, to be honest, is 

not university education. By and 

large, in Bangladesh, it involves no 

application of creativity, relies on 

memorisation and pays no heed 

to how such knowledge may be 

applicable to the students’ career 

and livelihood. 

Hence, we felt it was high 

time we took steps to address 

this alarming scenario. FBS has 

operated self-sufficiently over 

the last decade without relying 

on any government subsidy. We 

have been doing our research, 

observing how conferences 

are being carried out abroad by 

leading educational institutions 

and wish to implement the same 

in Dhaka. 

We asked ourselves: Why 

can’t we? We have the most 

meritorious students, all of whom 

are handpicked, and from them 

only the best of the lot are given 

the opportunity to teach. They 

are what is considered to be the 

crème de la crème of the society. 

If we don’t give these people the 

opportunity to carry out their own 

research, if we are unable to utilise 

their talents for the development 

of our society, then it would be a 

great failure for us as a nation. 

We took the leap of faith and 

organised the country’s first 

international conference of 

business and economics. The 

conference was a success, judging 

by both local and international 

standards. The incentives we 

provided motivated researchers 

across the country and beyond to 

take part. Most importantly, the 

What is your vision of FBS for the foreseeable 

future? 

In a single sentence, it is my wish to go global with 

FBS and see the Faculty of Business Studies being 

recognised as a prodigious educational institution, not 

only as part of the University of Dhaka, but as one of 

the most formidable business schools in the world. 

conference gave them an idea of 

where our university education 

is headed to, their roles in it and 

where they currently stand. 

We believe that through 

international collaborations and 

networking both in the immediate 

short-run and the long-run, 

we can have a great impact on 

researchers; their recognition and 

subsequently, value of their work. 

During your tenure of two 

consecutive terms, FBS has seen 

numerous structural improvements 

in terms of campus enhancement, 

Faculty infrastructure development 

and academic excellence. With 

respect to the last point, how do you 

wish to take the field of academics a 

step further? 

This Faculty is very rich in 

academics, but the talent it has 

got to offer is still to spread its 

wings and fly. The students of 

the Faculty, as I stated before, 

are extremely qualified and the 

university itself has a wealth of 

distinct and rare characteristics. 

The issues arise with financial 

constraints. Simply put, we need 

funds to take this university 

forward. Even now, we are trying 

to accumulate resources to 

operate at par with international 

educational institutions. 

We are proud to be considered 

as one of the best universities 

in the world, not through the 

recommendations of paid 

international ranking platforms, 

rather our merit. We are ranked at 

the apex by people, academicians 

and researchers. 

Those who have seen us, met 

us and visited us know what we 

are, how we operate and how 

much further we have come 

over the years in terms of global 

standards. We no longer need to 

provide statements showing our 

AACSB ranks, the world knows 

us quite well already. When the 

foreign universities ask about 

our AACSB rankings and all, my 

reply is, ‘Why do you need AACSB 

rankings? You need the rankings 

because ranks are usually needed 

to attract students. Students enroll 

and pay tuition fees, which brings 

in revenue and eventually, higher 

rankings. At this faculty, there are 

no tuition fees! We don’t need that 

here, do we?” 

What is your vision of FBS for the 

foreseeable future? 

In a single sentence, it is my wish 

to go global with FBS and see 

the Faculty of Business Studies 

being recognised as a prodigious 

educational institution, not only 

as part of the University of Dhaka, 

but as one of the most formidable 

business schools in the world. •

Biz Info 

19 


DT 

| talk | | offer | 

Future leaders for better Bangladesh 

Skip the knife 

Industry-Academia collaboration 

is necessary to produce market 

driven graduates and NSU has 

been arranging such meetings 

with corporate leaders since 

its inception. This year, on 

November 6, 2016 NSU held a 

program titled ‘Future leaders for 

better Bangladesh’ where CEO’s 

and HR heads of high-profile 

national and multinational 

companies attended and 

shared their views at a hotel 

of the capital city. Prof. Atiqul 

Islam, Vice Chancellor chaired 

the session and Azim Uddin 

Ahmed, Chairman, BOT and 

few other BOT members and 

industrialists, NSU Alumni 

and Sr. Assistant Secretary, 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

Munsurin Khan Chowdhury, 

Zara Jabeen Mahbub, Head of 

Communication, Brac Bank 

Ltd; Chief Engineer, IEB; Jamal 

Uddin Ahmed, Member, Board 

of Directors, Bangladesh Bank, 

Shahid Hossain, Managing 

Director, Southeast Bank 

delivered speeches. 

Later a video presentation on 

NSU was shown. 

An interactive session was 

conducted where Country Heads 

and HR heads gave their feedback 

on job requirements and market 

demands as they expect a good 

number of qualified graduates 

from NSU each year. They 

expressed their deep satisfaction 

over the success rates of NSU 

graduates across the world. • 

Botox treatments are the fastestgrowing 

sector of the cosmetic 

and aesthetic field where more 

and more people are turning for 

a safe and effective alternative 

to actual plastic surgery. Often 

described by clients and medical 

practitioners as the new “fountain 

of youth”. 

These youth-enhancing 

treatments are now available at 

Dr Jhumu Khan’s Laser Medical 

Centre. For enquiries, contact: 

Branch:House # 15, 4th Floor, 

(Sonargaon Janapath Road), 

Sector # 13, Uttara, Dhaka, 

Bangladesh 

Phone : 01954 333888, 

01784 111 888 • 

| treatment | | event | 

Critical congenital heart defect treated at 

Apollo Hospitals Dhaka 

Food and Art at Favola in Le 

Méridien Dhaka 

Master Ibrahim, a lively young 

child of 7 years and 8 months 

was born with a congenital defect 

of the heart which prevents the 

baby’s blood from being fully 

oxygenated. This lively child 

remained sick very frequently 

and his parents wanted to provide 

him with the best medical 

treatment. Many healthcare 

facilities of the country told 

his parents that he required 

a complex surgery and for 

treatment of this condition they 

planned to go abroad like many 

others who travel to neighboring 

countries. Convinced, they 

planned to go abroad for 

treatment as well but a last 

minute change of plan took them 

to Apollo Hospitals Dhaka where 

they visited Dr. Sohail Ahmed, 

Consultant- Cardiothoracic and 

Vascular Surgery. 

After various investigation 

which includes Echo- 

Cardiography performed by 

Apollo’s paediatric interventional 

cardiologist, Master Ibrahim was 

diagnosed as a case of Pulmonary 

atresia with large ventricular 

septal defect (VSD), Patent ductus 

arteriosus (PDA) & single MAPCA 

(Major aortopulmonary collateral 

arteries) which is one of the most 

complicated congenital cardiac 

cases. Majority of untreated 

patients die in their first decade 

of life as a result of intractable 

congestive heart failure or 

respiratory distress. 

On the October 12, 2016, Dr. 

Sohail Ahmed – Cardiothoracic 

surgeon along with his team which 

includes Cardiac anesthetist, CT- 

OT team, ICU team and Paediatric 

cardiologist successfully 

performed Intra-cardiac repair 

(ICR) surgery/Rastelli’s procedure 

under cardio-pulmonary bypass. 

Due to this multidisciplinary 

approach the patient recovered 

well in the post-operative period 

and was discharged uneventfully. 

Before coming to Apollo Hospitals 

Dhaka, the parents of the patient 

were planning to take him abroad 

but their decision to come to 

Apollo Hospitals Dhaka saved the 

life of their child. To treat children 

with heart related problems, 

Apollo Hospitals Dhaka recently 

introduced a new sub-specialty 

called Pediatric Cardiology. • 

Le Méridien Dhaka brings a 

wonderful combination offer of 

art and food together at Favola. 

Italian food lovers can get the 

opportunity to reveal their artistic 

mind through this offer. Guests 

who cherish both art and Italian 

cuisine can avail the offer from 

November 4 to November 12, 

2016. Le Méridien Dhaka Italian 

signature restaurant Favola 

opens this opportunity for their 

guests to participate in an art 

competition. To enjoy this offer, 

Guests can order from the regular 

A La Carte menu. The artwork 

of the guest will be displayed 

throughout the whole month of 

November 2016. At the end of 

this month, three participants 

will be announced for special 

complimentary rewards. 

This offer for 9-day period offers 

starting evening from 18.30 to 

23.00. 

Special offer available for various 

bank and telecommunication 

partners. Guests may 

contact +8801990900900 or 

+88017666673443 to learn more.•

DT 

20 

Editorial 


TODAY 

The presidential 

race from Hell 

At this point, Americans are so freaked 

out by this hideous election that some 

are seeking therapy 

PAGE 21 

No such thing 

Powerful men and women oppress the 

weak and innocent, grab their land and 

their property -- it is a time-honoured 

tradition, unfortunately 

PAGE 22 

REUTERS 

America goes to the polls 

The price of free 

speech 

Too many precious lives have already 

been lost to claim a spot in the market 

place of ideas 

PAGE 23 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, 

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This is it. 

By the time you read this, the United States will most likely already 

have chosen a new president. 

The whole world has watched anxiously for the past few months 

-- Washington’s policies have repercussions for every country in the world, and 

so who the next president is matters not just to the Americans, but for billions 

across the globe. 

To say this has been an eventful election would be an understatement. 

Scandals and controversies have plagued both candidates. 

We have seen accusations of leaked e-mails, of sexual assault, of underhanded 

moves. 

On the one hand, we have a former secretary of state, a political veteran. 

Though she has not revealed much about how she will go on to deal with the rest 

of the world once she takes office, she brings with her experience and knowledge 

of the American political system. 

One the other, we have Donald Trump. Even if we are to ignore the slate of 

accusations which have piled up against Trump throughout the campaign, he 

would, in all likelihood, mean disaster. 

Trump has spoken with bigotry and hatred against minorities, has promised to 

build walls on the borders with America’s neighbours, and has condoned torture. 

