DT e-Paper, Thursday, December 15, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016 | Poush 1, 1423, Rabiul Awwal 14, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 227 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10 

‘Our struggles seem 

not to have ended’ › 32 

The struggle of memory 

against forgetting › 2-3 

‘Bangladesh leads on MFS 

in global platform’ › 12 

Report: Islamist 

group in 

Myanmar rings 

alarm bell 

› 5

2 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016 

DT 

News 

Dr Abdul Alim 

Choudhury 

ANM Golam Mostafa Dr Abul Kalam Azad Dr Md Abul Khair Dr NAM Faizul 

Ghyasuddin Ahamed Dr Mohammad Fazle Mufazzal Haider Muhammad Anwar 

Mohee 

Rabbi 

Chaudhury 

Pasha 

The struggle of memory 

LEAD STORY 

The file photo shows people gathered 

around bodies of civilians, including 

intellectuals, whom the Pakistani Army 

killed in Rayerbazar on December 14 

during the 1971 Liberation War. Today 

the place is known as Rayerbazar 

Boddhobhumi where a memorial has 

been built in honour of the martyred 

intellectuals 

PHOTO: GOVERNMENT ARCHIVE 

• Tanvir Haider Chaudhury 

My brother and I grew up in the 

Dhaka University Campus of the 

1970s and 80s. My father was 

among the intellectuals – teachers, 

journalists, writers, physicians – 

who were abducted, tortured and 

murdered during the final days of 

the Liberation War of Bangladesh. 

So my mother, just 39 years old in 

1971, was left with the job of raising 

two young children by herself. 

Ever since I can remember, the 

air in my household was heavy 

with grief. No, strictly speaking, 

that’s not correct: I have flashes of 

memory of an earlier, happier time 

also. I remember the sleeves of my 

father’s dressing gown, presumably 

because I used to sit on his lap 

and look down at the sleeves while 

he sat smoking his hookah in his 

easy chair in the veranda of our 

campus apartment. I remember 

my father coming home from his 

classes at the university, my brother 

and I always asking him what 

he’s brought for us and his laying a 

bunch of belley phool on the dining 

table and saying “ek buk bhalobasha” 

(a heart full love). I remember 

us being disappointed at this response, 

and letting him know it in 

no uncertain terms. And his laughter 

at our dismay, holding us close 

to his chest. 

Or maybe I don’t remember 

any of this at all. Maybe I have just 

made up these vignettes in my 

head, listening to the stories people 

have told over the years. I was 

just four when he was abducted. I 

remember snippets from the war, 

the actual scene of my father’s abduction. 

Those recollections are 

much stronger, seared into my 

memory. But the happy episodes 

are amorphous, fleeting. As if they 

never really happened at all. 

And try as I might, I don’t recall 

my father’s face. If I concentrate 

very hard, the memory turns 

into one of all the photographs 

I’ve seen of his over the years. His 

touch, smell, the look in his eyes, 

the sound of his voice: I have no 

memories of any of that. 

And coming back to our childhood, 

I don’t mean to paint 

everything with the same melancholy 

brush. No child is always 

unhappy; my brother and I spent 

many blissful mornings, afternoons 

and evenings growing up. Dhaka 

University campus was a wondrous 

place to be a child and a young man; 

open fields and ancient trees, teeming 

with friends – both actual and 

potential – and people who mostly 

seemed to wish you well. But all 

the while, like something I could always 

sense in the corner of my eye 

but never quite see in full focus, 

there was my mother’s sorrow. It 

was only much later that I realised 

how inconsolable she was. She had 

lost her rudder, and she was lost in 

this world. 

She was an incredible mother, 

though. She loved us with a love 

that was fierce, all-encompassing, 

almost claustrophobic in its absoluteness. 

Heavens may shake 

and mountains might fall, but she 

would not let a trace of misfortune 

touch us. And she taught us to love 

art, music, people, life; she brought 

us up to be curious and compassionate. 

Above all, she taught us 

that we are better than no one, and 

no one is better than us. Some of 

you will have picked up that I’m 

paraphrasing Bob Dylan, but that 

phrase really is apt for the way we 

were brought up. 

And try as I might, I don’t recall my father’s 

face. If I concentrate very hard, the memory 

turns into one of all the photographs I’ve 

seen of his over the years 

I don’t remember feeling poor 

as a child, but do still recollect 

how regimented everything was. 

Our meals were a piece of chicken, 

some vegetable and some rice. Appeals 

for anything more were not 

indulged. We had a nice car and a 

TV – holdovers from happier times; 

my father enjoyed a few of life’s 

little luxuries. But the car often 

broke down and the TV had to be 

“warmed up” for quite a while before 

it would start working. As we 

grew older, it became more important 

to treat your friends to snacks 

and gifts, and I was one of the worst 

equipped of my peers to do this because 

I did not have the money. To 

this day, I think some of my friends 

have never really understood just 

how financially strapped we were 

at that time. 

I was a big reader, and my father 

was a bibliophile, so exploration 

of his bookshelves occupied 

many of my happy afternoons. 

As children will, though, I started 

to rebel against the hegemony of 

Rabindranath and worthy Bangla 

and English-language literature in 

my household and started to get 

more into science fiction and comic 

books – an affection that remains to 

this day. Many of you will know of 

Zeenat Book Supply – the famous 

bookstore in New Market which 

has been serving generations of 

book lovers with their eclectic selection. 

Our residence in the campus 

was close to the market and in 

my teens I used to find any excuse

News 3 



Munier Chowdhury 

Nizamuddin 

Ahamed 

Santosh Chandra 

Bhattacharyya 

Selina Parveen 

Shahidullah Kaiser 

Sirajuddin Hossain 

SMA Rashidul Hasan 

Syed Nazmul Haque 

Zahirul Islam 

against forgetting 

to go down to the store and spend 

hours browsing their books. Some 

of my fondest memories of that 

time are associated with that store. 

A few months ago, I was looking 

for a particular book, and my father-in-law, 

an avid reader himself, 

suggested that I might talk to Faisal 

Bhai, the extremely courteous and 

very distinguished-looking owner of 

Zeenat Book Supply whom I remembered 

from years ago; he was confident 

they would be able to get hold 

of the book. I got Faisal Bhai’s cell 

number and called him. As we started 

to talk, I realised something that 

momentarily left me speechless. 

It was this: Faisal Bhai does not 

know me. In spite of the many 

happy hours I spent there, I could 

never gather up the nerve to talk 

to him. I knew I could only browse, 

I did not have the money to buy. 

Therefore, I sought to evade notice. 

I thought once Faisal Bhai knew 

me, he would start to see how often 

I went there, spend a long time 

browsing, and then leave without 

buying anything. I was afraid this 

might mean I would not be allowed 

to go there any more. 

Faisal Bhai, in our later conversations, 

remembered my cousins, 

my wife, many of my friends from 

that time in our lives. But although 

he was polite, I could tell that he 

did not remember me. 

So this is the way my brother 

and I grew up as children of an 

educationist who was murdered in 

the 1971 war. We accepted sadness 

as a permanent state of being, and 

knew that we could not ask for too 

much. And we also knew we were 

not alone. Many of my friends at 

the campus had similarly lost their 

fathers or mothers, and led similar 

incomplete lives. And as the years 

rolled on, those scars took their toll. 

I know many children of 1971 

martyrs who grew despondent 

with their circumstances and withdrew 

into themselves. I know of 

too many relationships destroyed, 

potentials unfulfilled, lives ruined. 

Too many of my peers feel that 

they are caught in a cycle of unhappiness 

and misfortune and despair 

What do you have plans to establish? Who 

will speak of you when you’re gone? Is that 

what irks you, that these people are still 

spoken of with reverence so many years after 

their death? 

they feel unable to break out of. 

Some have found their footing in 

this world, but they are exceptions, 

not the rule. 

The reason I write this today, 

the forty-fifth anniversary of the 

day my father and so many of his 

compatriots were abducted, tortured 

and murdered, is to underline 

the necessity of remembering 

what the human cost of the war 

was. Forty-five years is a long time. 

Long enough for memories to start 

getting frayed at the edges. Long 

enough for a Gayeshwar Chandra 

Roy to question the need to honour 

the memory of these martyrs. Long 

enough for bloggers to start claiming 

that it was the Indian army, 

not al-Badr and Razakars in collusion 

with the marauding Pakistani 

army, who were responsible for the 

killings. 

I have even seen writers and 

bloggers, ostensibly supporters of a 

secular and inclusive idea of Bangladesh, 

openly question just why 

it is that such a big deal is made 

about the killing of these people so 

long ago. Whose death in particular 

was such a huge tragedy, they ask. 

When we say their departure left a 

chasm that has been very difficult 

to fill, who are the individuals we 

speak of? 

I tell this story to tell these 

people, as the progeny of those 

murdered women and men who 

have been robbed of what their 

lives and ours should have been, 

that we take exception to their 

remarks. I write this to tell them 

they are not worthy of judging the 

martyrs of 1971. 

What have they achieved that 

they feel entitled to such arrogance? 

Munier Chowdhury wrote 

“Kobor” and “Raktakto Prantor,” 

transformed the landscape of 

Bangla-language plays; what have 

they done? Shahidullah Kaiser 

wrote “Shareng Bou” and “Shongshoptok,” 

what have they written? 

Zaheer Raihan made “Jibon Thekey 

Neya” and “Stop Genocide,” what 

have they made? What, in comparison 

with Sirajuddin Hossain’s 

intrepid writings in the Ittefaq and 

Anwar Pasha’s audacious novel 

“Rifle Roti Aorat,” have they produced? 

Dr Alim Chowdhury was 

working on a health care policy for 

the poor with Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman, what are they 

working on? 

My father, Mufazzal Haider 

Chaudhury, has inspired generations 

of students with the love 

of literature, art and music, has 

instilled in them a love of Rabindranath 

Tagore and all the other 

great writers of Bangla poetry, 

prose and song. He had drawn up 

plans to establish a school modelled 

after Rabindranath’s Santiniketan 

– he was going to call it 

“Anandakanon.” 

What do you have plans to establish? 

Who will speak of you 

Mofazzal Haidar Chaudhury with son Tanvir Haider Chaudhury 

when you’re gone? Is that what 

irks you, that these people are still 

spoken of with reverence so many 

years after their death? 

And most of those martyrs were 

cut down in their early to mid-forties, 

at what should have been 

their most fecund period. You, on 

the other hand, have had far longer 

lives. Is that what bothers you in 

the end, your own mortality and 

inconsequence? 

You are writers and bloggers of 

some repute. You will have heard 

of, and possibly read, Milan Kundera, 

the famous Czech-French novelist. 

Do you remember that quote 

of his from “The Book of Laughter 

and Forgetting”? 

“The struggle of man against 

power is the struggle of memory 

against forgetting.” 

That is not a struggle we, the 

progeny of the martyrs of 1971, will 

ever abandon. And it is not a struggle 

you can hope to win. • 

Tanvir Haider Chaudhury is son of 

martyred intellectual Mufazzal Haider 

Chaudhury

4 



EMERGENCY LANDING OF PM’S PLANE 

Three more engineers 

suspended 

• Ishtiaq Husain 

The national flag carrier suspended 

three more engineers for their negligence 

in inspecting an aircraft that 

was forced to make an emergency 

landing carrying Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina en route to Hungary. 

The suspended officials are Debesh 

Chowdhury, acting chief engineer 

of production, SA Siddique, 

chief engineer of quality assurance 

and Billal Hossain, principal engineer 

of maintenance control centre. 

The management of the national 

flag carrier took the decision as 

per the report of the investigation 

team yesterday. 

A day after PM’s flight emergency 

landing Biman formed a 

four-member investigation committee 

led by Chief of Technical 

Captain Fazal Mahmud Chowdhury 

to investigate the incident. 

The investigation committee 

found their negligence in inspecting 

the VVIP aircraft which made 

an emergency landing en route to 

Hungary due to low lubricant oil 

pressure at Ashgabat airport, Turkmenistan 

on November 27. 

Biman management handed 

over the detail investigation report 

to the Aviation ministry. 

Earlier, the management of airlines 

suspended six engineers of 

Biman. They are – S M Rokonuzzaman, 

Samiul Haque, Lutfor Rahman, 

Milon Chandra Biswas, Zakir 

Hossain and Siddiqur Rahman. 

On November 27, a VVIP flight 

carrying Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina was forced to make an 

emergency landing at Ashgabat 

International Airport in the capital 

of Turkmenistan on her way a 

UN water summit in Budapest, 

Hungary. • 

News 

Bangladesh-India to ink agreement 

on ‘elephant corridor’ 

• Abu Siddique 

Bangladesh and India are in the final 

stage of an agreement to allow 

the wild elephant’s free passage 

through the borders. 

Border fence put up by India 

blocks the elephants’ natural 

routes. This triggers human-elephant 

confrontations as the animals 

often veer into human settlements. 

Seven cross-border routes used 

by elephants have been identified 

in Indian states of Assam, Tripura 

and Mizoram. 

Forest Department’s Deputy 

Conservator MD Shahab Uddin 

said keeping the natural corridors 

open would lessen confrontation. 

“Elephants will not harm anyone if 

they are left alone.” 

Shahab said the Home Ministry 

had already given an approval to sit 

with Indian officials. 

“Now we are waiting for the Foreign 

Ministry’s clearance, which 

we expect soon,” he told the Dhaka 

Tribune. 

He said: “Then, we will have the 

final meeting on how the agreement 

will be signed.” 

In January this year, the Indian 

union home ministry agreed 

to sign an agreement with Bangladesh 

to open the borders to form a 

cross-border natural elephant corridor. 

On January 26, the New Indian 

Express reported that the home 

ministry of India had cleared the 

proposal after getting approval 

from the forest department. 

Then in Bangladesh, the forest 

ministry contacted the Home Ministry 

for collaboration with the law 

enforcement agencies, especially 

the Border Guard Bangladesh, regarding 

the corridor. 

Human encroachment and habitat 

loss have pushed down the wild 

elephant population in Asia in the 

last two centuries. 

Elephants are critically endangered 

in Bangladesh where only 

some 200 of them remain – down 

from more than 500 in the mid- 

20th century. 

According to Forest Department, 

at least 226 people and 62 

elephants have been killed in such 

conflicts in the country in the last 

13 years. 

Elephant attacks destroyed 

thousands of homes and crop 

fields in areas near the border in 

the country. Being a flagship or 

umbrella species, elephants are 

considered a symbol of a healthy 

ecosystem. 

The forest conservator also said 

that if the natural corridors will 

open, the conflict between humans 

and elephants will be reduced simultaneously. 

• 

EoIs invited to buy rights 

to Chevron assets 

• Aminur Rahman Rasel 

The government has invited 

expressions of interest (EoIs) 

from prospective international 

consultancy firms to calculate 

the value of sub-surface 

assets in three gas fields, 

currently under the operation 

of Chevron Bangladesh, for 

buying the rights to those 

assets. 

“We have already invited 

expressions of interest (EoIs) 

from three companies who 

have worked on gas sector 

with Petrobangla,” Bangladesh 

Gas Fields Company Limited 

(BGFCL), a subsidiary of 

the state-owned Petrobangla, 

Managing Director Md Kamruzzaman 

told the Dhaka Tribune 

yesterday. 

On November 6, the Energy 

and Mineral Resources 

Division instructed Bangladesh 

Oil and Gas Corporation 

(Petrobangla) to appoint an 

international consultancy firm 

in this regard. 

However, Chevron has not 

officially informed Petrobangla 

about the sale of rights to 

the assets in the gas fields, said 

a Petrobangla official. 

Chevron Bangladesh, a 

subsidiary of US-based oil 

giant Chevron, operates 

Bibiyana, Jalalabad and 

Moulvibazar gas fields in 

Bangladesh and is planning to 

sell its shares off, according to 

several reports. •

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina exchanges greeting with relatives of martyred intellectuals at the Martyred Intellectuals’ 

Memorial at Mirpur in Dhaka yesterday 

BSS 

News 5 


HC orders probe into 

Santal arson attack 

• Ashif Islam Shaon 

The High Court yesterday ordered 

the chief judicial magistrate of Gaibandha 

to probe into the torching 

of Santal houses during an eviction 

drive in Gobindaganj upazila by 

some law enforcers. 

The bench of Justice Obaidul 

Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath 

came up with the order and asked 

the magistrate to place the probe report 

before it within 15 days. 

The court also directed the 

Rangpur range deputy inspector 

general of police to ensure proper 

investigation of the two cases filed 

in connection with the November 6 

attacks and treat them with equal 

importance. 

The probe would be conducted 

by a high official of the PBI and supervised 

by an official holding not 

less than the rank of a police superintendent. 

On Monday, a Supreme Court 

lawyer brought the matter to the 

High Court’s notice, referring to a 


news piece based on a video that 

showed policemen torching the 

Santal houses. 

On November 6, the upazila administration 

evicted around 600 

Santal households from their ancestral 

land in Sahebganj-Bagda 

sugarcane farm area. 

Three Santal men died and many 

more were injured when they protested 

the eviction. The drive was 

carried out by the police and RAB 

members, and they were assisted 

by local people allegedly loyal to 

the local ruling Awami League lawmaker 

and mill workers. 

Meanwhile, the National Human 

Rights Commission placed their 

findings with some recommendations 

on the incident before the 

court yesterday. A team of the NHRC 

visited the spot on November 14. 

The NHRC said that the police 

need to be more humane in such 

incidents and they need to gather 

more skills to act in defence. However, 

the report claims that the incident 

was not pre-planned. • 

Report: Islamist group in Myanmar 

rings alarm bell 

• Tribune Desk 

International Crisis Group has revealed 

that a well-funded armed Islamist 

group carried out the attacks 

on Myanmar security forces in October 

and November that saw crackdown 

by the military in retaliation. 

Formed after the 2012 riot, the insurgent 

group, which refers to itself 

as Harakah al-Yaqin (Faith Movement, 

HaY), is led by a committee 

of Rohingyas living in Saudi Arabia 

and is commanded on the ground by 

Rohingya with international training 

and experience in modern guerrilla 

war tactics, the Brussels-based 

group said in a report published yesterday. 

“It benefits from the legitimacy 

provided by local and international 

fatwas [religious judicial opinions] 

in support of its cause and enjoys 

considerable sympathy and backing 

from Muslims in northern Rakhine 

State, including several hundred locally-trained 

recruits.” 

Over 20,000 Rohingya Muslims 

have taken shelter in Bangladesh 

following the latest attack in Rakhine 

state since October 9 that killed 

around 100 people. People who have 

escaped the attacks are sharing horrific 

stories of murder and torture. 

After the military breakdown 

began, the Myanmar president’s 

office issued a statement claiming 

that some 400 members of Aqa Mul 

Mujahideen, a little-known Islamist 

militant group linked to al-Qaeda 

and RSO, had conducted the preplanned 

attack. 

According to the ICG report, HaY 

is represented in northern Rakhine 

by Ata Ullah, seen in several videos 

released by the group. He was born in 

Karachi to a Rohingya father and grew 

up in Mecca. He is part of a group of 

20 Rohingya who have international 

experience in modern guerrilla warfare 

and are leading operations on the 

ground in northern Arakan. 

Also with them is a senior Islamic 

scholar, Ziabur Rahman, a Saudi-educated 

Rohingya mufti with the authority 

to issue fatwas. 

HaY would not have been able 

to establish itself and make detailed 

preparations without the buy-in of 

some local leaders and communities, 

the report adds. “The fact that 

more people are now embracing violence 

reflects deep policy failures 

over many years rather than any sort 

of inevitability.” 

The current violence is qualitatively 

different from anything in 

recent decades, seriously threatens 

the prospects of stability and development 

in the state and has serious 

implications for Myanmar as a 

whole, the ICG says. 