This is not what a leader should be. 

Clinton’s political experience and statesmanship would put America in 

capable hands, not to mention give the superpower its first -- and long overdue 

-- female president. 

In this globalised world, it is crucial now more than ever that Americans make 

the right call. 

This American election is a turning point, and will change the world as we 

know it. 

By the time the polls end, will we wake up to a better world, or a worse one? 

This American election is 

a turning point, and will 

change the world as we 

know it

Opinion 21 

The presidential race from Hell 

Looking back at 11 of the weirdest moments of this US election 

DT 


Fighting dirty 

REUTERS 

“Look at those hands,” Trump 

said, holding up his mitts. “Are 

they small hands? And he referred 

to my hands if they are small, 

something else must be small. I 

guarantee you there is no problem. 

I guarantee you.” 

Septuagenarian socialist wins in 

Michigan 

Many pundits dismissed Senator 

Bernie Sanders of Vermont as a 

presidential contender. In what 

would become a string of analyst 

blunders in the presidential 

campaign, they got it exactly 

wrong. 

The outspoken, white-maned 

socialist made the race with 

Hillary Clinton far tighter than 

anyone imagined at the outset. 

He sparked the ardour of young 

Americans to “Feel the Bern.” 

Sanders not only pulled 

off an early upset in Iowa, he 

gobsmacked pollsters who 

official business as secretary of 

state. This revelation forced her to 

hand over roughly 30,000 emails 

to the State Department. 

The American people are “sick 

and tired about hearing about your 

damn emails!” snapped Sanders in 

the first Democratic presidential 

debate in October 2015. 

But we would be hearing a lot 

more. 

In May, the State Department 

criticised Clinton’s use of the 

private email server and rejected 

her suggestion that she had 

approval to use it, though it 

concluded that her actions were 

not criminal. 

Melania Trump channels Michelle 

Obama 

At the Republican National 

Convention in July, Melania 

Trump, Donald’s reticent 

Slovenian spouse, emerged from 

the sidelines in a curious white 

Green Party presidential 

candidate Jill Stein tweeted: 

“Clinton thinks racists, 

misogynists, and homophobes are 

a Basket of Deplorables -- except 

when they donate to Clintons.” 

Locker room talk 

Just when Americans thought that 

the campaign season could not get 

more sordid, it did. 

With the sudden appearance of 

a 2005 Access Hollywood tape from 

the set of the soap opera Days of 

Our Lives, America got to hear 

Trump making disgusting remarks 

about women and boasting of his 

right to sexually molest them. 

In a conversation with a 

cackling Billy Bush, cousin of 

George W Bush and then cohost 

of Access Hollywood, he 

elaborated on his view of women 

as sub-human sex objects. 

Trump dismissed the remarks 

as “locker room talk.” 

• Lynn Stuart Parramore 

When America staggers 

to the polls on 

Tuesday, it will mark 

the end of a political 

season that has felt at times as if 

Hieronymus Bosch were directing 

episodes of Crossfire crosscut 

with The Anna Nicole Show. 

Here are 11 of the most surreal 

and soul-crushing moments of 

what has to be one of the most 

god-awful election campaigns in 

US history. 

Donald Trump announces his 

candidacy 

In June 2015, the orange-coiffed 

real estate mogul and reality 

television star glided down the 

escalator in Trump Tower in New 

York to announce his bid for the 

White House in a speech that 

launched a thousand hate bombs. 

“We are going to make our 

country great again,” he said. 

He would build a giant wall to 

keep Mexicans out of the Land of 

Opportunity -- and make Mexico 

pay for it. “When Mexico sends its 

people,” he claimed, “… they’re 

bringing drugs. They’re bringing 

crime. They’re rapists.” 

America gasped. 

Blood coming out of her wherever 

August 2015: During the first 

Republican primary debate, cohost 

Megyn Kelly of Fox News 

spotlighted Trump’s long history 

of hateful remarks about women: 

“You’ve called women you don’t 

like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and 

disgusting animals.” His response 

was to insult Rosie O’Donnell. 

At this point, Americans are so freaked out by this hideous election 

that some are seeking therapy 

In a follow-up CNN interview, the 

candidate suggested that Kelly 

had been menstruating during 

the debate: “You could see there 

was blood coming out of her 

eyes, blood coming out of her 

wherever.” 

Make America hate again, Muslim 

edition 

In December 2015, Trump 

responded to a mass shooting in 

San Bernardino, California, with 

a shocking call for a “total and 

complete shutdown” of Muslims 

entering the United States. He 

cited polls that he said indicated 

that a high percentage of Muslims 

have “great hatred towards 

Americans.” 

Trump later suggested the need 

for racial profiling and surveillance 

of mosques in America, home of 

the free. 

Small hands 

During a campaign speech in 

February 2016, former GOP 

presidential candidate and 

Florida Senator Marco Rubio 

made disparaging comments about 

the size of Trump’s hands -- a 

line perceived to be a reference to 

the dimensions of the real estate 

developer’s manhood. 

Trump defended his junk in the 

Fox News GOP debate in March. 

couldn’t fathom his popularity, 

including Nate Silver of 

FiveThirtyEight, who said that if 

Sanders were to win Michigan, 

it would be “among the greatest 

polling errors in primary history.” 

History was made. Sanders 

won. 

Ted Cruz: ‘Lucifer in the flesh’? 

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, whose 

GOP presidential candidacy was 

distinguished by him eating bacon 

from the muzzle of a machine 

gun, rubbed many Americans the 

wrong way. Including plenty of 

prominent members of his own 

party. 

In April 2016, Republican 

former House Speaker John 

Boehner was asked his view of 

Cruz. 

“Lucifer in the flesh,” he 

declared. “I have Democrat friends 

and Republican friends,” the 

former speaker added. 

“I get along with almost 

everyone, but I have never worked 

with a more miserable son of a 

bitch in my life.” 

Those damn emails 

A shadow fell over Clinton’s 

presidential run before it officially 

began in March 2015 when 

America learned that she used a 

personal email account to conduct 

frock to introduce her vision to the 

American public. 

Only it wasn’t quite her 

vision. In an epic screw-up, her 

speechwriters had pulled material 

directly from a speech given by 

Michelle Obama to the Democratic 

National Convention in 2008. 

In a hilarious send-up of 

the episode, actress and singer 

Laura Benanti played the part of 

Melania on The Late Show With 

Stephen Colbert, plagiarising 

everyone from Charles Dickens to 

Dr Seuss. 

Basket of deplorables 

In 2012, the magazine Mother 

Jones got hold of a video in which 

then-GOP presidential nominee 

Mitt Romney suggested at a 

private reception for wealthy 

donors that 47% of his fellow 

Americans were governmentdependent 

losers. 

Politicians learned their lesson 

on talking smack about voters at 

high-dollar shindigs. 

Not! At a fundraiser in 

September 2016, Clinton 

summoned her best urban 

elitism and said that half of 

Trump supporters could be put 

in a “basket of deplorables” 

because they were “racist, sexist, 

homophobic, xenophobic, 

Islamophobic -- you name it.” 

The final bomb 

As Americans geared up for 

Halloween weekend, they heard 

the name Anthony Weiner, the 

sext-addicted former congressman 

and spouse of Clinton aide Huma 

Abedin, befouling the airwaves 

again. 

Lately accused of sexting a 

15-year-old girl, he was the subject 

of an FBI probe that turned up 

thousands of emails on his laptop 

that might be related to Clinton’s 

tenure as secretary of state. 

In a move that stunned the 

country, FBI Director Jim Comey 

sent a letter to Congress that stated 

the bureau was reviewing the 

emails. On October 31, the bureau 

obtained a warrant to examine 

them. 

On November 3, the FBI 

announced that the emails found 

on the Weiner laptop were not 

duplicates of those on her private 

server. 

Finally, it declared on 

November 6 that Clinton would 

not be prosecuted. 

Never mind. 

At this point, Americans are 

so freaked out by this hideous 

election that some are seeking 

therapy. 

Summing up the country’s 

mood, actor Alec Baldwin broke 

out of his latest Saturday Night 

Liver outline portraying Trump to 

ask the audience: “I just feel gross 

all the time. Don’t you guys feel 

gross all the time about this?” 

In a word: Yes. • 

Lynn Stuart Parramore is an author and 

cultural critic. This article first appeared 

on Reuters.

22 


DT 

Opinion 

No such thing 

What lies beneath this communal hatred? 

• Monswita Bulbuli 

The land which I have 

never left for a single day 

since my birth is gradually 

turning into unknown 

territory. I feel myself a stranger 

here. 

When I walk through the 

streets, some men look at me 

with strange gazes, despite my 

traditional attire. Many other girls 

and women also have, seemingly, 

landed from some foreign land or 

other. 

Over the recent years, a change 

has been surging throughout our 

society, especially in the middle 

class, the lower-middle class, and 

the nouveau riche. 

People belonging to these 

groups seem to be more aware 

of religion now than before, 

which is mostly apparent in their 

clothing, their language, and their 

adherence to performing religious 

rituals. 

But this recent awareness 

does not seem to have been born 

out of spirituality, otherwise, we 

would not be in the crisis we find 

ourselves in. 

The fact is, when people lack 

ethics, empathy, and humanity 

-- no matter how gentle they may 

appear, how docile they may be 

seem in how they speak, or indeed 

how religious they may be -- it 

of Wahhabists, who do not tolerate 

people of other faiths, would he 

have created the charter in the first 

place? 

It’s quite clear that the monsters 

that are killing people out on the 

streets just because they believe in 

a different God, are doing this for 

some other, malicious purposes. 

But what exactly are these 

purposes? 

Claiming natural resources, 

conducting illegal arms trade, sex 

trade, and a multitude of other 

unscrupulous operations through 

which they can rule these lands. 

Due to technological 

advancement and various 

communication systems, nothing 

can be kept a secret for too long 

these days. 