The government should ensure 

that violence does not escalate and 

inter-communal tensions are kept 

under control. It requires also taking 

due account of the grievances and 

fears of Rakhine Buddhists, the report 

says. 

The ICG has warned that the current 

use of disproportionate military 

force in response to the attacks, 

which fails to adequately distinguish 

militants from civilians, and denial 

of humanitarian assistance to Rakhine 

is unlikely to dislodge the group 

and risks generating a spiral of violence 

and potential mass displacement. 

The rights group says that the Myanmar 

government requires recognising 

first that the Rohingyas have 

lived in the area for generations and 

will continue to do so. Ways must be 

found to give them a place in the nation’s 

life. 

“A heavy-handed security response 

that fails to respect fundamental 

principles of proportionality 

and distinction is not only in violation 

of international norms; it is also 

deeply counterproductive. 

“It will likely create further despair 

and animosity, increasing support 

for HaY and further entrenching 

violence. International experience 

strongly suggests that an aggressive 

military response, particularly if not 

embedded in a broader policy framework, 

will be ineffective against the 

armed group and has the potential to 

considerably aggravate matters,” the 

report adds. • 

SC to EC: Do not 

allocate ‘scale’ as 

electoral symbol 

• Ashif Islam Shaon 

The Supreme Court yesterday 

asked the Election Commission not 

to allocate the “scale” symbol to 

any political party during an election 

period. 

The “scale” has been used in the 

SC monogram as a symbol of justice 

for a long time and therefore 

allocation of it as an electoral symbol 

may create confusion, said the 

registrar of the Supreme Court. 

On December 12, the decision 

was adopted in a full court meeting 

of the Appellate Division and the 

High Court division in presence of 

Chief Justice SK Sinha, said HC Division 

Additional Registrar General 

Sabbir Foyez. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

Dhaka 27 15 Chittagong 27 18 Rajshahi 26 13 Rangpur 26 13 Khulna 27 13 Barisal 27 14 Sylhet 28 13 

Cox’s Bazar 27 18 

DRY WEATHER 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:14PM 

SUN RISES 6:34AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

29.8ºC 

9.6ºC 

Teknaf 

Chuadanga 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Fajr: 5:50am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:00pm | Magrib: 5:22pm 

Esha: 7:30pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 



News 

Martyred Intellectuals Day observed 

• Tribune Desk 

People of Bangladesh 

observed 

the Martyred 

Intellectual Day 

across the country 

yesterday 

paying rich tributes 

to the intellectuals 

who were killed systematically 

by the Pakistan occupation army and 

their local collaborators at the fag-end 

of the country’s Liberation War in 1971. 

In Khulna 

According to reports of our correspondent, 

leaders and activists of different 

political and socio-cultural, government, 

non-government organisations 

and educational institutions placed 

wreaths at local Shaheed Minar in the 

city early in the morning. 

Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party, 

JSD, CPB, vice-chancellors of Khulna 

University (KU) and Khulna University 

of Engineering and Technology (KUET), 

Khulna City Corporation, Khulna district 

administration, Khulna District 

Council, among others, also paid homage 

to the great sons of the country. 

Khulna district administration, BNP, 

Jatiya Party, JSD, CPB, 1971: Genocide, 

Tortured and Archive Museum, KU, 

KUET, KCC, Khulna Press Club, Khulna 

Union of Journalists (KUJ) and other 

political and socio-cultural organisations 

also organised discussion meetings 

marking the day. 

In Natore 

Local unit of Awami League and its 

front organizations, Natore press 

club and the district administration 

observed the day with various programmes 

including discussion and rally, 

reports our correspondent. 

Awami League and its front organisations 

placed wreaths at the portrait 

of the father of the nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led by MP 

Shafiqul Islam Shimul in Kandivituwa 

area in the town early in the morning. 

Natore press club authorities 

brought out a procession in the 

area in the afternoon. 

Later, a discussion was held 

at the press club auditorium. 

Among others, Deputy Commissioner 

Shahina Khatun, Additional 

Deputy Commissioner 

(Revenue) Muhammad Moniruzzaman, 

Deputy Director 

of Local Government Office Dr 

Azadur Rahman, senior journalist 

SM Manjurul Hassan, 

Sadrul Huda Devid and the 

press club secretary Dulal Sarker 

spoke on the occasion while 

the press club president Rezaul 

Karim Reza presided over the 

meeting. 

In Magura 

To mark the day a one-minute 

silence was held at the conference 

room of the Deputy 

Commissioner of the district, 

reports our correspondent. 

A discussion was also arranged 

at the conference 

room. Deputy Commissioner 

Mahhabubur Rahman presided 

over the meeting while Additional 

Deputy Commissioner 

Azmol Haque, Additional 

Police Super Tariqul Islam, 

district freedom fighter commander 

Nobuot Ali were present 

among others. 

The speakers said the Pakistani 

soldiers killed the bright 

sons of the soil on the eve of the 

Independence with the help of 

the notorious collaborators to 

make Bangladesh meritless. 

In Rajshahi 

Various political, socio-cultural, 

volunteer organizations 

and educational institutions, 

including Rajshahi University 

(RU) and Rajshahi University 

of Engineering and Technology 

(Ruet), observed the Martyred 

Intellectuals Day paying rich 

tribute to the martyrs. 

In observance of the occasion, 

the organisations demanded 

completion of the trial 

process of the war-criminals 

and collaborators and execution 

of all convicts awarded 

death sentences. 

As part of commemorating 

the martyred intellectuals, the 

groups chalked out various 

programmes which included 

placing wreaths at Shaheed 

Minar, photo exhibition, public 

gathering, discussion meeting 

and candle lighting on the mass 

graves throughout the day, reports 

BSS. 

Local units of Bangladesh 

Awami League and its front organizations 

placed wreaths at 

Rajshahi College Shaheed Minar 

followed by a brief meeting 

highlighting significance of the 

day early in the morning. 

Local unit of Workers Party 

of Bangladesh arranged a 

candle lighting programme at 

Bablaban’ mass-grave together 

with placing wreaths on the 

memorial plaque. 

Meanwhile, Rajshahi University 

observed the day 

through daylong elaborate 

programmes which included 

placing wreaths at Shaheed Minar, 

discussion meeting, milad 

mahfil and probhat ferry. 

RU VC Prof Mijanuddin, Pro- 

VC Prof Chowdhury Sarwar 

Jahan, Treasurer Prof Sayen 

Uddin, Registrar Prof Entajul 

Haque and other teachers, 

officers and students placed 

wreaths at the Shaheed Minar 

this morning. 

In Mymensingh 

The Martyred Intellectuals Day 

was observed at Bangladesh 

Agricultural University (BAU) 

through paying rich tributes to 

the martyred intellectuals who 

had been killed on the eve of 

the Independence in 1971. 

On the occasion, a mourning 

procession was brought out 

on the campus in the morning 

led by its Vice-Chancellor (VC) 

Prof Dr Ali Akbar. 

A discussion organised by 

the BAU Teachers Association 

was also held at a community 

centre in the area. Prof Ali 

addressed the meeting as the 

chief guest with president of 

Teachers Association Prof Dr 

Solaiman Ali in the chair, reports 

BSS. 

Proctor Prof Dr AKM Zakir 

Hossain, Prof Shankar Kumar 

Raha, Prof Shachee Amanda 

Das, were spoke, among others. 

The VC said, “We should disseminate 

the spirit of martyred 

intellectuals among the young 

generations to build Bangladesh 

a prosperous country.” 

In Rangpur 

Begum Rokeya University authorities 

organised several programmes 

marking the day. 

Earlier in the morning, VC 

along with Deans of different 

faculties and heads of different 

departments of the university, 

placed wreaths at the nearby 

Domdoma Mass Graveyard to 

pay due respect to the martyred 

intellectuals. 

Rangpur (BRUR) Professor 

Dr AKM Nurun Nabi said that 

the anti-liberation forces wanted 

to make the nation talentless 

through killing of the intellectuals. 

The day was observed in 

many other districts of the 

country including Chittagong, 

Barisal, Sylhet, Madaripur, 

Shariatpur, Netrakona, Thakurgaon, 

Bagerhat and Comilla. •

News 7 



Chittagong 

BCS Digital 

Expo-2016 to 

kick off Sunday 

• FM Mizanur Rahaman, 

Chittagong 

Pakistani occupation forces killed people on the bridge in Wapda area under Barisal city during the Liberation War. But, it has not been preserved as a killing ground 

though freedom fighters and cultural activists have been demanding its preservation for a long time 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

83% of killing grounds in 3 districts 

yet to be documented 

• Anisur Rahman Swapan, 

Barisal 

Around 83% of mass killing 

grounds and hundreds of martyrs 

of the Liberation War in three districts 

of Barisal division are not 

indentified even after 45 years of 

Independence of Bangladesh. 

A three-member research team, 

who got fellowship of the Center 

for Genocide Studies at Dhaka 

University, told the Dhaka Tribune 

that they collected information 

about at least 68 mass killing 

grounds in Barisal, Jhalakathi and 

Pirojpur districts through locals 

and witnesses. 

The government has built only 

three memorials—two in Barisal 

city and another in Pirojpur--,while 

eight memorial signs were erected 

by private initiatives in this region. 

The rest are yet to be marked, 

documented and preserved properly 

with fact and figures of the 

martyrs. 

Out of 68 killing grounds, 33 are 

in Barisal, nine in Jhalakathi and 26 

in Pirojpur districts, according to 

the researchers. 

In Barisal, three are in Sadar, 

four in Gournadi, six in Agoiljhara, 

three in Bakerganj, five in Banaripara, 

two in Babuganj, five in Wazirpur, 

two in Muladi and three are 

situated in Mehendiganj upazila. 

Sushanta Gosh, leader of the 

research team, said: “According to 

media reports, statements of witnesses 

and documents preserved 

by the family members of the victims, 

we assume that at least 10 to 

15 thousand innocent people were 

killed by Pakistani occupation forces 

on those killing spots during the 

war.” 

Besides, many people were injured, 

traumatised and died later, 

Sushanta added. 

Bidhan Sarkar and Bappi Majumdar, 

co-researchers of the team, 

said though witnesses could mark 

the killing grounds and identify 

names of some martyrs, it required 

to be documented officially with 

the help of different government 

BNP demands army deployment again 

• Tanveer Hossain, Narayanganj 

BNP again demanded army deployment 

in Narayanganj City Corporation 

(NCC) polls, scheduled on 

December 22. 

BNP Vice-chairman M Hafiz Uddin 

Ahmed came up with the demand 

yesterday in a press briefing 

after inaugurating Media Cell of 

BNP for NCC polls on Sayesta Khan 

road at Sayestaganj in the city. 

The senior BNP leader demanded 

army deployment during the 

election to ensure free and fair balloting. 

He said: “Awami League has trampled 

democracy and basic rights.” 

Hafiz Uddin said: “Ruling party 

Awami league men are trying to 

harm the election environment. So 

it is very important to deploy Army 

during the election to ensure people’s 

right of voting.” 

The Ex-army personnel also 

alleged that people of Dhaka and 

Chittagong could not vote during 

Dhaka North, Dhaka South and 

Chittagong City Corporation elections. 

BNP-backed NCC mayoral candidate 

Shakhawat Hossain and 

central and local top leaders were 

present at the program. 

Earlier, most of the NCC mayoral 

candidates sought army deployment 

during a discussion with 

Election Commissioner Jabed Ali, 

for a fair election. 

However, after a meeting with 

law enforcement agencies, Chief 

Election Commissioner Kazi 

Rakibuddin Ahmad on Saturday 

said that there was no need to deploy 

the army in the NCC polls. 

Selina Hayat Ivy, the ruling party-backed 

candidate, and Shakhawat 

Hossain Khan, the BNP-backed 

candidate, are going to contest 

with their respective party symbols 

for the mayoral position of 

agencies. 

Departments like land, statistics 

and death and birth registration 

and succession certificates from 

judiciary could help in documentations 

of the collected facts, they 

added. 

Enayet Hossain Chowdhury, 

organising commander of Barisal 

district Muktijoddha Sangsad, said 

history of the Libration War had 

been distorted, forgotten and exaggerated 

in last 45 years because of 

negligence. 

“So, we must mark all killing 

grounds and enlist names of all 

martyrs, injured and affected people 

for proper documentation,” he 

added. • 

Narayanganj City Corporation. 

Meanwhile, mayoral candidates 

of NCC attended a roundtable 

yesterday and promised to work 

sincerely to solve city’s problem if 

they elected. 

The Daily Prothom Alo organised 

the two and half hours roundtable 

at Narayanganj Club Audotorium 

around 11am. 

Sohrab Hossain, joint editor of 

Daily Prothom Alo was the moderator 

of the roundtable where mayoral 

candidates, cultural activists, 

social and rights activists, politician, 

businessmen and others were 

present at the roundtable. • 

A five-day long Bangladesh Computer 

Samity (BCS) Digital Expo- 

2016 is all set to kick off on December 

18 (Sunday) at GEC Convention 

Centre in the port city in aiming to 

speed up the activities to set Digital 

Bangladesh goal. 

The expo also aimed to link 

up the grass-root people with the 

country’s technological journey. 

Bangladesh Computer Samity 

(BSC) Chittagong Chapter is going 

to organise the fair in the city for 

the second time to explore the potentiality 

of Chittagong in technological 

sector. 

Chittagong City Corporation 

(CCC) mayor AJM Nasir Uddin is 

scheduled to inaugurate the fair as 

the chief guest at the GEC Convention 

Centre. 

“At the five-day fair around 

50 native and foreign companies 

will showcase their IT products 

and services,” said Kamrul Hasan 

Siddique, convener of BCS Digital 

Expo-2016 also secretary of BCS 

Chittagong chapter said at a press 

conference. 

International brand GIGABYTE 

will sponsor the gaming 

competition in the fair while 

famous and international brand, 

manufactures, importers and 

suppliers will present their 

respective latest IT products, 

devices, gadgets at the expo, added 

the organisers. 

Famous IT brand HP, DELL, 

CORSAIR and WD are going to 

take part as the platinum sponsors 

while ACER TP-LINK HIKVISION 

and VIVANCO are also taking part 

as Gold Sponsors at the fair. 

The expo also would be featured 

by free Wi-Fi Zone and gaming, 

drawing competition, raffle draw 

while the technology lovers of the 

port city can find and discover their 

desire products of latest version 

and also would buy in attractive 

discounts. 

The fair will remain open from 

10:00am to 8:00pm everyday while 

the entry fee for expo is being fixed 

Tk20. 

BCS’s Chittagong Chapter’s 

Chairman Shakhawat Hossen Juel, 

Khairul Alam Emon, Chittagong 

branch manager of Smart 

Technologies BD, Sadek Md Imtiaj, 

Chittagong branch manager of 

Excel Technologies Ltd, Forkan 

Molla, Chittagong manager of 

South Bangla Computer Ltd, 

Nowshad Chowdhury, owner of 

Global Touch Computer and Nazrul 

Islam, treasurer of BCS also spoke 

at the press conference. •


8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Pakistan, India to consider 

fresh talks on water dispute 

Pakistani and Indian officials said 

Wednesday they would consider 

resuming direct talks over water 

sharing after the World Bank halted 

a process to arbitrate a long-standing 

dispute over two Indian 

hydroelectric projects. Pakistan, 

a country of 180m people with a 

largely agriculture-based economy, 

fears the projects could severely 

deplete its water resources. AP 

INDIA 

Indian SC orders action on 

child drug abuse 

India’s Supreme Court court on 

Wednesday ordered the government 

to come up with a plan to 

tackle child drug abuse, acting on a 

petition from a child rights group. 

With government figures showing 

almost 20% of addicts in India are 

under 21, it said more needed to 

be done to educate young people 

about the dangers of substance 

abuse in India. AFP 

CHINA 

China urges Myanmar to 

ensure border stability 

China hopes Myanmar will ensure 

peace and stability along their border 

and keep stray bullets out of its 

neighbour’s territory, the defence 

ministry said on Wednesday. A 

series of attacks by ethnic armed 

groups on Myanmar security 

forces last month sent thousands 

of people crossing into China to 

escape the violence. REUTERS 

ASIA PACIFIC 

Malaysia court rejects 

Anwar’s bid for review 

Former Malaysian opposition leader 

Anwar Ibrahim will remain in jail 

after the country’s highest court 

on Thursday rejected his bid for 

a review of his controversial 2014 

sodomy conviction. Anwar last year 

began serving a five-year jail term 

for sodomising a male aide, charges 

that his supporters say were 

trumped up to sideline the former 

deputy prime minister. AFP 

MIDDLE EAST 

US cancels weapons 

transfers to Saudi over 

Yemen campaign 

The White House has blocked the 

transfer of precision munitions 

to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger 

about the civilian death toll from 

the kingdom’s bombing campaign 

in Yemen. The White House has 

long struggled to balance its 

unease over the prosecution of 

the Saudi campaign and risking 

a broader feud with a key Middle 

Eastern partner. REUTERS 

Myanmar to write its ‘true history’ 

without the Rohingyas 

• AFP, Yangon 

Myanmar’s religious affairs ministry 

plans to write a book to prove 

the Rohingya are not indigenous to 

the country, as tensions grow over 

a brutal military crackdown on the 

Muslim minority. 

Almost 27,000 Rohingya have 

crossed into Bangladesh since 

the beginning of November, the 

UN said Tuesday, fleeing a bloody 

military campaign in Myanmar’s 

western Rakhine state. 

Their stories of mass rape and 

murder at the hands of security 

forces have shocked the international 

community and cast a pall 

over the young government of Nobel 

peace prize winner Aung San 

Suu Kyi. 

Myanmar has angrily rejected 

the criticism and called an emergency 

Asean meeting next week 

to discuss the crisis, which has 

sparked protests in Muslim nations 

in the region. 

Late Monday, the country’s 

Ministry of Religion and Cultural 

Affairs announced plans to write 

a thesis to refute foreigners who 

“stir things up by insisting the Rohingya 

exist and (who) aim to tarnish 

Myanmar’s political image”. 

“We hereby announce that we 

are going to publish a book of true 

Myanmar history,” the ministry 

said in a statement posted on Facebook 

late Monday. 

“The real truth is that the word 

Rohingya was never used or existed 

as an ethnicity or race in Myanmar’s 

history.” 

Myanmar’s more than one million 

Rohingya are loathed by many 

from the Buddhist majority, who 

say they are illegal immigrants 

from Bangladesh and refer to them 

as “Bengali” even though many 

have lived in the country for generations. 

Even the term Rohingya has 

become so divisive that Suu Kyi 

has asked government officials to 

avoid using it. 

According to the ministry, the 

term was first used in 1948 by a 

“Bengali” MP. 

Rights activists say the Rohingya 

are among the most persecuted 

people in the world. 

They were removed as one of 

the country’s recognised ethnicities 

by the former military government 

under a 1982 law stipulating 

minorities must have lived in Myanmar 

before the first Anglo-Burmese 

war of 1824-26. • 

Turkey leads rise in journalist detentions 

• AFP, Paris 

The number of journalists detained 

worldwide rose in 2016, an 

increase related to Turkey where 

more than 100 journalists and 

media contributors are in jail, Reporters 

Without Borders (RSF) said 

Tuesday. 

“A total of 348 journalists are 

currently detained worldwide – 6% 

more than were detained at this 

time last year,” RSF said in its annual 

report. The figure includes bloggers 

and freelance contributors. 

“The number of detained professional 

journalists in Turkey has 

risen 22% after quadrupling in the 

wake of the failed coup d’etat in 

July,” it said. 

The number of women journalists 

imprisoned more than quadrupled 

over the period (from 5 to 21). 

“The persecution of journalists 

around the world is growing at a 

shocking rate,” RSF secretary general 

Christophe Deloire said in a 

statement. 

“At the gateway to Europe, an allout 

witch-hunt has jailed dozens of 

journalists and has turned Turkey 

into the world’s biggest prison for 

the media profession. In the space 

of a year, the Erdogan regime has 

crushed all media pluralism while 

the EU has said virtually nothing.” 

USA 

5,000 

By walking through 

the borders of 

neighboring 

countries 

Canada 

2,000 

Number of migrants 

in the world 

Their number reached 

outside Arakan 

2,000,000 estimated 

They are present in more 

than 50 countries around 

the world 

By Sea with the help 

of human traffickers 

Norway 

300 

Denmark 

400 

Ireland 

200 

UK 

500 

Turkey 

100 

Jordan 

388 Sudan 

200 

52 held hostage, 341 in prison 

according to Reporters 

Without Borders 

Bahrain 14 

Vietnam 15 

Eritrea 15 

Saudi Arabia 10 

Aside from Turkey, between 

them China, Iran and Egypt account 

for more than two-thirds of 

journalists imprisoned, RSF said, 

calling for the creation of a special 

representative for the safety of 

journalists directly attached to the 

office of the UN secretary general. 

The number of journalists held 

hostage has however fallen this 

year, with 52, mostly locals, held 

around the world compared with 

61 last year, although RSF said the 

CAUSES OF EXODUS: 

1. Racism 

2. Bloody massares against them by the 

government and extremist Buddhists. 

3. Denial of exercising fundamental rights. 

4. Restrictions on practicing their religon. 

5. Restricting them to work. 

Airborne who were in 

the capital of Myanmar, 

‘Rangoon’ 

Sweden 

300 

Azerbaijan 8 

Uzbekistan 9 

Bangladesh 

Pakistan 500,000 

400,000 

India 

15,000 

Saudi Arabia 

250,000 

UAE 

10,000 

Yemen 

1,000 

Ethiopia 

8 

Nepal 

100 Singapore 

100 

Thailand 

50,000 

Malaysia 

50,000 

UAE 

4 

Japan 

300 

China 

5,000 

Combodia 

1,000 

Indonesia 

6,000 

Turkey 

+100* 

Syria 

28 

Laos 

4 

27 27 

Egypt Iran 

Australia 

8,500 

JOURNALISTS DETAINED IN THE WORLD 

Source: RSF 

Journalists 

in prison 

*of which 41 confirmed cases 

3 Bangladesh 

102 

China 

3 Russia 

Hostages 

26 Syria 

16 Yemen 

10 Iraq 

2 North Korea 

2 Cuba 

2 Libya 

17 Others 

2015 number was particularly high. 

This year all the hostages are in 

the Middle East – Syria, Yemen and 

Iraq – with 21 held by the Islamic 

State group alone. 

The group considers journalists 

missing when there is insufficient 

evidence of their death or 

kidnapping and no credible claim 

of responsibility for their death or 

abduction. 

In a separate report released 

Tuesday, the Committee to Protect 

Journalists (CPJ) reported that 

259 journalists were imprisoned 

around the world in 2016, 81 of 

them in Turkey. 

Its number is lower because 

the CPJ only counts journalists detained 

by the state, while RSF also 

reports on those held hostage by 

non-state groups. 

The CPJ said the top five countries 

for jailing journalists are Turkey, 

followed by China, Egypt, Eritrea 

and Ethiopia. •

CHRONICLE 

World 

The battle for Aleppo 

Restoring full control over Aleppo, 

Syria’s most populous city before 

the war, has been seen as critical 

to the fortunes of Syrian President 

Bashar al-Assad in a multi-sided 

civil war now in its sixth year. 

Famous for textiles, soap and its 

Unesco-listed citadel, Aleppo was 

Syria’s economic hub and of huge 

historic and cultural importance. Below 

is a timeline of the key events in 

the battle for control of the city: 

2011: Violence breaks out in 

Syria after government cracks 

down on pro-reform protests 

In March 2011, mass demonstrations 

break out in the Syrian capital 

Damascus demanding political 

reform, civil rights and the release 

of political prisoners, soon spreading 

to other cities. A few small protests 

take place in Aleppo. 

2012: Rebels take parts of Aleppo 

city 

In early 2012 rebels take control 

of the rural areas northwest of 

Aleppo city, besieging the Minnegh 

military air base and the largely 

Shia towns of Nubl and Zahra. 

2013: Rebel gains cut Aleppo-Damascus 

highway 

The western, government-held 

half of Aleppo comes under almost 

complete siege as rebels briefly 

also cut the alternative route. But 

in October government and allied 

forces retake it and strengthen 

their position. 

In April 2013 the 1,000-yearold 

minaret of Aleppo’s Umayyad 

Mosque collapses after being 

struck during fighting. 

2014: Rebels and government 

consolidate positions in Aleppo 

The government’s control of 

the skies starts to show as it increasingly 

uses jets and helicopters 

to strike rebels. 

2015: Big rebel gains, Russia intervenes 

A series of rebel advances puts 

the government under pressure in 

northwest Syria, where Aleppo is 

located. But in October 2015 the 

first Russian air strikes take place 

and swiftly put the rebels on the 

back foot. 

2016: The siege and bombardment 

of east Aleppo 

February advances by the army 

and allies with Russian air support 

cut the most direct road from 

Turkey to rebel-held east Aleppo, 

recapturing Minnegh air base, 

ending the rebels’ siege of Nubl 

and Zahra and putting pressure on 

insurgent supply routes. 

Combatants fighting in Aleppo 

The battle for Aleppo, for months the 

focal point of Syria’s multi-sided civil 

war, is close to its end after the army 

and its allies have swept through rebel-held 

areas. Here are the main combatants 

fighting in the city: 

REBEL GROUPS 

Jabha Shamiya (levant front) 

One of the main rebel groups fighting 

under the banner of the Free Syrian 

Army (FSA) in east Aleppo. Jabha 

Shamiya has received support from 

Turkey and other states. 

Ahrar al-Sham 

A hardline Islamist group widely believed 

to have received backing from 

Turkey and some Gulf states. Ahrar 

al-Sham is an influential rebel force, 

with a strong presence in northwestern 

Syria around Aleppo and Idlib. 

THE UNITED NATIONS AND SYRIA 

Britain 

Members 

until 

Dec 31, 2016 

Angola 

Malaysia 

New Zealand 

Spain 

Venezuela 

Start of 

the conflict 

March 

2011 

Source: UN 

Nour al-Din al-Zinki movement 

A rebel group that counts itself part 

of the FSA umbrella, but has also recently 

participated in an operations 

room with the Islamist Jaish al-Fatah 

coalition. It has received military support, 

channelled through Turkey, from 

states opposed to Assad, including USmade 

Tow missiles. 

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham 

Formerly known as the Nusra Front, 

the powerful group changed its name 

to Fateh al-Sham in July and said it was 

breaking its formal allegiance to al-Qaeda. 

Fateh al-Sham and other jihadist 

groups based outside the city attacked 

the southern Aleppo outskirts in October, 

taking part in a failed rebel offensive 

aimed at breaking the siege on the 

east in October. 

SYRIAN GOVERNMENT 

TROOPS AND ALLIED FORCES 

Syrian army 

The Syrian army is supported by Russian 

air strikes, local pro-government 

militias and mostly Shia foreign militias. 

Throughout the war, its air force 

Permanent members 

with veto rights 

China France Russia 

15 members 

VETOS ON SYRIA RESOLUTIONS 

Oct 4 

SECURITY COUNCIL 

Russia 

China 

Feb 4 July 19 May 22 

2012 

2014 

USA 

Members 

until 

Dec 31, 2017 

Egypt 

Japan 

Senegal 

Ukraine 

Uruguay 

Oct 8 Dec 5 

2016 

has given it a big advantage over opponents, 

and the Russian intervention 

in Syria last year turned the tide in 

Assad’s favour. Military experts think 

the army numbered around 300,000 

personnel pre-war, but after almost six 

years of conflict, desertions and defections, 

its current size is not known. 

Tiger force 

Pro-Damascus sources say this elite unit 

of the Syrian army has played a leading 

role in the ground assaults in rebel-held 

eastern Aleppo. It is led by Suheil al-Hassan, 

an army officer who has risen to unusual 

prominence in the Syrian military. 

Hezbollah 

The Lebanese Shia movement gives allegiance 

to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah 

Ali Khamenei. Its armed forces 

have long experience of military action 

after fighting numerous wars against 

Israel. 

Hezbollah’s entry into the Syrian 

war in 2013 helped stem rebel advances 

and it has played a significant role in 

From July to November 

Russian air power and Shia militias 

from Iraq and Lebanon help 

the army recapture Ramousah on 

September 8, firmly re-encircling 

the rebel enclave. On September 

22, the heaviest air strikes in 

months hit east Aleppo and the 

government announces a new offensive 

to retake it. 

After weeks of intense bombardment, 

in which many hospitals and 

other civilian infrastructure are hit, 

Russia and Syria’s government declare 

a pause in their campaign on 

October 18, urging rebels and civilians 

to quit east Aleppo. 

Intense air strikes resume 

against east Aleppo on November 

15, putting all hospitals out of action 

by November 19. On November 

28, pro-government forces 

take the northern part of the rebel 

sector in a sudden advance that reduces 

its size by more than a third. 

December 

December 5-6: Brings the al-Shaar 

district and much of Aleppo’s historic 

Old City under government 

sway, leaving the rebels trapped in 

a small southern portion of their 

former enclave. 

December 12: The army makes 

a series of new advances after taking 

the Sheikh Saeed district after 

days of intense fighting and under 

a heavy aerial bombardment, 

leaving rebels stuck in only a tiny 

part of the city. 

December 13: Insurgents agree 

to withdraw in a ceasefire deal 

which would see them evacuate 

to rebel-held areas outside Aleppo 

with their families and any other 

civilians wanting to leave. • 

Source: REUTERS 

the fighting around Aleppo. More than 

1,500 of its fighters have died in Syria 

since the start of the war. 

Other militias 

Iranian-sponsored Shia militias have 

come to Syria from countries including 

Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to fight 

on the government’s side. 

Harakat al-Nujaba, an Iraqi Shia militia 

fighting in Syria, sent more than 

1,000 extra fighters to southern parts 

of Aleppo in September to reinforce its 

positions, the group’s spokesman said. 

Kurdish people’s protection 

units (YPG) 

The Kurdish YPG militia is at the heart of 

a US-led campaign against Islamic State 

and it controls swathes of the north, 

where Kurdish groups associated with 

the militia have set up local government 

councils since the start of the war. In and 

around Aleppo, the YPG has clashed with 

nationalist Syrian Arab rebels. • 

Source: REUTERS 

9 


USA 

Trump wins Wisconsin, 

Pennsylvania in recount 


Presidential election recount 

efforts came to an end Monday in 

Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with 

both states certifying Republican 

Donald Trump as the winner in 

contests that helped put him over 

the top in the Electoral College 

stakes. Green Party candidate Jill 

Stein successfully requested and 

paid for the Wisconsin recount. AP 

THE AMERICAS 

Brazil Senate backs 20- 

year spending freeze 

Brazil’s Senate approved Tuesday a 

20-year freeze on government spending 

billed as a centrepiece of austerity 

reforms, sparking angry clashes in 

the capital Brasilia where protesters 

torched a bus. Hundreds of people 

clashed with police who fired tear 

gas to break up the crowd following 

the upper house vote, which saw the 

measures quickly pushed through by 

53 votes to 16. AFP 

UK 

‘EU citizens should collect 

proof of living in UK’ 

EU nationals living in UK should 

make a file of documents that 

prove they have lived in the 

country since before the June 

referendum, according to the chair 

of a House of Lords committee. 

Helena Kennedy QC suggested 

collecting together bills, rental or 

home ownership documents, employment 

paperwork, or evidence 

of appointments for those who do 

not have jobs. GUARDIAN 

EUROPE 

Polish lawmakers pass law 

restricting rallies 

Poland’s conservative populist-dominated 

parliament has 

passed a law restricting public 

meetings which has been slammed 

by the opposition as being 

anti-democratic, media reports 

said Wednesday. The legislation, 

passed late on Tuesday, introduces 

the concept of “periodic meetings” 

for rallies organised repeatedly in 

the same place and on the same 

date, giving such gatherings priority 

over other meetings. AFP 

AFRICA 

President calls for national 

dialogue to end S Sudan war 

South Sudanese President Salva 

Kiir called Wednesday for a “national 

dialogue” to end the threeyear-long 

civil war in South Sudan. 

In a speech to parliament, Kiir, 

whose wrangling for power with 

his former deputy Riek Machar 

plunged the world’s newest nation 

into a brutal, destructive and ongoing 

civil war in December 2013, 

said the dialogue would “consolidate 

peace” in South Sudan. AFP

10 



World 

ANALYSIS 

Syria, Tillerson test Trump’s stance on Russia 

• Tribune International Desk 

Aleppo’s fall to Syrian government 

forces is shaping up as the first major 

test of President-elect Donald 

Trump’s desire to cooperate with 

Russia, whose military support has 

proven pivotal in Syria’s civil war. 

The death and destruction in the 

city is only renewing Democratic 

and Republican concern with 

Trump’s possible new path, reports 

The Associated Press. 

Though Trump has been vague 

about his plans to address this next 

phase in the nearly six-year-old 

conflict, he’s suggested closer alignment 

between US and Russian goals 

could be in order. His selection 

Tuesday of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex 

Tillerson, who has extensive business 

dealings with Russia and ties 

to President Vladimir Putin, fueled 

further speculation that Trump will 

pursue a rapprochement with Moscow. 

Indeed, Trump was already 

trying to portray Tillerson’s connections 

with Russia as a plus. 

Aleppo falls 

A warmer relationship could alter 

US policy on nuclear weapons, 

sanctions, Ukraine and innumerable 

other issues - but none so clearly 

or quickly as Syria, where President 

Bashar Assad’s defeat of US-backed 

rebels in Aleppo is poised to be a 

turning point. Assad and Russia are 

expected seize the moment to try to 

persuade the US to abandon its flailing 

strategy of trying to prop up the 

rebels in their battle to oust Assad. 

That decision will fall to Trump. 

The president-elect has not commented 

or tweeted about the crisis 

in Aleppo and widespread fears 

of humanitarian disaster. Yet his 

previous comments on the broader 

conflict suggest he’s more than 

open to a policy shift. 

During the campaign, Trump 

asserted that defeating the Islamic 

State group in Syria, not Assad, 

must be the top priority, a position 

that mirrors Russia’s. 

Prioritising the fight against IS 

could put the US in closer alignment 

with Russia’s public position, in a 

Middle Eastern take on the adage 

that “the enemy of my enemy is my 

friend.” It’s a point Trump appeared 

to make during the second presidential 

debate when he noted that 

he didn’t like Assad, but added, “Assad 

is killing IS. Russia is killing IS.” 

And in his first days as the president-elect 

Trump suggested he 

might withdraw US support for the 

various rebel groups that make up 

Assad’s opposition, telling a newspaper 

that “we have no idea who 

these people are.” 

Trump’s soften policy towards 

Russia 

Aligning with Russia would make 

it harder for the US to corral the rebels’ 

more strident supporters into 

supporting peace mediation. Assad 

foes like Turkey, Qatar and Saudi 

Arabia might become more inclined 

to give extremists advanced weaponry 

despite US protestations. 

Concerns that Trump may soften 

US policy toward Russia, currently 

under tough US sanctions over 

its actions in Ukraine, burgeoned 

during the campaign amid signs of 

Russian hacking of political groups. 

US intelligence agencies now say 

the hacking was intended to help 

Trump win. 

Those concerns grew louder 

still Tuesday when Trump tapped 

Tillerson for secretary of state despite 

his history of arguing against 

Hottest Arctic on record triggers massive ice melt 

• AFP, Miami, US 

The Arctic shattered heat records 

in the past year as unusually warm 

air triggered massive melting of ice 

and snow and a late fall freeze, US 

government scientists said Tuesday. 

The grim assessment came in the 

Arctic Report Card 2016, a peer-reviewed 

document by 61 scientists 

around the globe issued by the US 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (Noaa). 

The Noaa report covers from 

October 2015 to September 2016, a 

period it said the Arctic’s average 

annual air temperature over land 

was the highest on record. 

“The report card this year clearly 

shows a stronger and more pronounced 

signal of persistent warming 

than any previous year in our 

observational record” going back 

to 1900, Noaa Arctic Research Program 

director Jeremy Mathis told 

the American Geophysical Union 

conference in San Francisco, where 

the report was released. 

The environment has steadily declined 

since scientists started doing 

the annual report card, now in its 11th 

year, co-author Donald Perovich said. 

Warming twice as fast 

The Arctic region is continuing to 

warm up more than twice as fast as 

the rest of the planet, which is also 

SHRINKING ARCTIC SEA ICE: MULTIPLE INDICATORS 

Record minimum 

At its annual minimum extent on Sept 10, sea ice cover around 

the North Pole was the second lowest ever recorded, 

according to NASA data 

CANADA 

GREENLAND 

Sea surface 

NORWAY 

temperature 

peak in August 

off Greenland: ICELAND 

5Co higher than 

1982-2010 

average 

% area covered 

by sea ice 

Sept 10, 2016 

ALASKA 

Source: NASA/NOAA: Arctic Report Card 

50 - 75 75 - 100 

expected to mark its hottest year in 

modern times. 

Climate scientists say the reasons 

for the rising heat include the burning 

of fossil fuels that emit heat-trapping 

gases into the atmosphere, 

southerly winds that pushed hot air 

from the mid-latitudes northward, 

as well as the El Nino ocean warming 

trend, which ended mid-year. 

Donald Trump 

RUSSIA 

2015-2016 

annual air 

temperature 

over land: 

3.5Co higher 

than in 1900 

Median sea ice 

extent since 1981 

Loss of old ice 

The extent of multi-year ice cover has shrunk 

March 1985 

March 2016 

Multi-year ice: 45% Multi-year ice: 22% 

Age of ice 

1 year 5+ years 

Shrinking total cover 

Total area with 15% sea-ice cover 

Millions, km 2 

14 

1981-2010 

Average* 

10 

6 

2 

2016-2017 

2012-2013 

Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan 

REUTERS 

The Arctic’s annual air temperature 

over land was 3.5° C higher 

than in 1900, the report said. 

The sea surface temperature in 

the peak summer month of August 

2016 reached 5°C above the average 

for 1982-2010 in the Barents and 

Chukchi seas and off the east and 

west coasts of Greenland. 

It was also 28% less than the average 

for 1981-2010 in October. 

Scientists added a section to the 

report about noteworthy records 

set in October and November 2016, 

even though that extended beyond 

the report’s typical time span. 

On thin ice 

More of the ice that freezes in the 

Arctic winter is thin, made of only 

REX TILLERSON 

64 years old 

Nominee for: 

US Secretary of State 

CEO of oil giant ExxonMobil 

Civil engineer. Political novice 

Opposes sanctions on Russia. 

Was awarded the Russian Order 

of Friendship by President Putin 

Favours drilling in the Russian 

Arctic and an end to limits on US 

exports of crude oil and LNG 

Advocates a market-based 

approach to global warming: 

a “revenue-neutral” carbon tax 

Nomination requires Senate 

confirmation 

Sources: Forbes, ExxonMobil 

sanctions on Russia, which could 

affect Exxon’s joint ventures with 

Russia’s state oil company. In 2013, 

Putin awarded Tillerson the Order 

of Friendship in honor of his efforts 

to improve US-Russia ties. • 

a single year’s worth of freeze rather 

than thicker, more resistant ice 

built up over multiple years. 

In 1985, almost half (45%) of Arctic 

sea ice was called “multi-year 

ice.” Now, just 22% of the Arctic is 

covered in multi-year ice. The rest 

is first-year ice. 