Through social media and the 

internet in general, the goingson 

of some remote part of the 

country can be known within mere 

minutes. 

Therefore, behind any violent 

attack or acts of aggression, 

there is bound to be some kind of 

materialistic intent. If we look into 

the recent attacks on Hindus or 

Buddhists in our country, we find 

the same thing. 

According to the media, the 

attacks on the religious minorities 

were pre-planned and launched 

by powerful locals who wanted to 

grab some land or wreak political 

grab their land and their property-- 

it is a time-honoured tradition, 

unfortunately. 

They just use the pretexts as 

camouflage so that the people do 

not become aware of their real 

intentions. 

They fear the common people 

wising up, you see. 

Because, they know that 

common people are not communal 

in nature. They just want to live 

their lives peacefully. They are too 

busy earning a living anyway. 

They have real problems in 

their lives. 

So all this talk of communalism 

and racism is the invention of a 

few parasites, who feed off the 

people’s labour. 

Being born and brought up 

in a mostly Hindu-populated 

area of Dhaka, I can assert that 

no ordinary people discriminate 

among their neighbours on the 

basis of religion. 

We have lots of friends, 

neighbours, and colleagues who 

are of different faiths or views, but 

it never came to our minds that 

they were somehow different from 

us because of it. 

Our religious views may be 

different, but we all belong to this 

land. Our roots are here. • 

Monswita Bulbuli is a Sub-Editor at the 

Dhaka Tribune. 

Powerful men and women oppress the weak and innocent, grab their 

land and their property -- it is a time-honoured tradition, unfortunately 

We are all Bangladeshis, regardless of our faith 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

eventually takes a toll on society. 

And we are witnessing it in the 

world today, where, in the name of 

religion, all sorts of atrocities are 

being perpetrated -- mass killings, 

sex trade, destroying land et al. 

Islamic fundamentalists, who 

are the followers of Wahhabism, 

want to establish their views and 

rules by killing and driving out 

people with different beliefs from 

“their land.” 

I don’t know where they have 

found such examples of brutalities 

to establish a religious view, 

as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 

always advised his followers to be 

kind and generous. 

He drafted the Charter of 

Medina -- the very basis of a multireligious 

Islamic state in Medina. 

The charter is a great example 

of inter-faith harmony. If our 

prophet had supported the views 

vengeance on their enemy. 

The attacks in Ramu, and 

more recently, Brahmanbaria, 

were made not due to some 

pre-ordained battle between 

religions, but because of worldly 

possessions. 

These are hardly communal 

fighting, because there is very little 

communal hatred in our country 

these days. 

Now, if any local influential 

group or person wanted to grab 

a piece of land, they look for 

opportunities to incite artificial 

hatred and then profit from the 

ensuing chaos. 

There are many other ways for 

these hyenas to have their way, 

but religion seems the best option 

to them, seeing how most people 

can be easily duped by it. 

Powerful men and women 

oppress the weak and innocent,

The price of free speech 

Opinion 23 

Democracy isn’t complete without the freedom to have unpopular opinions 

DT 


Managing a newspaper can be a 

risky business, but considering the 

recent killings, it now has become 

more severe than any given time 

of the history. 

But there is the obvious 

question regarding free speech 

that arises: Who should bear the 

responsibility of defending it and 

why should it be defended? 

A complete direction is found 

from a famous opinion of the US 

Supreme Court judge Justice Louis 

D Brandies, where he pointed out 

that it is a fundamental duty of the 

state to defend free speech. 

Justice Brandies directed, 

liberty is the secret of happiness. 

Courage is the secret to liberty. 

Freedom of thoughts and 

speech are the means of political 

truth. Without free speech and 

free assembly, it’s impossible for 

this democracy to thrive, perhaps 

even survive. 

With them, discussion protects 

against “the dissemination of 

noxious doctrine” so “public 

discussion is a political duty.” Free 

speech, then, is “a fundamental 

principle of the government.” 

Free speech has always been 

under threat in Bangladesh. 

Even threats were made on the 

very day it was won, but today 

after 26 years of democratic rule, 

Bangladesh has entered a phase, 

claimed to be true, no matter 

how many people believe in it, or 

whoever says it. 

A truth is not established if it is 

not scrutinised. 

Tolerance, however, becomes 

meaningless and vague if it is used 

as a tool of oppression against the 

purpose of seeking knowledge. 

The true meaning of tolerance 

can only be realised by respecting 

the sovereignty of human mind 

and by acknowledging the right 

of pursuit of knowledge and 

presentation of argument, of 

anything and everything: Religion, 

science, politics, history, or ethics. 

When the entire democratic 

establishment of the world 

is debating on whether it is 

possible to have even greater 

liberty and freedom, thanks 

to the government, we are 

writing articles to claim back the 

minimum rights we once had. 

Now, remember the old 

saying, “Nero fiddled when Rome 

burned.” 

Can the press just brush off all 

the responsibilities? 

It has now become apparent 

that the hard right religious groups 

are not the only danger to free 

speech in Bangladesh. 

The main challenge is now 

coming from the members 

of the mainstream political 

Too many precious lives have already been lost 

to claim a spot in the market place of ideas 

The freedom of the press must be defended 

BIGSTOCK 

• Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy 

Recently on Facebook, 

Taslima Nasrin, our 

own icon of freedom, 

accused several 

Bangladeshi newspaper editors 

of being cowardly for refusing the 

publication of an article written to 

commemorate the tragic murder 

of the Jordanian satirist and writer 

Nahid Hattar. 

I can honestly feel Ms Nasrin’s 

frustration, but however, I 

personally do not think it is 

appropriate to hold the editors 

or the journalists responsible for 

the appalling state of free speech 

Bangladeshi writers and freethinkers 

are suffering from. 

In fact, it is not the editor’s job 

to defend our freedom and liberty. 

In this era of modern democracy 

and journalism, their job is to 

manage a publishing business in 

accordance with the principles of 

free press and make a profit out 

of it. 

The time we live in is difficult. 

Too many precious lives have 

already been lost to claim a spot 

in the market place of ideas. A 

chopped head of an editor or a 

Charlie Hebdo type massacre is not 

something we really want. 

From the Fatwa issued against 

Ms Nasrin 20 years ago for writing 

Lojja, to the recent murders of the 

bloggers, whether she accepts it or 

not, she must obviously know by 

heart that the price for free speech 

apparently today is much higher 

than what it used to be 30 or 40 

years ago, when the newspaper 

editors were considered as the 

frontline defender of free speech. 

where intolerance has become 

the accepted orthodoxy of the 

overbearing political and religious 

authorities. 

They are now systematically 

discouraging and restricting 

intellect and the seeking of the 

truth in the name of tolerance. 

We are now being legally 

forbidden from pursuing a rational 

debate that challenges or factchecks 

the philosophies that are 

claimed to be divinely true. 

Seriously, the current status of 

free speech in Bangladesh reminds 

me of the movie Hirok Rajar Deshe 

directed by the legend Satyajit Ray 

where seeking knowledge was a 

crime. 

The highest purpose of 

intellect, as it is accepted 

universally, is to examine and 

to challenge the beliefs that are 

establishment who are sworn to 

defend it, yet seek to restrict it in 

practice. 

The press might be vulnerable 

to the first, but what about the 

second? Isn’t it a journalistic 

principle to stand up for free 

speech? Can we really afford to risk 

surrendering without a fight in this 

precious battle of liberty? 

Let’s finish with the view of the 

US Supreme Court judge Justice 

Oliver Windell Homes Jr: “If there 

is any principle of the constitution 

that more imperatively calls for 

attachment than any other, it is 

the principle of free thoughts -- 

not free thoughts for those who 

agree with, us but freedom for the 

thought we hate.” • 

Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy is a blogger 

and activist.

DT 

24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

Kingsley brace guides 

Brothers Union 

Nigerian striker Nkwocha Kingsley 

netted a late brace as Brothers 

Union registered only their fourth 

victory in the Bangladesh Premier 

League beating Team BJMC 4-1 at 

Bangabandhu National Stadium 

yesterday. PAGE 25 

Mashrafe, a leader, 

an inspiration 

Mashrafe bin Mortaza, the limitedover 

captain of the Bangladesh 

cricket team, has completed 15 

years in his professional career 

since making his Test debut 

against Zimbabwe in November 8, 

2001 at BNS. PAGE 26 

India-England Test 

threat lifted 

India’s cash-rich cricket board 

yesterday lifted a threat to cancel 

the start of its Test series against 

the visiting England after judges 

eased banking restrictions which 

had triggered a financial 

crisis. PAGE 27 

England to watch 

Gascoigne clips 

England players will be shown 

video clips of previous clashes 

against Scotland in the build-up 

to Friday’s World Cup qualifier, 

including Paul Gascoigne’s 

memorable goal and equally 

unforgettable celebration at 

Euro 96. PAGE 28 

TAMIM IQBAL (CHV) 

Last year we did not get off to a good 

start. We lost many close games. But 

we want to forget about last year. We 

have started this year well. That is 

important for us. 

Before [yesterday’s] match, I 

told our local players that although 

we have four or five big names, you 

cannot become their shadows. BPL 

(Bangladesh Premier League) is our 

tournament. Bangladesh doesn’t 

lose 10 out of 10 games any more. 

The local players have to show that 

they are good cricketers. They have 

to express themselves. Every BPL, 

we find one or two Bangladeshi 

heroes, so I want one from our team 

this year. 

[Tymal] Mills bowled really well. 

Pace is an important thing. We can 

benefit form his pace. But it can be 

a disadvantage as well. I believe if 

he can control his bowling more 

appropriately then his pace can be 

an x-factor for us in the tournament. 

It will be challenging for the local 

players to face him as there are 

not many bowlers in the world a 

the moment who can bowl 150 

kilometres per hour or more. 