In Greenland, the ice sheet continued 

to shrink and lose mass as 

it has every year since 2002, when 

satellite measurements began. 

Melting also started early in Greenland 

last year, the second earliest in 

the 37-year record of observations, 

and close to the record set in 2012. 

Record-low snow 

The springtime snow cover in the 

North American Arctic hit a record 

low in May, when it fell below 4 million 

square kilometres for the first 

time since satellite observations began 

in 1967. 

This melting, combined with retreating 

sea ice, has allowed more 

sunlight to penetrate the ocean’s 

upper layers, stimulating widespread 

algae blooms. 

The Arctic’s people and animals 

are also suffering from the climate 

changes. 

The Arctic could be free of summer 

ice by the 2040s, Perovich said, 

adding that the changing temperatures 

are already affecting people 

who live in the region. •

World 

11 



Spanish court 

suspends Catalonia 

independence vote 

• AFP, Madrid 

Spain's Constitutional Court on 

Wednesday suspended a resolution 

by Catalonia's regional 

parliament that called a referendum 

next year on independence 

from the rest of the country. 

Separatists in the wealthy, 

northeastern region have for 

years tried – in vain – to win 

approval from Spain's central 

government to hold an independence 

vote like Scotland's 

2014 referendum on independence 

from Britain which 

resulted in a "no" vote. 

Catalan President Carles 

Puigdemont pledged in the 

autumn to hold such a referendum 

in September 2017, 

whether or not the central government 

in Madrid agreed, and 

the majority-separatist, regional 

parliament subsequently 

approved his plan. 

The court said in a statement 

it "suspends... the resolution 

of Catalonia's parliament that 

plans a referendum in 2017". 

It also warned Catalan politicians 

involved in the process, 

such as parliament speaker 

Carme Forcadell and Puigdemont, 

that they had a duty 

to "stop or paralyse" any move 

to ignore or dodge the suspension, 

or face "potential liabilities, 

including at a penal level". 

Catalonia's former president 

Artur Mas had already 

tried to hold such a referendum, 

but it was banned by 

the Constitutional Court so he 

held a symbolic, non-binding 

independence vote instead in 

November 2014. 

More than 80% cast their 

ballot in favour of independence 

then – although just 2.3m 

people out of a total of 6.3m eligible 

voters took part. • 

Antonio Guterres is sworn in by President of the UN General Assembly 

Peter Thomson, right, at UN headquarters 

REUTERS 

Antonio Guterres sworn 

in as next UN head 

• Reuters, UN 

Former Portuguese Prime Minister 

Antonio Guterres was 

sworn in on Monday as the 

ninth United Nations Secretary-General, 

pledging to personally 

help broker peace in 

various conflicts and reform 

the 71-year old world body to 

become more effective. 

Guterres, 67, will replace 

Ban Ki-moon, 72, of South 

Korea on January 1. Ban steps 

down at the end of 2016 after 

two five-year terms. Guterres 

was Portugal's prime minister 

from 1995 to 2002 and UN High 

Commissioner for Refugees 

from 2005 to 2015. 

Diplomats said Guterres 

is expected to shortly name 

Nigeria's environment minister 

Amina Mohammed as his 

deputy secretary-general. He 

is also planning to appoint a 

woman as his chief of staff before 

the end of the year, diplomats 

said. 

Before her appointment as 

environment minister a year 

ago, Mohammed was UN Secretary-General 

Ban Ki-moon's 

special adviser on post-2015 

development planning - a role 

that culminated last year with 

the adoption by the General 

Assembly of sustainable development 

goals for the next 

15 years. 

Guterres is the first former 

head of government to be 

elected to run the world body 

and that experience will be 

reflected in how he operates, 

diplomats said. •


12 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: WEDNESDAY 

DSE Broad Index 4,906.9 0.8% ▲ Index 1,169.0 1.0% ▲ 30 Index 1,797.4 0.7% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 10,646.4 43.6% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 308.7 44.4% ▲ 

CSE All Share Index 15,085.0 0.8% ▲ 30 Index 13,380.9 0.6% ▲ Selected Index 9,150.9 0.8% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 670.2 46.8% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 21.5 27.7% ▲ 

‘Bangladesh leads on MFS in global platform’ 

• Jebun Nesa Alo 

Globally, Bangladesh is the leader 

of the Mobile Financial Service 

(MFS) platform due to its lowest 

pricing in mobile money transactions 

comparing to the other countries, 

said Lynn Eisenhart, senior 

program officer at the Bill & Melinda 

Gates Foundation. 

The growth of the registered clients 

with mobile banking is really 

impressive and making significant 

contribution to the financial inclusion 

here in Bangladesh, said 

Eisenhart while talking with Dhaka 

Tribune at an interview yesterday. 

A research study styled ‘Financial 

Inclusion Insights’ conducted 

by Inter Media with the funding of 

Gates Foundation has revealed recently. 

The study was over the rise of 

financial inclusion in Bangladesh 

with a focus on mobile money use 

and registration in 2015. 

Referring to the findings of the 

study, Lynn said: “Lower income 

people, mainly women, get access 

to the financial services due to mobile 

banking. The cost of mobile 

banking in Bangladesh is the lowest 

in the world that mainly attracted 

low income people to have account 

with these digital services.” 

The number of registered mobile 

financial service accounts 

stood at 38 million as of October 

this year, according to the Bangladesh 

Bank data. 

Bangladesh could make further 

growth in mobile banking by adding 

new service with it like money 

deposits, credit disbursements, 

Lynn suggested. 

The study mentioned that 

ILO: Modify Labour Act to ensure 

EPZ workers’ rights 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

International Labour Organisation 

(ILO) Director General Guy Ryder 

urged the Bangladesh government 

to modify Labour Act to ensure 

workers’ rights in the country’s Export 

Processing Zones (EPZs). 

However, State Minister for Labour 

and Employment Md Mujbul 

Haque ran counter to what Ryder 

said. There is no need of Labour 

Act modification as there is already 

Workers Welfare Association 

(WWA) to ensure workers rights in 

the EPZs, said the junior minister. 

Ryder was addressing a joint 

press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday 

after concluding his four-day 

visit in Bangladesh. 

Mujibul Haque also talked about 

the country’s labour rights and 

working conditions. 

“Productive industrial relation 

is one of the keys to successful development. 

I would add there are 

still some legislative questions on 

the table. The labour act has been 

amended. The ILO would like to 

see some further modifications 

made,” said Ryder. 

“We have the outstanding question 

of EPZ legislation where we 

believe as well that full worker 

Lynn Eisenhart, senior programme officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

rights need to be ensured.” 

Talking on the labour rights issues 

in the EPZs and other special 

economic zones, Mujibul Haque 

brushed aside the demand for 

modification of Labour Act. 

“No act is permanent and 

changes are brought in curse of 

time. If modification is needed, the 

government will do it, but till now, 

there is no need for that as there 

is WWA under which workers can 

bargain with their owners on their 

demands,” said Mujibul. 

The name is different but workers 

enjoy all facilities as they do 

from trade union outside the EPZ 

factories, added the junior minister. 

Meanwhile, the ILO DG has expressed 

satisfaction over the progress 

made by the Bangladesh RMG 

manufacturers and urged the factory 

owners to keep up the momentum 

of reforms to ensure safety. 

“Since 2013 after the Rana Plaza 

collapse, a great deal of works have 

been done through Accord and Alliance 

and National Initiatives (NI) 

to undertake structural assessment 

of building safety and to take remedial 

action to ensure that the buildings 

are safe,” said Ryder. 

“I think good progress has been 

made, but the job is not finished. 

This is an important point that we 

will not lose the momentum but 

will continue to finish the task.” 

Ryder added that he visited two 

RMG factories, which completed 

their remediation fully, while another 

completed 

80% remediation 

– all these reflect 

the overall situation 

of the industry. 

Leader of 

the workers right 

watchdog also emphasised 

the need 

for mutual trust 

between workers 

and owners. 

“My impression 

here is that 

there is not the 

level of confidence 

and trust 

between employers 

and workers 

that is needed 

to ensure good 

working conditions 

and to ensure 

that factories 

are productive 

and successful,” 

according to the 

ILO top brass. • 

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN 

Just over four in 10 

Bangladeshi adults 

or 43% are now 

financially included 

in 2015, representing 

an increase of 8% 

from 2014 

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Using Precision Wood Working Machinery 

bKash is the market leader while 

DBBL is in the next position but 

many licensed providers are yet to 

make any impression on the matter. 

bKash holds 91% of total mobile 

money account holders as of 

2015. The active mobile money account 

holds by bKash increased to 

91% in 2015 from 86% in 2013 when 

DBBL lost the account holders to 

17% from 28% during the same period. 

Lynn explained that financial 

inclusion is relatively new thing in 

Bangladesh it is difficult to build 

out mobile financial service business 

as it requires huge agents 

across the country to reach the remote 

people. bKash developed the 

agent network that help the providers 

to become market leader. 

According to the study, just over 

four in 10 Bangladeshi adults or 

43% are now financially included 

in 2015, representing an increase of 

8% from 2014. 

Financial inclusion is significantly 

higher among those who use 

mobile phones to send and receive 

SMS text messages. Of the 37% of 

Bangladeshi adults who have ever 

sent an SMS text message, 49% 

of them are financially included. 

Of the 63% of Bangladeshi adults 

who have never sent an SMS text 

message, only 39% are financially 

included. 

Awareness of mobile money providers 

remains high and the number 

of mobile money users in Bangladesh 

continues to grow. In 2015, 

92% of Bangladeshi adults were 

aware of at least one mobile money 

provider and 33% of adults reported 

using mobile money compared to 

just 22% of adults in 2014. • 

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Dhaka Skill Summit ends 

calling for job creation 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

The just-concluded Dhaka 

Skill Summit has stressed 

the need for appropriate initiatives 

to develop workers 

skill, create employment 

opportunity and enhance 

employability to realise the 

Vision 2021 for attaining a 

middle-income status for 

Bangladesh. 

The three-day mega event 

concluded on Tuesday with a 

call for job creation through 

skill development. 

Labour and Employment 

Ministry, Bangladesh 

Employers’ Federation and 

National Coordination Committee 

for Workers Education 

in association with the 

a2i Programme of the Prime 

Minister’s Office (PMO) organised 

the summit. 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith 

attended the concluding 

session as the chief guest. 

In his address, Muhith 

said the government will 

provide necessary training 

for workers, professionals, 

mid-level management 

and trainers to boost their 

skills, reduce the gap of skill 

workers’ demand and create 

more jobs. 

The government has already 

extended an all-out 

support under its Seventh 

CORPORATE NEWS 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith speaks at the concluding session on 

Dhaka Skill Summit in the city yesterday 

RAJIB DHAR 

Five-Year Plan for skill development, 

the finance 

minister said, adding that a 

Tk100-crore fund has been 

allocated for human resource 

development. 

Commerce Minister Tofail 

Ahmed, State Minister 

for Labour and Employment 

M Mujibul Haque and ILO 

Assistant Director General 

and Regional Director for 

Asia and the Pacific Tomoko 

Nishimoto were present at 

the event. 

In their concluding remarks, 

the ministers said 

they would contribute to 

the employment-led growth 

model by taking appropriate 

initiatives for skill development, 

creating new employment 

opportunities and 

enhancing the employability 

of workforce in order to 

Business 13 

realiase Bangladesh’s vision 

to obtain the middle-income 

status. 

They said they are committed 

to Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs) for 

reducing poverty, eliminating 

hunger and promoting 

a safer environment and 

workplace and responsible 

production and consumption. 

They also put emphasis 

on mainstreaming persons 

with disability for inclusive 

economic growth. 

The speakers said they 

have committed themselves 

to promoting gender equality 

and inclusion of disadvantaged 

groups, particularly 

the persons with disability, in 

all employment generation 

schemes, policy and regulatory 

frameworks. • 



Merchant banks may be allowed 

to issue Tk6,000cr bonds 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

The government is likely to allow merchant 

banks to issue Tk6,000 bonds to bring back 

the vibrancy of capital markets. 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said this 

when the newly elected office bearers of 

Dhaka Stock Exchange Brokerage Association 

(DSEBAB) went to meet him at his ministry 

auditorium yesterday. 

The capital market is volatile since the 

share price crash in 2010.There is a negative 

equity of Tk6,000cr in the market due to the 

crash. The small brokers, who took loans 

from the merchant banks, could not repay 

the debt. If the banks release the bonds, they 

can recover the loss and increase money supply 

to the market. 

Muhith also said: “We have already identified 

the key persons who have delayed offload 

of 26 state-owned companies shares”. 

DSEBAB leaders also demanded for a twoyear 

extension of the tax holiday benefits 

and capital gains tax on the facilities for the 

development of the capital market. 

The meeting was attended, among others, 

by DSEBAB President Ahmed Rashid 

Lali, Vice President Mushtaq Ahmed Sadiq, 

Noor-e-Naharina Khujista. Director Abdul 

Haque, Shahed Abdul Khaliq, Zahirul Islam, 

and Richard de Rozario. 

Urging the minister to give capital tax benefit, 

DSEBAB President said: “DSE has been 

making operating loss during the last couple 

of year.” 

Lali also requested the finance minister 

to determine the policy on how to offset the 

negative equity of Tk6,000 core of capital 

market Marchant bank. 

He also demanded loan package from the 

Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the 

Capital Market Strengthen Project. • 

AB Bank Limited has opened its 102nd branch at Jatrabari, said a press release. The bank’s managing 

director, Shamim Ahmed Chaudhury was present on the occasion 

Shareholders of LankaBangla Finance Limited has recently approved issuance of right shares in the 

ratio of one right share for every two existing shares held at Tk10 per share, said a press release. The 

company’s chairperson, Mohammad A Moyeen was present on the occasion

14 



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16 



Feature 

Forward together 

Addressing the need for inclusive measures for 

children with disabilities 

• Saudia Afrin 

Amongst several other 

significant days, December 

is also noteworthy for the 

International Disability day 

and for the adoption of the 

Convention on the Rights of 

Persons with Disabilities by 

the United Nations General 

Assembly. On the glimmering 

morning of December 6, a hall 

was filled with colourful little 

angels named Rabeya, Shilamoi, 

Solaiman Mollah, Mitu and many 

more awaiting to share hitherto 

triumph of their journey and 

also to hear messages of hope 

from fellow citizens. 

Jointly organised by SEID, HSBC 

and Dhaka Tribune the roundtable, 

“Children with disability 

in mainstream schools: Partaking 

by Stakeholders” aimed at 

constructing a supportive society 

where children with disabilities 

can enrol without difficulties in 

mainstream schools and most 

importantly get opportunity to 

show their latent potential to 

world. 

The speakers put forth 

various suggestions ranging 

from removing social barriers, 

orienting related stakeholders, to 

technological intervention where 

needed, the psychological aspect 

of citizens in general, government 

initiatives and appropriate long 

term actions for these children. 

Emphasising on issues like the 

overall structure of education 

institutions, the summit’s entire 

discussion focused on building 

a disable friendly education 

structure. To do so involvement 

of the government, media, 

researchers, teachers, parents 

and most importantly non disable 

children is essential. 

Khurshid Alam Chowdhury, 

Joint Secretary and Project 

Director, Construction of Jatiyo 

Protibondhi Complex, Jatiyo 

Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation, 

“There is no curriculum for 

special need children. Thus 

implementing the appropriate 

curriculum is taking time. 

Question style and assessment 

policy should be based on the 

capabilities of these children.” 

Md Mahbub-ur Rahman, 

Deputy CEO and Country 

Head of Commercial Banking, 

HSBC, “Being member of the 

society, everyone has distinct 

responsibilities towards children 

with disabilities. This key concern 

is affiliated with three aspects 

which I considered as important; 

These are leadership, awareness 

and sustainability. The children 

with disability trying to win over 

all the hurdles of life are actually 

leading millions of children 

like them, helping change the 

societal mindset. Despite all its 

difficulties the concern has drawn 

has not only drawn its required 

attention but is progressing ahead 

gradually, which is certainly a 

subject to joy for the humanity.” 

Professor Salma Begum, Project 

Director, National Academy for 

Autism and Neuro-developmental 

Disabilities (NAAND), Ministry 

of Education: “If we do not start 

preparing children with disability 

within the age of two to eight 

through early intervention, it’s 

really hard for these children to 

improve later on. Also changing 

the way of thinking is what we 

need most. We should consider 

these children as assets for 

the country and only then the 

country can grow in a true 

sense. Active involvement of 

every faction of the society 

can truly enable meaningful 

implementation of government’s 

initiative.” 

Ranjan Karmaker, Chairperson, 

SEID, “Children with disability 

require assistance to carry out 

daily activities. However, it’s 

not only the society that has an 

unfavourable view of the children 

with disability children but 

often it is also the family of the 

disabled as well who hold such 

views. Our concern is to change 

mindset. Even though helping 

them become self dependent 

should be a principle goal, success 

in other areas shouldn’t be 

ignored. Initiatives are necessary 

to help integrate them into the 

mainstream society. They are 

endowed with hidden talent. 

The only way to change the 

situation is lending the hand of 

support so that they can become 

contributing members of society” 

Zafar Sobhan, Editor, Dhaka 

Tribune, “This open dialogue 

among special children, 

academics, government officials 

works as a platform that informs 

us about what is needed and what 

can be done to build awareness 

and inclusion of children with 

disability into the mainstream. 

The problem shouldn’t be seen as 

theirs, but of the nation. We stand 

beside them and hope to raise 

more awareness.” 

Mr Md Khairul Islam, Project 

Manager, Removing Cultural 

Barriers (RCB)-Project, ActionAid 

Bangladesh: “There is hardly any 

reflection on vision of including 

children with disability in 

mainstream schools. There are 

many challenges that prevent 

children with special needs 

from enrolling in mainstream 

schools, ultimately hampering 

their education. For an 

inclusive education system, 

early screening to identify 

children with disabilities and 

the type and nature of their 

disabilities, early child care 

development, therapeutic 

support in pre-primary stage, 

and accessible learning method 

are indispensable. With so much 

lacking how is it possible to 

integrate these children in the 

mainstream?” 

Dr Khondaker A Mamun, 

Associate Professor, United 

International University: 

“Technology is the best tool to 

assess various disabilities and 

to determine where we can 

include and where we cannot. 

Implementation of specialised 

technologies in developing 

behaviour and attitude of children 

with disabilities can help them 

get into mainstream schools.” 

Dr Sharmin Huq, Professor, 

Department of Special Education, 

Institute of Education and 

Research, University of Dhaka, 

“There are many existing 

resources that can be used, 

one such example is Upazila 

Resources Centre. Along with 

mainstream students, special 

children can also use it if these 

resource centres can be enriched 

by adding required assistive 

devices.” 

Badsha Mia, Assistant Director, 

Department of Primary 

Education, Ministry of Primary 

and Mass Education, “Every child

17 



should be enrolled in a primary 

school. To make the process 

more smooth every school’s 

headmaster will be required to 

attend a five days workshop, 

which has already started. Also 

there is a budget for providing 

assistive devices among students 

by the government.” 

Dr Mahmudur Rahman, 

Professor, Department of Clinical 

Psychology, University of Dhaka: 

“A basic understanding of human 

psychology by the society at large 

is very important. A child should 

be accepted the way he is. There 

is a need of increasing private 

and public organisations that can 

work jointly for the betterment 

of these children. Also I think we 

need to have a coherent plan on 

the national level.” 

Laila Karim, Manager, Advocacy 

and Communication, Child 

Protection, Save the Children: 

“We take disability seriously only 

when someone close suffers from 

it. Before that it’s a distant matter. 

As citizens, everyone should 

have the basic knowledge about 

disability. The learning shouldn’t 

come only when a family member 

is afflicted. Also, information 

such as where or to whom a 

patient should be taken should 

become common knowledge. 

Communities should get rid of 

social stigma about disability 

and NGOs should be encouraged 

to expand their work beyond 

projects. 

Shilamoni, Child under school 

readiness program, “My one 

year duration with mainstream 

school was not so pleasant. No 

one was willing to understand 

my barrier. Yet, no matter what 

the circumstance is and will be I 

will pursue my education to carry 

on with my dream of being self 

independent one day.” 

Solaiman Mollah, Child enrolled 

in mainstream school, “Besides 

having lots of friends in my new 

school named Confidence Junior 

High School, here teachers also 

adore me and encourage me to 

study.” 

Sonia Farzana, Teacher, Alif Ideal 

Public School: “Previously we 

didn’t have any experience of 

teaching special children. Having 

worked with SEID, we are now 

more knowledgeable about how 

to take care and teach them. My 

hope is that they will become self 

dependent.” 

Tania Sultana, Teacher, Adviser 

School: “By lending our hand 

towards people with disability 

and support them in their journey 

will enable them to transform 

and stop being the “burden” for 

the society. We will give our best 

to equip them with what they 

need. However, the appropriate 

authority should look facilitate 

their employment.” 

A basic understanding of human 

psychology by the society at large is very 

important. A child should be accepted the 

way he is 

Parvin Akter, Teacher, SEID, 

(Conducted field and school visit), 

“During visits in different schools, 

we encountered the problems 

they face, such as inability to 

understand class instruction, 

following class routine and many 

more. Effectively communicating 

with them requires special 

effort such as speaking slowly. 

Collective efforts of parents 

and teachers do bring about 

noticeable changes.” 

Ms. Nasima Akter, Mother, “I was 

terrified by the thought of her 

future life, whether she will be 

able to attain education or not. 

But now she is doing well, much 

more attentive in her studies 

than before. Although she is now 

studying in a mainstream school, 

she still gets counselling from 

teachers from SEID.” 

Shamim Akter Runu, Mother: 

“My family had faced immense 

difficulties. We didn’t know 

where to go, what to do. Since 

last year, my child is under SEID’s 

supervision. If she gets enrolled 

in a mainstream school, she will 

no longer be considered a burden 

of society. I urge everyone to find 

and help people who are still 

unaware of facilities like SEID.”• 

Photos: Syed Zakir Hossain & Rajib Dhar

18 



Feature 

Bangladesh’s development surprise 

The progress so far -- and why we should be glad to be Bangladeshis 

• Tasfia Huda 

Bangladesh is a land of diversity. 

We are home to different 

languages, and have a history that 

goes back many years. This Victory 

Day, here’s a small reminder of 

why Bangladesh is special. 

Improvements in basic living 

condition 

The changes in the fundamental 

living conditions surprised 

numerous eyewitnesses, since 

Bangladesh’s accomplishments 

so far, don’t precisely fit into 

the common pathways of 

human and social advancement. 

The Indian financial analyst, 

Amartya Sen, for instance, 

recognises ‘income-mediated’ 

and ‘support-led’ pathways to 

human development. The first 

is described by enhancements 

in social pointers, that can be 

followed back to quick and 

expansive financial development 

(exemplified by Korea), while the 

second depends on high public 

spending on welfare programs 

(as in Sri Lanka’s case). Neither 

is unmistakeably applicable 

to Bangladesh. The financial 

development rate climbed 

fundamentally after 1990, yet 

it just achieved 6 percent in 

2004, and has never surpassed 

7 percent. Besides, spending 

on instruction and medicinal 

services (2.2% and 3.5%, 

separately, of GDP in 2012) is 

beneath the normal for low-wage 

nations. 

In spite of the fact that 

the change in Bangladesh’s 

development rate since 1990 is 

noteworthy, it doesn’t completely 

clarify the nation’s exceptional 

outcomes with respect to social 

advancement. A few nations in 

South and South east Asia have 

developed at comparable or higher 

rates than Bangladesh in the last 

10 to 15 years, including India, 

Bhutan, Vietnam, and Cambodia. 

However in contrast with these 

nations, Bangladesh’s social 

advancement still stands out. 

Development experts have 

clarified this disparity by 

crediting Bangladesh’s social 

advancement to the achievement 

of innovative pathways, for 

example, micro finance programs 

that target women, massive 

social mobilisation campaigns 

spearheaded by NGOs like 

BRAC, the success of the labourintensive, 

export-based garments 

industry, and the boost to earnings 

and human capital provided by 

labour migration and inward 

remittances. 

Reductions in poverty and 

inequality 

Alongside the progress in 

education, health, and gender 

equity, Bangladesh is additionally 

amidst a growth take-off that has 

diminished poverty and multiplied 

per capita income since 2002. 

The Bangladesh government 

has been successful in setting 

up fundamental preconditions 

that have allowed private sector 

dynamism to fuel economic 

growth, over the last two decades. 

Basic changes in the 1990s led 

to expansive macroeconomic 

stability and low financial 

shortages. 

Persistent poverty is 

undoubtedly an important issue 

for Bangladesh, but perhaps less 

so than for many other developing 

countries. There are less class and 

ethnicity-based obstructions to 

social mobility than in numerous 

other nations, and the advantages 

of financial development 

have tended to reach most 

levels of society, including the 

exceptionally poor. The primary 

boost to financial development 

in the nation has originated from 

labour-intensive garment exports, 

a dynamic private sector, microand 

small-scale enterprises in 

manufacturing and services, 

remittances from migrant workers, 

and rise in the size of middle class. 

Road to middle-income status 

Bangladesh has obtained a 

reputation globally for low-cost, 

high-quality manufacturing 

through its garments sector. 

The effect of this was clearly 

evident when the exports of 

ready made garments from 

Bangladesh ascended by a sharp 

19.95 percent year-on-year, during 

the principal half of 2013-14. 

Because of increment in wages 

in China and India, it is likely 

Photos: Bigstock 

that assembling in different 

businesses may likewise move 

to Bangladesh in the following 

couple of years, incorporating into 

pharmaceuticals, plastic and fired 

products, cowhide merchandise, 

shipbuilding, and light hardware, 

(for example, bikes and batteries). 

An emerging export based IT 

division will likewise add to 

development. 

Living in a democratic country, 

chaotic though it may be 

More than 156.6 million people 

reside here, and it is a matter 

of great pride that no matter 

how chaotic this country is, as 

Bangladeshis, we are free to 

choose our leaders, or re-elect 

them, every five years, unlike 

authoritarian regimes which may 

show quicker progress but at much 

greater human cost. Connected 

to this, is the fact that the other 

aspects of a democracy – the 

judiciary, the media, and the 

executive, are relatively free and 

healthy. 

Bangladeshi cuisines 

Most foreigners identify 

Bangladeshi cuisine with ‘maach,’ 

‘bhaat,’ and ‘daal.’ However, food 

habits and cuisines have evolved 

over the years. The end result is a 

variety of cuisines – some regionspecific, 

and others influenced 

by the availability of certain 

ingredients. If you throw into the 

mix the exotic spices native to this 

land you get, arguably, the best 

food available in the world – tasty, 

inexpensive, and (mostly) healthy. 

The delicate flavours of the Hilsha 

fish revered in Bengal, or the meltin-your-mouth 

‘bhuna mangsho’ - 

all of these and more, make for the 

plate and the soul. 

The Bangladeshi family unit still 

survives 

In spite of the many pressures of 

globalisation and westernisation, 

the Bangladeshi family unit still 

survives, especially in the rural 

areas. In the cities, families have 

become more nuclear with the 

younger ones, moving out in 

search of a better life. It is not 

unusual for unmarried, earning 

young adults to stay with the 

parents. Then again, parents are 

usually expected to stay with their 

children during their youth. 

The ability to accept one’s reality 

The reality of Bangladesh is one 

of stark contrasts. Expensive 

cars struggle for space alongside 

rickshaws. World-class apartment 

buildings nestle beside shanty 

slums. And yet, we live together in 

harmony most of the time. There 

is something in the Bangladeshi 

spirit that makes us accept our lot. 

We find it easy to come to terms 

with reality, even while we dream 

of a better life, for ourselves and 

our children. •

Biz Info 

19 



| celebration | | celebration | 

ULAB celebrates Martyred Intellectuals 

and Victory Day 

Aarong celebrates Victory Day 

In observance of the Martyred 

Intellectuals and Victory Day, 

the University Liberal Arts 

Bangladesh (ULAB) organised a 

prose reading, patriotic song, and 

a recitation program on Tuesday, 

December14, at its Dhanmondi 

Campus. 

The program opened with 

the national anthem. Eminent 

national scholar and ULAB 

Emeritus Professor Rafiqul Islam, 

was the main speaker of the 

ceremony. He spoke about the 

Language Movement in 1952, and 

how the movement opened the 

way to the liberation war. ULAB 

Shangskriti Shangshad presented 

chorus songs inspired from the 

liberation war. Students, faculty 

and admin members of ULAB, 

performed prose readings, 

famous patriotic songs, and 

poems. 

ULAB acting Vice Chancellor 

Professor Imran Rahman, ULAB 

Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor H 

M Jahirul Haque, ULAB Registrar 

Professor 

Akhter Ahmed, 

along with the 

professors, 

Heads of 

Departments, 

faculty 

members, 

admin 

members, and 

students were 

present on the 

occasion. 

Book and photo 

exhibition on the Liberation War 

of Bangladesh 

ULAB Library organised twoday 

long (December 14-15) book 

and photo exhibition on the 

Liberation War of Bangladesh on 

the occasion of Victory Day, in 

the lobby of ULAB’s Campus A. 

ULAB acting Vice Chancellor, 

Professor Imran Rahman, 

inaugurated the exhibition at 

11:20am. 

ULAB Emeritus Professor 

Rafiqul Islam and Professor 

Imran Rahman, delivered their 

speech at the inauguration 

ceremony. Faculty members, 

admin members, and the 

students were present at the 

opening ceremony of the 

exhibition. • 

| food | 

Pizza LaVita, a pizza home 

delivery service in town 

Pizza LaVita is a pizza home 

delivery service in town, 

introduced in the year 2014. For 

the past few years, they have 

been serving the best Italian 

pizzas, and the journey is still 

going on. 

The best part is that each of 

their pizza is handmade and thin 

crust, that you’ll definitely love. 

La Vita is giving you all free 

home deliveries, in just 55 

minutes, and for the pizza lovers, 

La Vita house is now serving 

Pizza Diavola, Marco pollo, 

and Pizza Heisenberg. A fixed 

reasonable price has been set for 

all the pizzas, which is Tk500 

to Tk1,200 in price. Regulars for 

Tk500 to Tk700, and large ones 

for TK1000 to Tk1200.• 

| agreement | 

MoU signed between ADL and BAU 

American Dairy Limited 

and Bangladesh 

Agricultural University 

signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MoU), for a 

period of five years on December 

10, with the view of performing 

better research to establish a 

center for work of excellence 

in the field of AnGR, Genomic 

evaluation, and genetic tools. 

Professor Dr M A Akbar, 

Honourable Vice-Chancellor, 

Bangladesh Agricultural 

University, Mymensingh 

was present as chief guest in 

the MOU signing ceremony. 

Chief Operating Officer (CEO) 

American Dairy Limited, 

Neurologist Dr A S Alim, Head 

of Department, Animal Breeding 

and Genetics, Bangladesh 

Agricultural University 

Professor Dr Md Monir Hossain 

signed the Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) on behalf 

of their respective organisations. 

The signing ceremony was 

attended by Professor Syed 

Sakhawat Hossain, Professor 

Dr A K Fazlul Hoque Bhuiyan, 

Professor Dr Zakir Hossain, 

Professor Dr Md Al Mamun, 

Professor Dr Md Jashim 

Uddin Khan, Professor Dr Md 

Maniruzzaman, Professor Dr 

Md Nurul Islam, Professor Dr 

Md Azharul Hoque, Professor 

Dr Avijit Roy, Professor Dr 

Md Ruhul Amin, Lt Col Md 

Gholam Maula (Retd) Director 

(Administration) of American 

Dairy Limited, and others 

high officials of the both 

organisations. 

After this ceremony, a 

professors’ team visited ADL 

research fields, and all related 

laboratory. They even visited 

the farm, Artificial Insemination 

Training Center, World Class 

Laboratory etc. • 

| report | 

Everjobs latest report reveals 

growing interest in the banking 

sector of Bangladesh 

JJob seekers in Bangladesh mostly 

search for bank related jobs 

when looking for a professional 

opportunity online, followed 

by marketing, teaching, human 

resources, and IT related offers. 

These findings were revealed on 

the second career report released 

by Everjobs. 

The study, an in-depth 

quarterly analysis of the labour 

market in the country, also unveils 

that while the educational sector is 

heading the ranking of industries 

with the most job opportunities 

available, professionals in 

Bangladesh still prefer applying 

for professional offers related to 

manufacturing, textile, IT, and the 

NGOs sector. 

The data of the report, that 

was collected by tracking the 

traffic and activity of Everjobs, 

from July 2016 to September 

2016, represents more than 12161 

job opportunities announced 

during that period, close to 99259 

job applications, and over 3000 

professionals looking for a job 

during the third quarter of 2016. 

When it comes to location, most 

vacancies are in Dhaka division, 

followed by port city Chittagong, 

Gazipur, Narayanganj, and 

Sylhet. Regardless of the region, 

the applicant’s gender gap in 

Bangladesh remains considerable, 

with 85% of applicants being male 

while only 15% are female. 

The recently released report 

focuses on the industries and job 

categories of the highest demand 

in Bangladesh, the skills most 

needed in the country, and even 

the locations with the most job 

listings available.•


20 

Editorial 


TODAY 

What if Assad wins? 

In countries with labour shortages or 

aging populations, migrants can propel 

economies forward 

PAGE 21 

From the ashes 

of Trump’s 

malevolence 

This is the decent America that 

Donald Trump has not been able to 

contaminate. This is the decency that 

will continue to rise and act as an 

antidote to Trump’s venom 

PAGE 22 

Don’t let the fox 

guard the henhouse 

In Bangladesh, the government, on 

the one hand, commits to ending child 

marriage by setting the minimum age 

for marriage for girls at 18, when the age 

of consent is set at 14, and then argues it 

is alright for a girl under the age of 18 to 

get married in the name of honour 

PAGE 23 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, 

Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 

Send us your Op-Ed articles: 

opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com 

www.dhakatribune.com 

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https://www.facebook.com/ 

DhakaTribune. 

The views expressed in opinion 

articles are those of the authors 

alone and they are not the 

official view of Dhaka Tribune 

or its publisher. 

When human rights go 

up in flames 

Surely, this is not what the government wants. 

Recent video evidence clearly showing direct police involvement in 

the torching of Santal houses should cause outrage in anyone with a 

conscience. 

Such an incident should sound alarm bells within the government and all 

other citizens. 

The video, which shows the police kicking down doors in the abandoned 

Santal village and then setting the entire village on fire, is a shameful 

representation of how we treat minorities in this country. 

The government cannot stand for this kind of behaviour on part of our law 

enforcement personnel. 

It would seem that corrupt elements within law enforcement have already 

taken sides against the Santals. These elements need to be punished to the 

fullest extent of the law. 

A full investigation is also needed to find out what led up to the actions in 

the video, and identify all the culprits behind the attack. 

Whether or not the land belongs to the Santals is not the pressing issue at 

this point. The pressing issue here is that a whole community, rightful citizens 

of Bangladesh, are being systematically oppressed, assaulted, and displaced, 

with the authorities being complicit in all these human rights abuses. 

Santals have, for a long time, been living in woeful conditions, without 

proper shelter, food, or health care. 

With the latest incident of arson, things really have gone too far. 

The abuses must stop. 

The government must bring to book all the perpetrators of this shameful 

attack, and take seriously the job of protecting the Santal people. 

MEHEDI HASAN 

The pressing issue here is 

that a whole community, 

rightful citizens of 

Bangladesh, are being 

systematically oppressed, 

assaulted, and displaced

What if Assad wins? 

Opinion 21 

There is no reason to believe the humanitarian crisis in Syria will get any better 



A country torn apart 

• Azeem Ibrahim 

Civil wars are always long 

fought and bitter. And 

they are also inevitably 

great humanitarian 

disasters because civilians are 

always targetted in one way or 

another. That is why the prospect 

of ending a civil war would 

normally be welcome, especially a 

civil war as brutal and ruinous as 

the one in Syria. 

But unfortunately, if Assad does 

win, that may not necessarily be 

the beginning of the end of the 

humanitarian disaster. 

There are good reasons to 

fear that if Assad finally wins the 

conflict, that may be only the end 

of the beginning of the human 

tragedy. 

If Assad does prevail, his first 

priority will be to ensure that such 

an uprising can never happen 

again. That means making an 

example of everyone who opposed 

him. 

There is every reason to expect 

that the retribution will be just as 

brutal as the conflict itself. 

What may have been forgotten 

among the endless reports and 

video footage from the ruins of 

Aleppo is why this conflict started 

Even as the rebels might finally surrender and peace will be declared, we 

have every reason to expect that Assad’s government will continue to 

wage war against the civilian populations who supported the rebellion to 

punish them 

six years ago. President Assad, like 

his father before him, presided 

over a Ba’athist regime that was as 

repressive as anything in Eastern 

Europe during the Cold War, or 

Iraq under Saddam Hussain. 

Whoever was thought to be an 

“enemy of the state” would be 

routinely rounded up, imprisoned, 

and tortured. And if any of them 

resisted being “re-educated,” they 

would eventually be simply killed. 

It was against this kind of 

government that people rose up 

against in Syria during the heady 

days of the Arab Spring. And 

what was interesting in those 

early days is that even though the 

government was dominated by the 

Alawite Shiite sect, the uprising 

was not originally sectarian. 

The uprising was a coming 

together of virtually all elements 

of Syrian society, including many 

dissidents from the Syrian Army 

and other political insiders. It was 

only later that the conflict took 

a decidedly sectarian character 

when IS appeared on the scene; 

and Iranian militias and Hezbollah 

also joined the fray. 

And if that was the Assad 

government then, we can only 

imagine what it will be like after 

it has been hardened by six years 

of bitter sectarian civil war. Or 

perhaps not much imagination is 

required at all. 

After all, we have seen the 

government’s attitude towards 

civilians throughout this conflict, 

in their use of chemical weapons 

against their own people, cluster 

munitions, systematic bombing 

of hospitals -- although it has 

denied the allegation -- and other 

humanitarian relief agencies, and 

widespread use of starvation siege 

tactics. 

In other words, even as the 

rebels might finally surrender 

and peace will be declared, we 

have every reason to expect that 

Assad’s government will continue 

to wage war against the civilian 

populations who supported the 

rebellion to punish them. 

That war may not be as 

visible as the constant shelling 

of hospitals in urban centres, but 

it will be every bit as real as the 

networks of secret police prisons 

from before the war. 

What is more, we must not 

neglect the role of Assad’s allies 

in this conflict, like Iran and 

Russia. Russia in particular has 

benefitted immensely from the 

instability caused by the refugee 

flow out of Syria and into Turkey 

and Europe. Even as Putin may 

want the conflict to settle down 

REUTERS 

so he can wind down his military 

involvement to keep down costs, 

he has every reason to want 

the refugee flow into Europe to 

continue. 

So both Assad and his key 

ally, Putin, have every interest to 

keep Syria a humanitarian hell 

and hopefully displace as many 

opponents of the regime from 

the country, while none of their 

allies are adversely affected by this 

-- with the possible exception of 

Lebanon which is, in any case, a 

client state of Syria and does not 

get to have much of say in the 

matter. 

And, let us not forget, they 

are the two players that have 

the greatest amount of control 

over the outcome of the conflict. 