MASHRAFE MORTAZA (COV) 

We missed couple of chance on the 

field. Probably we were a bit slow 

on the field. That cost us 15-20 more 

runs. But I believe 162 is chaseable 

on this wicket. We just did not bat 

properly. 

If we keep playing more overseas 

batsmen then we will have to play 

with a bowler short. Already, we 

haven’t found a place for Rashid Khan, 

so it won’t be possible for us to use 

more overseas batsmen. Our local 

players are capable, but they have to 

take more responsibilities on the field. 

Batsmen from our country aren’t 

quite accustomed to playing the 

sort of pace generated by Tymal 

Mills, who is very quick. Still, it was 

a good experience for [Nazmul 

Hossain] Shanto, who would have 

handled him better had there been 

more wickets in hand. Mills’ slower 

deliveries are also quite effective, 

because everyone thinks about his 

pace. • 

TODAY’S MATCHES 

Khulna Titans v Rajshahi Kings, 2pm 

Rangpur Riders v Chittagong Vikings, 7pm 

Both the games will be held at SBNS, Mirpur 

SCORECARD 

CHITTAGONG VIKINGS INNINGS R B 

Tamim run out (Shanto) 54 38 

Smith c Sharif b Wasim 9 15 

Anamul run out (Samuels) 22 18 

Malik not out 42 28 

Jahurul not out 29 21 

Extras (lb 3, w 2) 5 

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 161 

Fall Of Wickets 

1-36 (Smith), 2-80 (Tamim), 3-101 (Anamul) 

Bowling 

Mashrafe 4-0-34-0, Imad 4-0-22-1, Tanvir 

4-0-28-0, Nahidul 2-0-23-0, Zaidi 2-0-18- 

0, Sharif 4-0-33-0 

COMILLA VICTORIANS INNINGS R B 

Liton c Anamul b Nabi 13 18 

Imrul c Anamul b Smith 6 4 

Samuels c Taskin b Razzak 23 18 

Shanto not out 54 44 

Zaidi b Nabi 2 8 

Mashrafe b Mills 1 2 

Imad c Nabi b Taskin 4 2 

Al Amin b Nabi 14 18 

Tanvir lbw b Nabi 0 1 

Sharif not out 2 6 

Extras (b 2, w 10, nb 1) 13 



1-9 (Imrul), 2-36 (Samuels), 3-46 (Liton), 

4-58 (Zaidi), 5-72 (Mashrafe), 6-77 (Imad), 

7-107 (Al Amin), 8-107 (Tanvir) 

Bowling 

Smith 3-0-21-1, Razzak 4-0-23-1, Mills 

4-0-28-1, Nabi 4-0-24-4, Malik 1-0-3-0, 

Taskin 4-0-31-1 

The Vikings won by 29 runs 

MoM: Mohammad Nabi (CHV) 

Tamim, Nabi steer Vikings to easy win 

• Ali Shahriyar Bappa 

Chittagong Vikings defeated defending 

champions Comilla Victorians 

by 29 runs in the first match 

of the fourth edition of the Bangladesh 

Premier League in Mirpur’s 

Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket 

Stadium yesterday. 

Chasing 162, the Victorians lost 

wickets at regular intervals and 

eventually finished their innings 

on 132/8. Nazmul Hossain Shanto 

played a fighting 44-ball 54-run innings 

for the Victorians. He even hit 

four consecutive boundaries in the 

last over bowled by Taskin Ahmed 

but it was not enough for the holders. 

English pacer Tymal Mills 

was the surprise package for the 

Vikings as the left-armer bowled 

beautifully with quick pace and an 

equally good slower delivery. He 

picked up the wicket of Mashrafe 

bin Mortaza conceding 28 runs. 

But it was Mohammad Nabi 

with his off-spin that did the trick 

for the Vikings. The Afghan took 

four wickets conceding just 24 

runs in four overs. Marlon Samuels 

was the second-highest scorer 

for the Victorians with 23 runs. 

Earlier, the Victorians skipper 

Mashrafe won the toss and 

elected to field first. The Vikings 

made a brisk start as their captain 

Tamim Iqbal started aggressively. 

Tamim was dropped when he was 

on 23 by Comilla’s Nahidul Islam 

off the bowling of Imad Wasim. 

Tamim duly took advantage 

and played some beautiful shots 

Chittagong Vikings captain Tamim 

Iqbal goes big during their Bangladesh 

Premier League Twenty20 2016- 

17 season opener against Comilla 

Victorians at Sher-e-Bangla National 

Cricket Stadium in Mirpur yesterday ] 

MD MANIK 

all around the ground. His 54 

off 38 balls featured six boundaries 

and two over-boundaries. 

Tamim’s innings came to an end 

with a run out due to miscommunication 

with his batting partner 

Anamul Haque Bijoy. 

The Vikings though maintained 

their good start and kept 

the scoreboard moving along. 

Pakistani recruit Shoaib Malik 

played a crucial 42-run knock as 

the port city outfit posted 161 for 

the loss of three wickets. •

Sport 25 

DT 


Maruf blasts 

Dynamites to 

victory 


Dhaka Dynamites defeated Barisal 

Bulls by eight wickets in the second 

match of the Bangladesh Premier 

League Twenty20 2016-17 season 

at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket 

Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. 

Chasing a modest target of 149, 

the Dynamites reached their destination 

with as many as 24 balls to spare 

for the loss of only two wickets. 

Taijul Islam made the first 

breakthrough for the Bulls when 

he trapped Kumar Sangakkara (30) 

in front in the ninth over. Captain 

Shakib al Hasan promoted himself 

to the No 3 position and scored 20 

runs before being cleaned up by 

Monir Hossain in the 15th over. 

Opening batsman Mehedi Maruf 

played a superb knock of 75 from 

44 balls. He hit five boundaries and 

as many sixes and was adjudged 

player of the match. 

Earlier, the Dynamites took three 

wickets within the first six and at 

one stage, Barisal were struggling 

on 44/3 in eight overs. Then Shahriar 

Nafees and the Bulls’ captain 

Mushfiqur Rahim added 82 runs for 

the fourth wicket. Shahriar played 

a fine knock of 55 runs off 34 balls 

with seven fours and two sixes. 

Mushfiq batted till the end and 

scored exactly 50 runs in 36 deliveries 

with the help of four fours 

and half as many sixes.• 

Dhaka Dynamites opening batsman Mehedi Maruf plays a shot during their BPL 4 opener against Barisal Bulls at Sher-e- 

Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday 

MD MANIK 

SCORECARD 

BARISAL BULLS INNINGS R B 

Shamsur c Maruf b Shahid 6 10 

Munaweera c Nasir b Bravo 12 15 

Malan c Bravo b Shakib 16 15 

Mushfiq not out 50 36 

Shahriar b Shahid 55 34 

Perera c sub (Prasanna) b Bopara 3 6 

Emrit c Nasir b Shahid 1 2 

Mehedi not out 2 2 

Extras (lb 1, w 2) 3 



1-10 (Shamsur), 2-29 (Munaweera), 3-44 

(Malan), 4-126 (Shahriar), 5-129 (Perera), 

6-139 (Emrit) 

Bowling 

Shahid 4-0-21-3, Russell 2-0-10-0, Shakib 

3-0-23-1, Bravo 3-0-26-1, Nasir 1-0-8-0, 

Bopara 4-0-23-1, Sanjamul 1-0-7-0, Alauddin 

1-0-17-0, Mosaddek 1-0-12-0 

DHAKA DYNAMITES INNINGS R B 

Maruf not out 75 45 

Sangakkara lbw b Taijul 30 24 

Shakib b Monir 20 23 

Mosaddek not out 10 5 

Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 8, nb 1) 14 



1-88 (Sangakkara), 2-136 (Shakib) 

Bowling 

Al Amin 3-0-35-0, Monir 3-0-23-1, Mehedi 

1-0-13-0, Emrit 3-0-21-0, Perera 1-0-16-0, 

Munaweera 3-0-22-0, Taijul 2-0-14-1 

The Dynamites won by eight wickets 

MoM: Mehedi Maruf (DD) 

Kingsley brace guides Brothers Union 

• Tribune Report 

In-form Nigerian striker Nkwocha 

Kingsley netted a late brace 

as Brothers Union registered only 

their fourth victory in the Bangladesh 

Premier League beating Team 

BJMC 4-1 at Bangabandhu National 

Stadium yesterday. 

Brothers are slowly inching 

closer to the top half of the 12-team 

points table after two consecutive 

wins. They are now seventh with 17 

points from 13 matches while BJMC 

sit a place below them with three 

points less from the same number 

of games. 

Shafiqul Islam Shofi gave Brothers 

the breakthrough with only 

three minutes into the clock after 

the midfielder’s shot from outside 

the box beat the onrushing BJMC 

goalkeeper Arifuzzaman Hemel on 

its way to the back of the net. 

Augustin Walson bagged a brilliant 

goal from a free-kick in the 

62nd minute to double the lead. The 

Haitian striker unleashed a precise 

free-kick from 25 yards that curled 

home into the top-right corner. 

Samson Illiasu pulled one back 

five minutes later. A free-kick fell 

onto a goal-mouth scramble when 

Illiasu collected the ball and took a 

shot that deflected off a defender 

before rolling inside the net. 

Kingsley sealed victory two 

minutes before the end of stipulated 

time with a lovely right-foot finish 

into the far post after exchanging 

passes with Walson. 

The Nigerian striker completed 

his quick brace three minutes later 

slotting home in a one-on-one situation 

with the custodian inside the 

box. It was Kingsley’s 13th league 

goal this season. 

Meanwhile in the day’s other 

match at the same venue, Muktijoddha 

Sangsad Krira Chakra and Arambagh 

Krira Sangha played out a goalless 

draw. Both the sides have the 

same number of points (19) but Muktijoddha 

are above Arambagh at fifth 

due to a superior goal difference. 