So long as that remains the 

case, and both their respective 

interests would be best served 

by continuing the abuse of the 

Syrian people, there is no reason 

to believe that the humanitarian 

crisis is going to get any better. • 

Azeem Ibrahim is Senior Fellow at 

the Centre for Global Policy and Adj 

Research Professor at the Strategic 

Studies Institute, US Army War College. 

He tweets @AzeemIbrahim. This article 

previously appeared on Al Arabiya.

22 

THURSDAT, DECEMBER 15, 2016 


Opinion 

From the ashes of Trump’s malevolence 

Most Americans still refuse to buy into the rhetoric of hate 

LETTER 

FROM 

AMERICA 

• Fakhruddin Ahmed 

Democracy is a much 

abused word in the 

English language. 

Because it carries a 

connotation of popular will, 

dictators and totalitarian 

regimes have latched on to it, 

and proclaimed their regimes as 

democracies. Comically, the racist 

apartheid regime of South Africa 

attempted to pass itself off as 

“plural democracy.” 

The general consensus is that in 

a democracy, the top vote-getter 

wins. 

That sacrosanct ideal is being 

repeatedly flouted by the leader 

of the free world, America. For 

the fifth time in its history -- twice 

in the last 16 years -- the second 

place finisher in the popular vote 

count has “won” the presidential 

Obama would have won a third 

term in a landslide, if he were 

allowed to run. 

Since the Republicans are the 

beneficiaries of the undemocratic 

Electoral College system, and 

they control two-thirds of the 

state legislatures and governors’ 

mansions, they will never allow 

a constitutional amendment to 

abolish the Electoral College. 

However, it is up to the states 

to decide how to apportion their 

Electoral College votes. The 

popular vote winner does not win 

all the Electoral College votes in 

Maine and Nebraska; some EC 

votes are allotted to congressional 

district winners. Republicans 

will never allow proportional 

representation to allocate EC 

votes, because that will make 

the national vote winner the 

president. 

What the Democrats can do is to 

legislate in the states they control 

that the national vote winner will 

win all the state’s Electoral College 

votes. If 20 states or to enact such 

legislation, pressure will mount on 

the Republican-controlled states to 

abandon their undemocratic ways, 

Stand up and do the right thing 

REUTERS 

This is the decent America that Donald Trump has not been able to 

contaminate. This is the decency that will continue to rise and 

act as an antidote to Trump’s venom 

election. The victims have always 

been the Democrats. 

Currently, Hillary Clinton 

leads Donald Trump by 2.1% in 

popular votes cast, an astonishing 

2.8 million more votes, (Clinton: 

48.1%; Trump: 46.0%); yet Donald 

Trump remains the presidentelect. 

America does not practice 

the “supremacy of the popular 

vote” democracy; it practices 

“supremacy of the Electoral 

College” democracy, even if that 

contradicts popular will. 

If the Republicans had been 

the victims of Electoral College 

shenanigans five times in a row, 

they would have changed the law. 

After Democrat Franklin Delano 

Roosevelt was elected president 

four times in a row (1932, 1936, 

1940, 1944), the Republicans 

exercised their power through the 

little-population small states to 

pass a constitutional amendment 

to limit presidential terms to 

two. With a job approval rating 

of nearly 60%, President Barack 

and let the national vote winner 

win all the Electoral College votes 

in their states. 

That is unlikely to happen any 

time soon. 

More likely, the Democrats will 

do nothing and wait for the tide of 

demography to turn in their favour 

in the next 30-50 years when 

most, if not all, states will become 

Democratic-majority. 

The fallout from the recent 

acerbic election is being felt in 

every nook and corner of the country. 

America takes its cue from 

its president. Because of Donald 

Trump’s repugnant campaign 

rhetoric, forces of intolerance have 

been unleashed against minorities 

throughout America. 

Actor Samuel L Jackson has 

said that Muslim-Americans are 

the new black kids in America. 

Although Muslims make up 

barely 1% of America, because of 

Trump’s hate-mongering rhetoric, 

hate crimes against them have 

skyrocketed since November 8, 

according to Southern Poverty 

Law Centre, which monitors hate 

crimes. 

The primary victims have been 

the most visible embodiment of 

a Muslim -- the hijab-wearing 

women. They have been verbally 

and physically assaulted, and their 

hijabs have been snatched away. 

Thanks to Trump, there is 

an extra spring in the steps of 

white supremacists everywhere 

post-election. The day before 

Thanksgiving, Evergreen Islamic 

Center (EIC) in San Jose, California 

received the following hate mail: 

“There’s a new sheriff in town 

-- President Donald Trump. He 

is going to cleanse America and 

make it shine again. And he’s 

going to start with you Muslims. 

He’s going to do to you Muslims 

what Hitler did to the Jews. You 

Muslims would be wise to pack 

your bags and get out of Dodge.” 

Then decent America made its 

voice heard. 

Professor Hasan Zillur Rahim, 

my childhood friend from 

Chittagong, wrote a moving piece 

in San Jose’s The Mercury News 

about what happened next: 

“After some deliberations, the 

EIC board contacted the police 

on Thanksgiving Day. Within 

minutes, law enforcement officials 

rushed to the centre and offered 

to provide extra security for the 

community. Local priests, rabbis, 

and elected officials condemned 

the bigotry and assured us of their 

support. 

“As word of the hate mail 

spread through TV, newspapers, 

and social media, support poured 

in. Our initial emotions of shock 

and distress gave way to hope 

and courage; and we realised, 

anew, how fortunate we were 

to be living in a country where 

ordinary citizens were united by 

the common goal of justice and 

freedom for all.” 

Dr Hasan Zillur Rahim then 

quoted from some of the emails 

and cards that the centre received 

from ordinary Americans: “As a 

Christian,” wrote Vance, “I am 

taught that above all else, ‘love thy 

neighbour.’ I want to extend my 

love to your community and want 

you to know that many Christians, 

like me, stand in solidarity with 

you.” 

Miriam wrote: “Not all 

Americans feel the way the 

hateful people do. I am a Jew and I 

support you, my cousins. Love and 

peace, we are all one.” 

Holly assured us: “I will do 

whatever it takes to help protect 

your first amendment rights.” 

Stacy reminded us: “There are 

many of us in San Jose who do 

not feel the way the haters do. We 

welcome you for the diversity and 

the rich culture you bring to our 

lovely city.” 

Davida was sad because “here 

in the Bay Area, we think we 

live in a sanctuary of unity, but 

unfortunately that is not the case. 

I pray for peace and understanding 

for all in this uncertain time.” And 

Marina said: “I have heard some 

people talking about a ‘Muslim 

registry’ -- many Americans have 

said they will register as Muslims 

regardless of their faith, as many 

Danes under Nazi occupation wore 

yellow stars. I, too, will register 

as a Muslim if that time were to 

come.” 

I should like to stress the last 

point. Many ordinary Americans, 

including priests and Rabbis, 

have said that if there is a Muslim 

registry under Trump, they, too, 

will register as Muslims. 

This is the decent America that 

Donald Trump has not been able to 

contaminate. This is the decency 

that will continue to rise and act 

as an antidote to Trump’s venom. 

The rising phoenix of decency will 

sustain and embellish America. • 

Fakhruddin Ahmed is a Rhodes Scholar.

Opinion 

23 



Don’t let the fox guard the henhouse 

Our policies regarding child marriage don’t add up 

• Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy 

Does this girl have any agency? 

In Bangladesh, the government, on the one hand, commits to ending 

child marriage by setting the minimum age for marriage for girls at 18, 

when the age of consent is set at 14, and then argues it is alright for a girl 

under the age of 18 to get married in the name of honour 

There is no room for 

argument that the child 

marriage epidemic in 

Bangladesh is a concern 

for a leader as ambitious as Sheikh 

Hasina, whose leadership is often 

praised and seen as pivotal for 

Bangladesh’s success in gender 

equality and in the eradication of 

poverty. 

At the July 2014 Girl Summit in 

London, she made a commitment 

for ending child marriage by the 

year 2041. Then, soon after the 

summit, a proposal to lower the 

age of marriage to 16 from 18 was 

made by the government, which 

was vigorously resisted by the 

women’s rights campaigners. 

Yet again, on November 24 this 

year, the cabinet chaired by the 

prime minister passed the draft 

of the “Child Marriage Resistance 

Act 2016,” with a clause that child 

marriage will be allowed in special 

circumstances to protect honour. 

Before proceeding further, let’s 

go through the statement made by 

the Cabinet Secretary Safiul Alam, 

which explains the ignorance in 

the making of this policy. It was 

reported by several media outlets, 

quoting the secretary, that often 

girls as young as 11 get pregnant in 

Bangladesh and this provision was 

created to protect their honour. 

Did Mr Alam think about 

Section 375 of the Penal Code 

while speaking to the press? 

According to it, sexual penetration 

with a girl under 14 is declared to 

be rape. 

Now, if Safiul Alam’s statement 

made in the official press 

conference is seen in light of the 

penal code of Bangladesh, more 

accurately Section 375, one can 

successfully argue that this would 

legitimise rape and pedophilia. 

In many countries, such 

commentary would end the career 

of an official, but in Bangladesh, 

high ranking officials operate 

with an invisible impunity. 

Accountability does not apply to 

them, does it? 

But that’s not all. 

The prime minister herself 

blasted the NGOs and gender 

equality campaigners for opposing 

the special clause, arguing that 

in many Western countries, 

marriages of girls as young as 14 or 

16 are legally allowed. 

However, one can assume that 

the prime minister is well aware 

of the reality, given her life-long 

dedication to the Bangladeshi 

people, which should also tell her 

that the realities of Bangladesh 

REUTERS 

and the Western societies are very 

different. 

Contrary to Bangladesh, and 

thanks to their financial solvency, 

Western families do not see the 

girls as a burden; neither is it a 

societal norm in the West to get 

the girls married off as soon as 

they reach puberty. Their safety 

is assured by the state, and most 

of all, child marriage is not an 

epidemic there. 

The prime minister needs to 

identify the common ground with 

the women’s rights campaigners, 

who have also dedicated their 

lives to the Bangladeshi people. 

And as the leader of a democracy, 

the prime minister needs to 

include their voices, address their 

concerns, and assure them of a 

decent hearing. 

In any functional democracy, 

when such concerns are raised 

by women’s rights groups, the 

parliament forms a special inquiry 

committee, acquires expert 

opinions, and puts the findings of 

the inquiry before the parliament 

for a robust debate. 

It’s better for democracy if 

the government understands 

that despite differences, 

women’s rights campaigners 

are not enemies, but partners in 

development. 

As for the comparison the US: 

In the majority of the states in 

America, the age of consent is 

between 16 and 17. Being a more 

sexually liberated society, many 

states have even lowered it, when 

the two parties are close in age. 

But they also have strong statutory 

rape laws where an adult accused 

of any type of sexual conduct 

with a minor will be charged with 

sexual crime. 

Contrary to the US, Bangladesh 

does not have specific statutory 

rape provisions of such kind to 

protect the minors from sexual 

predators, and the age of consent 

here is 14. 

True, in many American states 

young children can get married 

in special circumstances, but it 

happens only between partners 

of the same age bracket. On top 

of that, in many US states, the 

extreme influence of evangelical 

Christianity and its opposition to 

abortion under any circumstances 

is an issue, which plays a role in 

such marriages. 

In 2014, a study among 6,000 

girls in Bangladesh found that 83% 

of the marriages in Bangladesh 

were arranged by the parents, of 

whom 38% were girls married 

under the age of 15. The study also 

found that in 72% of cases, the 

reason for such marriage was that 

the parents felt it was too good a 

proposal to refuse. 

Bangladesh tops the world 

ranking in child marriage in case 

of marriage of girls under the age 

of 15. Even worse: Some 2% of our 

girls get married as young as 11. 

Can anyone fit this scenario 

into the American child marriage 

context? 

Here is what does not add up: 

In Bangladesh, the government, 

on the one hand, commits to 

ending child marriage by setting 

the minimum age for marriage for 

girls at 18, when the age of consent 

is set at 14, and then argues it is 

alright for a girl under the age of 

18 to get married in the name of 

honour. 

And in absence of clear 

provisions of statutory rape, 

as it is indicated by the cabinet 

secretary, in the name of honour, 

an adult can now, it would appear, 

escape the rape charge if a minor 

gets pregnant because of sexual 

intercourse -- let alone the cases 

when parents abuse the provision. 

This notion of “honour” is the 

reason why only 2% of the total 

rapes committed in Bangladesh 

get reported, and now this would 

get legitimised. • 

Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy is a blogger 

and an online activist.


24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

A tale of Bangladesh’s 

national sport 

Among several exercises which 

the athletes around the world 

do in order to improve their 

performance, controlling breath is 

one of the most important because 

of its significant benefit on health, 

mind and body. PAGE 25 

‘We don’t even have 

kabaddi in BKSP’ 

Coach Subimal Chandra Das came 

to Dhaka in 1973, the same year 

he started his kabaddi playing 

career. He continued to feature 

for the national side in different 

championships till he retired in 

1982. PAGE 26 

Bangladesh in 

modern day kabaddi 

Ha-du-du is still being played in 

rural parts of Bangladesh but has 

not acquired the rules of modern 

day kabaddi. After being titled the 

national sport of Bangladesh in the 

early 1970s, kabaddi’s fate never 

improved. PAGE 27 

Ronaldo a rare 

breed, says Zidane 

Cristiano Ronaldo is itching to 

prove just why he deserved the 

Ballon d’Or by leading Real Madrid 

to another Club World Cup title, 

Zinedine Zidane said yesterday. 

The Portuguese superstar will lead 

Real’s charge in Japan. PAGE 28 

Mymensingh players celebrate with the JFA under-14 women’s national football championship trophy at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday 

Mahmudullah blasts 

Bangladesh XI to victory 

• Tribune Report 

In-form all-rounder Mahmudullah 

led from the front as Bangladesh 

XI defeated Big Bash outfit 

Sydney Sixers by seven wickets in 

an exhibition Twenty20 game at 

North Sydney Oval yesterday. 

In a rain-affected tie, Bangladesh 

needed 84 runs in eight 

overs after Sydney batted first and 

posted 169 runs on the board losing 

nine wickets in their 20 overs. 

With a required run rate of 10.5 

runs per over, Bangladesh lost 

their top three for 34 runs. Wicketkeeper-batsman 

Mushfiqur 

Rahim and Mahmudullah then 

stood up to the occasion and fin- 

BRIEF SCORE 

BANGLADESH XI 84/3 in 6.4 overs 

(Mahmudullah 28*, Soumya 20, 

Chhibber 2/35) beat SYDNEY SIXERS 

169/9 (Hughes 47, Roy 42, Soumya 

3/5) by seven wickets (D/L method) 

Bangladesh limited-over captain 

Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Sydney 

Sixers skipper Johan Botha pose for 

photographs prior to their Twenty20 

practice match in Sydney yesterday 

INTERNET 

ished the job in 6.4 overs. 

Mushfiq was unbeaten on 16 

while Mahmudullah, who finished 

the Bangladesh Premier 

League T20 2016-17 season as the 

man of the tournament with 396 

runs and 10 wickets, remained 

undefeated on 28 off 13 balls with 

three fours and two sixes. Soumya 

Sarkar added 20 off nine balls. 

Earlier, a 73-run opening 

wicket stand between Daniel 

Hughes and Jason Roy enabled 

hosts Sydney to put up 169 runs. 

Left-handed opening batsman 

Hughes scored a 31–ball 47 with 

the help of eight boundaries 

while Roy hammered a 23-ball 42, 

featuring five boundaries and two 

over-boundaries. 

Part-time seamer Soumya led 

the bowling attack with three 

wickets in an over conceding five 

runs. Soumya dismissed Jordan 

Silk for 35 before accounting for 

the wickets of Ben Dwarshuis and 

Soumil Chhibber in the same over. 

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and 

spinner Taijul Islam picked up 

two wickets each. 

Bangladesh will take on Sydney 

Thunder in another T20 practice 

game at Spotless Stadium 

tomorrow. Bangladesh are likely 

to field star cricketers Shakib al 

Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in that 

after resting the duo against the 

Sixers. • 

MD MANIK 

Youngsters face 

Afghans in U-19 

Asia Cup opener 


Bangladesh under-19 team will begin 

their Asian Cricket Council U-19 

Asia Cup campaign today against 

Afghanistan in a Group B match at 

Matara, Sri Lanka on the opening 

day of the tournament. 

Led by captain Saif Hasan, the 

tournament is part of the junior Tigers’ 

preparation for the 2018 U-19 

World Cup, scheduled to be held in 

New Zealand. 

Bangladesh’s major focus in the 

Asia Cup this year will be to find 

the right team combination, bearing 

in mind that they are inexperienced 

compared to their today’s 

opposition. Right-arm paceman 

Abdul Halim is the only member 

in the squad, other than Saif, who 

has the experience of playing in 

the last edition of the Youth World 

Cup, hosted by Bangladesh earlier 

this year. 

Bangladesh have been placed 

in Group B alongside Pakistan, Afghanistan 

and Singapore. Pakistan 

jointly clinched the last edition 

of the regional youth title in 2014 

along with arch-rival India after the 

game ended in a tie. 

On the other hand, the Afghan 

youngsters claimed the last two 

ACC U-19 Premier League titles in 

2014 and 2015. 

Bangladesh will play their group 

stage matches in Galle and Matara 

while the Group A teams will play 

all their games in Colombo. •

Sport 25 


A tale of kabaddi, Bangladesh’s national sport 


• Shishir Hoque 

Among several exercises or practices 

which the athletes around the 

world do in order to improve their 

performance, controlling breath is 

one of the most important because 

of its significant benefit on health, 

mind and body. 

There is barely any international 

sport in the Olympics that requires 

breath-holding so kabaddi’s sense 

of uniqueness in that regard makes 

the game a surprise to the outside 

world. 

Apart from the art of holding 

breath, another factor that makes 

kabaddi different from all the other 

popular games is that of its requirement 

of absolutely no elements. 

This particular ancient game is 

the national sport of Bangladesh. 

Kabaddi, traditionally known as 

ha-du-du in Bangladesh, is played 

at different places with different 

rules and has been practised all 

over the country, especially in the 

rural parts, for hundreds of years. 

Kabaddi players need to be 

strong, well-built, swift and agile. 

They achieve these abilities through 

relentless practice. And thus, they 

get to perfect high levels of physical 

strength, stamina and endurance. 

Youth in this technologically advanced 

world tends to be attracted 

more by video games or the sports 

with less physical involvement. 

That is why perhaps, urban people 

in Bangladesh have less knowledge 

and interest regarding their national 

game that has plenty of elements to 

be proud of, as opposed to the other 

games which entered our culture 

through media, globalisation, corporations 

or colonisation from foreign 

culture. 

However, the live telecast of the 

Kabaddi World Cup 2016 in India 

attracted a lot of attention in Bangladesh, 

especially when the men in 

red and green were in action. Bangladesh 

showed glimpses of their 

immense potential only to come 

up narrowly short against India 

and Korea to exit the competition. 

Kabaddi, traditionally known as ha-du-du in Bangladesh, is played at different places with different rules 

Ancient times 

The basic ways through which kabaddi 

is being played today are one 

of the oldest forms of sport in the 

history of mankind. The most common 

and established number while 

looking for its origin is 4,000 years, 

meaning the game has its roots 

traced back to the prehistoric times 

in ancient India. It would be technically 

wrong if any other country 

claims its originality. But much like 

India, Bangladesh have every right 

and logic to say it’s their game in 

every sense of the word. 

The game tests self-defence 

skills, agility, swiftness, careful 

gestures while on movement, instant 

responsiveness to attacks and 

sheer pace required to fall back to 

own territory – all no doubt essential 

human behaviours needed to 

survive in the primitive era. Recently, 

the Iran captain and coach 

reinstated their claim during the 

Kabaddi World Cup 2016 that the 

game originated in Sistan and Baluchistan 

province of Iran as many 

as 5,000 years ago. They referred 

to Shahr-e-Sukhteh (Burnt City), a 

bronze-age archaeological site located 

on the bank of the Helmand 

River, as the foundation place of 

the game. 

Kabaddi essentially has its roots 

back to Vedic Age while some historians 

argue that the game was 

established during the times of 

Yadava clans, a community of ancient 

Indians who worshiped Krishna. 

In Mahabharata, there is an 

interesting analogy of the game. 

Krishna’s nephew Abhimanyu, a 

brave warrior in the Pandava side 

during the Kurukshetra war, was 

trapped inside the Chakravyuha, 

set up by the Kauravas, where he 

carried out a unique strategy to defeat 

some warriors of the enemies. 

Abhimanyu’s father Arjuna also 

had great talent. He could effortlessly 

sneak into the “wall” of enemies, 

destroy them all and come 

back unscathed. Tukaram Gatha, 

also known as Abhanga Gatha, is 

a Marathi language compilation of 

the works by 17th century spiritual 

saint and poet Tukaram. One of Tukaram’s 

Abhanga mentioned that 

Lord Krishna played kabaddi when 

he was a kid. 

Kabaddi has been practised all over the country, especially in the rural parts, for hundreds of years 

COURTESY 

The game was also mentioned 

in Buddhist literature. It was said 

Gautam Buddha played the game 

with peers for recreation. Tibetan 

monks are known to play the game 

regularly, considering it an important 

tool for meditation and testing 

their physical strength. 

From ha-du-du to kabaddi 

The game is known by different 

regional names at different parts 

of south Asia. The official name 

of kabaddi originated from Dravidian 

Tamil Nadu language. The 

game is known by the same title 

in some parts of south-western 

India. It is referred to as kapadi in 

southernmost parts of India, hutu-tu 

in western India, chedugudu 

G FARUQUE 

in south-eastern India, kauddi in 

Punjab, gudu in Sri Lanka and bavatik 

in Maldives. 

The game is still widely known 

as ha-du-du in Bangladesh and 

when it is played outside of the 

national and international tournaments, 

it has no definite set of 

rules. According to international 

rules, the raider cants “kabaddi, 

kabaddi” while running into the 

opponent’s half. In Bangladesh, 

the raiders usually cant “ha-dudu-du-du” 

or “sikabaddi” or “kapat 

kapat”, depending on a particular 

region. 

Bangladesh head coach Subimal 

Chandra Das, a former player and 

coach since 1974 explains the primary 

differences between kabaddi 

and ha-du-du. 

“Kabaddi is popular in our country 

but played with different rules. 

The main two differences between 

kabaddi and ha-du-du are measurement 

of the court, and the rules 

of the game. The court for ha-dudu 

is sometimes smaller than kabaddi 

and has only one mid-line 

that divides the two halves. While 

in kabaddi, there are two more 

lines – one is baulk-line and the 

other is bonus-line,” said Subimal. 

“In modern kabaddi, the raider 

has to finish his run and return 

to his half within 30 seconds of 

breath-holding while in ha-du-du, 

there is no definite time-length. 

The raider can stay as long as he 

can whilst holding his breath. In 

ha-du-du kechki (scissor), they 

wrestle. There are many more differences 

in rules,” he added. 

The rules and measurement of 

the court vary at different regions 

in the sub-continent, not only in 

Bangladesh. The first time the 

standard set of rules for the game 

was formulated was back in 1918 in 

Maharashtra. And in 1950, All India 

Kabaddi Federation was formed 

with the introduction of standard 

rules and regulations. Within a few 

years, Bangladesh Amateur Kabaddi 

Federation was established. 

They also had to follow the standard 

rules set by the AIKF. 

The form of ha-du-du that has 

the most similarities with modern 

day kabaddi was probably played in 

Faridpur in the early 20th century. A 

social worker from Kolkata named 

Narayan Chandra spread the game 

of ha-du-du in Bengal through the 

formation of a student group titled 

“Chhatra Sangha” in 1923. The British 

government banned the game in 

1931 and also shunned the group’s 

activities. Later, the ban was uplifted 

amid protests. 

Meanwhile, the basic skills and 

techniques are almost similar in all 

forms of kabaddi or ha-du-du like 

breath control, no sports elements, 

raid, dodging and movement of 

hand and feet. 

>> Continue to page 26-27


26 


Sport 

Coach Subimal: We don’t even have kabaddi in BKSP 

Subimal came to Dhaka in 1973, the same year he started his kabaddi playing career. He continued to feature for the 

national side in different championships and regional tournaments till he retired in 1982. Subimal came from Bikrampur, 

Munshiganj but played for Comilla in the national championship in the early 1970s before featuring for Dhaka district and 

Dhaka metropolitan. He started his coaching career soon after retirement and has continued to selflessly serve the nation till 

today. He has witnessed both the good and bad times of the country’s national sport since independence. Dhaka Tribune 

managed to get hold of the veteran coach for an exclusive interview. Here are the excerpts: 

Local kabaddi coach Subimal Chandra 

Das conducts training in the capital city 

recently 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

BANGLADESH IN 

INTERNATIONAL STAGE 

South Asian Games 

Runners-up – 1985, 1987, 1995 

Asian Championship 

Runners-up – 1980, 1989 

Asian Games 

Silver – 1990, 1994, 2002 

Bronze – 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014 

World Cup Kabaddi 

Third – 2004, 2007 

Indo-Bangla Games 

Champions – 2007, 2008, 2010 

(joint-champions) 

How was the situation of the 

country’s kabaddi when you were 

a player? 

Not every district were involved in 

the national championship. Only a 

few districts took part like Khulna, 

Jessore, Rajshahi, Tangail, Comilla 

and Dhaka. The league didn’t take 

place on a regular basis. Back in our 

times, two or three national leagues 

were held. The national championship 

was held almost every year. 

The national side got very little 

opportunitieds to play in international 

events until 1980 when the 

Asian Championship was introduced 

in Kolkata. Bangladesh participated 

and finished runners-up. 

Before that, a team from India 

came to Bangladesh and I was part 

of that home side. We played two 

matches in Dhaka, a test in Dinajpur, 

Faridpur, Jessore and Comilla 

and a regional game in Tangail. We 

drew two and lost three and won 

the regional game in Tangail. 

How did you get into coaching? 

After I finished my playing career, 

I went to Patiala for higher 

training in 1982. When I returned 

a year later, the second edition of 

the South Asian Federation Games 

was held in Dhaka in 1985. We finished 

runners-up. Then in 1987 in 

Kolkata, we again finished second. 

In 1988 on the occasion of the second 

Asian Championship in Jaipur, 

I was the coach of the team. I was 

also the coach in 1985. That is how 

I started my coaching career. 

It would not be right to say I 

have been consistently the head 

coach of the national kabaddi team 

as there were one or two coaches 

who took the job for a short period. 

For instance, in 1990 I was part 

of the coaching team but couldn’t 

travel with the main side. 

Kabaddi was introduced in 

the Asian Games in 1990 in China 

where Bangladesh won silver. It 

was the first time Bangladesh, as a 

team, claimed a medal in the Asian 

Games. We continued to win medals 

in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. 

Do you remember the time when 

kabaddi was declared the national 

sport of Bangladesh? 

The national championship began 

in 1973. Probably, Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced 

the game of kabaddi as 

the national sport in 1974. 

How were you introduced to 

kabaddi? Did you play it in your 

childhood? 

I was a boy hailing from a small 

town. I used to play football in my 

childhood. It was difficult to play 

football during the rainy season. 

During that time, we used to play hadu-du. 

I came to Dhaka in 1973 and 

since then, I only played kabaddi. 

During your playing and coaching 

career, which times do you think 

were the best for the country’s 

kabaddi? 

The game was probably doing better 

when I was a player. Our results 

were good. There were majority of 

civil players during that time. After 

that, those civil players got jobs in 

different service teams. As a result, 

kabaddi struggled. There were still 

some civil players till 1990 but after 

four years, there were none in the 

national team. 

What are the reasons behind this 

downfall? 

Those civil players who played well 

got job in defence where they practised 

kabaddi along with their official 

responsibilities. They kept their 

fitness in good shape. Civil teams 

don’t provide enough training facilities 

to their players. It’s not my 

personal observation, rather it’s a 

fact that no player from civil teams 

have been included in the national 

team since 1994. Asghar from Tangail 

was the last player who found 

a place in the national side in 1994. 

When a player from a civil team 

performs well, the defence sides 

take him and give him a job. 

Bangladesh crashed out in the 

group stages in the recently 

concluded Kabaddi World Cup. 

How do you evaluate their display? 

The performance was very disappointing. 

We had a good team. 

There was a nice mixture of youth 

and experience. Out of 14 players, 

three had the experience of playing 

in the South Asian Games and 

Asian Games while only three had 

SA Games experience. The rest of 

the players got called up to the side 

for the first time. They started well 

but experience and patience cost 

us the game against Korea. We had 

to be more patient. 

Why is kabaddi not developing 

in Bangladesh, despite the game 

being a part of the country’s 

culture. Look at India, who are 

doing remarkably well..... 

Not only India, Iran, Korea, Japan 

and Thailand are also doing great. 

They give importance to kabaddi. 

For instance, the Korean team 

spent three-four months in India. 

Another main reason is that 64 districts 

in our country play the game 

with 128 different rules. They follow 

regional rules, like kechki and 

bhugli. Kechki and bhugli are not 

allowed in professional kabaddi. 

That is why we don’t get enough 

players in national level. 

In Iran, Korea, Japan and Thailand, 

from school to everywhere 

else, the rules are the same. India, 

meanwhile, have been playing 

with the same style since 1950. Another 

reason is media. Kabaddi has 

no live telecast and don’t get much 

attention in daily news coverage, 

like cricket or football. 

We only have five coaches who 

were trained abroad in India. India 

have institutions kabaddi in every 

state. They are now providing 

two-year courses for the players. 

We don’t even have kabaddi in 

BKSP. The guardians are also not 

interested. 

Asian Indoor Games 

Third - 2007 

Beach Asian Games 

Third – 2008, 2010, 2012 

1st Women’s World Cup Kabaddi 

Third- Bangladesh (2012) 

National Kabaddi 

Championship 

First champions: Dinajpur and 

Faridpur (Joint champions) – 1973 

Most titles: Border Guard Bangladesh 

(BGB) – 22 

Most runners-up: Bangladesh 

Police – 14 

National Youth Kabaddi Championship 

(1982-2016) 

Most titles – Tangail (6), Dinajpur 

(3), Dhaka (2) 

Premier Division Kabaddi League 

(13 editions from 1992-2011) 

Most Titles – BGB (10) 

Kabaddi coaches 

Subimal Chandra Das, Md Abdul 

Jalil, Abdul Haque, Hamidur Rahman, 

Abdul Hakim 

Referees 

SN Mannan, covered Kabaddi 

World Cup 2016 final while 

Mohammad Monir Hossain was 

the first umpire. Experience of 

refereeing over a decade. 

Bangladesh players in Indian 

Kabaddi League 

Arduzzaman, Ziaur Rahman (currently 

retired and assistant coach 

of Bangladesh), Zakir Hossain, 

Tuhin Tarafdar

Bangladesh in modern day kabaddi 

Sport 27 



In 1980, the first Asian 

Kabaddi Championship 

was held in Kolkata 

where Bangladesh 

finished runners-up 

with India emerging 

as the champions. 

Bangladesh became 

runners-up again in 

1988 in the same 

tournament held in 

Jaipur 

Ha-du-du is still being played in 

rural parts of Bangladesh but has 

not acquired the rules of modern 

day kabaddi. After being titled the 

national sport of Bangladesh in the 

early 1970s, kabaddi’s fate never 

improved. Even Bangladesh Krira 

Shikkha Protishthan doesn’t yet 

have a kabaddi department in its 

institution. 

Bangladesh only have five certified 

kabaddi coaches, out of which 

only two – Subimal and Abdul Jalil 

– are active with the Bangladesh 

Kabaddi Federation. Subimal, who 

has been involved with Bangladesh 

kabaddi for more than 40 

Action from the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup group stage game between Bangladesh and Argentina 

years now, remembered a kabaddi 

tournament held in 1964 at Paltan 

ground, formerly the location 

of Wari Club, where a strong local 

team from Pabna, two sides from 

Bikrampur and one from Noakhali 

took part. 

After the BAKF was formed, 

Bangladesh first played a kabaddi 

test in 1974 against visiting India 

team. The visitors played against 

the national team and sides from 

Dhaka, Tangail, Dinajpur, Jessore, 

Faridpur and Comilla. 

With the presence of delegates 

from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and 

Pakistan, the Asian Amateur Kabaddi 

Federation was founded in 1978 

at a conference in the Indian town 

of Villai. A year later, Bangladesh 

toured India for a return test, held 

at different places in the country. 

INTERNET 

In 1980, the first Asian Kabaddi 

Championship was held in Kolkata 

where Bangladesh finished runners-up 

with India emerging as the 

champions. Bangladesh became 

runners-up again in 1988 in the 

same tournament held in Jaipur. 

Kabaddi was included in the 

Asian Games in Beijing, 1990 where 

Bangladesh clinched silver. They 

finished runners-up three more 

times out of the first four events in 

1990, 1994 and 2002 but since then, 

they have participated in five more 

Asian Games editions without winning 

any gold or silver. Iran took 

over Bangladesh’s place as India’s 

real contenders as they emerged 

champion in every edition of Asia’s 

Olympics. The major reason behind 

India’s successes is that they 

included kabaddi in the curriculum 

as a prime sports discipline for the 

students in 1961. And 10 years later, 

the National Institute of Sports 

included kabaddi in the curriculum 

of regular diploma courses. 

It has been quite a while since 

kabaddi has become a game of 

service/defence teams competing 

in the national tournament. 

Teams like Faridpur, Comilla, 

Tangail and Jessore used to 

dominate the national scene in 

the 1970s but after 1983, different 

defence teams like Border Guard 

Bangladesh (formerly known as 

Bangladesh Rifles) and Bangladesh 

Police won the National Kabaddi 

Championship titles in each and 

every edition till today. 

Another interesting thing is that 

since 1995, there has not been a single 

player in the national kabaddi 

team who hail from outside service 

or defence teams. 

Women’s Kabaddi 

Although ha-du-du is played 

all across the rural areas, it is 

mainly practised by the men. 

Women’s kabaddi in Bangladesh 

was not regular before 

2005. The national women’s 

championship was introduced 

in the mid 1970s when only a 

few district teams like Dhaka, 

Khulna, Tangail, Jessore and 

Rajshahi used to play. After 

around six years, it was then 

stopped in 1982. After around 

a decade with absolutely no 

activity of women’s kabaddi in 

the national level, it started to 

gather momentum again in the 

1990s with the introduction of 

school kabaddi. 

In 2005, Bangladesh women’s 

kabaddi team participated 

in an international tournament 

for the first time. It was a six-nation 

international kabaddi tournament 

held in Hyderabad, 

India. A year later, women’s 

kabaddi was introduced in the 

South Asian Games in Sri Lanka 

where Bangladesh enjoyed 

a memorable tournament. Led 

by head coach Subimal, the 

team travelled all the way from 

Dhaka to Madras via Kolkata by 

road. During their long journey, 

they played five-six warm-up 

matches in India before moving 

to Sri Lanka from where they 

returned with bronze. They 

won silver in 2010 and 2014. 

Currently in the national 

scene, the top two women’s 

teams are BJMC and Ansar & 

VDP because they provide the 

players job opportunities. The 

kabaddi duo have been dominating 

the national women’s 

tournaments for a while, always 

finishing among the top 

two. BJMC have around 25-30 

female kabaddi players who 

each earn Tk7,000-8,000 per 

month. •


28 


Bangladesh 

Under-14 lose 

in Super 

Mokh Cup 


Bangladesh under-14 football 

team exited in the group stages 

of the ongoing Super Mokh Cup 

in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after 

losing to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontal 

2-1 yesterday. As a result, the kids 

in red and green failed to make 

it into the cup knockouts and 

now find themselves in the plate 

competition. 

At the Selangor TSI Sports arena, 

Bangladesh fell behind in just 

the second minute with Kawasaki’s 

Yuma Igari bagging the goal following 

a mistake by Miraz Mollah. 

Arif Hossain brought parity in 

the 17th minute with a brilliant 

strike. 

Igari though netted the winner 

in the second half and thanks to 

Bangladesh goalkeeper Emon Hawlader, 

the Japanese outfit failed to 

add to their scoreline. 

Miraz turned from hero to villain 

in the 69th minute when he 

was sent off. 

Earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh 

lost to hosts Malaysia 1-0 

before beating Indonesia 3-2. • 

Sport 

AFGHAN BAG 

SHIRT BOY 

MEETS IDOL 

An Afghanistan boy 

who became an internet 

sensation after pictures 

of him wearing an 

improvised Lionel Messi 

football shirt went 

viral finally got to meet 

his superstar idol on 

Tuesday. 

Murtaza Ahmadi 

met the Barcelona 

forward in Doha, where 

the Spanish league 

champions are due to 

play a friendly match 

against Saudi Arabian 

side Al-Ahli later. 

Six-year-old Murtaza is 

from the rural Ghazni 

province southwest of 

Kabul 

Ronaldo a rare breed, says Zidane 

• AFP, Yokohama 

Cristiano Ronaldo is itching to 

prove just why he deserved the 

Ballon d’Or by leading Real Madrid 

to another Club World Cup title, 

Zinedine Zidane said yesterday. 

The Portuguese superstar, voted 

the world’s best player for a fourth 

time earlier this week, will lead 

Real’s charge in Japan, where the 

European champions face Mexico’s 

Club America in today’s semi-final. 

“Cristiano is hugely motivated 

for this game - as always,” Real 

coach Zidane told reporters in Yokohama. 

“He would be motivated even 

if it were a friendly, that’s just the 

sort of player he is. 

“Obviously we have many great 

players at Real Madrid but it’s 

very rare one player wins so many 

awards,” added the Frenchman, 

whose side are chasing their second 

world title in three years this 

week. • 

NCL 4th round 

resumes Tuesday 


The fourth round of the National 

Cricket League 2016-17 season will 

resume this Tuesday across four venues 

of the country following the conclusion 

of the Bangladesh Premier 

League Twenty20’s fourth edition. 

In tier one, Barisal will take on 

Khulna at the BKSP-3 ground while 

Dhaka Metropolis will face Dhaka 

at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium 

in Fatullah. 

Meanwhile in tier two, Rangpur 

are up against Chittagong at Sylhet 

International Cricket Stadium 

while Rajshahi will lock horns with 

Sylhet at Shaheed Chandu Stadium 

in Bogra. 

Barisal lead tier one with 23 

points while Rajshahi, with 33 

points, top tier two. • 

Munshiganj Sadar 

clinch Victory Day T20 


Munshiganj Sadar Upazila clinched 

the Victory Day Twenty20 tournament, 

organised by Munshiganj 

Zila Krira Sangstha, last Monday at 

the Green Welfare field. Munshiganj 

Sadar Upazila defeated Sirajdikhan 

Upazila by four wickets in 

the final. • 

Victory Day T20 teams 

announced 


FOOTBALL 

TEN 1 

1:45AM 

Sky Bet EFL 2016/17 

Coventry City v Sheffield Utd 

DAY’S WATCH 

Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday 

announced the two 

teams - Shaheed Jewel XI and 

Shaheed Mushtaque XI - for 

the Victory Day Exhibition 

Twenty20 match, scheduled to 

be held tomorrow in Mirpur’s 

Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. 