Arambagh had two great chances 

in the opening 10 minutes but 

Muktijoddha netminder Mamun 

Khan and defender Nigerian defender 

Nojeem Busayo exhibited 

brilliant defensive display to keep 

the scoresheet nil. • 

Goalmouth action from the Bangladesh Premier Football League match between Muktijoddha Sangsad and Arambagh Krira 

Sangha (in red jerseys) at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday 

COURTESY 

Prity advances 

to Junior Tennis 

3rd round 

• Tribune Report 

Afrana Islam Prity advanced to 

the third round of the Walton 30th 

Bangladesh International Tennis 

Federation Junior Championship 

2016 after beating Gauri Agarwal 

of India in the second round at 

National Tennis Complex, Ramna 

yesterday. 

Prity was the only participant 

from the host nation who managed 

to win on the second day of the 

tournament. She had to toil hard to 

beat her Indian opponent 7-5, 7-5 in 

the girls’ singles. 

Top seed Katie Lafrance strolled 

to victory in her second-round 

game to reach the girls’ singles 

pre-quarterfinals. The young 

American outplayed Muskaan Ranjan 

of India 6-0, 6-0. 

In the boys’ singles, Rubel Hossain 

and Faruk Hossain crushed 

out of the tournament after losing 

against Justin Oeni of Singapore 

and Yugantaarshwar Ganesan of 

Malaysia respectively in the second 

round. •

DT 

26 


Sport 

Mashrafe, a leader, 

an inspiration 


Mashrafe bin Mortaza, the limited-over captain 

of the Bangladesh cricket team, has completed 

15 years in his professional career since 

making his Test debut against Zimbabwe back 

in November 8, 2001 at Bangabandhu National 

Stadium in Dhaka. 

Since his international bow, Mashrafe has 

witnessed many ups and downs of Bangladesh 

cricket. His career experienced a roller-coaster 

ride as well. Mashrafe got injured countless 

times during his career and had to undergo 

several major surgeries in his two knees. 

But each and every single time, he came back 

strong on the field and managed to perform at 

the top level. Many people wrote him off after 

each injury but every time, Mashrafe proved 

everybody wrong and regained match fitness. 

If it was anyone but Mashrafe, perhaps he 

would consider quitting but not the “Narail 

Express”. Thankfully, Mashrafe did not think 

that way. And that is his uniqueness. Passion 

and love for the game are the main motto of 

Mashrafe. 

However, it was anything but an easy ride 

for the inspirational leader. Mashrafe bowls 

with bandages on both his legs and it has been 

a common scene in the domestic arena as 

well. As an all-rounder, Mashrafe did not just 

have to fight against other batsmen or bowlers 

for a place in the side but he had to overcome 

his injuries too. 

There are so many stories about Mashrafe 

that can be mentioned. But most importantly, 

it’s Mashrafe the human being and the leader 

who has won millions of hearts and set an example 

for others to follow. 

Mashrafe is not the fastest bowler of the 

world, or the finest all-rounder in recent 

times. But as a cricketer and as a captain, he 

is surely an example to follow. That’s why 

hundreds of cricketers in Bangladesh, who 

play in the domestic arena, have categorised 

Mashrafe as their idol. 

Mashrafe has played with a few generations 

in the history of Bangladesh cricket. At 

the beginning of his career, he played with the 

likes of Akram Khan, Habibul Bashar, Aminul 

Islam Bulbul, Hasibul Hossain Shanto and 

Enamul Haque, among others. 

In the middle stages of his career, he played 

with Mohammad Ashraful, Nafees Iqbal, Aftab 

Ahmed, Rajin Saleh and Talha Jubair. 

Mashrafe has completed 

15 years in his professional 

career since making his Test 

debut against Zimbabwe 

back in November 8, 2001 

And lately, he played alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, 

Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan. 

Finally he is playing with the new generation 

cricketers Mustafizur Rahman, Mehedi 

Hasan Miraz and Mosaddek Hossain. 

Most of the aforementioned players retired 

long ago but Mashrafe is still going strong and 

performing well at the very top level of cricket. 

Injuries might have hampered his Test career 

but he is still Bangladesh’s best leader, be 

it ODIs or T20s or Tests. What’s more, he is 

probably the greatest ever captain the Tigers 

have ever produced. 

So, Mashrafe is not just a good cricketer, he 

is an inspiration, idol to the millions of cricket-crazy 

Bangladesh fans. 

Oh captain, our captain, bring more glories 

for Bangladesh! • 

MASHRAFE’S 15 YEARS AT A GLANCE 

CAPTAINCY AND 

COUNTLESS INJURIES 

Mashrafe was named captain 

in 2009 for the first time in his 

career ahead of the tour of the 

West Indies and Zimbabwe. In 

July, 2009, Bangladesh toured 

the Caribbean. Mashrafe made a 

winning start as skipper as they 

beat the Windies. However, he 

injured his knee and was unable 

to take the field on the final day, 

leaving Shakib al Hasan to assume 

the captaincy and lead the 

team to a historic win. His injury 

prevented him from taking part 

in the remainder of the tour and 

later he was also ruled out from 

the tour of Zimbabwe in August, 

2009. Due to injury-crisis, he left 

the captaincy in 2010. 

DEBUT 

Mashrafe made his international 

bow in Tests against Zimbabwe 

at Bangabandhu National 

Stadium on November 8, 2001. 

Bangladesh were all out for 

107 runs in their first innings. 

Mashrafe scored eight from 

22 deliveries. With the ball, 

Mashrafe bowled really well, 

taking four wickets conceding 

106 runs in 32 overs, including 

eight maidens. He made his 

ODI debut against the same 

opposition on November 23 

in the same year. He bowled 

impressively in that match 

as well, bagging four wickets 

conceding 26 runs in eight overs. 

OMITTED FROM 2011 

WC SQUAD 

Continuous injuries hampered 

his career in 2010 and early 2011. 

As a result, he was omitted from 

Bangladesh’s 15-man squad for 

the 2011 World Cup in February. 

Bangladesh co-hosted the global 

showpiece event. Back then 

Mashrafe said it was “the most 

painful day” of his life. Many 

people termed it the end of his 

career. But he vowed to fight 

for national team selection and 

eventually came back strong. 

SELECTED FOR ASIA XI 

AND BOUGHT BY KKR 

Mashrafe was selected in 

the Asia XI team, along with 

Mohammad Ashraful, in 2007. 

Asia XI played against Africa XI 

in the Afro-Asia Cup. He was 

then bought by the Kolkata 

Knight Riders franchise in the 

money-spinning Indian Primier 

League. At that time, Sourav 

Ganguly was the captain of KKR. 

And Mashrafe was highly praised 

by Sourav at that time. With that 

said, Mashrafe played only one 

match in that campaign for KKR. 

WORLD CUP 2015 

Bangladesh Cricket Board 

decided to give the captaincy 

back to Mashrafe in 2014 ahead 

of the 2015 World Cup down 

under. Some people raised their 

eyebrows due to his injury and 

fitness concerns. But Mashrafe 

united the whole team and 

captained Bangladesh with 

positive intent. In the World 

Cup, Bangladesh produced their 

best ever result in a World Cup, 

beating England and reaching 

the quarter-finals. 

SIX CONSECUTIVE SERIES 

WINS AT HOME 

Under Mashrafe’s captaincy, 

Bangladesh emerged as a 

giant force in world cricket on 

home soil. Bangladesh won 

six consecutive ODI series’ 

against Zimbabwe (twice), 

Pakistan, South Africa, India 

and Afghanistan. The streak 

ended against England last 

month when the Tigers lost 2-1. 

Bangladesh could have won the 

England ODIs had they clinched 

the first match of the series from 

a winning position. 

–ALI SHAHRIYAR BAPPA

Sport 27 

DT 


QUICK BYTES 

Nadal to make Dec 

return in Abu Dhabi 

Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion 

Rafael Nadal will make his return to 

action at the Mubadala World Tennis 

Championships exhibition event in 

Abu Dhabi at the end of December. 

Nadal’s 2016 season was plagued 

by physical problems and he cut 

his campaign short in October to 

recover fully to target a return to 

Grand Slam glory in 2017. “Excited 

to announce my first tournament 

back will be in Abu Dhabi at the 

#MubadalaWorldTennis- 

Championship in December,” the 

Spaniard posted on his Twitter 

account on Monday. Nadal, a 

three-time winner of the event, will 

be joined by new world number 

one Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Goffin and 

Thomas Berdych in the six-man even 

from December 29-31. 

–AFP 

Herath enters select 

club with 5-wicket haul 

Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath became 

just the third bowler in history to pick 

up five-wicket hauls against all nine 

other Test countries as Zimbabwe were 

bowled out for 272 in Harare yesterday. 

Herath recorded figures of 5 for 89 - his 

first five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe 

- to bowl Sri Lanka to a 232-run lead in 

the first innings on the third afternoon 

of the third Test. After the tourists 

opted not to enforce the follow-on, 

openers Dimuth Karunaratne and 

Kaushal Silva took them to tea on 13 

without loss at Harare Sports Club. 

Although Zimbabwe made a promising 

start to their reply to Sri Lanka’s first 

innings total of 504 all out, reaching 

134 for two on the third morning, they 

ultimately succumbed to spin with 

offspinner Dilruwan Perera picking up 

3 for 51 as the hosts lost their last five 

wickets for just 19 runs. 

–AFP 

DAY’S WATCH 

CRICKET 

CHANNEL 9, SONY SIX 

Bangladesh Premier League 

2:00PM 

Khulna Titans v Rajshahi Kings 

7:00PM 

Rangpur Riders v Chittagong Vikings 

STAR SPORTS 1, SONY ESPN 

9:20AM 

England Tour of India 

1st Test, Day 1 

TEN 3 

2:00PM 

Sri Lanka Tour of Zimbabwe 

2nd Test, Day 4 

FOOTBALL 

STAR SPORTS 1 

7:20PM 

Indian Super League 

Delhi v Chennai 

India Test threat lifted 

after funds released 

• AFP, New Delhi 

India’s cash-rich cricket board yesterday lifted a threat 

to cancel the start of its Test series against England after 

judges eased banking restrictions which had triggered a 

funding crisis. 