Cricket’s governing body in 

the country arranges the exhibition 

match every year to 

pay tribute to valiant freedom 

fighters Shaheed Abdul Halim 

Chowdhury Jewel and Shaheed 

Mushtaque Ahmed, who 

both used to play the sport. 

Shaheed Jewel and Shaheed 

Mushtaque both lost their lives 

during the liberation war in 

1971. 

The Victory Day exhibition 

match previously used to feature 

young and aspiring cricketers 

but this time around, the 

former cricketers will turn up 

on the occasion. 

Shaheed Jewel XI 

Shahriar Hossain, Javed Omar, 

Mehrab Hossain, Jahangir 

Alam, Hasan, Neeyamur 

Rashid, Faruk Ahmed, Enamul 

Haque, Khaled Mashud (C), Md 

Ali, Morshed Ali, Shafiuddin 

Ahmed, Talha Jubair, Anisur 

Rahman, Athar Ali (manager) 

and Dipu Roy (coach) 

Shaheed Mushtaque XI 

Harunur Rashid, Hannan 

Sarkar, Habibul Bashar, Akram 

Khan (C), Minhajul Abedin, 

Naimur Rahman MP, Khaled 

Mahmud, Jamal Uddin, Alamgir 

Kabir, Saiful Islam, Md 

Rafique, Sazzad Ahmed, Saifullah 

Khan, Hasibul Hossain, 

Zahid Masum (manager) and 

Wahidul Gani (coach) • 

CRICKET 

STAR SPORTS 2 

9:00AM 

Pakistan Tour of Australia 

1st Test, Day 1

Downtime 

29 



CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Way of viewing (6) 

6 Pouring edge (3) 

9 Wait on (5) 

10 Habitual abode (4) 

11 Metal (5) 

12 Monkey (3) 

13 Guide (6) 

15 Look after (4) 

18 Swarm (4) 

21 Raised narrow strips (6) 

24 Top airman (3) 

25 Nimble (5) 

28 Colour (4) 

29 Manservant (5) 

30 Eyelid affliction (3) 

31 Assails (6) 

DOWN 

1 Useful thing (5) 

2 Become firm (3) 

3 Groom the feathers (5) 

4 First woman (3) 

5 Prison room (4) 

6 Burden (4) 

7 Obstruct (6) 

8 Look narrowly (4) 

14 Liable (3) 

16 Bring out (6) 

17 Domestic animal (3) 

19 Banishment (5) 

20 Encounters (5) 

21 Sharp blows (4) 

22 Refuse (4) 

23 Rescue (4) 

26 Fuel (3) 

27 Permit (3) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 2 represents W so fill W 

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 

MONDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

30 



Showtime 

Biggest Golden Globes film snubs and surprises 

Surprise 

Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge 

scored both Best Drama and Best 

Actor nods, the latter for Andrew 

Garfield. Pundits wondered 

whether Gibson’s past media 

scandals would be a liability for 

the film and Garfield’s awards 

chances, but the film’s awardseason 

performance thus far 

indicates it’s not the case at all. 

And Deadpool, as the first 

Marvel film, earned not only a 

Best Motion Picture, Musical or 

Comedy nomination, but also an 

acting nod for Ryan Reynolds 

Fashion designer-turneddirector 

Tom Ford beat out Clint 

Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and 

Jeff Nichols for a spot in the best 

director category. • 

• Showtime Desk 

The nominees for 74th Golden 

Globes awards were announced 

this Monday, and, as expected, 

awards-season favoutires La La 

Land and Moonlight dominated. 

Damien Chazelle’s Los Angeles 

musical La La Land led with seven 

Golden Globes nominations and 

Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight close 

on it’s heels with six nods. The 

other nominees for Best picture, 

drama, includes Manchester by the 

Sea, Lion, Hell or High Water and 

Hacksaw Ridge. 

However, the accolade, which 

is bestowed by the 93 members 

of the Hollywood Foreign Press 

Association (HFPA) recognising 

excellence in film and television, 

both domestic and foreign, still 

had plenty of brush-offs and 

surprises. Here’s our say at the 

biggest snubs and surprises. 

Snub 

Martin Scorsese’s long-passion 

project, Silence, about Jesuit 

missionaries in 17th-century 

Japan, left empty-handed. 

So did the Tom Hanks 

film Sully, which is about the 

miraculous Hudson plane landing. 

The much-anticipated Hidden 

Figures, which stars Taraji 

P Henson as a black female 

mathematician who helped 

American astronauts get into orbit, 

collected just two nominations: for 

best supporting actress (Octavia 

Spencer) and the best score. 

Finding Dory, the highestgrossing 

film at the 2016 box office 

missed out on the Best Animated 

Feature nomination despite the 

film’s positive reviews. 

Kate Beckinsale’s mannered, 

salty work in Love & Friendship 

was one of praised performances 

of the year. However, Beckinsale’s 

charm in the Whit Stillman’s Jane 

Austen adaptation did not earn her 

any Globes nod. 

Laal Sabujer Sur gets world 

TV premiere on Victory Day 


After the dark night of March 25, 

1971, Emon along with his parents 

flew from the capital city to take 

shelter in a remote village called 

Ichapur. In the village, Emon met 

with a boy named Badol, whose 

parents were brutally killed by the 

Pakistani Army back in Dhaka. To 

avenge his parents Badol joined 

the freedom fight. 

Motivated by Badol, Emon 

too goes to a training-camp for 

freedom fighters in order to 

prepare himself for the war. In 

the meantime, the Pakistani 

Army attacks the village killing 

hundreds of civilians including 

Emon’s parents. Now Emon, who 

has become more helpless and an 

orphan, must take very difficult 

life altering decisions. 

The story above is from an 

upcoming film titled Laal Sabujer 

Sur which sets to get world TV 

premiere on this Victory Day. 

Written by Faridur Reza Sagor, the 

liberation war drama is produced 

by Impress Telefilm and made 

with the assistance of the national 

film making grant. The film will be 

aired at 2:30pm on Channel i on 

December 16. 

Directed by Mushfiqur Rahman 

Gulzar, the film stars Omar Sani, 

Subrata, Sera Zaman, Rafiqullah 

Selim and Jhuna Chowdhury in 

leads roles.•

Showtime 

31 



Alan 

Thicke 

died at 

69 


Back in the 80’s Alan Thicke was a TV dad. His portrayal of Dr. 

Jason Seaver on the sitcom “Growin Pains” was an embodiment 

of a stereo typical American sitcom. The Canadian won the hearts 

of many American fans, with his multiple talents. With a career 

spanning across five decades, he has worked as actor, songwriter 

and a game show host. 

“Growin Pains” in contrast with “The Cosby Show” didn’t 

touch social issues. Rather it was a light hearted comedy show 

for the whole family. But before he got his big break in American, 

Thicke hosted a game show on CFCF-TV in Montreal called First 

Impressions in the late 1970s. Later he worked as the head of 

writing staff on the talk-show Fernwood 2-Night, 

Thicke, who died Tuesday at age 69, said in a 1985 interview 

with The Associated Press that he wouldn’t have pitched a show 

like “Growing Pains” but suggested it fit the times. 

“Ronald Reagan is president and there’s no war, maybe that 

creates an environment for a show like ours,” he said. • 

Yami buys 25 acre estate house 


Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, 

Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi. She 

is an expert in six languages. 

Talented Yami Gautam has 

once again come in the for her 

work. Her upcoming film Kaabil 

brought her to the forefront by 

creating a lot of social media 

buzz. 

But is Yami getting type cast? 

Because in the four years that 

she’s been part of Bollywood, 

Yami Gautam has ended up 

playing the same role thrice — 

that of a brutalised wife, who is 

so missed by the hero, that he 

goes on a vendetta spree and 

seeks revenge. 

After playing Ajay Devgn’s 

tortured, comatose wife in Action 

Jackson, and Varun Dhawan’s 

deceased wife in Badlapur, Yami 

is set to reprise the role in Sanjay 

Gupta’s Kaabil, where she plays 

Hrithik’s late wife. 

Apparently doing well in her 

profession, Yami Gautam has 

recently bought a house in her 

home state, Himachal Pradesh. 

A 100-year-old heritage home set 

on a 25-acre estate. The actress 

can’t wait to take her ‘nani’ to her 

second home in February. 

“For me a home is more of 

an emotional connect than 

a property investment. Even 

though I grew up in Chandigarh, 

I would go to my nani’s place 

near Shimla every year during 

the summer holidays and some 

of my happiest memories are 

rooted there and is the reason I 

want to be a child again. It was 

always a special place, even the 

air felt different, and since a car 

is still a luxury in those parts, 

I remember taking the 

auto-rickshaw or mostly 

walking for hours to 

a relative’s home, 

singing songs 

and sometimes 

sliding down a 

hill for a shortcut. 

During winters, 

everyone would 

gather on the 

terrace—some 

knitting, some 

cooking and 

some playing 

with us 

children,” she 

reminisces. 

It is a dream 

come true for 

the actress 

who is gearing 

up for her 

2017 Republic 

Day release, 

the revengedrama, 

Kaabil, 

also featuring 

Hrithik 

Roshan. • 

UN end tie with Wonder Woman 


NEW YORK — The comic 

book heroine Wonder 

Woman has been abruptly 

fired from her honorary 

ambassador job at the 

United Nations following 

protests from both inside 

and outside the world 

organization that a skimpily 

dressed American, prone to 

violence wasn’t the best role 

model for girls. 

Rheal LeBlanc, head 

of press and external 

relations, said Tuesday the 

appointment of Wonder 

Woman as an Honorary 

Ambassador for the 

Empowerment of Women 

and Girls would end this 

week, a move that come 

less than two months after 

a splashy ceremony at 

the U.N., which attracted 

actresses Lynda Carter, who 

played Wonder Woman in 

the 1970s TV series, and Gal 

Gadot, who has taken on 

the role in the forthcoming 

“Wonder Woman” film. 

Critics said the appointment 

was tone deaf at a time when 

real women are fighting against 

sexual exploitation and abuse, 

and that there were plenty of real 

heroines that could be the face 

for gender equality. At the time 

of the appointment, there was no 

indication it would end so quickly. 

“It’s ending because it’s ending. 

And it was always meant to end,” 

U.N. spokesman Jeffrey A. Brez 

told The Associated Press. “The 

objective was to reach out to 

Wonder Woman’s fans and I think 

we did a great job of that.” 

In a statement, DC 

Entertainment, which owns the 

Wonder Woman title, said it was 

“extremely pleased with the 

awareness that this partnership 

brought” as well as “elevating 

the global conversation around 

the empowerment of women 

and girls.” It added that Wonder 

Woman, who turned 75 this year, 

“stands for peace, justice and 

equality.” 

Wonder Woman’s image was 

to be used by the U.N. on social 

media platforms to promote 

women’s empowerment, 

including on gender-based 

violence and the fuller 

participation of women 

in public life. Defenders 

of the decision pointed to 

the character’s pioneering, 

feminist roots and her 

muscular bravery. 

But an online petition, 

started by U.N. staffers and 

signed by more than 44,000 

people, asked the secretarygeneral 

to reconsider the 

appointment, saying the message 

the U.N. was “sending to the 

world with this appointment is 

extremely disappointing.” And 

during the October 21 ceremony 

at the U.N., many staffers silently 

turned their back to the stage, 

some with their fists in the air. 

The Wonder Woman 

appointment came after many 

women were dismayed that 

another man, Antonio Guterres, 

the former prime minister of 

Portugal, was chosen to be the 

next secretary-general, even 

though more than half the 

candidates were women. 

Several critics took issue with 

Wonder Woman’s skimpy outfit, 

arguing that the world might not 

embrace a scantily clad character 

in a thigh-baring bodysuit with an 

American flag motif and knee-high 

boots. 

Honorary ambassadors — as 

opposed to goodwill ambassadors 

like Nicole Kidman and Anne 

Hathaway — are fictional 

characters. The U.N. previously 

tapped Winnie the Pooh to be 

an honorary Ambassador of 

Friendship in 1998 and Tinker Bell 

as the honorary Ambassador of 

Green in 2009. • 

Source: Winston-Salem Journal

32 



‘BD LEADS ON MFS IN 

GLOBAL PLATFORM’ PAGE 12 

Back Page 

MAHMUDULLAH BLASTS 

BD XI TO VICTORY PAGE 24 

BIGGEST GOLDEN GLOBES FILM 

SNUBS AND SURPRISES PAGE 30 

‘Our struggles seem not to have ended’ 

• Nure Alam Durjoy 

Speakers commemorating the 

occasion of Martyred Intellectuals 

Day claim that the killing of 

intellectuals is yet to stop in the 

country, despite it being over 40 

years since the end of the War for 

Liberation. 

The onus of stopping these killings 

and advancing the spirit of independence 

lies in the hands of the 

country’s youths, they said. 

SA Haque Alik, the general secretary 

of the Director’s Guild, said 

it was the intellectuals who paved 

the path for the nation’s independence 

in 1971 and, since then, a gradual 

killing of intellectuals has been 

plaguing the country. 

After paying homage to the martyred 

intellectuals yesterday, the 

speakers gathered to stress that 

the country’s youth must take initiative 

to advance the ambition of 

independence that the martyred 

pioneers began. 

Tahmina Khan, daughter of martyred 

Muksad Ali, said: “Our struggles 

of existence seem not to have 

ended. I believe it is youths who 

will enlighten the nation with their 

thoughts in the days ahead.” 

She added that the economic 

lifeline fundamentalist and militant 

groups receive from political 

parties needs to be broken as it aids 

them to create a world of darkness. 

“We have achieved independence, 

but not yet freedom. Killing 

of intellectuals in the country has 

not been stopped yet,” martyred 

journalist Selina Parveen’s son Sumon 

Jahid told the Dhaka Tribune. 

He was participating in a human 

chain in front of the Martyred Intellectuals 

Monument in Rayerbazar 

on the morning of December 14. 

He added that the families of the 

martyred demand for a ban on religion-based 

politics, confiscation 

of looted wealth and for rehabilitation 

of freedom fighters. 

Jharna Rahman told the Dhaka 

Tribune that the evils of 1971 exist 

in society in various forms, and 

they have been killing thinkers, 

writers, and publishers as of the 

present. 

“The future is in the hands of 

the youth now, and hopefully they 

will rescue their nation as their ancestors 

did,” she said. 

Nation recalls martyred intellectuals countrywide 

• SM Najmus Sakib, Abu Bakar 

Siddique 

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stand in solemn silence after placing wreaths at the altar of the 

Martyred Intellectuals’ Memorial at Mirpur in Dhaka yesterday to pay their tribute to the martyred intellectuals 

BSS 

The nation yesterday observed the 

Martyred Intellectuals Day across 

the country recalling its martyred 

intellectuals in a befitting manner 

and with profound respect. 

In the morning, President Abdul 

Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina paid homage to martyred 

intellectuals placing wreaths at 

7am at the Martyred Intellectuals’ 

Mausoleum at Rayerbazar area in 

the capital. 

After placing the wreaths, President 

Abdul Hamid and Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina stood in 

solemn silence for some time while 

a contingent of Bangladesh Armed 

Forces gave a state salute. The bugle 

played the last post at that time. 

After paying tributes, the 

president and PM talked to the 

war-wounded freedom fighters 

and family members of the martyred 

intellectuals who also attended 

the occasion. 

In a program held in observance 

of the day at the capital’s Krishibid 

Institute in the afternoon, the prime 

minister pledged to try also who patronized 

and helped the collaborators 

in killing the intellectuals. 

BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda 

Zia, being accompanied by senior 

party leaders including BNP 

Secretaries General Mirza Fakhrul 

Islam Alamgir, paid respect around 

10am on behalf of her party at Martyred 

Intellectuals’ Mausoleum at 

Rayerbazar. 

Later, people from all walks of 

life – including freedom fighters, 

leaders of different political and 

cultural organisations, and representatives 

of educational institutions 

– paid tributes to the great 

sons of the soil. 

Among others, Awami League, 

14-party alliance, deputy speaker, 

opposition leader, Dhaka city 

mayors, liberation war affairs minister, 

and divisional commissioner 

of Dhaka, family members of the 

martyr intellectuals, war-wounded 

freedom fighters, Opposition Leader 

Raushan Ershad in the front line 

paid tributes. 

In a message President Abdul 

Hamid said: “Intellectuals had 

played a very significant role and 

worked as the conscience of the 

nation in advancing the Liberation 

War towards its successful end. But 

it is unfortunate that the occupation 

forces had brutally killed those 

intellectuals including academics, 

physicians, litterateurs, journalists, 

artists and such other professionals 

just on the eve of the victory.” 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

said when the country was closer to 

achieve the final victory under the 

leadership of the greatest Bangalee 

of all times, Father of the Nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 

they were killed on December 

Martyred Intellectuals Day honours 

the university teachers, academics, 

researchers, doctors, engineers, 

poets and journalists who lit 

the path to independence, many of 

whom were slain by anti-liberation 

forces in 1971. Bodies were found 

in graves hidden throughout the 

country, including in Dhaka’s Mirpur 

and Mohammadpur. 

Journalist Zahid Reza Noor, son 

of martyred journalist Serajuddin 

Hossain, told the Dhaka Tribune: 

“We pay our profound respect to 

those who have enlightened the 

nation through their thoughts, 

dreams and lives. We want to go 

further to fulfil the dreams of the 

Liberation War” 

From morning to afternoon, 

different organisations, political 

parties, educational institutions 

and individuals paid respect to the 

Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at 

Rayerbazar. 

The Sector Commanders Forum 

also organised a human chain commemorating 

the day. 

Prof Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury 

of Bangla department of Dhaka University, 

Prof Munier Chowdhury, 

Prof Anwar Pasha, Prof Shahidullah 

Kaiser, Prof Gias Uddin, Dr Fazle 

Rabbi, Abdul Alim Chowdhury, Serajuddin 

Hossain, Selina Parveen and 

Dr Joytirmay Guhathakurta were 

among those who were killed by the 

occupation forces and their collaborators 

on December 14, 1971. • 

14 by the Pakistani occupation forces 

and their local auxiliary forces like 

Razakars, Al-Badars and Al-Shams. 

“We have brought the killers 

of the martyred intellectuals under 

trial and verdicts of some war 

criminals have already been implemented. 

Verdicts of other war 

criminals also will surely be implemented,” 

the premier added. 

Members of the cabinet, the 

mayors of Dhaka North and Dhaka 

South City Corporations, the chiefs 

of the three services as well as top 

civil and military officials were 

present during the President and 

PM’s visit at the Martyred Intellectuals’ 

Mausoleum. 

Jatiya Party Chairman Hossain 

Muhammad Ershad, JSD President 

Hasanul Haque Inu, Workers Party 

Chief Rashed Khan Menon, Ruhin 

Hossain Prince on behalf of CPB, 

Kamal Hossain of Gono Forum, Oli 

Ahmed of LDP also paid tribute. 

Vice-chancellors AAMS Arefin 

Siddique of Dhaka University, 

Farzana Islam of Jahangirnagar 

also paid tribute. 

Flowers, banners and slogans 

and cultural programs overwhelmed 

the ground of Mirpur Martyrs 

Memorial also in the morning. 

Over 200 intellectuals including 

Prof Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury 

of Bengalee Department of Dhaka 

University, Prof Munir Chowdhury, 

Prof Anwar Pasha, Prof Shahidullah 

Kaisar, Prof Gias Uddin, Dr 

Fazle Rabbi, Abdul Alim Chowdhury, 

Siraj Uddin Hossain, Selina 

Parveen and Dr Jyotirmoy Guha 

Thakurta were picked up from 

their residences and taken blindfolded 

to torture cells at Mirpur, 

Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh 

and other areas in Dhaka. 

They were later cold bloodedly 

murdered at different killing 

grounds, most notably Rayerbazar 

and Mirpur, on the fateful day of 

December 14, 1971. • 

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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