Less than 24 hours before the high-profile series was 

due to begin in Rajkot, the cash-rich board dropped a 

bombshell by telling the Supreme Court it would not be 

able to cover the running costs of the first match. 

The Supreme Court last month ruled that the board 

would have to seek prior approval from a special panel 

investigating its governance in order to release funds to 

state associations which host Test matches. 

In a petition filed on Tuesday to the court, the Board 

of Control for Cricket in India said “unless money is disbursed 

to the board, the match between India and England 

can’t take place”. • 

England cricketer Ben Stokes during a practice session in 

Rajkot yesterday 

AP 

‘Baby Boycott’ Hameed 

to make England debut 

• AFP, Rajkot 

Teen sensation Haseeb Hameed will make his Test debut 

against India, England announced yesterday, capping a 

fairytale rise for a player dubbed the “Baby Boycott” for 

his uunflappable batting style. 

At 19 years, Hameed will become the youngest player 

to open the batting in England’s Test history after skipper 

Alastair Cook named him in the starting XI for the 

series-opener beginning in Rajkot today. 

Hameed has drawn comparisons to batting legend 

Geoff Boycott for his solid technique and knack of playing 

lengthy innings. 

Cook, 31, also sought to dampen speculation about his 

future as England’s Test skipper after admitting that he 

could quit following the current tour of India. 

He was speaking in response to his interview in this 

month’s Cricketer magazine in which he said he did not 

know how much longer he would carry on at the helm, 

saying the end could come after the India series. • 

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DT 

28 


Sport 

England to watch 

Gazza clips in build-up 

to Scotland clash 

England’s Nathaniel Chalobah and Aaron Cresswell (L) during training yesterday ahead of their Scotland clash 

REUTERS 

• Reuters, London 

England players will be shown video 

clips of previous clashes against 

Scotland in the build-up to Friday’s 

World Cup qualifier, including Paul 

Gascoigne’s memorable goal and 

equally unforgettable celebration 

at Euro 96. 

Interim manager Gareth Southgate, 

who played in that “Gazza” 

inspired 2-0 victory at Wembley 20 

years ago, has asked the Football 

Association to compile some of the 

greatest moments from the world’s 

oldest international fixture. 

“We should embrace the emotion 

of the occasion,” Southgate 

said in the build-up to the first 

competitive clash between England 

and Scotland since 1999. 

“The clips are from previous 

Mourinho blasts lay bare United tensions 

• AFP, London 

Manchester United manager Jose 

Mourinho’s man-management 

skills are under scrutiny after he 

appeared to publicly accuse defenders 

Luke Shaw and Chris 

Smalling of malingering. 

Whilst not mentioning either 

player by name, Mourinho expressed 

unhappiness after the pair 

missed United’s 3-1 win at Swansea 

City on Sunday, suggesting they 

had shown a lack of bravery. 

Some British newspapers reported 

yesterday that Shaw and 

Smalling were now “fighting for 

their futures” at Old Trafford. 

Left-back Shaw, 21, was said to 

be “baffled” over his treatment by 

Mourinho, who succeeded Louis 

van Gaal as United manager in May. 

The England international recently 

spent 11 months on the 

sidelines after sustaining a horrific 

double leg fracture in a Champions 

League game at PSV Eindhoven in 

September last year. 

He has been in and out of the 

team since making his first-team 

comeback in August and is reported 

to have felt pain in the leg he 

broke during last Thursday’s Europa 

League defeat at Fenerbahce. 

Mourinho said Shaw had informed 

him he was unable to play 

against Swansea on the morning of 

the game. But the former Southampton 

player is not thought to 

have travelled down to south Wales 

with the rest of the squad on the 

eve of the match. 

Mourinho also singled Shaw out 

for criticism following United’s 3-1 

defeat at Watford in September, after 

which it emerged the full-back 

had been playing with a groin problem. 

“Our left-back is 25 metres’ distance 

from him, instead of five,” 

Mourinho said after Shaw failed to 

close down Nordin Amrabat in the 

build-up to Watford’s second goal. 

Smalling, 26, has tended to 

‘Not my last contract with Real’ 

• Reuters, Madrid 

Cristiano Ronaldo’s new five-year 

contract with Real Madrid which 

ties him to the Spanish club until 

the age of 36 will not be his last, he 

said on Monday. 

The 31-year-old forward joined 

Real in 2009 and is the European 

champions’ all-time leading scorer 

with 371 goals in 360 games. 

“The numbers are impressive. I 

certainly never expected to make 

history at the best club in the 

world,” the Portugal captain told a 

news conference. 

“This new contract is a dream 

come true. But this is my penultimate 

contract. 

“I want to end my career at Real. 

This is the club that is in my heart 

and I will always be linked to it.” 

A three-times world player of 

the year, Ronaldo has helped Real 

win one La Liga title, two King’s 

Cups and two Champions Leagues 

in seven seasons in Madrid. 

“I want to continue to give my 

best,” he said. “To continue to 

make history, win titles and score 

goals.” 

Ronaldo is targeting 500 goals 

for Real. 

“It’s possible,” he said. “I’m not 

going to obsess about it. Of course, 

goals are great and I identify myself 

with that. The most important 

thing are titles.” 

Ronaldo is short-listed for the 

world player of the year award 

again after winning the Champions 

League with Real in May and captaining 

Portugal to their first European 

Championship title. 

“This is the best moment of my 

life,” he said. “To win the Champions 

League, then win Euro 2016 

and sign a new contract with this 

club, I can’t ask for more.” 

Ronaldo has failed to score in 

five successive games at the Bernabeu 

stadium but he has mustered 

seven goals in 12 appearances this 

season and he thanked Real president 

Florentino Perez for his unwavering 

support. 

“Football has no memory, but 

you (Perez) have a memory and so 

does Real Madrid and that makes 

me happy,” he said. “During a career, 

there are good and bad times 

but I always want to learn and football 

teaches you a lot.” • 

start for Mourinho when fit, but 

the Portuguese appears to have 

lost patience with the England 

centre-back, who has missed four 

games with a foot injury. 

Both Shaw and Smalling are 

thought to have played with 

pain-killing injections already this 

season and interim England manager 

Gareth Southgate has defended 

them against accusations they 

lack heart. 

Asked if the pair are “a bit 

flaky”, Southgate told reporters at 

England’s St George’s Park training 

base: “I don’t know Chris well. That 

wouldn’t be my impression, having 

worked with him.” • 

Scotland games. We have some 

black and white stuff, that I’m not 

in, it’s been really nicely done.” 

While the lustre of the fixture, 

once a yearly occasion, has faded 

in recent decades, the 113th meeting 

at Wembley on Friday will stir 

up old passions with tens of thousands 

of Scottish fans likely to descend 

on London. 

Southgate has stressed the importance 

of emotional control but 

is unlikely to have to resort to the 

methods employed to calm down 

the irrepressible Gascoigne. 

Speaking at a news conference 

he recalled how the hyper-active 

former Newcastle United, Tottenham 

Hotspur and Lazio midfield 

maverick, then at Scottish giants 

Rangers, took to pretend fishing in 

the Wembley bath in 1996. • 

Spanish court 

wants Neymar 

Jr trial 

• Reuters, Madrid 

Barcelona forward Neymar, his 

parents and two of the club’s executives 

should stand trial for alleged 

corruption, Spain’s High Court 

said on Monday as it wrapped up a 

fraud investigation into the Brazil 

international’s transfer to the Catalan 

team. 

The case stems from a complaint 

by a Brazilian investment 

group, DIS, which owned part of 

Neymar’s transfer rights and which 

alleges it received less money than 

it was entitled to. • 

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo poses with the club’s president Florentino Perez 

after a ceremony for Ronaldo’s contract renewal at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, 

Spain on Monday 

REUTERS

Downtime 

29 


DT 

CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 No score (3) 

3 Torment (6) 

8 Greedy (4) 

9 Sheltered side (3) 

10 Corroded (6) 

11 Coating on teeth (6) 

14 Concise (5) 

17 Garden tool (5) 

20 Superior dwellings (6) 

24 Rich pasturage (6) 

26 Make brown (3) 

27 African river (4) 

28 Confectionery (6) 

29 Opener (3) 

DOWN 

1 Back of the neck (4) 

2 Molten rock (4) 

3 Employ (4) 

4 Grown-up (5) 

5 Sacrificial table (5) 

6 Observe (3) 

7 Grass-like plant (5) 

12 40 winks (3) 

13 Insane (3) 

15 Slippery catch (3) 

16 Mineral spring (3) 

17 Cults (5) 

18 Make amends (5) 

19 Happening (5) 

21 Part of the eye (4) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 2 represents H so fill H 

every time the figure 2 appears. 

You have two letters in the control 

grid to start you off. Enter them in the 

appropriate squares in the main grid, then 

use your knowledge of words to work out 

which letters go in the missing squares. 

Some letters of the alphabet may not be 

used. 

As you get the letters, fill in the other 

squares with the same number in the 

main grid, and the control grid. Check 

off the list of alphabetical letters as you 

identify them. 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

CALVIN AND HOBBES 

SUDOKU 

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the 

numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must 

contain all nine digits with no number repeating. 

PEANUTS 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

30 


DT 

Showtime 

Prince Harry condemns racist and 

sexist abuse of girlfriend 

WHAT TO WATCH 

• Showtime Desk 

Prince Henry of Wales has issued 

a public statement about his 

new girlfriend Meghan Markle, 

raging against “racist and sexist” 

social media trolls and accusing 

the media of “crossing a line” in 

reporting their relationship. 

A statement issued by the 

32-year-old royal’s spokesperson 

Tuesday said that, “his girlfriend, 

Meghan Markle, has been subject to 

a wave of abuse and harassment.” 

“Some of this has been very 

public – the smear on the front 

page of a national newspaper, 

the racial undertones of 

comment pieces; and the 

outright sexism and racism 

of social media trolls and web 

article comments.” 

The statement is the first 

official confirmation from 

Kensington Palace that the 

Prince is in a relationship with 

the American actress. It also 

says that the couple have been 

together for “a few months”. 

The statement adds: “Prince 

Harry is worried about Ms. 

Markle’s safety and is deeply 

disappointed that he has not 

been able to protect her. It is not 

right that a few months into a 

relationship with him that Ms. 

Markle should be subjected to 

such a storm. 

“He knows commentators will 

say this is ‘the price she has to 

pay’ and that ‘this is all part of 

the game’. He strongly disagrees. 

This is not a game – it is her life 

and his.” 

Los Angeles-born actress 

Markle, 35, is best known for 

her role as Rachel Zane in the 

legal drama Suits. Meghan first 

met Prince Harry in Toronto 

(where Suits is filmed) while he 

was launching the 2017 Invictus 

Games back in May. • 

The Day the Earth Stood Still 

Star Movies 7:13pm 

A remake of the 1951 classic 

sci-fi film about an alien 

visitor and his giant robot 

counterpart who visit Earth. 

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer 

Connelly, Kathy Bates 

Big B’s Bollywood journey 


From being extras on sets to 

becoming the extraordinary main 

man; from zero to hero – Big B’s 

Bollywood journey has been one 

eventful turn after another. This 

year, the living legend Amitabh 

Bachchan has completed his 47th 

year in Bollywood, and what a 

journey that has been! 

On completing 47 years in the 

Indian entertainment world, Big B 

said he is thankful to Mumbai for 

giving him all that he has today. 

On Sunday evening, he shared a 

photograph from the 1969 film 

Saat Hindustani, which marked his 

debut in Bollywood. The film was 

directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. 

“Goodness me… 47 years in the 

industry for me,” the 74-year-old 

captioned the image. 

He went on to write on his 

blog: “47 years of my life in this 

city of Mumbai that gave me all 

that I possess now, that engulfed 

me in its warm and affectionate 

embrace, nurtured me, protected 

me, pushed me, kicked me, 

reprimanded me, raised me to 

heights and crushed me with 

my falls, allowed me to make a 

beginning with the first film in 

profession.” 

On the work front, Amitabh is 

currently gearing up for working 

with superstar Aamir in the 

upcoming film Thug. Technological 

advancement has lent speed to 

the film shooting process, says 

veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, 

who feels the filming schedule 

of his upcoming political thriller 

Sarkar 3 might wrap up before the 

scheduled time. 

In his long journey in film, the 

National Film Award winner has 

worked in iconic blockbusters like 

Guddi, Bombay to Goa, Zanjeer, 

Silsila, Abhimaan, Deewar, Don, 

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Black, Paa 

and Piku. • 

Bollywood Blunder 

Deepika! 


The Bollywood diva Deepika 

Padukone, who is all set to 

release her Hollywood debut 

xXx: Return of Xander Cage 

next year alongside Vin Diesel, 

was one of the presenters 

at the event along with her 

co-star Nina Dobrev. Deepika, 

who attended the MTV EMA 

awards at Rotterdam this year 

in a Monisha Jaising creation, 

failed to impress the fashiongurus 

out there. 

The UK daily’s exact words 

read: “Bollywood blunder: 

Indian actress Deepika 

Padukone may be stunning but 

her swamp green bralette and 

skirt combo did nothing for her 

sensational figure.” 

Looks like Deepika 

Padukone’s debut red carpet 

appearance in the West did not 

go as well as expected. 

An international daily not 

only featured her among the 

‘Worst Dressed Celebs’ but also 

tagged her as a ‘Bollywood 

Blunder.’ 

The ‘Mastani’ of Bollywood 

may have failed to dazzle 

the EMAs with her not-soimpressive 

fashion sense but 

her charm and elegance can 

never be ignored. 

On a related note, its is 

the same publication which 

once failed to recognise the 

actress, when she stepped 

out with Novak Djokovic and 

got heavily trolled by the 

Indian audience. As a result, 

they then had to apologise by 

re-introducing Deepika in the 

same article. • 

Rush Hour 

HBO 7:39pm 

Two cops team up to get 

back a kidnapped daughter. 

Cast: Jackie Chan, Chirs 

Tucker, Ken Leung 

The Last Samurai 

WB 9:00pm 

An American military 

advisor embraces the 

Samurai culture he was 

hired to destroy after he is 

captured in battle. 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Ken 

Watanabe, Billy Connolly 

Oz the Great and Powerful 

Sony PIX 8:34pm 

A small-time magician is 

swept away to an enchanted 

land and is forced into a 

power struggle between 

three witches. 

Cast: James Franco, Michelle 

Williams, Rachel Weisz 

300 

Movies Now 9:30pm 

King Leonidas of Sparta and 

a force of 300 men fight the 

Persians at Thermopylae in 

480 B.C. 

Cast: Gerard Butler, Lena 

Headey, David Wenham •

Showtime 

31 


DT 

Dhaka International Folk Fest 2016 

The international folk-musical event to commence on November 10 


Folk music is the preserve and 

conveyance of cultural heritage. 

It’s more than music, an ideology. 

The diverse forms of local 

folk music including Bhatiali, 

Bhawaiya, Jari, Sari or Baul songs 

immensely appease people’s 

body and mind. The songs, which 

are entrenched to the root of 

Bengal for thousands of years, 

still prompting spirits of listeners. 

Nowadays, listeners in the 

US, UK, France and Japan are 

becoming more inclined to their 

local folk-music because of its 

humanism and facile ideology 

for life. The powerful force of 

folk music ushers our culture 

in around the world. In 2005, 

UNESCO listed baul music as an 

intangible heritage. 

Part of the younger generation 

pay little heed to folk music 

and the situation brewed 

only because of the lack of 

precise planning, practice and 

endorsement. In the last decade, 

few young and seasoned artists 

in Bangladesh took initiative to 

popularise folk music. This year, 

like the previous one, Sun Events 

and Maasranga Television jointly 

arranged Dhaka International 

Folk Fest 2016 for the second 

time to convey the spirit of folk 

music. 

Where and when 

Dhaka International Folk 

Fest 2016 will take place from 

November 10 to 12, at the Army 

Stadium in the capital. The 

festival will be held every day 

from 6pm to 12am. 

Performances 

This year, folk musicians from 

seven countries including India, 

Turkey, France, Spain, United 

Kingdom, Canada and the host 

country will be participating in 

the fest. Here are the featured 

artists of this year’s festival: 

Momtaz Begum 

A Bangladeshi singer and producer 

of folk music, Begum is known by 

many as ‘The Music Queen’ and 

popular for her unconventional 

lyrics. During her international 

career, which has spanned two 

decades, she has recorded around 

700 albums. 

The distinguished folk artist 

first learned music from her father, 

Modhu Boyati, then from Matal 

Razzak Dewan and followed by 

Abddur Rashid Sorkar. The kind 

of music she performed, such as 

Marfati, Boithoki, and Murshidi 

can roughly be categorised in the 

mystic songs genre. 

Bari Siddiqui 

A Bangladeshi singer-songwriter, 

flutist and folk musician, Siddiqui 

got his lesson on folk and classical 

music from Gopal Dutta and Ustad 

Aminur Rahman. At one stage, 

Bari Siddiqui went to Pune and 

got professional tutelage under 

Pandit VG Karnad. For many years 

to come, being in an environment 

surrounded by musical maestros, 

he kept his search for his own true 

self and to achieve newer heights 

of infinite journey of music. 

Islam Uddin Kissakar 

A Pala artist and an actor, Kissakar 

is known by many rural places to 

urban locations. Though his career 

started with acting, he likes to 

introduce himself as a Pala artist 

who possessed a distinct style of 

performing Pala songs on stage. 

This phenomenal artist from 

Kishorganj has made himself an 

exemplar of Gaayen Dohar style of 

acting. 

Abdur Rahman Baul 

A disciple to renowned baul singer 

Shah Abdul Karim, Abdur Rahman 

Baul is seeking the meaning of 

life with the help of metaphysics. 

Rahman is a singer, lyricist 

and composer whose primary 

inspiration is nature. 

Sunil Karmakar 

A follower of Jalal Uddin Khan, 

Karmakar was born in Netrokona 

in 1959. Though the artist is 

visually impaired, his prowess as 

a performer of Jalal Uddin Khan 

songs made him nonpareil. 

Fakir Tuntun Shah 

A Lolon devotee, Tuntun Shah 

born in Kushtia in 1948, he has 

been promulgating the songs of 

Lalon for decades. Tuntun Shah 

composed some baul songs as well 

over the years. 

Baul Shafi Mondol 

Hailed from Daulatpur, Kushtia, 

Shafi Mondol is the first 

Bangladeshi baul singer who 

participated in MTV India’s 

popular folk-fusion show Coke 

Studio. A leading Lalon song 

practitioner, Mondol presents the 

philosophy of Lalon through his 

songs and words to the audience. 

Latif Sarkar 

Hailed from Sirajdeekhan of 

Munsiganj, Latif Sarkar is like a 

superstar of Pala gaan. 

Kailash Kher 

Kailash Kher possessed a music 

style influenced by Indian folk 

and Sufi music. Though his 

professional prowess encompasses 

most of the Indian languages, 

his contribution to Indian music 

lies way beyond that. He is a 

prime candidate amongst the 

contemporary Sufi singers. He was 

inspired by the classical musicians, 

Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Pandit 

Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Pandit 

Bhimsen Joshi and the Qawwali 

singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. 

Nooran Sisters 

The Nooran Sisters, Jyoti and 

Sultana, belong to Jalandhar, 

Punjab and are very rooted in their 

linguistic and musical traditions. 

Their grandmother Bibi Nooran 

was a well-known singer of her 

time, and the Nooran Sisters now 

follow in her footsteps. They 

follow the Sham chaurasi Gharana 

and Mirasi traditions of music. 

Javed Bashir 

Hailed from Jalandhar, Punjab, 

Bashir has been singing since 

childhood but the professional 

training of Qawwali began from 

1992 by his father Ustad Bashir 

Ahmad Khan. Bashir was featured 

on Sampooran, Mekaal Hasan 

Band’s album, which landed 

Bashir mainstream success and 

appreciation. 

Paban Das Baul 

A noted Bengali baul singer and 

musician, Paban Das plays a dubki, 

a small tambourine and sometimes 

an ektara as an accompaniment. 

He is known for pioneering 

traditional Baul music on the 

international music scene and for 

establishing a genre of folk-fusion 

music. 

Susheela Raman and Sam 

Mills 

An acclaimed British Indian 

musician, Raman is known for 

energetic, vibrant, syncretic and 

uplifting live performances built 

on the sacred Bhakti and Sufi 

traditions of India and Pakistan. 

She has been collaborating 

with Sam Mills, a London-born 

guitarist who had performed with 

experimental, avant garde musical 

group 23 Skidoo. 

Indian Ocean 

An Indian rock band formed in 

New Delhi in 1990, who are widely 

recognised as the pioneers of the 

fusion rock genre. The musical 

style of the band can be at best 

classified as jazz-fusion and fusion 

music. 

Karen Lugo and Ricardo Moro 

The Flamenco dancers duo 

hailed from Spain who perform 

Flamenco music and dance, which 

is considered an art form, invented 

by gypsies in the southern part of 

the country. •

32 


DT 

BASIC BANK MAKING 

UP LOSSES PAGE 12 

Back Page 

TAMIM, NABI STEER 

VIKINGS TO EASY WIN PAGE 24 

DHAKA INTERNATIONAL 

FOLK FEST 2016 PAGE 31 

Another Santal found dead 

Tension is still running high with local thugs of lawmaker and chairman flexing muscles 

• Mahadi Al Hasnat in Dhaka 

and Tajul Islam Reza from 

Gaibandha 

Another body of a Santal member 

was found yesterday following a 

clash over a land dispute on Sunday 

as the ethnic minority people 

protested what they called the 

grabbing of their land by a sugar 

mill authorities. 

Police recovered the body from 

a crop field of Baghda farm area under 

Rangpur Sugar mill at Gobindaganj 

in Gaibandha. 

The deceased was identified as 

Mongol Madri (50), son of Jetha 

Madri from Dandupur village under 

Ghoraghat Upazila in Dinajpur, Subrata 

Kumar Sarkar, officer-in-charge 

of Gobindaganj Police Station said. 

“Locals spotted the body at 

around 11pm on Monday in a sugarcane 

field under Baghda farm area. 

Being informed, police recovered the 

body and sent it to Gaibandha Sadar 

Hospital for an autopsy,” he said. 

The body was later handed over 

to the family members of the deceased. 

The OC also said they had arrested 

three indigenous people 

– Dijen Tutu, Choron Soren and 

Bimol Kishku – on Monday while 

they were undergoing treatment at 

Rangpur Medical College Hospital. 

Another Majhiya Hembrom was 

arrested from Gobindaganj yesterday. 

On Sunday, a clash took place 

after Santals of Sahebganj-Baghda 

farm in Gaibandha chased a group 

of Rangpur Sugar Mill staff who 

came to harvest sugarcane in sugar 

BNP irked by DMP conditions on holding rally 

• Manik Miazee, Afrose Jahan 

Chaity, Mohammad Jamil 

Khan 

BNP has reacted angrily to Dhaka 

Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) decision 

to allow the party to organise 

its rally at the auditorium of Institute 

of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) 

in Dhaka, instead of in front of the 

party’s central office in Naya Paltan 

as it wanted. 

“We did not seek permission for 

the Engineers Institute,” said BNP 

Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul 

Kabir Rizvi in an immediate reaction 

yesterday afternoon. 

Santal houses in Sahebganj Sugarcane Farm in Gaibandha were burnt to ashes on Sunday during the eviction drive 

mill’s plantation area. 

A Santal man - Shyamal Soren 

- was killed and 30 others were 

injured in the clash between sugar 

mill workers and protesters while 

over 1,000 families left their homesteads 

after looting and mass arrest 

drives. 

Although three days have passed 

since the clash took place, the government 

basically did nothing to 

protect the ethnic minority people, 

the indigenous leaders alleged. 

Shahebganj-Baghda Farm Bhumi 

Uddhar Songram Committee’s 

Vice-President Philimon Baske said: 

“Our people are living in fear and anxiety 

as the local toughs of lawmaker 

and chairman including Chhatra 

League were flexing their muscles.” 

The weapon-wielding goons are 

roaming around threatening Santal 

community people with dire consequence, 

he said. 

The DMP gave permission to the 

BNP to hold their rally yesterday at 

2pm, but it set 27 conditions for the 

event and moved it to the IEB auditorium. 

A letter in this regard, signed by 

Special Assistant to Commissioner 

Sudip Kumar Chakraborty, was 

sent to Rizvi yesterday, the same 

day of the event. 

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, 

Rizvi said they had sought the DMP’s 

permission to hold their rally either 

at Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of 

their Naya Paltan headquarters. 

“We respect the DMP’s decision, 

but we will organise our rally at 

Members of Santal community 

in exchange for anonymity alleged 

that law enforcers were siding with 

local MP, chairman and sugar mill 

authorities. 

The attackers torched a number 

of houses and establishments of 

Santal community in presence of 

policemen, they claimed. 

“Although the land dispute is between 

the mill authorities and the 

Santal community people parliament 

member Abul Kalam Azad and 5 No 

Shapmara Union Chairman Shakil 

Aknd Bulbul’s men are launching attacks 

on us to evict us from the land 

with the help of police,” Philimon 

Baske told the Dhaka Tribune. 

He also said four to five of 

their community members had 

remained missing since the clash 

erupted. 

However, Police Super of Gaibandha 

M Ashraful Islam said policemen 

FILE PHOTO 

were deployed in and around the area 

to avert any untoward incident. 

Mill authorities begin cultivation 

Meanwhile, the mill authorities have 

started cultivation in the sugarcane 

fields where the Santal-Bangali people 

had been living as of Sunday. 

During a visit, Santals belonging 

to the area told this correspondent 

that the locals had set fire to their 

makeshift houses in presence of 

police on Sunday. Tension is still 

running high in the area. 

Confusion over relief distribution 

Lawmaker of Gaibandha -4 constituency 

Abul Kalam Azad yesterday 

distributed 10 kg of rice and 

Tk500 to each of 50 families living 

in Santal villages - Madarpur and 

Joypurpara - of Khamarpur Bazar 

in Gobindaganj, reports our correspondent. 

Suhrawardy Udyan on November 

13 [Sunday],” he said. 

The party sought police permission 

last month to hold the rally on 

November 8 at Suhrawardy Udyan 

marking their November 7 “National 

Revolution and Solidarity Day”. 

As there was no word from police, 

the party asked permission on 

Monday to hold the rally today. 

BNP Secretary General Mirza 

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed 

an “urgent” press briefing yesterday 

afternoon announcing that 

they wanted to hold the rally on 

Sunday at Suhrawardy Udyan. 

Minutes later, DMP spokesperson 

and Deputy Commissioner 

Masudur Rahman announced that 

the BNP had been granted permission 

to hold the rally. 

Earlier, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman 

Mia told reporters that 

several political parties had sought 

permission to hold rallies at Suhrwardy 

Udyan, but all of them had 

been denied to avert untoward incidents. 

At yesterday’s briefing, Mirza 

Fakhrul said they expected that 

the government would permit their 

rally in front of their headquarters. 

“But they did not. Now we are 

seeking permission for the rally at 

However, Philimon Baske told 

the Dhaka Tribune that they were 

offered relief but the Santal people 

rejected. When asked, Gobindaganj 

Upazila Parishad Chairman 

Faruk Kabir Ahmed declined to 

comment on the matter. 

Immediate arrest of perpetrators, 

killers of Shaymol demanded 

Meanwhile, speakers at human 

chains in Dhaka and Gaibandha 

yesterday demanded immediate 

arrest and exemplary punishment 

of the perpetrators. 

Jatiya Adibasi Parishad President 

Rabindranath Soren presided 

over the human chain in the capital 

where speakers called upon the 

government to return the land to 

the original owners. 

Meanwhile, speakers at a protest 

programme held in Gaibandha 

city demanded immediate arrest of 

the killer of Shyamol Hembron. 

Santals have long been in dispute 

over the land after the mill authorities 

started leasing out the land to 

locals for cultivation of rice and other 

crops violating a contract. 

The erstwhile Pakistan government 

acquired 1842 acres of land 

from Santals for the sugar mill 

authorities under a contract that 

only sugarcane could be cultivated 

there, they said. 

Although the agreement stated 

that the land would be returned to 

the original owners if it is used for 

any other purposes, it did not happen 

in reality although the mill authorities 

have long been allowing 

tobacco and rice farming for years 

on the land. • 

Suhrawardy Udyan on Sunday.” 

He urged the government to 

green-light the rally. 

“If you [the government] continue 

to do this, the political crisis 

will not be solved,” Fakhrul added. 

BNP sat out the last general elections 

in 2014 demanding supervision 

of a neutral caretaker government 

over the polls. 

Police cordoned off the BNP 

headquarters in Naya Paltan early 

yesterday. At least three platoons 

of police and plainclothesmen 

were deployed in front of its office. 

The law enforcers allowed only 

journalists to enter the office. • 

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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